-Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I also do not own the title "The Second Sannin." That belongs to AdariasWrath23...I am so sorry that I didn't post that in the first chapter. I feel like such an idiot…oh, and to anyone who was wondering, I did ask permission to use the title from AdariasWrath23...and they said it was OK…I just had to say that it originally came from them.
Okay…so I got home from work and it totally made my day with all of the reviews you guys left! It completely blew me away…I'm so glad that you're all excited for the sequel! I have never in the history of all my stories ever gotten 100 reviews for one chapter…so thank you so much you guys! I'll try not to disappoint you!
So…I thought I would clear a few things up. This is not, I repeat NOT, a SasuKarin fic…that's just disturbing and I would NEVER betray SasuSaku…just to clear things up. If it appeared that way it was just because that's how Karin's character is in the manga, so I wanted her to be IC…
XXNejiluverXx-Well, to answer to your question about why I didn't put Naruto in, I didn't include him in the prologue because this story is mainly SasuSaku…and you'll see that in this chapter Naruto is the only one of them that is actually at home…and I just wanted to establish Sasuke and Sakura's standing.
HPBabe91-My head just inflated about ten inches. I soooo appreciate your review…you're one of my loyal readers…Thanks so much! (BTW I hate Karin too…I want to stab her with a knife…but I'm trying to follow the manga as best as I can, so unfortunately I have to include her….GRRR!)
Centurious The Azure-First of all, thanks for the review…I appreciate it. But what does "Tovarisch" mean? Anyways…thanks so much! (I loved your nice guy pose…incredible!)
Akina-Thanks for the suggestion…but I actually already do that. My problem is that short chapters bother me…so I try and make them fairly long…but I always run out of patience…so I'll try to make them come faster…and longer.
just scream-I totally agree with you. I think I would cry if a story came out like that…of course, there are some nasty ones out there…I've seen a KakashiXChiyo one…shudders. Some people are just sick…like Karin…grrr…I hate her too…don't worry…I can make her die very painfully…
Anyways…on to the first real chapter…but I guess we'll call it Chapter Two.
Chapter Two: How the Heart Hardens
Naruto Uzumaki gazed at the Hokage monument, thinking very hard and not bothering to pay attention to his surroundings. His thoughts were of his past, a past that seemed so long ago…almost a distant memory by now.
His thoughts turned towards his former teammates. There was the occasional word of Sasuke Uchiha, former nin of Konoha turned traitor and exile. Naruto spent the first four years after Sasuke had killed his brother searching for his comrades, and then Naruto realized something.
He wasn't a kid anymore. He had been chasing a childhood fantasy, that him, Sasuke, and Sakura could all be a team again, just like old times. There were too many rifts between them now. Too many things had happened. The past couldn't be erased, nor could it erase the pain.
Naruto still hadn't given up yet, though. No matter how much time passed, he would never abandon his friends. He would still search for Sasuke and Sakura, though only in secret. Tsunade had, by now, told Naruto that if he ever wanted to be Hokage, he had to give up his foolish mission of finding Sasuke. So now he could only search for him in secret, with only a select few of his closest friends knowing.
Naruto had argued about finding Sakura, but Tsunade refused to tell Naruto about Sakura's so called "mission" that took years to complete. Naruto still badgered her about though, even though he's had quite a few black eyes because of his constant nagging. The most Tsunade would reveal about Sakura was that she was on a mission very far away, and that it would take years to complete.
While in his musings, Naruto felt a familiar tug on his heart. He absently placed a hand over it, unconsciously rubbing it gently. No matter how hard he tried, there would always be an empty part of his heart that no one but Sasuke and Sakura could replace. They were his first real friends, his first family. He would go to the ends of the earth to find them. And Naruto had no doubt in his mind that he just might have to.
Naruto stiffened when he felt a chakra presence behind him, but relaxed when it was familiar. He turned around and grinned.
"Hinata."
Hinata fiddled with her fingers. "Naruto," she whispered.
Naruto shook his head. After all this time, she still managed to be shy around him. He thought it was cute, though.
Naruto walked up and hugged her, his frame towering over her as her arms came gently around him. He took in a deep breath, inhaling her sweet scent before letting her go.
"So, you want to get some ramen?"
Hinata groaned. "Naruto…we just ate there yesterday."
Naruto's face fell. "Okay…I'll eat something healthy."
Hinata's heart tugged at the sad look on his face. "Well…I guess one more time couldn't hurt…"
Instantly Naruto's face broke into a wide grin. "Thanks! You're the best, Hinata!" Naruto squeezed Hinata and then ran off to the ramen stand.
Hinata shook her head, but had a small smile on her face as she took off after him.
Five years ago.
"Sakura."
"Yes, Tsunade?"
"I'm sending you on a mission."
"What kind?" Sakura asked.
"The kind that takes a long time to complete."
Sakura nodded her head briefly, waiting for her mentor to finish.
"It will require you to form a new identity and to be gone for an extended amount of time. Do you have any objections so far?"
Sakura shook her head.
