THIS IS NOW OFFICIALY THE SPINOFF OF ANATA WA. You don't have to read it but if you want further knowledge, I suggest you do.
Italics: Thoughts or song lyrics
Pairings: NaruHina implied NaruSaku strong family/ friendship, implied ShikaIno and NejiTenten. Saku/Mystery man.
Original Summary: One mission, Sakura died. Naruto dedicated a special day for her. But as the story unfolds, drama, friendship and romance develop in the never-ending story of the murder of Haruno Sakura.
Her presence lingers
Everywhere I go
Haiku by Yamanaka Ino
Sakura Day
-
-
………………….
Lifeless
That promise
Possess warm desire
The dream
Closed eyes
Without love, I am lifeless
His faithful love gone
A crumpled blood-red rose
Makes me feel
Alone in this world
PRESENT. The third annual Sakura Day.
'She's been gone for three whole years'
Nami wandered the bustling streets of Suna. People lined the sandy sidewalks with bags and food in their hands. The sweet aroma of food mingled with the salty smell of the golden sand. A small smile plastered on her face. Today was the third annual Sakura Day.
Several of Haruno Sakura's favorite songs were playing through out Sunagakure. Red, green, light pink and white lit paper lanterns were strung everywhere. Almost everyone was eating ramen or sweet dango. The younger academy children seemed fueled and were working extra hard. It was a beautiful day with the warm sun and bright blue skies.
She had just gotten out of class from the academy. Nami felt different. She was the odd girl out and wasn't placed on a genin team as yet. She sighed and felt her feet lead her to a ramen outlet. She sat down and smiled at the girl. "One bowl of miso soup please" she said politely. The counter-girl stopped wiping the table clean and stared at Nami. After a minute, she nodded and went to the kitchen. Nami closed her eyes. It was always like that; people would stop and stare like she was a ghost.
'When you cried I'd wipe away your tears'
'When you screamed, I'd fight away all of your fears'
'And I held your hand all of these years'
Nami smiled, this was one of Sakura-sama's favorite songs.
It was said that she would always sing this on the day that her love-Uchiha Sasuke left Konohagakure.
PAST. Three years ago.
"You have a good taste in women, Sakura-chan just has a bad taste in men"
Naruto gave a feral grin. His ANBU squad had finally caught up with Team Snake. Across the dirt and leaves, Naruto watched his long-lost best friend intently. The bright dawn sun gleamed through the thin clearing. The trees were tall and dark and the fall leaves crunched under Naruto's sandals.
"You know she still loves you" Naruto spat.
He glared at his former teammate in the secluded area.
'Just me and him' 'I will bring him back for Sakura-chan!'
Sasuke's dark eyes began to swirl red. "You've finally become Hokage" he stated. Naruto smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, I've finally achieved my dream" he mocked. Sasuke's hands clenched. Naruto whipped out a kunai and flung it with excellent accuracy. Sasuke barely had time to dodge or else bunch of midnight hair would have been cut.
"I didn't have to leave the people I loved to get what I wanted"
Sasuke's Sharingan began to move quickly. "I need to kill Itachi" he seethed.
'Foolish little brother…'
Naruto's eyes began to change, his whiskers grew darker and his teeth became huge canine fangs. "You could have gained the power in Konoha!" he yelled angrily.
'Naruto, please bring Sasuke-kun back' 'I couldn't convince him!'
Sasuke glared daggers at him. "No I couldn't have" Naruto swallowed a lump in his throat. "Yes you could of!"
"Kaka-sensei-"He was rudely cut off by a furious Sasuke. "You've seen what Itachi did to Kakashi, I couldn't have learned anything from him!" "I would just be defeated again in the end!" he yelled.
Naruto hung his head. "Kaka-sensei's still alive" he whispered. He bared his fangs.
"He also taught you the chidori!" he shouted accusingly.
Sasuke's shoulders slumped a little. "I know" he said softly. "And I am grateful" he said even softer. His eyes looked sincere for a moment.
Naruto's expression grew gentle. "Sasuke-teme…"
Sasuke's Sharingan began to swirl again, this time faster. "But I will never go back until I achieve my goal Naruto" he spoke darkly.
Naruto looked at him in disbelief. His face showed skepticism, hurt, and anger.
Naruto gave a short smile and shook his head. "To think that she was just trying to move on" he whispered. Sasuke's head whipped up. "What?" he whispered. A knot began to form in his stomach.
Did he love Sakura??
…??
Did he care for her?
Yes.
Static was heard from Naruto's transmitter as well a faint masculine voice. Sasuke strained his ears to hear but only heard the tone of the man. It sounded oddly familiar. It sounded...bored.
"Dobe"
Naruto ignored his and spun around to disappear.
"Baka!" his voice held a little bit of pain.
Naruto stopped and turned his head. Sasuke saw tears in his eyes.
"Sakura-chan is DEAD!" he yelled.
Sasuke's eyes widened.
And thus, the close of the red curtain.
