Hello everyone, here is the next installment of my fanfic. I really hope you all enjoy it! Oh and don't worry, things will start to make sense soon, right now it's all about laying a solid foundation.
Obsidian eyes watched with saddened depths as the center of his universe fell into the darkest and most disillusioned existence in life, hatred. It was agonizing to see the bleak stare of his younger sibling that smoldered with an undying thirst for violence and death. Itachi cringed to think that he was most likely the reason that feeling had been birthed in Sasuke's depths. That somehow he had damaged Sasuke in the very way in which he had fought to protect him from. Itachi thought that by centering Sasuke's hatred on himself he could preserve the boy's love for life and his village, but in the end Sasuke had thrown both of those away.
Itachi had given everything he could give to keep his little brother safe from the world's torments and truths, and his heart had sunken with the realization that perhaps it had all been in vain. Maybe Sasuke, his precious little brother, had fallen too far for retribution and the older sibling could do nothing but watch over him as he fell even further. That thought alone made the older Uchiha want to cease living, and he was already dead. His little brother was his most prized possession, and he would have died a thousand times over if it meant that the younger Uchiha could live a happy life, the way he had always deserved to live. But now, it didn't seem like his little sibling was living at all. His eyes were dead, black and unfeeling, the light that they once gleamed with having completely vanished.
"Itachi, nothing you show me will change my mind." The flat, unfeeling tone of his younger brother woke him from his distant stare.
"Perhaps, but nonetheless I intend to finish what I started." He met his brother's eyes, his heart cringing at their intensity.
Their background once again morphed to another scene from the past, its colors twisting and fading to new hues. When it began to reform, the blank eyes of the younger Uchiha focused themselves on making out the coming image. This one looked familiar too, a picture once again of the boy's childhood. It was their back porch, along one of the many wooden walkways that joined sections of the Uchiha compound. The dark wood was smooth, Sasuke remembered, and it was always a place he liked to sit and think as a child—which appeared to be just what had been happening in the memory. But, even as familiar as the place was, he couldn't quite place the time frame Itachi had chosen to show him. There were many times the child had sat contently on that walkway, dreaming of happy and simplistic things.
Before Sasuke could inquire which memory this image had been taken from, and what relevance it had, his questions were answered on their own when the form of his older brother came to sit beside the younger version of the black haired boy. He knew this blurry image; it had been only a short time before the clan's massacre. It was one of the last times Itachi and he had spoken under normal circumstances, and one of the only times Itachi had let on to what was going to happen. The Uchiha teen watched the memory with a withdrawn expression; it was painful to see this. He wished more than anything that he could yell out to his little self, and warn him of what was to come. So that maybe, just maybe he could try to stop it. But, the Uchiha thought, that was far too implausible. Even if someone could've magically foretold the coming events, could he have done anything about it? Was he strong enough? Answer was: no, he could have done nothing at all.
'Even if you were to come to hate me…Even if I only exist as a barrier for you to overcome… "The phrases of his brother echoed in the memory.
Sasuke strained his eyes, for some reason the image of the past was getting more and more blurry, a hazy veil was clouding the figures and making it almost impossible to see it. Was the memory fading, or perhaps he was going blind? No, that couldn't be happening, when he had already traded his eyes for Itachi's own. With eternal Sharingan he should have infinite sight. Then, why couldn't he see?
Experimentally the teen tried blinking his dark eyes, and astoundingly his sight returned. Though, the relief only lasted for a moment before the glossy clouds shrouded the image before him once more. It was only then that he noticed the wet feeling sliding down his pale cheek. His eyes widened. Was he crying? Was that even possible? Hadn't he said that all his tears had dried up after Itachi's death? At that time he had felt certain that they really had, it was the last time he thought he would ever shed a tear.
But, obviously he had been wrong.