"Good. I'll give you the details later. For now, go home and say goodbye to your friends and family. You won't be seeing them for an uncertain amount of time."
Sakura shook her head and bowed.
After she left Tsunade sighed. She hoped she was doing the right thing.
The next morning.
Tsunade woke up at the short, sure knock on the door. Her groggy eyes caught sight of a head of pink hair and Sakura poked her head in the doorway.
"Tsunade?"
"Ah, yes, Sakura. I was just…er…organizing my desk." Tsunade quickly shuffled some papers, hoping to look authentic.
Sakura said nothing and repressed the urge to roll her eyes and cluck her tongue at her shameful, and lazy, mentor.
Tsunade cleared her dry throat. "Well, that's enough work for now."
Again Sakura tried not to roll her eyes.
"As I said yesterday, you will be gone for a very long time. Did you say your proper goodbyes?"
Sakura nodded. "Yes."
"Good."
"You also said that you would give me the details to my mission."
Tsunade's amber eyes looked at Sakura sharply. "Sakura, I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think that you were ready for a mission like this. However, if you do not feel up to it, this is your last chance to back out. I wouldn't want to cause you any more pain."
I have nothing more to feel pain with, thought Sakura, but kept that thought to herself.
"I'll be fine, Tsunade. The mission?"
"Yes. The Hidden Village of Stone's military has been rapidly increasing over the past few months. They aren't our enemies, but they're not what you would call trusted allies, either. Let's just say that I want one of my very best there to…keep a lookout for me. You will be posing as a traveling medic-nin from the country."
Sakura frowned. "So I would have to change my identity…and also my allegiance."
Tsunade looked at Sakura sharply. "Only on the outside, Sakura. Only on the outside."
"I see. So once again I have to pretend to be something I'm not." Sakura said it so quietly that Tsunade didn't hear, but Tsunade knew that she probably didn't want to hear it, so she didn't press Sakura.
"For the next few years of your life you will be Tora Ruichi. You are an orphan from the country who was taken in by a kindly old doctor, but unfortunately he has just recently passed away."
Sakura nodded her understanding.
Tsunade continued. "Once every month you will go to this spot and meet an ANBU squad that I will send." Tsunade handed Sakura a map of the meeting place and indicated where it was. She looked at Sakura and said harshly, "If you fail to meet them there, you will be presumed dead."
Sakura swallowed hard. "I understand."
"The rest of the details and requirements are in this scroll." Tsunade handed Sakura a thick scroll.
There was a heavy silence that permeated the air; it was full of tension and apprehension.
"So…I guess this is goodbye." Sakura bowed to her mentor, her heavy heart sinking even lower.
When she lifted her head, Tsunade was in front of her. Tsunade bent down and kissed Sakura's wide forehead.
"Be safe, Sakura."
Sakura bit her lip, and nodded. Before she could do anything that would show weakness, she turned and walked out the door.
As she was closing the door Tsunade murmured, "Sakura, wild hearts can't be broken. Don't let anyone tame your heart. Don't let anyone hurt you again."
Sakura paused, but didn't say anything. Then she left the Hokage's office, and left the only home she'd ever known to an unknown place in the far off distance.
Present day.
"Tora!"
Sakura turned her head towards the direction of her name being called.
"Yes? Oh, it's you, Ryoko." A small smile graced her lips as she stared at the five-year-old boy. He was panting, but ran up and gave Sakura a big hug.
Sakura caught the boy's hug, and squeezed him back. She set him back down on the ground after he complained that he couldn't breathe. Sakura laughed.
"So how have you been, Ryoko?"
His big honey-brown eyes filled with tears. "I lost the necklace my grandpa gave me." His bottom lip quivered and Sakura's heart felt heavy. Her protective urges got the best of her as she wrapped him in another bear hug.
When Sakura had first come to the village she had been branded an outsider, but when Ryoko's mother was giving birth to him, there was no one else who could help her. The midwife was sick in bed, and so Sakura had been the one to deliver him. Ever since then she had played the role of protective older sister to Ryoko, who had no blood relatives of his own save for that of his mother and father.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I tell you what. How about you and me go and look for it?" She took his small, sticky hand as she led him through the village.
"Okay."
"Where was the last place that you remember having it at?"
"Umm…the river, I think. No, at my house. No, Saki stole it. Wait, no, she gave it back to me…maybe it was at school…no, I didn't take it there…"
While he was mumbling Sakura's senses went on alert. Something dangerous was near.
She tugged on Ryoko's arm to stop his ramblings. "Ryoko, I want you to go home now, okay?"
"But you said that you would help me look for my necklace…"
"I know I did, but I can't right now." She leaned down and whispered in his ear, "It's my powers."
The little boy nodded his understanding. "Oh, it's them. Well, I guess I can always go home and eat something. I'm awfully hungry right now."
Ryoko waved to Sakura as he ran off home.
Sakura turned in the direction she felt the chakra presence. It was getting stronger with each passing second.
