"You know they wouldn't want us to dwell in the past." Kakashi's voice sudden and quiet sliced through my thoughts and I jumped.
His eyes crinkled slightly and I knew he was smiling. A sad one but it was a smile. Something I couldn't do. I stood up from the monumental rock and faced him. He walked past me and bowed his head to the boulder beside mine. The grass waved around him and sometimes he disappeared. The trees waved with a warm breeze and I recalled the test we had as I lent against one of the three posts accompanying the monument.
How foolish were we? To think we could beat Kakashi-sensei. He was the best. That's why he was chosen for seventh Hokage. After Iruka and Tsunade had both given their lives to kill Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. It was natural. And he trained us with bells while reading Make-out Violence. Sometimes I miss those days. But I have no heart so I don't feel much.
"Sakura," Kakashi stood up and faced me. "It is natural for one to grieve but this long? It was bound to happen. They would have faced off anyway. Sasuke wanted to go and Naruto made you a promise. And he…well he never went back on those."
"I just wish….," I blinked at him. "I just wish we could have their bodies. But they blew each other up." I added bitterly.
Kakashi and I sat there in our silence for so long. And the pain. The pain from coming too close from hearing their names, the pain from knowing, knowing so much that all hope should be abandoned because you knew what was to come you knew what to do when it came. And you knew what you would see. It made my heart burn with a frozen flame made me block out all feeling and hurt myself and wish I was dead because frankly that was where I could see them.
Naruto with his blond hair and mess and laughing blue eyes. His scratchy over loud voice shouting incoherent promises and being too dramatic. His toothy little smile that made you want to beat him up and hug him all at the same time. I usually opted for the beating but now I wish I could hug him. I could squeeze him tight and make him stay by my side.
And Sasuke, Naruto's polar opposite. Quiet and strong. No irrational thoughts no diving into things with out thinking. Always a step ahead always in first. There to help me and Naruto. There to balance our team. With my mediocre talents Naruto's untapped chakra. Our team my family was the best. We beat Gaara of the Sand and we beat Orochimaru's guys and we beat everyone else. There were no problems.
"How do you like your students?" Kakashi's voice broke my thoughts once again although it was welcome in the crushing silence.
"They remind me out the old team Kakashi." I whispered almost drowning in the memories. "I didn't know some one from the Uchiha clan could be so loud. And you gave me Kiba's girl. Why would you do that?"
"Well, Kiba requested you. Said you were the only he was going to let train his daughter." He explained mildly. "And besides you guys have a bond formed by the death of comrades. As do you and I. That's why we can talk so openly. No matter what, Sakura, you can talk to me."
I smiled at him. "Do you miss the sixth Hokage?"
Kakashi winced and closed his eye. His shoulders tensed just a little and his jaw tightened. He faced away from me and didn't answer. But I knew Kakashi and he would tell me. He would have to.
"Yes." He mumbled. "I miss Iruka. It was my fault he died. He was my best friend."
I nodded. It wasn't hard to understand. He and I both lost friends, comrades, and much more in the many missions we had completed. It was nothing special. It happened all the time. Although two members of the same cell don't usually blast each other to very small, undetectable pieces.
"Sakura!" Ino's voice startled me though Kakashi seem unaffected. She was running towards me her blond hair swinging and blue eyes flashing. She glanced behind her urgently and I could feel adrenaline rush into my veins.
"Sakura it's one of your students. He's done something." She pointed towards the village and I hopped into a tree to get a better look.
Half of the village was on fire people were lining up to start a bucket brigade. I could see several ninja performing a water jutsu. I could see a pack of ninja's chasing a lone figure from rooftop to rooftop. I glared at it and began the very short journey back.
In three minutes I joined the chase for the Uchiha. I followed him for awhile. He took what appeared to be random turns going different ways but it wasn't long before I noticed a pattern. Every three bounds he would turn left then after four bounds he would turn right when he was going south. When he went north, it was bounds forward two to the right, four forward and six to the left. I left the pack and made my way to where he would land next.
