Yo! Here's the third chapter, I hope you like it.
A/N, (author note right?) I might not be able to post anything for a few weeks in a few weeks because I'm having a bunch of exam I must revise for, but BUT I will not abandon this story. This is the promise of a lifetime, and I do not, ever come back on my word, I will see this thing through. Well that's it, enjoy.


Chapter 3

When the darkness left and light found it's way into the Namikaze estate the bed was empty. On top of Konoha's gate sat Naruto watching the sun rise. The city behind him was still asleep.

"Kit, you sure you wanna leave so soon? You haven't even seen her so much..." the fox said

"Nah... well I'd like to but, seeing her as a fan girl would only hurt..." the jinchiriki said

"You may never see her again, are you sure?"

"...Alright fine, I'll wait a bit more and I'll take a tour in town see if I come across anyone." he replied before jumping down the gate. He picked up his backpack that was leaning against the pillar of the gate and walked towards the heart of Konoha.

His roaming was unproductive. By the position of the sun he guessed it had to be around 6 O'clock. He was about to continue his way out of the city when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and there she was, walking sleepily in the direction of training ground 7. She saw him from the corner of her eye and curiosity getting the better of her she started walking towards him. He watched her unaffected, finally she stopped.

"Hey Naruto, why are you leaving?" she asked unable to restrain her questions any longer, she didn't particularly care, but Iruka had said that he had passed a much harder test and he was leaving on his own. He turned to the fading moon for a minute or so collecting his thoughts.

"There's... things I must see too." he replied without moving.

"Things? What things?" she asked. He turned to face her with something she had never seen on him, a small sad smile. He walked forward and gently set his hand on her left cheek. She was taken by surprise and was about to push away when she realized that he was taller than she was, hadn't it always been the opposite?

"That I cannot answer." his hand left her cheek before he turned around.

She stayed there unmoving watching as he walked the road out of the village. For some reason she felt like it was the last time she would see him again in a long long time and for a reason she couldn't explain or understand, it saddened her to see him walk out like this. His back became a small dot and soon she couldn't see him anymore. But the sun rose and she decided that she had to be on her way as well.

"Well, we're on our way. So, where do we start?" Kyubi asked

"I don't know, but we have to be back in 6 months latest. As you said, they're going to need us for that mission. And the chunin exam." he replied

"Well it's not much, but it's start. I suggest we start by doing what your pervert of a sensei did, let's roam the world for these 6 months so we can know what we need to know. Besides, it's not like your body could exactly take what you did back in the day." Kurama said

"I know, I know, where's the wind blowing to?"

"West, why?" the fox asked puzzled.

"Then west it is." he said as he started walking into the forest. The fox smiled at the boy's simplicity.

The sun was already high in the sky when Naruto decided to have a break. He realized that he loved living like that, he was under no time restraint. There was no one to tell him what to do and what to not do. He was free, he guessed this was why his sensei always roamed the earth like that. The boy stopped at a clearing, there was a small waterfall and a few trees. He ate some ramen he had sealed away before deciding to take a nap. He leaned himself against the tree and closed his eyes. Before he knew it he had gone into a deep slumber. It was the first time he had had some real rest since the incident. His mind decided to make him travel back to the days of happiness.

Light covered Konoha in this summer day. It was as beautiful a day as they could get. Naruto was happy, but not because of the weather, no, but because he had had a pick nick with someone today. A special someone. When he got to their meeting place he found her already there waiting. He grinned mischievously when he saw that she was reading. He made his way around her as quietly as possible until he was behind her, he slowly crepe up on her, such a predator on his pray.

"Booh!" he yelled.

She jumped in fright before turning around to see who had dared scare like that. She found out it was no one else than her boyfriend Naruto who was laughing on the ground. She then grinned mischievously before leaning in and whispering him something.

"If you don't want me to castrate you, you better stop laughing right now." the reaction was immediate as not a sound came out from his mouth. He sat there completely frozen for he knew that she could do it.

It was then her turn to break out laughing. She had turned the tables around...again. He tried to pout but hearing her laugh was too much as he started laughing as well. When the laughter died down they settled on the ground and started eating making small talk about nothing. They hadn't even noticed it but they're hands had entangled their fingers together. It really was the best time of their life. When they finished eating they decided to go into the small pool that was given by the waterfall to refresh themselves. Well it was mostly him who had decided to, not that Sakura complained at all. He stripped his pants and T-shirt before jumping him full speed. She sighed at his childness before smiling, she put it on the list of reason she loved him.

He yelled at her to come before going underwater again. She took off her t-shirt as well as her pants and walked forward to the water. Naruto got out and when he saw her he froze. His jaw dropped, there was just but one thing coming to his mind, Angel. She noticed his gaze and smiled before throwing water on him, which got him out of his frozen state.

"Hey, that's not fair!" he cried

"But it is, Naruto, anything is fair." she laughed, it was shortly lived though as he disappeared under water.

She was about to look where he had gone to before she felt something touching her ankles. In one swift movement she was pulled downwards into the water. There she opened her eyes to a gently smiling Naruto. It was in times like this that she realized how much he meant to her. They went back up and continued their water fights. The day went by and finally they decided to rest with the last ours of sun. Naruto had his back to a tree and Sakura had her back to his chest.

