Ridiculous hate swirls through my thoughts, clouding my judgment. The dark room surrounding me pays no mind to my murderous thoughts, staying in its monotonous silence. The room has fragments of my forgotten innocence: the old picture of team seven, ten year old pictures of Ino and me, faded blue walls, the musty scent of ramen. The sight of my former self adds to my churning anger; I walked to the picture of the ecstatic girl with the unnaturally happy smile. Sasuke's apathetic look and Naruto's comical rage does nothing to arouse a sense of nostalgia as I thought it would. I plucked the picture up between two fingers and, with a flick of my wrist, threw it against the wall. The crash gave me a weird sense of relief, and for a moment I thought of ripping apart the evidence of my childhood.
I shook my head at the childish idea of smashing my old house to pieces. But as I left my old home, the scent of smoke was heavy in the air.
0-0-0-0
"I'm revoking the kill on sight order."
"E-excuse me, shishou?" This act of kindly, respectful girl was getting old.
"Your friends have gotten a bit out of hand. I've not one, but two petitions this month about it. His fangirls come to see me every morning about it." The blonde adjusted her glasses, rubbing her temples. She placed her elbows on her desk and sighed. "There's an extent to how far a friendship can go, but I didn't expect this much resentment. I'm actually getting sick of dealing with it. I see no harm in removing the order."
Respectful Sakura was biting her lip, gathering her thoughts. Real Sakura was biting her lip, containing her thoughts. "Ma'am, we're speaking of a criminal." I don't think I'd need to explain the dangerousness of this man to a child, but maybe I need to. "He's defeated Itachi. My lady, clearly his prowess has tripled, if not quadrupled. He's very powerful, ma'am-I'm not advocating his death but we do need to be wary."
"I'm sure your peers would act accordingly if the situation would ever arise." Tsunade said with a swipe of her hand, dismissing my advice. "The other bit information I'd like to share is that anyone who kills Uchiha Sasuke will be banished from the village. Not only will they have his fangirls on their tail, but we have also lost an important bloodline. Now go spread the word, Sakura. I expect you back in an hour for a mission."
I bowed my head in a show of respect to my shishou to hide my horrified disgust.
0-0-0-0
"Yo, Sakura."
The voice came from out of nowhere. We were literally in the middle of nowhere- a merchant's path near the edge of fire country. There was nowhere to hide, though my body was screaming at me to disappear.
A year had passed since the kill on sight order had been revoked. And here was the man, in the flesh, who had caused this unnecessary pain.
And there was nowhere to hide.
"Sasuke."
The slow turn gave me time to compose myself. Killing him would be too easy.
"And what would the dainty Sakura be doing on this road…?" Sasuke tilted his head to the right, tutting. "Don't you know it's..dangerous? And there's no Naruto..or Kakashi.. or Sai.. to protect you..?"
He's intentionally provoking me, I reasoned. "Maybe I need your protection, Sasuke-kun." I said, looking up at him with doe eyes. I mentally threw up blood.
"You're so..annoying." This personality is annoying. Your presence is annoying. While we're naming annoying things..
"Your life is annoying." I mimicked, copying the off-hand tone. "Please end it."
He opened his mouth to speak, I mentally shook my head. I've been silent much too long. Catching him unaware, I nicked his lips with a kunai. Jumping back and flipping away, I landed a few meters in front of him. Sighing, I shook my head. "What the hell, Sasuke. I was expecting more than that. One little late reflex and now you've got lovely chakra stitches on your mouth."
Now that I was safe from his words, I took the chance to look at him. There were multiple bleeding lacerations across his arms, and bruises on his face. His face almost mirrored that of a skull, his face was gaunt and pale, his eyes sunken in, his dry lips bleeding. The chakra stitched glowed pale green against his face, creating a sick looking skin color. His body was frail and skinny looking. A black shirt- if you could call it a shirt- hung loosely around his torso, his gray pants in tatters.
I punched the pang of sympathy before it happened.
Raising my right hand, I pulled mentally at his chakra stitches. Soon, his chakra began to flow through chakra strings into my fingertips.
"Now that you're silenced..possibly forever, I'd like to tell you a few things, Sasuke- kun. The kill on sight order you got when you left the village was revoked. But unfortunately, you left the village before you knew the girl who wasn't sweet, kind, and weak. You never met the girl who was murderous, cunning, and vindictive." I pulled at the chakra strings like pulling the reigns of a horse. Blood leaked from my dear Sasuke-kun's mouth. "You see, in order to create this girl, she had to go through several things. But I'll sum it up to the point where you were gone." I paced toward him, his chakra still pumping into mine. "The entire village was obsessed with getting you back. Your fangirls are still in a frenzy. Naruto has risked his life way too many times, and in the end, he gets his heart broken by your refusal to come back. And it makes me sick. So sick I trained till my hands bled, till I was out of chakra, till I lay half-dead on the training grounds. So sick I trained until I could do this." I twisted my raised hand, making the strings wrap around Sasuke's pathetic figure. With a flick of my ring finger, his right lung collapsed.
The shocked man fell to his knees, gasping, crying. "Oh, you're not dead. Not at all. I know you're not. That's how hard I trained.
These people of the village were obsessed with getting you back. They talk of you constantly. It's horrifying, actually. How's it feel, Sasuke? Wanted so bad by people you don't even care for..all for the title "Avenger". When all along the Uchiha massacre.. was just a charade. And you killed your only kin because of your own stupidity. You broke your bonds because of that title. You became a monster because of that title. And now, you had the misfortune of coming across me on your way home to lick your wounds from some ridiculous conquest.