With a cold hand the boy reached up to wipe his eyes, scrubbing the traitorous droplets from his cheeks. Hesitantly he glanced to the right, hoping to see that his older brother had not noticed the moment of weakness he was experiencing, but to the young man's dismay Itachi was staring right into his eyes as he turned to face him. With an angry sigh the Uchiha teen averted his teary gaze to the glowing white floor—at least, he thought it was a floor seeing as he really didn't have a clue as to where they were suspended. Did flooring even exist in this place?
Itachi watched his brother's expression, it was clear to see the shock and anger at his tears, and the older Uchiha knew that the boy was fighting to hold onto his composure. A small flicker of hope lit the older man's eyes; maybe it wasn't too late for the retribution of his brother. Maybe he could pull the younger Uchiha back from the ledge he was teetering on, and save him from this darkness. Because if he had cried it meant that he did in fact feel something, and even that sliver was enough to ignite optimism in the older sibling. Feelings could mean that the boy held regrets and regret was a powerful thing. Just maybe it could wake the boy from his slumber of hatred and give him a chance to live his life the right way.
"Sasuke…" the long haired man spoke quietly, hoping to draw the attention of his brother without startling him or angering him.
"I don't…I don't want your sympathy, Itachi." The teen murmured, his eyes never meeting his brother's. The shame that the young man felt was clearly stitched into his words, lacing them and making them seem too heavy for the surrounding air.
"Alright, I won't pry. You always were so independent." Itachi finished his reply with a thought that had happened to drift into his mouth and become verbalized. It wasn't truly intended to be aloud, but when the older brother thought of his baby sibling, it was almost hard not to let words drift on about him. It was a habit Itachi had thought he had broken long ago, but being around his little sibling made him feel so different and yet so much the same. Like he was the same twelve year old who had carried his little brother home again.
"Look, Itachi… I know you loved Konoha, but I'm not you. I can't sit passively by while that village lives it up at our expense. It's like spitting on the Uchiha name, and I won't forgive them." The younger brother replied, almost as if his inner thoughts had won the war over his voice and decided to vocalize the thoughts of loathing that seeped through the layers of the teen's mind.
"I can see that, Sasuke. But please, allow me to show you one more thing. Okay, little brother?" the older man spoke trying not to let the molten eyes of the younger Uchiha affect him anymore than they already had. He couldn't forget that Sasuke still had hope, and so he would ignore the dampening hatred that loomed in his brother.
"It doesn't matter what you show me, I won't change my mind. I'm sorry; Itachi, but I have already given my soul to Akuma." The young man restated, he could not forget his only goal in life now.
The older brother watched patiently his sibling's expression, so fierce and determined—even if stray tears still marred his face, before he once again changed the memory before them. He knew this may not work in convincing Sasuke, because even the boy himself had said he had already made his decision, but as an older brother Itachi would do whatever it took to try to save Sasuke. It was his place, his duty as the elder and even in death he had no intentions of ever letting that responsibility go.
The colors on the memory screen of sorts shifted again, melding and saturating into new shades, and painting another picture before them. This time it was an image of Itachi kneeling before the Third Hokage, his eyes stricken with sadness and silent pleas.
Sasuke's eyes widened at the sight, the way his brother—his ever strong and blank brother—looked to be begging for something. What was this memory? He had never seen anything like it before.
"Lord Hokage, please, I beg of you. Don't tell Sasuke the truth of this incident. I have already accepted my damned fate, but please let him have a childhood." The younger Uchiha Itachi pleaded as he knelt respectfully to the village elder.
"Itachi, are you sure this is what you want?" the old man asked, his eyes sad and low.
"Yes. Sasuke deserves a life and home where he feels loved and safe. He can't handle the truth of our family and this village. I know what I had to do for this village and for the future of its people, but he could not understand it. He would hate the village and have nowhere to go. I will be a missing-nin, hunted and hated by the five nations and I accept that, but I won't make him lead a life of deceit and running. Please, Lord Hokage, protect my little brother. Let him know that this is a great village worthy of his respect and trust. I don't want to see any more pain and distrust amongst people, and I can start that future with him. Please, Lord Hokage." The red eyed boy looked up to his superior.
