November Rain
I do not own any part of Naruto
Chapter 1
A Bitter Breeze
The autumn air whipped wickedly throughout the Hidden Leaf Village. Scarlet, amber, and golden leaves thrashed violently against the villager's windowpanes. Shutters slammed savagely under the oppression of the harsh breeze. A fierce storm was brewing.
The fifth Hokage rose from her plush desk chair. The blonde slowly sauntered toward the large bay windows that framed her office. The autumn leaves continued to assault the windows as she gazed out over the town. Not a soul stirred in the town. The weather proved a barrier to all that attempted to face the approaching tempest. The Hokage raised her amber eyes to the darkening sky.
"This storm is a bad omen," she said in a grave voice. "Something's foul coming." A knock broke her from her musings. "Enter." She said in a strong voice and made her way back to her mahogany desk. Mountains of papers clattered the entire mahogany surface.
"Lady Tsunade," the ANBU guard said as he knelt before her, "A letter has arrived from the Land of Tea." He rose to his feet and handed the Hokage the parchment. The blonde woman's amber eyes quickly skimmed over the worn parchment.
"A citizen of Tea is requesting Miss Haruno to escort her back to the Tea countryside" she read aloud, "Miss Niraka's brother has been blind from birth and his health is rapidly declining. Miss Haruno's presence has been requested due to her extensive knowledge of the human eye and her medical expertise. Miss Niraka says that she was once healed by Miss Haruno and is personally requesting her to examine her brother." Tsunade mused aloud, "This mission should be a C-rank at best. The Land of Tea and the Leaf have been allies for many years now. The chance of hostility from other ninjas is slim. Miss Haruno should be able to complete this mission with ease. I would not normally send my best medics who is an ANBU ranked ninja out on a C-rank mission, however, Miss Niraka has personally requested Miss Haruno by name. "
"Lady Tsunade, if I may, I find this letter very disconcerting." The ANBU stated.
The blonde straightened in her chair and said, "It is safe to converse this matter in the privacy of my office. Please remove your mask at this time and voice your concerns." The young man complied and dropped his mask. His cerulean eyes shone through the darkness of the room and his blonde hair lay in disarray.
"Well you see, Old Lady Tsunade," Naruto began but was quickly cut off by the woman's deadly stare. A vein was clearly pressing against the ivory skin of the woman's forehead. Nervously scratching the back of his head, the younger blonde continued, "In all of the years Sakura and I have traveled, we have never once been to the Land of Tea. Sakura and I have completed many missions together and she has yet to heal a citizen from the Tea countryside."
"I see." Tsunade said in a concerned tone. She folded her hands in front of her face as she mused. "So, you think this is a set up then?" She questioned.
"Yes. I believe so." He stated, "Someone is targeting Sakura." The blonde gripped his fists until his knuckles turned white. He refused to lose another friend, another family member. The Hokage mirrored the younger blondes actions. Her knuckles became white was she gripped her fists. Letting her furry out, the blonde woman rose to her feet and smashed the solid mahogany desk to pieces. Splinters flew across the room, but Naruto's resolve and anger was unwavering.
"Get me Shikamaru!" Tsunade shouted.
"Right away." Naruto said as he bowed and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Tsunade walked back to the window and watched the blonde as he dashed across the rooftops with the autumn leaves.
'Sakura,' Tsunade thought, 'Who could be out for your life? Sasuke? Akatsuki? Madara? Sound Ninja?'
Moments later Tsunade was met with a soft 'poof' and in the mist of the smoke, Tsunade could see two male figures.
"I found the lazy bum, Old Lady." Naruto stated with a laugh.
"Troublesome." Shikamaru mumbled under his breath before addressing the Hokage. "Lady Tsunade, you requested my presence." He said while bowing.
"I just received this parchment from the Land of Tea requesting Sakura's medical expertise. Naruto has informed me that Sakura has never traveled to the Land of Tea and has never healed a citizen from the Tea countryside."