What was that you called me? Weak. Yes, I think that was it. Interesting you should say that." I kneeled before him, his face in the ground, panting in the dust. "Isn't it you on the ground, suffocating? But oh yes, victory by circumstance. At least you didn't come across any of my other teammates. They'd help you home, give you clothes. A warm shower, dinner. Wouldn't even charge you for what you've done. It's like you're Kami or something. Put you right back where you were. But I won't let that happen."
I flicked my pinky, and his kidneys began to fail. Curled in my index, and his liver died. Popped my middle finger, his heart began to curve in on itself.
And that's when the screaming began.
I cupped my hands; I could take his heart. I curled in my fingers, knowing he felt exactly what I was doing in his most important organ.
"Say it, Sasuke. Say it, and I might stop. I could reverse it."
I increased the pressure. It'd be a shame if his heart ruptured.
"S-s-SAKURA! I'm sor-"
His scream echoed for a few seconds.
My fingers must have slipped, oops.
0-0-0-0
Forty kilometers away, nestled in a tree, I deemed myself safe from attacks. Having taken Sasuke's pack, I began to sift through it for clues. Several kunai, five shuriken, a few explosive tags.. and a journal. Who'd've thought?
The Uchiha told quite the story of his departure from Orochimaru's lair to finding teammates to killing his brother. The latest entry dates an hour before.
"Running another damned errand for the Akatsuki. Troublesome. Anyone could probably kill me right now, even Sakura….
…
…
Speak of the devil. What's this little girl doing on a merchant's path? Doesn't she know how dangerous that is? Where are her teammates?"
I blinked at the ridiculous entry, restraining the thoughts of murderous rage. Unfortunately, he was already dead. Looking through other entries, one caught my eye.
"Dead. Itachi is dead. And now I've been informed that this was all Konoha's fault.
Damn this! Damn this to hell! I've worked all my life to kill my brother, my life was devoted to getting revenge, and just when I thought I had relief- that one moment, I thought I had accomplished my life goal- and now this.
There is no way the Village hidden in the Leaves will escape my wrath."
Interesting. So, I had technically done a public service. I should probably get going back to the village.
Of course the sky was darkening. How cliché.
0-0-0-0
Morning fog still hung in the air when I arrived back at Tsunade's office. "My lady," I called through the door. "Come in.." came the drunken response. Of course. I opened the door and there was my mentor, in a drunken stupor. Sighing, I stepped into her office and channeled healing chakra into my finger tips and lightly touched her shoulder. Raising my hand, I expelled the alcohol from her system. The liquid hung in a light blob around my hand, so I walked to the waste bin and dropped the poison. This was a normal routine.
"What do you have to report, Sakura?" She asked, now attentive eyes snapping to mine.
"The diplomatic mission was a success, the Wave Village seems to have settled down." I drawled, this was boring.
"And what- Sakura, you're covered in blood!" She exclaimed, now fully awake. She jumped up and started towards me, but I shook my head. "Shishou, this is enemy blood." I'm not sure how you could have drawn the conclusion it was my blood, I have no cuts or bruises and I look completely healthy.
"You encountered enemies?" She asked, curiously cocking her head to the right. "Of what nationality?"
I blinked at her. "I'm not sure what nationality you could call this man, Uchiha Sasuke."
Her eyes were wide with surprise. It merely added to my disgust. "You saw Sasuke?"
I nodded. "Yes, shishou." She was obviously burning for details.
"And?" She demanded.
"I caught and killed him." I said plainly. No need to say anything more. No need to delay the truth.
Tsunade spluttered on the drink she was trying to take. "Excuse me, apprentice? Did you just say you killed the last of Uchiha blood, the last chance for any nation for the Sharingan, the very one you were quite literally there for when I announced the removal of the kill on sight order? Did I hear you correctly, Sakura?"
"Yes, shishou."
Ma'am stared at me for several minutes, then took a long drink. She blinked at me, then called for her assistant.
0-0-0-0
"Is this necessary, Shishou?" Most of my friends and teachers stood in the office. Their expressions ranged from contempt to disgust to sadness.
"Is what you did necessary, forehe-" "ENOUGH, INO." Tsunade cut her off. She turned to me. "Would you like to offer an explanation, apprentice?"
I blinked at her. "I was disgusted by his very presence. So I got rid of it. It was quite simple. He was in a weakened state. Frankly, shishou, he was on his was to destroy the village. I found his journal. I eliminated him, because I see your twisted reverence for him. And it makes me sick."
Tsunade stared at me, and sighed. "I'm sorry, Sakura, but you were there when-"
"TSUNADE-BAA-CHAN! SAKURA-CHAN! WHAT'S GOING ON?" Of course, Naruto would come in right before I'm banished.
"I killed your precious Sasuke-kun." I told the room. "I killed him, because I've hated him since I met him. I've done you a public service, and if that means I'm banished, so be it." Naruto's shocked face was almost comical. I'd laugh if I wasn't in this state. "I'm sorry.. only to you, Naruto." I turned to Tsunade's stoic form. "The policy is I have twenty-four hours to leave before I'm targeted as an enemy." The smile on my lips was probably giving me a flippant edge, but I didn't care. "So I suppose this cherry blossom's drifting away." I started for the door, feeling the stares on my back.
I stopped in front of my almost-brother. "I'm not sorry for what I did. But I am sorry that you feel the way you do right now. Goodbye, Naruto-kun." I brushed past him, opened the door, and found my way to the house.
I hate you all.