"Understood, Itachi. I will do my best in the matter." The old leader replied, a sad sigh falling from his lips.
"And I will be letting the other elders know that if they attempt to do anything to my brother, I personally will make them regret the day they thought to harm him. You know what I am capable of." The young teen said lowly as he stood, walking to the window to make his exit, the gleam in his red eyes deadly.
"I understand, Itachi." the Third Hokage spoke, "I am so sorry this is the unfortunate way things turned out." The man sighed.
"I know my fate; it was for the good of the village. Now, take care of Sasuke and this village. I trust you." The boy finished before disappearing out the wide window into the shrouding midnight darkness, a single tear running down his pale face.
Sasuke let his eyes lower in thought. This was the night Itachi had been ordered to kill the clan, Sasuke could tell by the way Itachi's headband had been tilted out of place and tears still marred his cheeks, just as he had looked when he had hastily left Sasuke at the Uchiha manor. A pain shot through Sasuke, his thoughts spinning as the words of his brother echoed in his head, reverberating off the walls of his mind. His brother valued him so much, and he had killed him. Why had he been so blind? Why did Itachi hide everything from him? The young Uchiha could feel the hot enraged tears pricking at his dark eyes, the hatred he harbored for the village only seeming to grow.
His brother gave everything to that damn village and this is what they gave to him? A death sentence at the hands of his own brother.
"Why…Why Kami-dammit?" The young man broke. "Why did you make them lie to me? Why did you let that village ruin everything? Why, Itachi? Why did you let them stand by while we were torn apart?" Hot tears now streamed down the boys face. "Why did you let me kill you?" he screeched, finally crumbling to his knees, his head in his hands.
Now it was Itachi's turn to let his eyes grow wide with shock. He had expected his brother to have some sort of response, most likely some form of denial and refusal to further listen, but to be honest he had not anticipated the boy to crumble before him. It took him a moment to regain his thoughts and function properly, gathering the strength to reply to the broken teen.
"I did it all to protect you, little brother." The older man spoke quietly, his composure impeccable given the situation. His dark eyes watched his brother sadly, their depths cloudy and distant.
"Why? I don't understand! Why sacrifice our family for that village? How could you follow those orders, and turn your back on our clan?" the younger Uchiha questioned, his voice cracking under the pressure of his confusion and hatred for the decisions that had been made.
"I did what I had to, to insure the prevention of a civil war, Sasuke." His older brother sighed sorrowfully, closing his eyes as images of that night flooded his mind like a raging tsunami.
"You should've let the civil war happen…The Uchiha would've won. Our clan would have finally had the power they deserved! We could've crushed that ungrateful village! Every last pitiful soul…" the boy growled, looking up from under a veil of silken black strands, eyes deadly and glinting with the young man's mental instability. Clearly thinking of the past had driven the Uchiha back into the darkness of his loathing. It was sad to say, but it appeared the boy was edging toward complete and utter madness, his hatred having warped him into something dark and unsettling.
"You sound like Madara now…" Itachi lowly chided, his black eyes narrowing. This could not be his little brother…
Itachi's heart had sunken even further as he watched the horror before him. Had his baby brother really let himself become this corrupted? The older man had known that the young Uchiha was confused and misled into the notion that the village was their enemy, and his intention for violence was easy to see, but the pure evil intent that drove the boy's voice—the cold and unmerciful glint in his eyes—had caught the older brother off guard. It was painful to hear the absolute disregard for human life that permeated the younger sibling's statement, when he was young the thought of harming someone would have never even crossed the child's mind, but now he seemed to had entirely forlorn his morals.
"So what? You know what they did to our family…they deserve the fate I will personally hand them. Ironic...the product of their greed will be their undoing… Fitting isn't it?" the younger brother droned somewhat sadistically, his eyes going out of focus as a deadened smirk curved his lips.
