A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Please do tell me if I have any grammatical or spelling errors. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.


After Everything

Chapter Two: The Journey and Onset

Sakura tapped her foot as she impatiently waited for her teammates in the gates of Konoha. She rubbed her eyes to help her get back to her senses since she was already bored and started getting sleepy while waiting for her teammates. The sky was still dark and the sun was nowhere to be seen yet but as the team captain, she made sure she was the first one to arrive. She was about to release the yawn she was suppressing when she heard footsteps from behind her. She turned around to see Sasuke behind her.

"Good Morning, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn." He wanted to talk to her but he didn't know the right words to tell her. He started to feel something different every time he saw her or thought about her. He knew that but he didn't admit that to anyone, even to himself. He was about to say something when he felt the presence of someone else other than Sakura.

"Hey, Ugly. Uchiha-san." said Sai as he gave his two teammates a fake smile. Tsunade advised him not to give Sasuke a nickname. She didn't want Sasuke to be angered, have a killing spree, and convince himself that he's an avenger-again. So basically, she ordered Sai not to get on his bad side. After all, the former ANBU's job was to replace him, until he decided to stay permanently and resign from his ANBU position.

"Hn."

"Good Morning, Sai. Have you seen Na- " Sakura was interrupted by a very loud ninja running to them.

"Sakura-chaaan!" yelled Naruto as he ran and finally stopped in front of Sakura.

"Is everyone ready?" asked the team captain. Everyone else nodded in reply. "Let's go."

They started walking straight ahead from the gates of Konoha to the Forest of death where one of the routes going to the Sand Village is located. They walked in a moderate speed, quiet enough not to attract any bandits or rogue nin but not entirely slow and silent. It was noon when they decided to rest and eat for a while by a nearby river.

"Let's stay here for a while." said Sakura. She stopped and removed her backpack from her back and rested it by a tree. She formed her hand into a cup-like shape and used it to gather some water from the river. She poured the water to her sweating face to cool off. Naruto did the same.

"Hn." said Sasuke as he drank some water from his bottle and sat under a shady tree.

Sai looked around the place. He made hand seals and made a clone. The clone ran from where it stood and climbed up from tree to tree. "Hey Ugly, I sent a clone to take watch. Just in case."

"Hm. Good." Sakura sat by a tree a few yards from Sasuke. Naruto sat on the other side of Sakura's tree. They ate their food and drank water. After that, Sakura called them for a short meeting.

"Here…" she said as she opened a map. The map showed the different routes going to Sunagakure from Konoha.
"We are currently located here." She pointed at the Forest of Death. "Now, if we run and continue to take this way ahead, we just might be in Suna by sundown." She looked at her teammates to see if they understood. They nodded. "However, it's quite risky, several meters ahead the path we're taking will split into two. If we take the one on the left, we will take some time. We'll be in Suna by tomorrow. But if we take the one by the right side, we might reach Suna by sundown."

"So we take the right one…" interrupted Naruto.

"Not so fast, this route is commonly used by merchants. So, there will be bandits on the way. If we go there, civilians will surely be affected."

"Hn." Sasuke was impressed by Sakura's critical thinking, but he won't admit that to anyone, ever.

"So either we reach Suna tomorrow, or this evening. But if we go with the latter then we will have to go for the kill. Fast." said Sai, completely understanding the situation.

"Yes. So let's choose." said Sakura.

"I say, let's take the left route." said Naruto.

"Dobe. Hokage-sama said that we should get there as soon as possible."

"I know, but we can't just sacrifice people's lives!"

Sakura snapped her fingers. "I've got it! We'll take the route on the right side." Sasuke was a little bit surprised, he expected that she'll support Naruto, for the lives of other people.

"Bu-but, Sakura-chan!" stuttered Naruto.

"Wait, Naruto. Even if we will take the other path, there's no guarantee that the civilians aren't in danger. So, we'll send a clone as a look out for the path on the right side. Sai can take care of that, right?" She looked up to Sai. He nodded. "Then, we can be alerted when bandits may be starting an attack. If they do, then we can evacuate any civilians present at the time, If there aren't we'll have to take them down. But either case, we'll have to do it quickly." She looked at her teammates. "Any questions?"

"No, captain." said Sai.

"Now, let's go." said the captain.

"Hn."

They left the area and ran toward their direction, a little separately. Sai made hand seals and sent the clone as a look out. The clone ran faster than them and started to do his task.


"I find it somehow difficult to believe that the Akatsuki has lost the war… and somehow, Madara Uchiha has been destroyed." said the man, sitting on his throne-like chair.

"Yes, master." said his kneeling servant.

"But how do you think it is possible?" the man rubbed his chin.

"Well master, according to our research Madara Uchiha has been sealed."

"Sealed? What kind of fuinjutsu has been used? I believe that only one clan has the power to seal someone as powerful as Madara Uchiha. But that clan has long since lived... The Uzumaki Clan." the man furrowed his eyebrows.

