A Chance at Redemption Chapter 1: -:Mirrored Emotions:-, a naruto fanfic

Posted on: 28/12/16

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing a multi-chaptered fanfiction. So please bear with my mistakes and review the chapter to let me know what you think of it...:)

Summary

Cover done by Infinite_Writer01

The fourth shinobi war takes an unexpected turn when Sasuke Uchiha enters and decides to help the allied nations fight against the enemy. But after hearing a few convincing words from Madara Uchiha, he joins his side. The war reaches an outcome by the defeat and loss of the five kages. And Naruto? Naruto is...dead?

Now with the Kages gone and Kakashi deep in a comatose sleep, it is upto Sakura and her group of rebels to wage a civil war and save the gradually declining world of Shinobi. But who knew she'll get married in the process of trial at achieving her goal. And that too, to the one and only boy of her dreams, the love of her life, Sasuke Uchiha.

What will happen? Read on to find out...

Pairings:-

Main: SasuSaku

Minor: NaruHina, InoSai, ShikaTema & ChoKaru

Others: ObiRin, SuiKari and many others

"Don't speak...
Mentally, I'm delicate.
Don't touch...
Physically, I'm fragile."
-Sakura Haruno

Chapter 1: Mirrored Emotions

"She's pregnant."

Those were the first words uttered in the afternoon warmth of the dead-silent, hospital. A woman with silky-black locks, reaching down to her shoulders, pursed her lips in a tight smile after the small revelation that she had just made to the young couple seated on two beautifully-carved, wooden chairs before her desk. They looked at her with hints of barely concealed excitement in their eyes and twitches of lips, aching to smile. But for some reason, the hard look in the black-haired woman's equally dark irises, prevented them from doing so. It was as if the news of a new life entering this world did not give any mirth to the lady, as if it only disheartened her even more.

A soft sigh escaped her lips and she finally rolled her tongue to begin with the explanation of her cause of distress.

"She is also suffering from cold."

The woman spoke, glancing at the soon-to-be mother with concern but with disappointment at her husband.

"Oh..." The man nodded.

"Don't you dare 'Oh' this situation! This woman here, your wife, will soon give birth to your child and you can't even take care of her?! Her sickness will effect not only her but the unborn child's heath too!" The woman scolded the man, her irises turning into a darker shade of black.

"I'm sorry Doctor," the man bowed his head apologetically, "I don't have enough money to buy the proper medicines for her cold fevers. I-I-I will try my best to take care of her."

His words were not enough to satisfy the doctor and she stomped her hands on her desk to stand-up. She stroked her locks behind her ears and began speaking.

"I know living in this village is not as easy as it used to be. It is tough for me as well...but you are this lady's husband. It is your duty to take care of her." she spoke softly.

"Um...excuse me Doctor," this time the mother of the unborn child spoke, "He is not my husband."

The doctor slightly jerked-away from her desk, her hand waving clumsily, making the glass full of water topple-down from her desk. Only the sway of cool winds accompanied the moment of silence after the lady's surprising confession. It left the doctor completely clueless about the whole situation. If the pair before her is not an actual married couple then why is this man helping this woman out? Or why exactly is this lady letting him help her out with her tests? She had no idea of this situation and held no knowledge of the relationship between the two. She wanted to simply ask them about the whole mess but feared that it would only make her sound rude.

"My husband left me and ran away from this village. He considered me..a burden...", the lady explained even when the doctor hadn't asked her to.

"...but then..he came" the lady said, entwining her fingers with the man next to her, flashing him an affectionate look. The man softly smiled back, tightening his grip on her fingers.

The doctor watched the sweet gesture between the two presumed lovers and couldn't help her lips from curving-up into a sad smile. Something sharp stung her chest, making her place one shaky arm over the affected region and soothe it in slow strokes. Maybe these two are not bound to each-other by marriage but still, they are connected with each-other by the strings of their hearts. The man who left this lady to die must have been a real selfish jerk but not this guy. He embraced this lady even though he had nothing to give her but his unwavering love. And it is touching how the lady allowed her soul to fall into the talons of this feeling again, even after knowing that it had once left her broken.