"Sasuke, you disappoint me. You were always so strong willed, yet you have let Madara put these images in your head, let him deceive you into following his plan." The elder brother condemned, hoping to reach back out to the part of his brother that still clung to ration.
Itachi's eyes locked back onto his brother's half-shrouded face as a crackle of low chuckles rumbled the teen's chest maniacally. "You think I let him tell me what to do?" the boy smirked again though his laughter had ceased. "You know, after he told me the truth he was quite shocked to see I had no intentions… of following in your footsteps. Loving the village was your thing, big brother. And vengeance…is mine. Like I said before, I'm not you, Itachi."
Sasuke slowly stood back on his feet, straitening his back. Itachi watched apprehensively, his dark eyes still narrowed. This was not the little brother he had fought to protect, but he was still his brother and that was enough for Itachi to hold to. No matter how far Sasuke was falling, he would not give up on him. He knew that if there was even the slightest chance that Sasuke could be saved that it was worth taking it.
Observing the look on his older brother's face, Sasuke chose to speak up again. "That's right, it was my decision. And, when I wake up I fully intend to exact that revenge, for our family and for you."
"Sasuke…" Itachi sighed sadly,"…you say you're doing this for me, yet you are throwing away everything I ever fought for. How can that be a tribute to my life or our family's?"
Sasuke paused, his eyes slightly wide. "Itachi… No matter what you say, this is something I have to do. I-I won't go back now." The teen shakily replied.
So, he's that instable, the older Uchiha thought. Maybe that meant Itachi still had even a bleak chance to change his mind. At least, the older brother would try one last time. "Sasuke, I don't have much more time here with you, so please let me ask you one more thing before my chakra fades completely."
Sasuke nodded, looking into his brothers eyes for a moment before averting his gaze to the white ground. The realization that this would be the last time he saw his brother setting in and sealing his mouth, he was so ashamed now that his anger had over flown the way it had. He had poisoned his brother's last moments with hatred for a second time.
"Will you ponder this last request I have of you, little brother?" Itachi began his tone mournful though he tried to put on a small smile. This was the end for them, and he didn't want it to close with anything other than happiness—even if that happiness was merely fleeting. "Will you bring yourself to your own end by the hand of your hatred, and lose everything I tried to give to you? Or, will you take what I have fought for and protect it, in our family's name and in mine?"
Sasuke's eyes widened further as he looked up to his brother, the soft smile on the older Uchiha's face pulling him from his previous anger and stripping away his composure. It was the same kind of smile his brother had always worn when they were children, only now the sadness in his eyes tainted the purity of the moment. Flashes of the past flurried through the teen's mind, clouding his eyes once more with the salty liquid that continued to betray his sense of composer.
"I will leave you with this choice: Live for me or die for yourself." The older brother spoke softly, his eyes crinkling with a sad smile. "Think about it at least, alright, little brother? I want your choice to make you happy."
"Itachi, I…" The younger Uchiha stuttered, awestruck by his elder brother's words.
Sasuke stepped forward, a hand desperately reaching for his brother, eyes filling evenmore with hot and traitorous tears. What was he suppose to do with that choice? His brother had knowingly left him with an impossible decision, and the younger Uchiha was positive that had been exactly what Itachi had intended to do. It was Itachi after all, and it was a well known fact that he didn't do anything without a reason to back it—just like he always had done as a child, back when he and Sasuke had so little to worry about.
He could see the figure of his brother fading, like the whiteness around them was swallowing him up. It was like watching him die all over again, and the falling feeling it put in the younger brother's stomach was making his head spin. It was like plummeting off of an unmerciful cliff and he couldn't reach out for his brother's hand to save him. He did not want to lose him again. "Wait, Itachi!"
