Growing up as a ninja, I learned to always expect the unexpected. But this…this was something I never saw coming.
I had been tremendously beaten, my vision was extremely blurry, and my hearing was almost completely gone from my left ear. I could feel blood seeping out of my ear, torso, and all of my limbs. My body was covered in dirt and scratches and I had given up on wiping away the irritating dried blood at the corner of my mouth. My entire body was numb, but I continued to walk down the dark corridors as the person behind me pushed again, causing me to stagger.
"Hurry up, you bitch," he snarled, clearly getting impatient. I coughed up some blood as my knees wobbled from beneath me, and I almost collapsed. With all of my strength, I pushed the vertigo away and continued walking. Falling over would only get me beaten more, and I clearly didn't need any more of that.
Out of my right ear, I could hear the trudging of feet caused by the people behind me - about five of them, if I recalled correctly. Being beaten in the head so many times made my memory a bit blotchy. Five of them were more than excessive, considering I could barely walk. They needed me for something crucial, it seemed, because they didn't want to take any chances of me running away. That was probably their orders.
There were low gasps and whispers from the prisoners in the cells beside me as we walked by. Glancing over to them I saw fear, anger, and sympathy in their eyes. They all appeared to be shinobi that were trapped under the will of the Sound ninja. They were dirty, and also beaten. Tools. That was the first thing that popped into my mind. They were used to do whatever their master had commanded them to do, and if they objected, they were beaten. They had no choice in the matter. And clearly, neither did I.
I kept walking down the shadowy corridors for what seemed like hours. One foot limply followed the other as I wobbled painfully, putting more weight on my stronger, less injured leg. I could barely feel the other one now. I had lost most feeling in it, which at least made it a little less painful. If I didn't get myself healed, it would probably have to be amputated, but that was the thing I was least worried about right now. I knew exactly where we were headed - straight to the base of the hideout, straight to the man that I hated most, straight to the man who took my most precious thing away from me, straight to him.
As I saw the two, large doors in front of me getting closer, the man clutching my arms squeezed them slightly, as if he was afraid. I kept my eyes in front of me, staring at the closed entrance as we got even closer. Everyone behind me stiffened as we approached it, now only several feet away. Even I, with my body numb all over, could feel the eerie aura that emitted from the room in front of us.
Two men walked around me and opened the doors, each twice the size of myself. They creaked loudly, and the light from behind us emanated into the large room. It nearly covered half the room and I could barely see through the area. I blinked hastily, trying to recover from the blotchiness my sight produced, but I had no luck; my head throbbed even more. Once the pain subsided, I looked up, gazing into the sharp, yellow eyes that everyone around me feared so much. I glared at him and made sure that my strength remained firm. I would not let him intimidate me.
"Ahhhh, SSSSSSakura-chaaan," he slithered out sinisterly from his high-backed, velvet chair against the back wall of the room. The guards pushed me to the ground, and my knees collapsed from beneath me. He spiked his chakra, as if he was mocking me.
I glowered at the ground and tried moving my wrists, but they were still tied behind me. I flexed my hands and pulled my wrists apart as strong as I could. However, all of my strength and chakra had vanished a long time ago. Orochimaru laughed in front of me.
"Don't even try. Even if you could break through that rope, you wouldn't be able to run; you're too weak," he spat. My whole body tensed, which sent a painful sting throughout my system. I instantly regretting the subconscious action. Upon hearing a voice, I looked up and my eyes immediately gazed at the reflection of light against glass.
"Don't worry, Sakura-san, you'll grow stronger over time with the help of Orochimaru," Kabuto said, smirking as he fixed his glasses to rest higher on the bridge of his nose. I gritted my teeth, my fists tightened, and my eyes fixated on Kabuto. I wanted nothing more than to smash his face in.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Orochimaru stand up. He walked down the steps attached to his seat and stood at the base. He stared at me hungrily and licked his lips, making me shiver. I slowly felt my vision fading; I knew I was going to be unconscious soon and if not healed – dead.