"Rumors say that, it was the power of the Sharingan that defeated him…"

"Sharingan? Only and only the Uchiha contains that kind of power. The Clan was destroyed some years ago, by one of its members. Could it be that the clan's destroyer was the one who sealed Madara?"

"I am not certain of it, but the rumors also imply that it was he-with his younger brother. It seemed that the two of them were the survivors of the clan."

"I see, so he spared his brother. Uchiha Itachi… Do you know the name of his brother?"

"Aa. Uchiha Sasuke. He was a student of Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin. Both he and his older brother are considered prodigies."

"I see… I want to possess this power for my plan to succeed. Give me more information of the Uchiha, acquiring this power may be somehow…complicated. Nevertheless, I must have it.

"Yes, master." And with that the servant took his leave to gather information of the great power of the Uchiha.


"Sai, are there any civilians nearby?" asked the team captain.

"No, but there are some rogue nin in the vicinity."

"Hmm…We can't immediately detect how many are close by, let's try to avoid them. We need to get pass them as soon as possible, it's almost sundown." she turned to her teammates.

"If any of them attack you, finish them quickly. You don't need to kill them, leaving them unconscious will be enough."

"Hn."

"Got it, Sakura-chan!" Then they separated while moving forward. Everything seemed to be fine, no one followed them. "Our stealth skills must really be improving." thought Naruto. Just then, he stopped to see where the others were. He couldn't see them, that's when he heard the chirping of a thousand birds and felt the shaking of the tree he was standing on. The tree snapped and fell to the ground, he just in time evaded the debris of trees falling around him in a domino effect. "Sakura-chaaan!" He ran to where the force of the falling trees were coming from and gasped when he saw a crater, no doubt made by their team captain.

"Naruto! Have you seen Sai?" yelled Sakura as he knocked out several of the rogue nin at the same time. A few meters away from her was Sasuke, swiftly stabbing and slashing through bodies with a sword enlaced with blue sparks of lightning.

"No! Is everyone okay?" replied Naruto as he evaded taijutsu attacks from the rogue nin. He formed hand seals and formed shadow clones to clash with them. He was attacking one with his Rasengan when Sakura answered his question.

"Sasuke-kun and I are fine. Except Sai, I can't find him!" Sasuke scowled at the tone of great concern in Sakura's voice. They continued fighting for half an hour, defeating about a hundred of them. When no more rogue shinobi seemed to attack them, they calmed down. Sakura panted and stepped towards her two teammates when a hand went around her waist.

"Ahh!" yelled Sakura as she turned around and twisted her attacker's arm.

"Sa-Sakura! It's me!" said Sai, frowning in pain.

"I-I'm sorry. I di-didn't mean to scream…" She stopped talking in shock after seeing Sai's leg stabbed and bleeding.

"Oh-Oh Kami! Are you okay? Here-" She placed her arm across his shoulders, supporting his limping form. They walked a few meters away with Sakura supporting Sai.

"Sakura-chan! I'll help you, I'll support Sai. You need some rest." said Naruto as he took Sai from her arms.

"Thank you, Naruto." She looked at the dark night sky. "We all need to rest. I'll look for a place not far from here. We can rest there."

"Hey, Ugly. We need to get to Suna as soon as possible. It's just a few miles from here, why don't we go there already?"

"No! We all need some rest, especially you." She walked towards Sai and hovered her hand with glowing green chakra over his injury. "Your wound is poisoned. You probably won't make it to Suna alive if we don't rest." said Sakura sternly.

"Fine, Ugly."

"Hn." Sasuke jumped high from tree to tree, reaching a high branch. He stood there with his Sharingan activated, scanning the area. He went down a few moments later and faced his teammates."There's a safe place not far from here with a water source. Let's stay there for tonight. I'll lead you there."

Sakura nodded. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun." He nodded back and led them to an area by a small brook. He gathered some fallen leaves and branches and made a fireball jutsu, forming a campfire. "I'll stay watch first." said Sasuke and sat on a branch on a nearby tree.

Sakura checked Sai's wound again and made an antidote for the poison. She checked it again to check for any infections. Next, she wrapped the cut with bandages to secure it. "I'll take the second watch." she announced and proceeded to lie down in her sleeping down for a rest. Naruto was already snoring and Sai fell asleep while his injury was being treated.

After three hours, Sasuke knew his watch was over. He wanted some well-deserved sleep. So he decided to walk to Sakura's sleeping bag to wake her up. When he saw Sakura, he was stunned to see her calm, beautiful and petite form. Her calm face that made the surroundings seem to be the most peaceful place in the world. Her deep slow breaths that relaxed all his nerves and subdued his stress. The innocent smile that was etched on her face enlightened him inside. He didn't want to disturb her, especially in her state. She seemed so calm, so soft, so fragile.So it was either he would wake her up or prevent himself from sleeping. It was a difficult choice. In the end he had an ingenious idea.