"I will give you the proper medicines for the cold...free of cost. But promise me that you will take sincere care of her." The doctor spoke earnestly to the man.

Both of them were completely taken aback by her statement. She offered them medicines without any fee? This is the first time someone has been so generous to them in five months and they didn't want to let the opportunity slip out of their reach. So, without any more expressions of astonishment, they thanked the doctor and took the list of medicines that she instructed them to fetch from the counter at the right hand side, down the stairs.

After five hours of paying full attention to her patients, the black-haired woman locked her room and went downstairs to make an exit and enjoy a few minutes break.

"Will you come back in the evening, Minamoto-senpai?" A young nurse asked her on her way out of the main doors and she only nodded in response.

She was lost in a myriad of her troubling thoughts again. And the situation of that pregnant woman and her lover just added to her tension. She wondered, if they can't even afford two square meals then how exactly are they going to raise this coming child in a healthy atmosphere?

She sighed. But it's not their fault that the world has turned so...dark... Shinobi have started destroying this whole world, making the remaining specks of humanity wither at a slow and steady rate. Who is to blame? The answer is as simple as filing the records of patients. One of the strongest shinobi the world has ever heard of, namely Madara Uchiha along with a few of his wacky minions are responsible for the current state of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. But this is not all. Madara even managed to take-over the other nations in a few hours of the fourth shinobi war.

She sucked in an ounce of air to calm her trembling nerves. It irked her that even the mere thought of that man could make her shiver like a chicken. She closed her eyes and shook her head. When she flipped them open again, she saw herself standing before a flower shop- The Yamanaka Flower Shop- she recalled. In her zoned-out state, she ended-up reaching the doors to one of the remaining, most amiable places of Konohagakure.

"Forehead! Whatcha doin here? Come inside girl!"

A very, high-pitched voice called the black-haired woman with barely concealed excitement. The said woman hissed at the daughter of the shop's owner and pounced at the girl. She tackled her to the floor of the reception, clamped a hand to the cheerful girl's mouth and clumsily closed the door of the shop using her leg.

"Mmmfff! Lemme...ghoff!" The blue-eyed, blonde tried pushing the dark-haired girl away from herself.

With a roll of her opal irises, the other girl let go of the blonde, stood up and helped the sky blue-eyed girl back on her feet, avoiding the stares that the customers of the shop were flashing their way.

"How many times have I told you about keeping a low profile, Ino?" The girl whispered.

Ino looked back at her apologetically and spoke, "Sorry Sakura. You know I suck at this."

"This is the fifth time this week. Here I am trying to cover-up my true identity and you just spoil it with your childish antics!" The girl yelled back.

Ino sighed, forming a hand sign and then with her index and middle finger poked the black haired girl on her nose, making her nicely crafted henge disappear in a whiff. The black of her irises faded into a beryl shade of emerald while her dark, silky locks turned into a beautiful shade of pink. Even the insignia on her left breast changed from the title of 'Ms. K. Minamoto' to the original 'Ms. S. Haruno'.

"Ah..now this looks much better. The same old, lovely Sakura that you are..." Ino muttered dreamily.

The now revealed girl placed a hand on her forehead and shook her head in despair, "Ino I have already told you that I hate it when people recognise me and-"

"Oh! If I'm not mistaken then you are the apprentice of the Slug-Princess and a member of the team lead by the famous Copy Ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan, right?" A wrinkled, old woman in her 80s interrupted Sakura and asked.

"I_" Sakura tried to stop the woman but was interrupted again.

"Where are they? Lady Hokage and Kakashi Hatake? And what about the Hero of our village, the Kyuubi boy, where is he?"

Sakura tried to speak but felt her breath hitch.

Another woman, probably a friend of the other one, stepped closer to her and spoke, "Yes! I also remember you!"

Ino noted the urgency in the other lady's voice and moved towards the the two customers who had suddenly lost all their interest in buying flowers and were now engaged in torturing her childhood friend verbally. She was sure this other woman will speak something forbidden by Sakura and end up mutilating the already injured mind and body of the pinkette.