"Now, you're mine!" Orochimaru shrieked as his head and neck shot out at me. I wanted so badly to move, but my body was frozen in place. I simply sat there on my knees, watching as he got closer and closer. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain rush through my body. I screamed, but I could no longer hear anything around me. My body felt like it was on fire from the inside out, yet there was nothing that seemed to touch me besides his lingering fangs and the new, foreign chakra that seeped deeply within my veins. In mere seconds, I felt as though I was going to die from pain and exhaustion. My eyelids grew even heavier and they started to slowly shut. Before long, my body collapsed. The last thing I saw was Orochimaru's satisfied face with a smirking Kabuto standing beside him. Before I had realized anything, it was too late; I was one of Orochimaru's tools.
Two and a half years later
The wind blew soothingly through Naruto's hair as the sun, small and red like a ruby, rose over the gilded crown horizon. He sat in that old tree in the middle of that empty playground, faded memories like phantoms dancing about him. The swings hung in silence below him, and the jungle gym just stood there, rusting away. The light of the rising sun reflected off his headband, the emblem of his nation facing it proudly. One of his legs lay lazily over the side of the branch while the other was bent upward towards his chest, his right arm resting atop it. The bright rays of the sun reflected off his dull, blue eyes, and his lips formed into a subtle line as he stared into the beautiful scenery.
"Oi, Naruto! Let's just sit and watch the sunrise for a minute."
"Ehhhh, but Sakura-chan, I wanna go get some Ichiraku! Besides, what's so special about a sunrise anyway? It happens every day!" Naruto shrieked, throwing his arms behind his head as his eyes squinted at her with contempt, as if they were saying, how dare you suggest we skip out on ramen! Sakura rolled her eyes in response.
"Naruto, you just don't understand."
"Ne? Understand what?" Naruto blinked in confusion.
Sakura sighed.
"If you just watch the beautiful world around us once in a while, you will truly understand the importance."
"The importance of what? Sakura-chan, you aren't making any sense!" he retorted, getting impatient as his stomach growled quietly, though only he himself heard it. He then looked at Sakura, who was staring at the sunrise.
"Naruto-baka, have you ever stood up high and just looked at Konoha?" she said, as images floated into her mind. "Have you ever noticed how beautiful and rich the land is? The flowers that grow from the ground? The great buildings that stand so tall? The markings of our forefathers? The heads of the precedent Hokages? Or even the children and the masses of people?" she asked.
Naruto blinked, but remained speechless. She turned to gaze at him. "It's then, once you really see the beauty of the land you swore to defend, that your determination to protect your homeland and your beloved ones becomes greater."
His eyes softened as the sun continued to rise over the horizon. He held in the unwanted tears as his fists tightened.
I understand now, Sakura-chan.
"Oi! Naruto!" He heard a voice call from beneath him. He instantly blinked away the tears and looked down to see Shikamaru looking up at him. Naruto raised an eyebrow and leaned towards him.
"Eh? Shikamaru?" he asked, and the boy below him nodded.
"Hai, Naruto, we're needed in Hokage-sama's office," he said with a concerned look on his face. Naruto blinked.
"Ne, is there something wrong?" he asked.
Shikamaru kept his hands in his pockets and stared at Naruto's expression, not exactly knowing how to put his thoughts into words.
"Sort of," Shikamaru started off. He closed his eyes for a minute as his head lowered slightly, but then it automatically rose and his eyes shot open to look at him. "Uchiha Sasuke has returned," he simply said. Naruto's eyes widened.
"Wh-What did you just say?" he stuttered. Shikamaru sighed. This was so troublesome.
"You heard me; Uchiha Sasuke has returned. He's at the Hokage Tower right now," he said. Naruto sat there for a few seconds, frozen in place. After a moment of battling with himself, his dull eyes brightened and he jumped down from the tree to land beside Shikamaru.
"Nani?! What are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Naruto yelled while running ahead of him. Shikamaru reached out to him in instant reaction, but he stopped halfway and replaced his yell with a sigh. Even at the age of eighteen, he seemed to act as if he was ten.
