Lost in the Darkness
I will find him. I will find him. I will find him. She stared, unseeing, into the small fire. I will find him.
"Someone's coming." Her head snapped up at her teammate's statement.
"How far?" They all knew who it was that was approaching their small camp.
"About five miles."
"We'll have to hurry then." She bawled her fists as she rose to her feet and prepared for departure. Within two minutes the fire was out, the only light came from the few stars that weren't covered by the clouds, indistinguishable from the black sky above.
She looked at the three boys in front of her silently.
"Come on. Let's go." The four shinobi turned into blurs as they shot up into the ancient trees above them. The only sounds were the slight rustle of clothing as they made their way to their target, and away from their pursuer.
I will find him. I will find him. I will find him …I'm sorry.
Through the bare branches above her, Sakura noticed the darkness had faded to a light grey. She was so focused on the target they were speeding towards that she hadn't noticed the change in her surroundings. She shook her head to clear it. Looking to her left Sai had the blank look he always wore in place. Not surprising. Sai, over the last couple months with team Kakashi, had a better understanding of emotions and people, which was probably why he followed her on the mission, because he understood, or at least that was what she wanted to believe. At least one person will understand why, why I have to do this.
She turned her head to look at the Ninja clad in green on the other side of her. It had hurt Lee, she knew, when she proclaimed her love for Naruto. At the thought Sakura turned her head away with a small frown. He didn't believe that I loved him. Does it seem that impossible? The truth was she did love Naruto, as much as she loved- she looked down with a sigh, just not in the same way. She gazed back at Lee who had a determined look on his face with his large brows drawn low over his eyes. I've been so selfish to disregard all the loving people around me, Lee, Naruto, all for…a lost cause. Sakura returned her gaze to what lay ahead of her. Kiba was riding Akamaru about twenty feet ahead, and in front of him the sun was coming over the horizon, it's bright rays causing Sakura to squint her eyes.
"He's cloned himself, he's all around us!" Kiba suddenly yelled over his shoulder.
No! How? When? Sakura opened her eyes wide in surprise but the bright light of the early morning in front of them caused her to quickly shut them tight in protection, resulting in a kick in the stomach that send her tumbling fifty feet to the ground below her.
Using the momentum of the kick to do a back flip, Sakura was able to right herself before landing with a skid of her boots on the white blanket of snow covering the bare land under her. A Naruto landed thirty feet in front of her.
"Sakura-chan you are not going to do this!" he screamed at her.
"Naruto you don't understand, this is for the good of everyone!" He was unfazed by her response.
"You are being selfish!"
"I'm not doing this for me!" She straightened in defiance of his accusation.
Naruto took a step forward. "Oh yeah? Then who are you doing this for? Huh? Not me! I thought we were a team! You want Sasuke to come back as much as I do! We were going to make a home for him to return to." He said this last part softly and with a look in his eyes that made Sakura suck in her breath at the sickening feeling that started to pool at the bottom of her gut.
"No, Naruto! You are the only one who doesn't see it! Sasuke is a threat to Kohona, to you! He won't return to us! He wants to kill us!" She exclaimed to convince herself just as much as Naruto that it was true; that she was doing the right thing.
"Sakura-chan, how can you just give up like that? You love him." He took another small step toward her.
Sakura felt a small breathe come out of her slightly parted lips, a small heart-broken sigh, before she quietly corrected, "No Naruto…not anymore."
Naruto swallowed before demanding, "Sakura, stop lying," She snapped her head up and opened her mouth to deny it, but he quickly rushed on, "I know you don't love me, not like you love him, I've seen you cry Sakura, for him, for Sasuke."
To her chagrin tears started to swell in her eyes, "So what if I do?" she angrily admitted with a quick sweep of her hand that opened her cloak, "It doesn't mean anything! It isn't enough," she was interrupted by her throat constricting tightly and had to calm herself with a deep, slow breath before she could continue in a shaking voice, "It wasn't enough the first time, and it's definitely not enough now!" She tightened her fists to try and keep herself from breaking down, "Naruto, please, he is loosing himself." She pleaded with her voice and eyes, "Don't you see? He is targeting our home, the other people we love, he is targeting you, and I can't let him hurt you." Silence fell between them for a few moments as this information sunk in.
Slowly Naruto finally spoke, "Sakura, I promised, not only you, but Sasuke, that I would bring him back, and if that means loosing my life to do so, then so be it."
Sakura looked into his face with a gapping mouth before slowly shaking her head as she shakily straightened, "I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't let that happen." Naruto's face was hidden by his bangs as he looked down, "I have to say Sakura, that I never thought I would ever have to really fight you," he rose his head to look determinately into her eyes, "but if you're going try and stop me from saving Sasuke, then I have no choice. Multi-shadow clone jutsu!"
Sakura pulled out two kunai, one in either hand, and crouched in preparation of the coming onslaught of Narutos.
"Yah!" She screamed as she forcefully slammed a chakra filled boot into the ground, sending snow flying in all directions and making about twenty of the clones poof out of existence. With a swipe of her left arm another five were gone. For three full minutes she battled the clones until there was only one Naruto left. Sakura wiped the back of her hand across her mouth as she panted, waiting for his next attack, but he just stood there, looking at her. Finally,
"I'm sorry Sakura. I promise I'll bring him back." Sakura gasped in shock and tensed with realization before quickly spinning around, but it was too late. She was flown back by the force of the punch to her face, only to be wretched back in the other direction with a kick to her lower back. Between the two clones of her teammate, her best friend, she was relentlessly kicked, punched, and pushed until her bruised and bloodied face turned to see red. Sasuke? Then she saw no more.
Naruto and Kakashi stood; looking over Sakura's defeated form lying in the snow, spots turned red by her blood, as they spoke.
"Sakura-Chan-"
"No Naruto," He was stopped by the reprimand and looked up in question to his Sensei's covered face, "You did what had to be done to save her."
"Save her?" He asked hesitatingly.
Kakashi continued to gaze at his unconscious former pupil, "Yes Naruto. Sakura was right, Sasuke is not the same Sasuke who left the village, or even defeated Orochimaru. What he has discovered about his brother has broken him, everything he based his life on was false, a lie. He is lost in darkness, he feels as if he has no purpose, and he doesn't know what or who to believe. Sakura is strong, but if she were to find Sasuke," Kakashi turned to look at the boy wearing a puzzled look by his side, "I have no doubt that he would have killed her without a second thought." A flock of birds squawked overhead as a pregnant silence followed this statement.
"However Naruto," He continued, "I do believe that you are strong enough not only to defeat Sasuke, but to bring him back to the light." Turning to go, he paused and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Sometimes though, we can't always fulfill our promises. Summon a toad to take Sakura back to the village along with this note explaining the situation." With his other hand he produced a scroll from a pocket hidden inside his vest and placed it in Naruto's upraised hand before jumping up into the trees and out of sight.