The woman continued desperately, "You know Sasuke Uchiha right? Yes, you must know him since he was once a part of your team. Can you-can you please talk to him and ask him if my son can do some job for him? My son was a very talented shinobi but after Lord Madara's victory in the war, he-"

"He banned all shinobi activity from Konoha except for a few of his faithful sycophants." Ino finished sarcastically for the old lady, stepping in between them in a manner to shield Sakura from their scrutinizing eyes.

"Now don't be rude young lady." The woman scolded Ino, "Step aside, I want to talk to the protégée of the Slug Princess!"

"No! There's no need for that" the blonde intoned.

"Please," the woman craned her head to the side to be able to look at Sakura and said, "Please talk to him. Please, I beg you! My son will die..."

"Your son is already dead Granny." Another female spoke from behind, intervening in the chaotic situation occurring inside the shop.

Both Ino and the ladies turned their heads to see who the new member of their argument was. A young girl about 14-15 years of age, bowed her head in apology to a shaking Sakura and grabbed both the woman by each of her two hands.

"My son...is..dead?..." Silently, tears started welling up in the woman's aged-eyes as she uttered those words and started weeping.

"No! It can't be!" She jerked her head towards Sakura, "Bring him back...please! Please, please, please..."

The woman kept screaming, pleading until she was forcefully dragged-out of the shop along with the wrinkled lady, by the young girl.

Ino sighed in relief when the ladies were finally gone. She promised to herself to never reveal Sakura's true form in public ever again. Especially if majority of them consisted of people suffering from mental disorders.

She turned back towards Sakura and noticed that her friend's skin had gone as pale as snow and also, her whole form was shaking. Sakura's eyes were fixated upon her yet she was lost somewhere else in a miasma of her past experiences. Ino tried calling her out of it several times but it was too late. She was already lost far away in a labyrinth of her tormenting past.

Sakura could still hear the desperate pleas of the old woman. They reminded her very much of the deafening screams of hundreds of Konoha shinobi who pleaded before Madara so that their lives would be spared. She could still hear them. She could still hear the agonized screeching of her Mentor, crippling before the invincible Uchiha. She could still hear the cries of her idiotic, blonde teammate, begging their silver-haired sensei to protect him, save him from the clutches of Sasuke's barrage of impenetrable onslaught of attacks. Heck! She could still hear her sensei apologising to Obito, to let the blonde, knuckle-head live. But no...none of them was able to endure the pain of those cold, crimson irises.

Tsunade lost her breath, maybe forever. She was found nowhere after the war was over. Not even her body. And Naruto, Sakura exhaled grimly, even his body went missing. The only one who somehow managed to survive the assault of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan was Kakashi. He was safely taken back to the village and was given proper treatment. But the catch is, he has gone in a temporary coma and no one knows when he will regain consciousness or that if he will ever come out of it. Not just that, all the other four kages met the same fate as her shishou. They were all brutally defeated and then went missing right after the war. They vanished as if they never really existed.

And this is not even half of what the Uchihas did. As soon as Madara took-over the position of the Hokage, he banned all shinobi activity and jobs and also stripped them off their insignia. Out of fear, most of the anbus sold their loyalty to Madara and started working under him. They are the only remaining ninjas in the present world along with the medical ninjas, who have been allowed to stay as shinobis just so they can handle the war survivors and the population of the normal civilian in Konoha.

But what hurts Sakura the most is the fact that Sasuke of all people, returned to fight along their side and then all of a sudden, agreed to join Madara in his madness. If only she could have properly confronted him when she had the chance then maybe..maybe..no... It's not that she didn't speak with him when she had the opportunity. Infact, she was blessed with many opportunities. It's just that she didn't have enough strength to do it. Even after all those years of nerve-wrecking training with a sannin, she is still nothing more than a pathetic, crying, weakling. She is the real reason behind this present excruciating condition of the world of shinobi. Nobody ever mentioned it outright to her but she knows that, behind her oblivious back they all kept whispering about it amongst each-other. Thank goodness they are generous enough to not hurt her already bruised self. She will always keep in mind to return the favour to all of them for their kindness, even though it is fake...