Naruto opened the door with a bang as it hit the wall behind it. He rushed in, almost tripping over his own two feet. He bent over, trying to catch his breath. He quickly regained his composure as he stared at the scene in front of him. Tsunade, Kakashi, Sasuke, and several ANBU were gathered around in Tsunade's office, staring at him. However, Naruto's eyes were only fixated on Sasuke.
"T-Temeee?!" Naruto shouted in surprise with widened eyes. Sasuke rolled his own eyes in response.
"Tch, Dobe. You're still loud and obnoxious," he stated with his hands in his pockets.
"B-But, you're here – in Konoha –"
"Obviously," he stated, cutting him off in a sarcastic tone, gazing at him with emotionless eyes. They sat in silence with one another for a few seconds before Naruto continued.
"But, why?" he asked, not knowing what else to say. Shikamaru walked in suddenly and sighed, looking over at Tsunade.
"Sorry for the outburst, Hokage-sama," he said instantly. Tsunade ignored him and rested her head on her intertwined fingers, staring only at Naruto, as if guessing his next action.
"He killed his brother, and he wishes to rejoin Konoha," Tsunade intervened. The room hung in a deep silence, everyone not making the slightest move, watching Naruto's next move. However, his expression was unreadable as he stood there with his head hung low.
To everyone's surprise, Naruto came up to Sasuke and punched him straight in the jaw.
Sasuke stumbled backwards, landing against Tsunade's unstable desk. It rattled beneath his weight, almost giving in from the brute force. As Sasuke propped up against it to hold himself from falling, he looked in Naruto's eyes to see fury and anger. However, his face remained passive and his countenance indecipherable.
"You left us," Naruto started off. "You left us and never even glanced back." Sasuke never moved a muscle as his ranting continued, continuing to hold his body against the desk as Naruto's words and emotions poured out like streaming water. "No matter how many times we tried to get you to come back home, you never listened! Not once! You caused us so much pain and you didn't even care!" he finished as a single tear slid down his cheek and his teeth gritted together. After a few seconds of silence, Sasuke pushed off of Tsunade's desk to regain his composure. Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes to see regret and sadness.
"I'm sorry," he said whole-heartedly as he pushed his hands uncomfortably in his pockets, not knowing what to do with them. Everyone looked over to him in surprise at his remorseful apology. Naruto stood up straight before wiping the tear that fell down his face. He then walked over to Sasuke, embracing him in a brotherly hug, catching Sasuke off guard.
"Welcome home, Teme," Naruto said. Slowly but surely, Sasuke wrapped his arms around him, returning the hug.
"Tch, Dobe. You haven't changed a bit," he remarked. Naruto laughed happily while pulling back his arms.
"Ne, ne! Neither have you, Teme; you're still a bastard," he said smiling ear to ear. Shikamaru almost smiled, seeing the happiness that consumed him. Tsunade noticed the same thing and she closed her eyes in content. Kakashi stared at the two, a small grin growing under his mask.
Good to have you back, Naruto.
"Sasuke, why didn't you come back sooner if you killed Itachi two years ago?" Tsunade asked him, immediately getting back to their original conversation before they were so rudely interrupted. Sasuke turned back around and stared at her with emotionless eyes, a tint of regret and pain showing through that the Hokage could barely catch.
"I helped Team Hebi with their tasks," he started. "I thought I was going to die along with Itachi, so I didn't plan what I was going to do afterwards." Tsunade absently nodded and stared back from him to Kakashi, as if sending him secret signals. Kakashi nodded in response. She then looked back at Sasuke. Naruto and Shikamaru remained quiet, along with the forgotten ANBU that stood in the back of the room.
"I see," she said. She wrote down a few things and then straightened out the paper work. "Uchiha Sasuke, without the elders consent, I am not allowed to position you as a shinobi or a citizen in this village," she started off. "I will establish a date for you to go on trial with the elders." She grabbed a set of keys from a drawer in her desk and threw them at Sasuke, which he caught easily. "Until then, you will live in an empty apartment complex close to Naruto's. You will be watched under ANBU members at all times and you will not be permitted to use chakra. If you leave the village without permission, you willbe killed. Do I make myself clear?" she stated in a strict tone. Sasuke nodded.