"Sorry Sasuke, this is really the last time." The brother replied, a smile still gracing his lips as his fading hand reached to lovingly poke his little brother's forehead, fingers gabbing the same spot they had time and time again. It felt like home to the older man. "Goodbye, little brother."
The Uchiha teen stood in shock, tears now running freely down his cheeks, as he watched his brother step away from him and vanish like a dream that had been drawn to a close by the awoken slumber. The image of sweeping, long black hair and pale skin burned into Sasuke's mind forever had faded before him, and took with him the boy's certainty about everything he had thought he knew. Every decision that had been clear in the young man's head was now a blurry and confusing sham of what it once was. He honestly did not know which way to go; on one side was the duty he felt to avenging his family—which for so long had been the only driving force for the teen—but now on another side laid his brother's last wishes. After everything he had done for Sasuke the teen had yet again thrown it all in his face and turned his back on him. Sasuke had been telling himself that Itachi would understand his reasoning's even if they weren't things the older sibling would have condoned. But now, the boy had affirmation that Itachi would never back him on this and the thought of the lost support was crippling. Was he instead of honoring his brother, tarnishing his memory?
What had he done? Or—more importantly—what was he going to do now?
Sakura took a deep breath as she readied herself to walk out her front door. The pinket's mind was spinning, yet at the same time she was completely sure of her decision. This would be the last thing she could offer to her departed love, the only thing she felt she had ever really done for him.
All throughout their childhood on team seven she had constantly followed after him, yearning to be everything he needed—at the very least to be useful to him. But, it seemed that no matter how much she tried to push herself for him she was always left behind by her teammates, always failing to catch up to their level. They were always the ones saving her when her bravery backfired, always there to catch her. The rosette knew she had only burdened the two of her friends, and she hated herself for it. That was why she would not fail at doing this. It was no doubt going to be hard, but she had to push through it—to prove if only to herself that she was there for him in at least one way.
He deserved to rest in peace with his family, joining them in the afterlife with a proper send out—not some medical experiment. There would be nothing left of him if she let them continue with the autopsy, and that was not something the young kunoichi could accept.
How could the Hokage think to do that to her friend—to a Konoha shinobi—after everything they had done to save him? She could respect the elder's decision to tell her but she could not condone tearing the Uchiha boy apart. The kunoichi understood that it was a procedure they ran on all enemy ninja's bodies, but that was where her mind refused to make a connection, Sasuke was not their enemy. It was known that he had made bad decisions and had been led astray by Orochimaru, but he was simply misled, and Sakura felt positive that if given the chance and guidance, he could be just as bright as he once was—just as bright as he had always been to her.
She steadied herself as she deliberately pulled her black leather gloves into place, tightening her fist with determination. The kunoichi had readied herself with her kunai holster and shuriken pouch, rather she would have to fight anyone in the end she didn't know, but it would be best to be prepared. With a ragged sigh she huffed the breath she had been unknowingly holding, trying to ease her nerves as her heart pounded away like a bass drum to a heavy rock band. She reached to straighten her collar nervously and sweep a lock of baby pink hair behind her delicate ear, her hand grazing her neck as it passed with its motion. With a small gasp she realized that even with all her preparations she had forgotten one thing and it was perhaps the most important. It was a necklace that had been given to her on her birthday, and it was the only thing that Sasuke had ever given her in their childhood. It was delicate and silver, its chain always seemed to glitter in the sunlight, and from it hung two very ornately jeweled pendants. One was her own Haruno family crest, which appeared to be made of diamonds bordered by more glittering silver, and the other was the proud Uchiha paper fan crest crafted out of beautifully vibrant red and white jewels. Together they glimmered side by side like a bright light in the darkness and a beautiful symbol of the friendship she would never let go of.