A sharp stinging sensation on her left cheek pulled her out of her train of thoughts and she stared at the now heavily breathing Ino, eyeing her with genuine concern. So, she was slapped by her blonde bestie in order to pull her back into reality.

"Finally, you really are looking at me. For a moment I thought..." The blonde girl trailed-off with worry.

"I'm sorry, i-i-i-it's just...I have bore-with their words for so long that even the slightest fraction of it breaks my composure..." The pinkette ran her hands through her hair, pulling at the ends to calm herself down, "Ino I won't be able to tolerate it anymore. The way everyone expects me to do something for this village. I..." She bit on her lower lip, trying to prevent the tears from flowing down her cheeks.

"Hey..I've already told you", Ino began, pulling Sakura into a warm sisterly hug, "No one's blaming you. It's not your fault.."

After stroking and soothing her eighteen-year old childhood best friend for about twenty-five minutes, the medic's skin eased. Her senses were calmed down and she was now breathing softly into the crook of Ino's neck. Ino decided it was time to speak to the girl about the plans of the day and she moved her lips to begin.

"Sakura...you are supposed to meet Hinata today. Remember, you promised us that you will speak to her the next month?" Ino asked.

Sakura's body stiffened immediately at the mention of the pale-eyed Hyuga girl. It has been five months since their defeat in the fourth shinobi war and she has still not spoken to Hinata. She is afraid that her meeting with the Hyuga heiress will escalate the guilt she felt to ten more folds. And she can barely handle all that she is receiving from the people around her. Everyone keeps assuring her, telling her that Hinata doesn't blame her for anything that had transpired in the war but then Naruto...it was her fault..she could have...

"Sakura, you have to see her. You can't hide from her forever. It's been five months and..." Ino shook her head.

"I understand.." The emerald-eyed girl spoke softly, "It's just not easy for me...but nonetheless I will speak to her if...this is what will make you guys happy..."

Ino's eyes beamed at her friend's words and she instantly pulled Sakura out of the store along with her. She told her mother to take care of the shop while she's gone and so, both the girls began their journey towards the Hyuga compounds. But it wasn't long before someone interrupted them again.

"Wait" the voice called.

Both the girls stopped in their track and turned around to be met by another one of their comrades. All clad in black, normal civilian clothes, stood a guy with a notebook and a brush in his hand. He smiled at the girls, trying his best to make it look natural as he waved at the two.

"Sai-kun!" Ino called cheerful, waving back at him.

He approached them and greeted, "Hello Beautiful and.." he glanced at the other girl, recognising her henge a few seconds after staring at her form and continued, "..and hello Ugly."

Ino giggled at the man's silly nicknames and playfully poked a finger in his chest. He looked surprised for the blink of a second but then he was back to his usual emotionless self, wondering whether he should've been surprised by the blonde beauty's act or simply remained nonchalant. He was still confused so he decided to stick with being unaffected. Though his thoughts told him that her action did amuse him.

"What do you need Sai?" Sakura asked tiredly.

Both the youngsters broke the eye-contact that they had been lost in without even realising that they were staring at each-other. If it wasn't for their pink-haired accompanist then who knows how long they would've stood just like that. Sai rubbed his nape awkwardly while Ino fidgeted with her purple top that she was wearing over a pair of white shorts.

Sakura noticed the awkward moment between the two and smiled at the two.

"Well?" She asked Sai again.

"Yeah..I was asked to bring you girls along." Sai paused, looked around a bit then moved closer to whisper to the girls, "..he has organised another meeting today and he requests everyone's presence."

The girls nodded in understanding and the trio started walking towards their secret meeting spot but then, Ino stopped suddenly. She nudged Sakura and spoke, "You have to meet Hinata."

"I can do that later." Sakura said, relieved that she can still have a few hours to shell-away from the dusky-blue haired girl.

But Ino did not agree, "No. Go talk to her and meet us later on."