"Hmm Naruto?" she asked

"Yea?"

"I love you." she said, making him smile, there was nothing that made him more happy than hearing those words from her.

"I love you too." he replied before burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Something then touched his nose. He looked up but found nothing, again he felt something touch his nose. Water?

His eyes opened slowly. Looking up he found that it was the first rain drops that had awoken him. He suddenly felt empty and broken. His will wavered. He was tired and wanted her back more than anything. The fox knew his train of thoughts but decided to remain quiet for this time, after all, Naruto had just lost his lover, the guy hadn't even given himself the time to cry about it...

Naruto slowly got up and picking up his bag he decided to continue his journey. The sky was dark, he realized, in was no longer the day but the night that covered the world. Thought, it didn't matter to him, as he walked the muddy road his thoughts wavered again. He walked aimlessly forward thinking about how it was and how it would be. It never would be the same. How could it? The reason why she had fallen in love with him was because Sasuke left, where they started to get closer and she started to know the real him. The three years of training brought them even closer together and the war was the final element of their love. If he succeeded, none of these would ever happen, heck he wasn't even alongside her anymore. But there was something else that bothered him. While true that she was Haruno Sakura, she wasn't Haruno Sakura. They were and weren't the same person. She would never remember what they had been through together or the moments they shared.

"Let's worry about that later kit." the fox spoke

"Yea... I guess you're right." he sighed

"I am right, let's focus on taking this guy down first before we worry about the rest." Kyubi said. Naruto remained silent as he continued through the rain.

Soon the rain started purring down harder and he decided to find shelter for the night, a small cavern was on his left and it would do perfectly he thought as he headed towards it. It didn't go deep under the mountain, but it was enough. He made a few clones who he ordered to get some wood. By the time they got back the rain was falling so hard that he couldn't see further than his feet.

He laid the wood on the side and summoning his chakra in the palm of his hand he created a mini rasengan that he then showed down twice in the earth. He got two holes, side by side. Finally he took a kunai out and dug a hole to connect the two holes. It was basic training he had learned after the years, the first hole would serve to put to wood while the other would feed the fire on air. It wasn't long before he had a nice fired going, he used some of the wood to make a little shelf where he hanged his soaked cloths. He ate some more ramen before laying back against the cave's wall before pulling out his old wallet. It was brown and had obviously lived more than it should have yet he couldn't discard it. It had been a gift from Sakura for they're one year anniversary. Thought it was mostly to get rid of his green toad wallet he had.

He took a picture out and started at it. It was his and Sakura's Two year birthday. It had been a valentine day which is why they were dressed in kimonos going to the festival. She had her arm snaked around his, resting her head on his shoulder. As he kept looking at the picture a silent tear went down his face. Then one became two, two became four, four became eight, eight became sixteen until he was crying loudly, unable to hold it in a anymore. He fell on the floor clutching the picture as hard as he could, shaking violently. The fox said nothing but looked down in shame, he was so powerful, he could destroy villages, mountain anything with a movement of his tail, yet with all his power, he could have done nothing to save his jinchiriki's mate. He had never felt so powerless.

The crying never stopped through the night. The boy cried more tears that what he had. He had reached his limit. When morning came, the rain still cried his loss. He breathed hard and put the picture down by his side. He rumbled in his bag barely fighting back his tears. Finally he found it, Sasuke's good-bye letter. Again tears came to his eyes and he couldn't stop them from falling, Sasuke had always been like a brother to him. He leaned back against the wall and unrolled the scroll.

"Naruto... By the time you read this, I'm afraid I'll be... well you get the idea. You, only you can save us, save Sakura, save Yura... It's going to be hard most, and you're going to want to quit but you can't. Don't give up hope, thought knowing you, I probably don't have to worry too much right? Just know that you're not alone, I'm with you. Wherever you are, whenever you feel down, look at the team 7's picture, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei and I, we are all with you. Well other than that I do not have much to say apart from this. Do not give up hope on Sakura. She will not be a fan girl for ever and it won't take a war, or pain, or sorrow for her to open up, it will take only one thing, you. Let yourself be yourself and give it time, you'll see, when I saw you and Sakura, it was as obvious as me and Yura. You belong together. Well, I do not have anything more to add, trust yourself, you will succeed, you are strong."

Naruto's eyes were wide. Sasuke held such praise for him, he believed in him. He got out his team's picture and his eyes passed from one face to an other until they sat on Sakura's. Here eyes were filled with happiness, she smiled a real smile, she had been genuinely happy. At firs it only brought pain to his heart, but not for long. His pain turned to power, she, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, them they were alive, he could, no he would save them regardless of the price. His heart grew determined once more, any doubt he had previously felt disappeared, strength followed through his veins, his will came back in a second, faster than lightning, his eyes which had grew dark found their light again. Yes, he was ready, he would take on the entire world if he needed to, but as long as his friends were with him he would be fine.

Light stabbed through the sky crying. Yes, it was time he pulled himself back together, he had given Sasuke his word that he would save them and he never broke a promise. The clouds were defeated by the sun. The small cavern he had found shelter in was now empty, the only remains of his passage was the fire, he walked forward on the forests grass more determined than ever, this was his fight and he would win it.