She never knew how much it cost and she never really wanted to ask, feeling that if she knew it would have only made her head spin with how in debt she was the Uchiha. But, she did know that it couldn't have been a cheap item to come by, most likely it had been custom crafted seen as those sort of things don't just happen to be lying in any old jewelry shop. His excuse of he had just come by it and picked it up last minute didn't fit the bill, and if she weren't so grieved by the fact that she would never her an excuse or any words from him again, she would have probably smiled at his bad ability to lie. He always thought he had everyone fooled.
With a shaky hand the girl reached into the small jewelry box on her dresser and pulled the shimmering reminder of her friend from it, holding it up in front of her for a moment. Her eyes began to well up with the pent up tears she had been holding in all afternoon as she stared at the swaying red and white tribute the Uchiha, but she quickly blinked them away. She would not cry in front of this symbol, well at least not yet anyway.
She had to stay strong, for him and for herself. She had to hope that he was watching down on her and that somehow, just maybe he would see what she was doing and feel a sense of peace.
With green eyes fierce the pink kunoichi clasped the necklace into place and tucked it into the front of her red zip-up shirt before turning to her front door and opening it. Her heel clacked against the platform at the entrance to her home as she turned to lock the door tight. This was it, once she got to the morgue there was no going back. Not that she even thought of turning back now though.
Her pace was brisk, the tread of her sandals scuffing against the ground in rapid steps as she made her way to the Intel division's main building. It seemed she would be making record timing aside from if she had resorted running. She would need the energy for running later.
By the time she had reached the building she had already come up with what she would tell the team in order to seclude herself with him. It would have to work out perfectly and absolutely no one else could be around the room. But, she knew that the medic team would easily trust her, so fooling them would be no difficult task—the Intel team would be a different story though. They were not people she was personally acquainted with, aside from Ino's father Inoichi, and it wasn't as if she had time to go and personally introduce herself to them anyway—what would that help with anyway?. Gaining their permission would be a slight set back, but Sakura hoped that her story would be good enough to win them over. After all, they were all shinobi and they knew what it was like to have to say goodbye to a beloved comrade. They couldn't deny a fellow ninja the right to mourn their teammate.
Her hand reached out for the door handle as she took in a deep gulp of oxygen, hoping to quench the flipping feeling in her gut. Her mind was rationally trying to give reasons why her mission was devoid of point, trying to convince her to preserve herself, but her heart knew the importance of her purpose. It knew and understood why it was worth giving everything for—because Sasuke himself was worth giving everything for. This was going to be the last thing she did for the Uchiha, she had to remember that, and so it had to be perfect for his sake.
With a tug she pulled the door open and slipped inside, letting her form drift over to the desk in the corner of the room, where a woman with glasses sat writing something down. Her sandals clacked softly and echoed in the sterile space as she came to stand in front of the desk, clearing her throat as politely as she could.
The woman looked up from her papers absently, eyeing the kunoichi before speaking. "How can I help you?" her voice was flat and dry.
"Hello, my name is—"Sakura was cut off by the woman's horse voice as she spoke up over the young shinobi's soft voice.
"I know who you are, Haruno Sakura. I am asking you what I can do for you." The voice stated.
"Well, you see my comrade was killed and they brought his body here for an autopsy, and I was hoping to see him one last time. You know, to say goodbye." The pinket softly spoke, trying to hold herself together and make this believable as could be.
The woman eyed her suspiciously for a moment before speaking back up. "Have you cleared this with the participating teams?" she asked as she pulled her glassed down to her nose, looking over the top of them in a way that a teacher might when scolding a student.
"Well, no actually. But I did speak with the Hokage and she had given me permission to do so." Sakura tried to keep her composer up even though this woman's attitude was now pushing her already fried nerves.
"Without notification from the Hokage I can't let you go back there, nor have you gotten permission from the teams and so there is no reason for you to." The woman flatly replied, pulling her glasses back up and returning to her stack of papers.