"I see." Shikamaru stated as he stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner." What is this citizen's name?"
"Miss Niraka," she replied. "Do you know of her?" She asked as her brows furrowed.
"No, but I have a hunch. Naruto, hand me a sheet of paper." The blonde complied and quickly handed Shikamaru a parchment and brush. "Yes, this makes sense. Now, Naruto, a map of Konoha and its surrounding countries. "Yes. This is it. It all makes sense now."
"What? I don't get it." Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head.
"The Akatsuki group has been last spotted in the town of Akari. Akari is located in the Land of Tea and its neighboring village is the Sound. An Akatsuki member must be in need of medical assistance, but not any medical assistance. They need that of a professional. Under these circumstances, I am lead to believe that the Akatsuki is wanting to kidnap Miss Haruno for her healing abilities. I believe that this person is an Uchiha. The Akatsuki group could have found any medic, but yet they requested Miss Haruno. Why? Because Sakura has been extensively trained in working with the human eye." He explained to the Hokage and the baffled Naruto. "Lady Tsunade, if I may, I would like to suggest sending Sakura on this mission."
"What! There is no way in hell I am letting them get their hands on her!" The blonde shouted as his cerulean eyes widened.
After quieting the enraged blonde down, Tsunade questioned between grinding teeth, "And why would I do that?"
"You see, Lady Tsunade, the Akatsuki is not expecting us to see through this fake mission. Sakura could double as a spy for Konoha. The Akatsuki would believe that they have captured Sakura while she is really collecting information for Konoha. Not only would she collect information, but she will also gain the Akatsuki's trust. This mission could provide us with the information needed to win this war. This could be the way to weaken Madara and bring Sasuke home. " Shikamaru explained.
"Sasuke?" the Hokage questioned, "We have no evidence that Sasuke Uchiha is among the Akatsuki."
"May I barrow your compact mirror, Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru questioned.
"Yes,"the blonde stated in a bewildered tone.
"You see," The lazy man drawled as he held the compact mirror up to the parchment with Niraka's name scrawled on it, "Niraka is simply Karin with an added 'a'. If I am not mistaken, Karin is one of Sasuke's new teammates."
"This could work out in Konoha's favor, however, the mission you are requesting is extremely dangerous for Sakura. This mission would be no less than an S-ranked mission. There is no guarantee Sakura could gain the Akatsuki's trust. Unless... Unless she stayed as a hostage for an extensive time."
"Old Lady Tsunade!" Naruto whined, "You are not seriously considering this are you?"
"Hold your tongue boy!" She shouted. "Bring me Sakura Haruno, no questions asked. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Naruto resigned as he hung his head.
"Do you understand your mission if you so choose to accept it?" The blonde woman stated a simple nod was her only answer. "You are expected to bring enough clothing and provision to last two years. I believe that the Akatsuki will provide you with food and shelter, but I would strongly advise you to be prepared for the worst. Do you, Sakura Haruno, accept your mission?"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade." The rosette replied.
"You will leave tonight." The Hokage informed her prized pupil. "Good luck, and Sakura, please be careful." She said in a motherly tone as her student left the Hokage tower. Her heart dropped as the door closed.
"Naruto, Good-bye." The rosette medic said as she hugged her blonde teammate. "I will meet you back here in exactly two years. Good-bye, I love you." She said as she kissed Naruto on the cheek.
"Be safe, Sakura. I love you too." He said as he hugged her back. She smiled sadly at the blonde as she turned to leave. As she looked back to give him one final wave, she finally let the tears the were welling up in her eyes fall.
Naruto stood at the gates watching his best friend retreat into the darkness of the night. The autumn leaves blew about his saddened features. The wind whipped his blonde hair in every direction as his heart broke. A bitter breeze blew the salty tears from Naruto's eyes.
Author's Note:
Leave me a review. Tell me what you think. This story is set ten years after the Naruto - Naruto: Shipuuden gap making Sakura 25 years old. Sasuke and Naruto are both 26 years old.