Sakura ran to warn the village leader. "Get everyone to the safe houses, quick!" she yelled at the elder man. He just nodded, trusting her judgment.
She then proceeded to jump through the trees to the source of the influx of chakra. A scream rang through the forest, and Sakura forced herself to go faster.
Her heart was pounding by the time she reached it. A giant bear of a man with spiky hair and strange marks all over his body was on the ground, his hands fisted in his hair.
Sakura jumped down from the trees to confront him. He was muttering to himself.
"Who should I kill next? A girl? Yes…that sounds good. I like to hear their screams…but boys fight back. Yes, I'll kill a boy next. It will be more of a challenge."
Sakura cautiously approached him, a kunai in one hand ready to defend herself. Goosebumps rose on her skin. Never had she encountered such murderous intent in anyone, even Sasuke.
Sakura's mind instantly froze at the thought of that…person. She forced herself to keep her mind on the task at hand, stopping this deadly force before it hurt people.
"Who are you?" she called out.
Instantly his head snapped up. He leered grotesquely. "Well then I guess it'll be a girl that I kill next!"
Before Sakura could defend herself, his left arm shot out and rammed into her stomach. It was transformed into a ram of sorts, and pinned her against a tree.
Sakura coughed up blood as her ribs broke and the wind was knocked out of her.
The man laughed maniacally. "See? Aren't we having fun?" When he got no response from Sakura, his face hardened. "Fine. I'll kill you quickly. It will satisfy my urge for the time being. Although if you could scream that would be nice."
Sakura mentally cursed. The man had managed to puncture one of her lungs, and her left arm hung limply at her side, completely useless. Damnit! What the hell is wrong with me? Get it together, Sakura!
The berserk man released her and Sakura fell to the ground. The man once again grabbed his head, as if fighting for control. His entire body was shaking.
Sakura took the reprieve to heal herself. After a few moments her internal organs were healed enough so that she could function properly. Her arm would have to wait until she knocked this guy flat on his back.
Sakura ran at the spiky-haired man, her fist ready to slam into the guy's jaw. Just as she was about ready to deliver the blow, something grabbed her around the waist and threw her on the ground.
The man went for her again, aiming for her throat.
"Juugo!" The man stopped instantly. His eyes turned towards the man behind him.
Sakura regained her breath, and at that moment noticed what was around her waist. Snakes. Somewhere in the back of her mind she recognized that voice.
"No…" she whispered.
The seals started to recede from Juugo's skin. He collapsed on the ground. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I tried to stop it…but then I smelt all those people so nearby…and I lost it."
"It doesn't matter. You didn't kill anyone, did you?"
"No…but I think I hurt her." Both men turned to Sakura, who was struggling against the snakes that bound her arms to her sides.
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the man.
"Sasuke…" she whispered.
The man in question focused his sharp black eyes on her and released the snakes extended from his arm. "How do you know my name?"
Sakura frowned, then her gaze turned furious. She instantly jumped up and ran at him.
"You jerk! How dare you pretend to not know me!" She threw a punch, which Sasuke easily avoided.
"Hn. I don't know you, but you seem to know me."
Just then a woman jumped from the trees, quickly followed by a grey-haired man with a big sword and shark-like teeth.
The woman had bright red hair and matching eyes. When they caught sight of Sakura, they instantly went on alert.
"Sasuke, just let Juugo kill her. She's just one person. Who's going to miss her? Besides, it would give Juugo a chance to relieve himself of his urges."
Sakura turned towards her. "Excuse me? Who the hell are you?"
Karin strode forward, swaying her hips. She casually swung an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "I'm Sasuke's…companion." She emphasized the word "companion" to sound like it was an understatement.
Sakura raised a pink eyebrow. "Oh yeah? I don't give a crap. You mean nothing to me. What I care about is what you all are doing here."
Suigetsu spoke up. "Well aren't you a cutie?" Suigetsu let his enormous sword drop to the ground. He approached Sakura, but before he could get to her, Sakura growled and sent her fist flying into the ground.
Suigetsu, Sasuke, Karin, and Juugo all had to jump back to avoid being eaten by the enormous crater that appeared.
Suigetsu whistled. "That's some insane strength you've got there," he commented.
Sasuke's Sharingan was activated, and the wheels in his head were turning. Something wasn't right about that girl. He felt that he knew her somehow.
Her emerald eyes turned to him, and for some reason his heart sped up just a little. He knew those eyes…
"Sasuke…I can't believe that you forgot me. Although, I have to say that it's not impossible. You've always been such a heartless bastard to me. Well, if you don't know who I am, then I guess I'll feel no remorse when I beat you within an inch of your life, jerk."
His eyebrows rose. Before he could reply, Suigetsu said, "Man, Sasuke, I think she likes you."
So, sorry about the sort-of short chapter and long update…but like I said I've just been busy.
I'm not sure when I can update next because for the next week I'll be at the beach, and then I have to get my senior pictures done…but I'll do my best!
Once again thanks for all the reviews! I really do appreciate them! (hint hint: review please!)
belle2990