"Dobe." whispered Sasuke as he kicked the jinchuriki's sleeping bag to wake him up. "Dobe." A little louder and stronger this time. "Dobe!" He forcefully kicked him.

"Ah-Ah! Teme! Wha-what do you want? Waking me up like this?" said Naruto as he rubbed his eyes.

"Dobe. It's Sakura's turn to take watch."

"Suh-so? Why do you have to wake me up?"

"Wake up Sakura."

"What?"

"Wake her up. Sakura."

"Why don't you wake her up?" said Naruto, almost yelling.

"I-I don't know how. I'm too tired anyway, just do it."

"But Teme!" He stood up to protest but when he looked at Sasuke, he was already asleep in his sleeping bag.

Naruto walked towards Sakura while grumbling and shook her awake. When she was finally awake, she sat next to a tall and sturdy tree while just looking at the night sky. Naruto, losing his sense of sleepiness decided to talk to Sakura, to keep both of them busy.

"Sakura-chan…"

"What, Naruto?"

"Why have you been avoiding Teme lately?"

"Wha-what do you mean avoiding him lately? said Sakura while bending her eyebrow.

"'Avoiding' as in not talking to him much except when it's about a mission and 'lately' as in ever since he returned to Konoha. I mean, you don't talk to him as much as you used to like, asking him for dinner or lunch or something."

"Hmm. I guess I have been avoiding him slightly."

"Why then?"

"Well, I don't want to annoy him anymore and I don't want him to think that I'm weak."

"WEAK? What do you mean weak? Sakura-chan, you're like the strongest kunoichi of our generation! You are anything but weak! Your punches that are sometimes my punishment are proof!"

"Thanks, Naruto. Maybe…But, I don't want him to think I'm annoying. Besides, compared to the three of you, I am weak. I still don't actually know why I was the team captain.

"Sakura-chan, you're the team captain because you are responsible, helpful, intelligent, and a great leader. Don't question that again."

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Naruto."

"Well, I guess I'll try to sleep now." said a yawning Naruto. "Good night, Sakura-chan!"

"Good night, Naruto." he retreated from her and began to sleep on his sleeping bag.

"Well, because of the fact that I'm still hopelessly in love with him but I don't want to force him to love me, since it's his choice…I don't want to talk to him. Anyways, there are other girls in his life." thought Sakura. She was reminded of Karin and how Sasuke himself chose her for Team Taka. Somehow, she was jealous of her. "Sasuke never thought of her as weak…" whispered Sakura softly. Sakura didn't wake anyone else for watching out. She spent the time being thinking. Thinking of what she would do, now that he was back. She didn't even embrace him tightly in a bone crushing hug when she saw him, like she expected that she would do. "Maybe, I should distract myself and think of more important matters." she thought.

Some hours later, the other members of Team 7 started to wake up. The sky was beginning to light up, gradually. Sakura handed them some food and water. She then looked around the forest they were in and noticed that several meters from them was a desert. "Were almost there, just get yourself ready. Inform me when all of you are properly prepared." She didn't wait for any replies and began to look at her map, studying it. A few moments later, Naruto disturbed her to tell her they were already. She nodded and began walking towards the lonesome desert.

Halfway there, Sakura started running. "Now that were close to Suna, we can't afford to get attacked." Team 7 started running towards Suna, speed being their top priority. After an hour of running, sweating, and panting in the desert, they finally reached the cleft that was the main entrance to the Sand Village. Baki met and welcomed the three of them. He gave the four of them some water to drink and led them to the Kazekage's office. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro welcomed them.

"Whoa! Hi there little youngsters!" roared Temari. She patted Sakura's head, slightly ruffling her hair. Then Naruto. She laid off the emotionless members of Team 7.

"Hi Temari!" said Sakura.

"We haven't seen you for quite some time." said Kankuro. Gaara smiled at them.

"Yeah, were here for a mission." said Naruto.

Sai remembered the mission and took the scroll out of his pack. He walked towards Gaara. "Kazekage-sama. The Godaime Hokage asked me to deliver this scroll to you. It seemed very important."

Gaara nodded softly. "I see." He placed it on top of his table.

"That reminds me…" said Sakura. "When can I meet the Head of the Kazekage Advisory Council? Apparently, he's part of the mission." she asked Gaara.

"In a while, you'll meet him." said the Godaime Kazekage.

"Good. Hey Gaara, do you know where I can get some ramen here? I'm hungry for it already!"

"Sorry Naruto, but you can't eat for a while. We'll have the Kazekage Advisory Council Meeting in a few minutes." said Kankuro.

"Wait. What do you mean by we, Temari?"

"Didn't Tsunade-sama tell you? You'll be in all of the Council Meetings during your stay here. And the first one starts in ten minutes." Four pairs of eyes widened at Temari's remark.


A/N: What do you think? Please REVIEW! I appreciate anything you would like to tell me. I'll try to update as soon as I can.