"But-"

Ino stopped her with a wave of her hand and hissed, "No ifs and buts. You are speaking to her right now."

Sakura sighed, knowing that delaying this awaited meeting any longer will only add to her guilt so she agreed to Ino with a nod of her head. She turned in the opposite direction and started walking on the path that led to the Hyuga compound. With a sigh of contentment Ino linked her palm with Sai's and pulled him along towards their destination. He blinked his eyes but then smiled at her and the duo walked away. Sakura, having seen the sweet exchange between her two friends smiled sadly. If only the world wasn't being ruled by a tyrannical leader, then Ino and Sai wouldn't have to worry about being serious all the time and they could've actually been in a very promising relationship. She sighed and continued her walk down the path.

The Hyuga Compounds. Sakura stared at the once regal clan's residence with sorrowful eyes. This compound was newly-built and was comparatively smaller than the previous humongous one. The original one was destroyed during the war when Madara breeched the gates of this village, causing a long, tedious battle to breakout inside with a majority of ninjas trying to move the civilians to safer zones, Sakura being one of them.

But now was not the time to dwell on such a shattering past. She inhaled a long, deep breath and knocked meekly on the door to the main family's home. She can do this. She cheered-up her own chickening self. When she heard footsteps getting closer to the door, she squared her shoulders. Yes, she can do this.

The door clicked open and she was greeted by one Neji Hyuga, the last person she had expected there. He glanced at her and nodded his head.

"Are you here to meet Hinata-hime?" He asked, having been well-familiar with her disguise.

She took in large gulps of air and nodded opened the door wider to let her in and closed it behind them. She dropped her henge once inside.

Placing a hand gently on her shoulder, he spoke, "Sakura, I need to go to the meeting organised for the FoK. I wish I could stay and help you out with this but I can't and you know it. So please allow me to leave."

Words still failed to roll-off her tongue so she nodded again.

"And I have a request." He paused for effect, "I want you to bring Hinata-hime along with you at our meeting spot. He has asked for her presence as well." Neji explained.

She gave a quick, affirmative nod and allowed him to take his leave. To her dismay, Neji was gone in an instant. He didn't even stay for a second to offer any support. She sighed and looked around when her eyes landed on a young girl, entering the house through the same door that Neji had used as an exit. It was Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister. She was probably 14 now as her young body had started developing the major feminine curves. She smiled politely at Sakura then bowed her head.

"Neji-niisan told me to take you to Hinata-neechan's room." She explained Sakura about her sudden entry.

Again, Sakura could only nod due to her mentally shaken state. But it worked for Hanabi as she guided the medic to her elder sister's room without uttering any more words.

They stopped before a door, similar to many others inside the whole house and Hanabi left Sakura there. She promised to return in a few minutes but asked Sakura to meet Hinata as she had placed a steaming kettle on the gas-stove of the kitchen. That said, she left the pinkette alone at the door.

Sakura brought her hand-up to knock the door but it started quivering and she pulled it down. What if Hinata blames her for what happened to Naruto? What will she do? How will she explain about the incident to her? How? Now her complete body started quivering. She was way too afraid to enter. Maybe she can face the Hyuga princess some other day? Yes, she will just have to walk out of this house as quietly as possible in her medic boots and before anyone knows, she'll be gone.

Immediately, a mental imagery of Hinata weeping before her flashed before her vision. It urged her to think-over her plan of action. What if Hinata is not angry but sad about Naruto? What if she just needs someone as close as Sakura was to Naruto to stay with her? What if she is waiting for someone to soothe her aching heart in times such as these just like Sakura needs Ino? She can't leave. She realised just how stupid and selfish she was being. If Hinata hates her then she has every right to feel this way towards her. It will be better to speak with her and explain everything instead of scurrying away like a scaredy-cat. Yes, Sakura won't back down this time. This time she will talk it out. With that strong-determined thought, Sakura knocked the door that lead to Hinata's room and waited.

The door opened a few seconds later and out peeked the pale irises of the Hyuga heiress. She was shocked at who she saw at her door and opened it for the pink-haired girl to enter.