Naruto and his team confronted Sasuke two weeks after Sakura's death. The first Sakura Day had passed. Team Snake had been in strict hiding and did not hear anything apparently about Sakura's demise. Sasuke and team Hebi escaped afterwards. The ANBU team did not persue them.
SAME DAY… (Three years ago)
In the ANBU/Police headquarters, Ino sat at her desk, coffee in one hand, confidential files in another. She opened the folder to see scrolls and papers.
'It was assigned by Tsunade-sama'
SOLO UNDERCOVER MISSON
S-RANK
One kunoichi ANBU needed to go undercover and infiltrate the Akatsuki as Ishida Yume, a student of Haruno Sakura. It is unknown whether the kunoichi would have to seduce.
Ino raised an eyebrow. 'Forehead girl was supposed to take this mission?'
'How come she didn't then?'
Ino sighed. She saw the red CONFIEDTIAL sign stamped on the folder. She rolled her eyes.
'Troublesome, I'm going to get into so much trouble'
Ino tucked the folder in her messenger bag, gulped down the last of her bitter black coffee, and then walked out to go see the former Hokage.
Ino ran throughout the streets to the other side of Konoha where she passed her own shop and the academy. She smiled. Her daughter would soon attend with all of her close friends.
'History is repeating itself'
Ino banged her fist on Tsunade's door of her mansion. She heard the shuffling of feet. Tsunade opened the door and grinned. "Hey Ino!" "Come in"
Ino smiled and slipped off her shoes. They walked into the kitchen and sat on chairs. Tsunade poured Ino a cup of fresh sake.
Ino pulled the folder out of her bag. Tsunade's eyes widened as she dropped it on the glass oval tabletop.
Ino opened it to the first page and pointed a manicured fingernail.
"I want answers Tsunade-sama"
"Now"
PRESENT KONOHA.
Toyo walked with his best friends Kabuki and Ni around Konoha after the academy had gotten out. He pulled his reluctant friends into Ichiraku Ramen where they all ordered miso ramen. Shinobi and citizens alike smiled and watched the new generation of the infamous Konoha 11.
Toyo slurped his ramen loudly. "Kiss and Cry" by Utada Hikaru was ringing in the background.
"So…what,..should..we…start…with?" Toyo said between mouthfuls.
"Hn"
"Troublesome" Kabuki drawled and looked disgustedly at Toyo.
"Basics" Ni said.
"We know her physical appearance and her team so we need to dig deeper into her childhood, abilities, love life, and so on leading to her death" he spoke wisely.
Toyo sweat-dropped as he ordered a helping of extra spicy beef ramen.
"Um, she was bullied in her childhood"
Kabuki chuckled. "My dad called her a 'very aggressive and troublesome female'"
"Other than my mom that is" he added quickly, fear rising in his voice.
Toyo groaned.
Sakuramatsuri
Sakura festival
It was exactly like a festival except people didn't were formal clothes and unfortunate school was still in session. The modern slang was "Sakura Day" but elders and high-ranking officials usually remarked it as "Sakuramatsuri"
Aya and Mai walked to an ikebana booth with fresh-cut flowers and fresh stream stones along with pots. They began to arrange the colorful flowers with the rocks and soil to make beautiful arrangements.
"Kaa-san is so good at this!" Mai squealed. Aya laughed quietly. "Baka, your mom owns the flower shop, of course she'll be good at flower arrangements"
Mai's eyes grew wide as she dropped the white lily she was arranging.
"Kaa-san" she whispered. Aya looked questioningly at her friend and followed her blue-eyed gaze. Huddled under a blooming cherry blossom tree, Ino was crying, a single crumpled rose in her hand.
Mai hung her head low. "She's so sad" she whispered. The two girls walked over to the shaded beautiful area. "Mommy, are you okay?" Mai asked hesitantly.
Ino wiped the tears from her dull eyes. "H-Hai, I'm fine" she said softly. Small, delicate flower petals fell to the ground or were thrown into the cool breeze. Mai whimpered and cuddled into her mother's lap, silently crying. Aya sat down quietly, just watching the serene sight with sadness.
Ino smiled to herself and then looked at the two little girls. How is it possible that they were already thirteen?! She chuckled softly and wiped a tear with her thumb.
"You must want to hear the next chapter of my little story right?"
Mai nodded her head vigorously.
Ino let out a strangled sob.
"When Naruto was by her coffin, it was so heartbreaking"
"Today we remember Haruno Sakura, a hero to Konoha, without her people would have died and Konoha might no longer exist"
"She was the best friend anyone could have, she was…my sister"
Naruto lowered his head and brought down the Hokage cap, hiding the tons of tears that were streaking down his face. The ceremony was over and it was only him and her with the nature. He stared at the casket. Everything was beautiful.
"Sakura-chan…I hope you have peace, I love you" he whispered, crying.
Cerulean eyes watched her unmoving figure sadly.
He knew how much Konohagakure meant to her.
The Rokudaime looked in silence as he promised to protect the village and the people he cared for the most.