The Uchiha landed right next to me. Weasel-quick I snatched his arm and whirled him to face me. His grinning face made me wince because it was so like Naruto's, but it faded when he saw mine. The other ninja's froze when I lifted my hand and swiftly dispersed leaving Uchiha to deal with me. His eyes widened when I let go but he didn't try to run.
"What were you thinking?" I asked mildly.
"Um…well see it wasn't my fault." He mumbled and I settled myself down to hear and excellent story. "I was cooking. Making myself some chicken see? And suddenly, the fifth Hokage appeared to me. Boy he startled me. I dropped my napkin into the fire and the whole place went up in smoke. I'm lucky to get out alive."
Well he certainly was creative. I grabbed his ear and towed him along with me hearing his ouch's and distraught murmurs. I showed him a place. It was near an old barn just outside of Konohagakure. The forest was slowly creeping up around it and the ivy covered all the windows. A chipmunk chattered nastily and threw a walnut at him. It almost made me want to smile.
"Uchiha, why don't you tell me the truth?" I cocked my head trying to make myself look interested but nothing could interest me. I was already planning my punishment for him.
"Well, that was part of the truth…" The boy rubbed forehead innocently and I recalled how someone else some one not so different would rub his neck. "I got mad and I pushed some one and they pushed me back and I dropped a kerchief into the fire. But it was an accident. You'll see."
I shrugged, If the boy wasn't going to tell me the truth and explain to me that he was a pyromaniac that was fine. I knew already. He smelled like smoke and I say matches hidden all over his body.
"Very well then," I deliberated slightly before deciding between the appropriate punishments. "I shall make you take water to those who can't afford it. It has to be done and you suddenly have an opening. Do it after training tomorrow and make sure you don't screw up."
Then I walked away. The boy could, would, find his way back, it wasn't so hard. I jumped back to the monument. It was still my day with my family and I wanted to spend it there with them.
I got to the clearing and froze still in the branch of the tree. Two men shrouded in black cloaks nothing like the Akatsuki stood staring at the monuments. They said nothing, they stood stiller then stone, and they gave me a bad feeling. I could see their hair, and blond with wild spiky hair and a black-haired boy whose hair, though long didn't spike but fell around his face longer in the front the back. I couldn't see their faces. They were hidden but a mask like Kakashi's and goggles covered their eyes. They wore no Ninja head bands and I couldn't tell where they were from.
I jumped out of the tree and landed behind them. The blond whirled and froze knocking the black haired. He drew a kunai and threw it at me without turning around. The aim was dead on and the speed almost to fast to track. I would have to take it. But just before it hit me another kunai knocked it out of the path.
The blond had thrown it. The back-haired man twisted to see me and he froze as well. I glared at each of them and they backed up slowly their cloaks hiding the movement of their feet making them float. I advanced summoning chakra and getting ready to take on both.
"Who are you?" My voice was soft flat with no emotion as per usual. The blond stepped forward though the black-haired stepped a second after.
"We aren't here to hurt you." The blond called in a scratchy almost too high for a boy voice. "We want to visit our friends. The ones who were lost in the war."
"Then you are too early. By three months. Go home and come back when we celebrate." I ordered. "Go on. I can't have you here."
"Let us visit please." The blond was the only one to talk. "We just want to say hello. We haven't been back for a while."
"Well then hurry." I relented tired of fighting and knowing that the men could probably kill me.
They turned their back on me, showing unusual trust in a ninja you didn't know. I listened very carefully to make sure neither would try a jutsu. All I heard was quiet breathing and the blond whisper, "Good bye Chouji, Shikamaru. I'm sorry for not being there Hinata. Hope your bugs found a new home Shino. I guess I did win, huh, Neji? Goodbye friends. We miss you."
Before I could ask how they knew my family, they jumped and disappeared into the forest. I was going to follow them until I felt a presence behind me. I didn't get a chance to whirl before I heard, "Thank you, Sakura." And felt a hand knock me out.