"It's been a while Sakura-san." Hinata greeted.

"Ye-yesss" Sakura agreed, "it's really been a while..."

And that were the only few words spoken between the two before the room went into a pregnant silence. Both the women knew that if they don't choose their words wisely then something that will lead to regret will undoubtedly occur. Thus, they decided to rather stare at their knees while sitting on the cushions surrounding the small table inside the room. As promised, Hanabi entered the room a few minutes later with a tray full of tea cups, a kettle and a plate of cookies. She cautiously placed the tray on the top of the table and started serving the two older females. That done, she picked-up the now empty tray and left the room, shutting it with her leg.

The room fell quiet again and only the feeble sound of sipping tea could be heard. Sakura remembered what Ino had told her about Hinata's condition. According to Ino's words, Hinata has not spoken much to anyone ever since the war ended and that her mental condition is very delicate. So she must be spoken to, very carefully. Okay, now she is here at the Hyuga Compound, inside Hinata's room. But what exactly should she speak to begin this long awaited conversation?

For half an hour they sat like that, without any sort of communication. And then, all of a sudden, Sakura couldn't contain her emotions anymore and she blurted out what had been gnawing at her skin for five months now.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered.

That startled the young heiress and she snapped her head up to look into the tired emeralds of the speaker. But a second later, her shock was replaced by fear and worry.

"No!" The pale-eyed girl retorted, "It's not your fault. He wouldn't be pleased to see you like this. Afterall...Na-na-naru-he loved you..."

Sakura noted the numerous times that Hinata faltered while trying to take her teammate's name. It's the same for her. Even she can't bring herself to utter the name of the only man that she has ever loved. It's almost..impossible to say Sas_ she's still unable to say it...

Wait did Hinata just say love? No, it's a hundred percent false predicament. Her teammates had always been caring for her but they never loved her. Her teammates are more like a family that she will never have.

"Naruto..didn't love me, Hinata," Sakura spoke, "I didn't love him and still don't. It's merely a bond shared between two siblings...Me and Naruto were more like brother and sister..."

"It's okay..." Hinata assured her.

"It's not okay!" Sakura raised her shaky voice. Yes, the dam that she has struggled so hard to build is going to crack and break any moment now.

She exhaled noisily and continued, "It's not okay when he finally found someone who actually loved him for who he was..."

Hinata shook her head slowly, "H_he didn't-"

The pinkette stopped the girl before she could even roll those words out with her tongue, "Naruto didn't love you, I know Hinata. But he was beginning to..I saw it in his eyes..."

The dark haired girl was shocked for a second time now. She kept staring at Sakura and the medic nodded her head for emphasis. Sadly, Hinata realised that her feelings don't matter anymore. She felt that Sakura's explanations don't mean anything anymore...

"Stop worrying yourself, Sakura-san," she spoke, looking at the empty tea cups on the table, "We can't do anything about it. Now that he..."

Sakura noticed the pause in Hinata's words, unsure of whether it was because she was distracted by the tea-cups that she was picking-up or because she was finding it hard to speak. She herself stood-up to help the blackish-blue haired girl.

"...he.." Hinata tried to continue, her hands shaking strongly, "he...he..he's..gone..."

Sakura's eyes widened when the teacups fell from Hinata's shaking hands and she ordered her legs to move towards the other girl to help but found that they could barely move. It was then that she noted that Hinata wasn't the only one shaking but she too was in the same state. A tear slowly slid-down her cheek and she stumbled towards the other girl who had also started sobbing. She collected a few pieces of the broken cups, making the Hyuga girl look-up at her. Sakura saw the teary eyes of the girl and realised something that had been hidden from her sight for so long.

She and Hinata had absolutely nothing in common. Not their features, not their likes and dislikes, not even their fighting style...No, there was not even a tiny bit of similarity between the two yet right now, they seemed like mirroring reflections of each-other for they both were shedding tears. Tears...because of their failed attempts at trying to save the man they loved...

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of A Chance at Redemption. Please leave a review about what you think...:)

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~Manika