"Hn," he replied. Tsunade then looked at Naruto.
"Show him where he will be living," she said. He smiled widely and ran towards the door.
"Let's go, Teme! We have a lot to do!" he said while rushing out. Sasuke sighed, put his hands in his pockets, and walked out the door.
"Tch, Dobe. Slow down," he said, walking down the hallway of the Hokage Tower. Once they both exited, Tsunade looked at the ANBU.
"Watch him at alltimes. Understood?" she stated strictly. They all bowed to her.
"Hai!" they said before they vanished. Kakashi and Shikamaru were left standing in front of her. Her strict and serious manner remained.
"Shikamaru, I want you to inform the other Jounin. They need to know that he has returned," she said. He bowed to her.
"Hai, Hokage-sama," he said before walking out and shutting the door behind him, knowing that she needed to talk with Kakashi alone. Kakashi was currently leaning against the wall in a lazy manner as his eye was closed. Tsunade, also, closed her eyes and sighed before speaking.
"What do you think of all this, Kakashi?" she asked him. Kakashi opened his eye and stared at the ground in front of him, deep in thought.
"Something in him has changed," he said, not knowing how else to explain it. She nodded in agreement.
"Hai; I felt it too," she said before spinning in her chair and watching the sunrise high in the sky.
Maybe, just maybe, he never severed those bonds.
"Yosh!" Naruto said while plopping down on the couch in Sasuke's new living room. Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat down on the chair across from the couch, clearly tired from the long reunion he just encountered.
"Sasuke! You're back!" Ino exclaimed.
"Oi, Uchiha. So you finally decided to come back, eh?" Kiba asked with a smirk on his face.
"Hn. Uchiha," Neji exclaimed. "It's good to have you back."
"Yosh! You're so youthful, Sasuke-san!" Lee yelled with a bright smile on his face.
Sasuke let out a sigh. It had taken hours for everyone to stop yapping and finally let him come home to rest. Although, he still had the Dobe to deal with. He looked up at him as he was laying down, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. It was then that he really realized how much he had grown, physically and mentally; he himself had grown too. They were both eighteen now, with new ambitions, and even some old ones. But, something had been secretly bothering Sasuke during the reunion.
"Oi, Naruto," Sasuke said. Naruto blinked and looked over at him.
"Eh? What is it, Teme?" he asked.
"Where's Sakura?" he asked. Naruto stared at him for a moment. He sat up and leaned on his knees to stare at the ground, followed by a sudden, strong tension that filled the room. Sasuke saw him tighten his fists and he even heard a stutter in his voice.
"I don't know," he said simply. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?" Sasuke asked questionably, yet strictly. Naruto put his hands over his face and scrunched his hands and nose.
"She - She disappeared two and a half years ago." The room suddenly became cold and Sasuke just stared at him emotionlessly, but many thoughts were running through his mind. His statement slowly sunk in.
"Disappear? How could she just disappear?!" Sasuke shouted slightly, standing to his feet. Naruto flinched at his sudden outburst, staring at him before he turned his head in shame.
"Someone took her."
"Here ya go, Sakura-chan!"
"You didn't have to walk me home, Naruto," she said while walking up the stairs, reaching for the keys in her kunai pouch. Naruto smiled brightly with his hands behind his head.
"I know, I just like to know you made it home safely! Besides," he started before leaning in cautiously. "There's a lot of creepos out here!" Naruto exclaimed, whispering the last part as if it was top secret. A laugh escaped Sakura's lips in response.
"Well, I'm sure I can handle myself, Naruto, but thanks for being so concerned," she said while opening the door to her home. "I'm gonna go eat dinner with my parents. Goodnight, Naruto!" she smiled. He smiled back and began walking away.
"Goodnight, Sakura-chan!" he said as she closed the door behind her. He began walking in the other direction towards Ichiraku, where Iruka was waiting for him.