Sakura's hands balled into fists as she let her emotions boil inside of her. She would not let this one woman stand in the way of saving her comrade. "Look, my best friend was just killed and I could do nothing but watch him die. I never got to speak a word to him nor will I ever again, so I think the least I can do for him now is actually say goodbye to my comrade. So, I would really appreciate it if you would call a team representative out here so that I can." The pinket lowered her voice, her reddened eyes fierce.
The woman looked at her for a brief moment, letting the words sink in before her gaze lowered. "Right, I'm sorry." The woman now apologized, reaching for the phone to page the team in the back rooms. "There is a miss Haruno here to see the Uchiha boy's body, can the two team leaders please come to the front desk to verify her entrance?" the woman spoke quickly into the phone, her eyes never again meeting the molten pools of green that remained locked on her.
Sakura waited for a few moments her eyes still trained on the rude woman at the front desk before her gaze looked up to meet the two form emerging from the two wide double doors that presumably led to the many operation rooms.
"Sakura," Shizune said sadly as she entered followed by the blonde man known as Inoichi.
"Lady Shizune, Mister Yamanaka," the pinket bowed as she greeted the two team captains, both clad in white medical over coats. "Lady Hokage gave me permission to visit him one last time, but it seems like the message wasn't overlaid to your teams. I am very sorry."
"That's alright, Sakura. But, I don't think seeing him now is going to be good for you. I know it's hard to lose someone, but I really don't want to watch you suffer like Naruto-kun did when he was here." Shizune replied her eyes grim.
"I know, thank you for caring, Lady Shizune. But I really need to do this for my own healing. I just have to say goodbye, please let me be alone with him for just a little while. I know I have told you before, but he was more than just a friend to me…" Sakura persuaded, though this time the lowering of her eyes was not forced and the pain in her voice was real.
Shizune took a moment to think, her gaze also locked on the floor beneath them as she recalled a young Sakura sharing her crushes name with the Hokage and herself. Things were so simple then.
As the silence dragged on Inoichi decided to speak up. "We understand that you held feelings for the boy, but this procedure is for the village and we cannot allow anyone to be near the body for risk of it being tampered with. Not that we suspect you would, but protocol must be upheld." The man spoke, his tone even and calm.
"Inoichi-sama, please, you must understand what it is like to watch a comrade die in battle. Wouldn't you want the chance to say farewell. I just want to let his soul and mine to rest in peace." She looked up to him, her green eyes dimming with grief.
He knew that look, for he had worn it many times when he was younger. All the countless times a teammate had slipped through his hands. As he stared at her he could only think of his own daughter, how sad she had looked when she had found out what had happened to the Uchiha boy. Her eyes had gone dead just like Sakura's and there was nothing he could do to help her cope. With a sigh he spoke up once more. "Alright, Sakura, but only for a short time and only if the medical team approves."
"Thank you so much Inoichi-sama." The girl's eyes welled. "Shizune?" the kunoichi turned to the older black haired medic.
"Well, we are still going through briefing, so there's still enough time and I know Lady Hokage would have wanted you to have your peace. So, the medical staff allows it." The medic replied, her deep saddened eyes looked up to meet green orbs."
"Thank you both, I promise to not be too long. I just…I just need to tell him goodbye." Her lip trembled. Though she had forced the action, the pain and sorrow that swam in her depths was very real and still very raw. It wasn't as hard to convince them as she had thought it would be when her emotions played their parts much more perfectly then she had anticipated. Instead of giving her away they had only strengthened her plea.
With that the kunoichi bowed to her superiors and followed them back through the swinging metal doors, her heels clicking on the tile as she went. Her heart was pounding but her resolve was solid and she knew that this was going to be her biggest challenge yet. This time, she would have to betray the trust of others and her village all to follow her plan.
'This is all for you…Sasuke' she thought painfully.
Well my friends, that's it for now, tune in next time to see if Sakura can really pull off her plan, or if she will get caught before she can see it through. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to write more. Please review and let me know how I am doing, I really don't want to continue if I can't produce readable stories. Thank you!