"I've lost the most important person in my life" he said quietly. He paused as more tears just kept on falling. Swollen red eyes glanced at the big framed ANBU picture of her and then flickered back to her casket. Thank kami there was a proper funeral.
He knew that his closest friend would never return to him, would never walk the earth ever.
Someday, he just wanted to join her in heaven.
Naruto placed a white lily in front of her picture. He stood there and sobbed.
"Sakura was supposed to take the mission" Tsunade whispered. Ino gaped at the file. "But…how….forehead girl!" she cried in anguish.
Tsunade swallowed her spit.
"She did go on a mission, but not that particular one"
Ino nodded as memories came flooding back. "She went on a solo mission to Sunagakure" she whispered. Tsunade nodded and laced her fingers together.
"She was stationed there for two very long years where she gave birth to baby girl named Nami"
Ino's head snapped up, her mouth hanging open. "A…baby?" she whispered.
Tsunade stared at Ino. She could literally feel her heartbeat rise as color rose to her cheeks. Tsunade let out a bunch of air.
"Ino, Sakura….Sakura, never told…you?"
"No, I guess not" Ino replied bitterly.
"Who's the father?" Ino hissed as tears brimmed her eyes.
"I don't know" Tsunade replied, she too near tears.
Mai and Aya were quiet. "Sakura-sama, has a girl?" Aya whispered. Ino nodded.
"She would be the same age as you right now"
"We have to tell Toyo…" Mai said softly.
Ino's head whipped up. "No!"
"You cannot tell anyone, no one" her tone saying that it was final.
The two kunoichis reluctantly nodded. The three sat in silence as a love song filled the air.
The Akatsuki was oddly quiet today. Kisame sat at the kitchen table, drinking some sake and eating a piece of dango.
"Deidara, Sakura Day is named after Haruno Sakura, correct?"
Deidara nodded and was looking to find Sakura's file.
"Hai, she was on the team with the Kyuubi kid, yeah"
Kisame stuffed his face with more sweets. His Sameheda lay resting on the ground. The smell of ramen lingered in the hideout.
"He must have loved her a lot to make the whole shinobi countries honor her"
Deidara nodded in agreement. Itachi sat silently on the other end of the kitchen table, slowly chewing a piece of dango. Kisame quirked an eyebrow. "It is true she could actually punch a wall and break it in half?" he asked incredulously.
"Hn" "She was trained under the Godaime Hokage herself" he stated smoothly.
Kisame snorted and looked at a picture of Naruto. "And now the little runt is Rokudaime"
Itachi looked annoyed. His partner was talking too much; it was getting on his nerves.
"Itachi, did you know that Sakura was on the same team as your little brother, yeah?"
"Hn"
"Hey, where is the little Uchiha?" "Shouldn't he be running after us to kill Itachi?" Kisame smirked.
"Aa" "My brother is weak"
"Guys….look at this, yeah"
Heads turned to see Deidara finally pulling out Sakura's folder. They had also opened the bingo books and found her profile.
"Confidential information, yeah"
Deidara's eyes widened.
"Sakura has a kid…yeah"
Nami walked slowly to the Kazekage tower. Bowing politely at the guards, she opened a mahogany door. Temari was sitting at a desk, busily stamping scrolls, barking orders, and taking phone calls. Nami licked her lips and leaned against the wall. She waited for her to notice her presence.
'I don't want to be a nuisance'
Temari finished scribbling something on a sticky note. Her head looked up as she stared into green eyes. Temari opened her mouth but no words seemed to come out.
Nami took this as an order. Sadly, she opened the door to leave.
'I just wanted to talk'
Pale green eyes looked at her friend nervously. "Do I look like Sakura-sama?" she asked quietly. Hikari stopped trying to untangle a knot in her friend's hair. She sighed and rubbed her temples.
"Nami, please don't start with this again…"
Angry tears watered in Nami's eyes as she pushed herself away from Hikari.
"I-I just want to know who I am!" she yelled angrily.
"No!" "Don't leave"
Nami turned around and tucked a strand of dyed hair behind her earlobe. She bowed respectively.
"Hello Temari-sama"
Temari smiled. "Hey Nami" "Is there something you need to talk to Gaara about?"
Nami shook her head and reddened. "I actually came to talk to you" she whispered, embarrassed.
Temari giggled at her and beckoned her in. "Come in!"
Nami smoothed the ends of her yukata.
"I came to talk about Haruno Sakura" she said gently.
Temari sighed and pulled a ponytail. 'I knew this day would come'
"What would you like to know?" she asked.
Nami seemed hesitant. "Everything" she replied.
A/N: I like to read sad stories. But this one made me realize how hard it is to loose someone important to you. I don't know about you but I cried. Please review, it would make me feel better. I have an idea for the father so please leave some nice feedback!
Shadowsakura321
PREVIEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER
Pein looked at Itachi who sat calmly on a wooden stool. It was completely dark except for the Sharingan and the red clouds on their cloaks.
"I want you to sneak into Konoha" he ordered.