"After she had not been seen for almost a week, ANBU infiltrated her home once she didn't come to the rendezvous point for the next mission. Her parents were found dead and she was gone," Naruto said sadly, stuttering every other word. Tears filled his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Sasuke stood there in silence, at a loss for words.
"Who took her?" he asked angrily. Naruto, surprised at his concern, ignored the confusion he was feeling and shook his head.
"We don't know," Naruto stated simply. When the criminals came, there was no evidence – no link to who it might be or what direction they might have went in. They came prepared and they were skilled. Another silence consumed fell over the room.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke heard a voice scream in pain in his head. His eyes squeezed together and his fists tightened before he punched the wall beside him. Naruto flinched in response. Sasuke's burning eyes bore into Naruto's.
"How could you let this happen?!" Sasuke screamed while grabbing Naruto's collar. Naruto just stared at him in awe as he was barely standing on his toes, eye to eye with Sasuke. "Don't you remember the promise we made?!" he screamed again. Naruto's eyes widened at a flashback.
"Naruto, listen to me," Sasuke said as the sand tightened around Sakura's form. "You have to save Sakura," he continued as Gaara tried to regain his composure from Naruto's last attack. Naruto stared at him in awe. "If it's the last thing you do." Naruto gasped. "Once you've got her, I want you to take her, and flee as fast as you can. It's all up to you."
"S-Sasuke –"
"Promise me, Naruto. Promise me that you'll protect her; that you'll always protect her," Sasuke said, looking at him determinedly. They both knew at that moment that it was more than just mere words. Naruto's eyes glistened before looking straight into his eyes. Naruto nodded in response.
"I promise," he agreed.
Naruto's eyes widened like saucers at the recurring memory. His lips, barely parted, could not produce the slightest sound. Sasuke lightened his grip, Naruto landing on his feet uneasily against the cold, hardwood floor, and an echo traveling silently through the noiseless room.
Sasuke turned his back, his fists tightening and teeth gritting – his emblem, however, remained to be the only thing seen by Naruto.
Naruto replayed the flashback like a broken record, the inaudible sound of the stylus seemingly scratching against the metal. Suddenly, anger overcame him, his finger pointed towards the Uchiha fan.
"What about you, huh?!" Naruto shouted angrily while looking at his back. "You haven't exactly been around to protect her! You promised to protect her too –"
"I never swore to protect her," Sasuke proclaimed, playing back the same memory. "We promised you would protect her, not me," he strictly said. Naruto gritted his teeth before staring at his back. Another thought instantly popped into his mind and his mouth again, became agape.
"Then, you knew - even back then," Naruto said sadly, gazing back at the ground. Sasuke turned around to look at him. "You knew, even back then that you would be leaving; that you would abandon us. That's why you never promised to protect her," Naruto said. Sasuke gazed the other way immediately and they both stood there in silence. Naruto shut his eyes, no longer wanting to see him. A scoff escaped his throat, turning for the door and slamming it behind him, Sasuke not even mumbling the slightest word towards him as he made his exit. There were no more words to be said.
The moon hung high in the dark, night sky. The wind blew softly, a few clouds hanging over the winded trees. The forest was silent, except for the wild predators that hunted in the darkness, looking for their prey. A distant owl could be heard, if only listening for a moment. The mice, rabbits, and other small creatures silently roamed the night, looking for food and means of escape from their enemies. They all suddenly vanished when four different figures were heard jumping from tree to tree not too far from their location. The hooded figures did not even glance their way.
"Oi, when can we take a break?" one of the hooded figures asked obnoxiously. The figure closest to him, who had two blades located on his back, replied to him.
"Quit complaining," he said strictly. The first figured rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as they continued jumping.
"Tch," he snarled. The third figure looked over to them.
"We'll be stopping soon. There should be a cave shortly up ahead," he said with a soft, yet contrasting strict tone. The fourth figure nodded.
"Aa," said the other, more feminine voice. They continued their journey ahead, not even giving a glimpse to the smaller, almost nonexistent beings around them. And just like that, they were gone in a flash.
