Hey, what's up! Welcome to the next chapter! Sorry, I took my time updating, but I hope it was worth it! Thank you very much to all who reviewed! Let's try to get some more!
This chapter isn't in anyone's specific point of view, but just shows a little of everyone's feelings. I apologize in advance for any mistakes or misspellings. Reviews would be like a shimmering ray of sunlight in this depressing reality. No flames.
Song of the Day: Slipped Away by Avril Lavigne. I love this song!
Britt: It's about time you updated! I think Gaara's gonna eat you!
Gaara: *glares* For the last time, I don't eat people.
Britt: Yeah, and maybe pigeons fly out my ass on Tuesday!
Me: *snickers* Yeah, and maybe my gym teacher isn't gay!
Naruto: ....Damn, I can't top that one!
Gaara: *Groans*
Disclaimer: Nope. I still don't own Naruto.
The expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action; and till action, lust
Is perjured, murderous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust;
Enjoyed, no sooner but despised straight;
Past reason hunted; and no sooner had,
Past reason hated, as swallowed bait,
On purpose laid to make the taker mad.
William Shakespeare, Sonnet xix
Haruno Sakura was a simple girl with a fierce determination. Her goals in life were nothing special really, and she didn't strive to do anything she didn't want or need. Her mind was set on mainly two things: To become a kunoichi, and to claim Uchiha Sasuke, as hers.
Of course, it was no secret that she was infatuated with her teammate. He was everything she wanted; smart, handsome, brave, powerful, stunning really. Sasuke had stole her heart instantly and ever since then she vowed to make him notice her.
Which didn't become much of a problem once they were teamates. Although he still sometimes ignored her when he was in a bad mood or something, she was probably the closest a girl had ever got with him.
Yes, there were few obstacles between her and her beloved Sasuke. Ino-pig was not much of a problem anymore, busy with her team and training. Kakashi-sensei wasn't training them as much and would often go on his S-rank missions. And then there was Naruto.
Sakura really didn't like having to bother with the blonde's constant interference. He had asked her out several times and her answer had always been: No! Plus, he was always fighting and trying to hurt her Sasuke.
Though, deep down inside she pitied him. He had no parents or family as far as she knew. It was no wonder he was always causing trouble for people. He never had boundaries given to him or attention.
But Sakura had to admit, the boy knew how to get on her nerves. She was grateful to him for saving her from Gaara and protecting her other times. Generally, Sakura believed Naruto was a strong ninja. But even Tsunade has those days where she wants to throw a chair at him.
So, it was quite certain that she should avoid the blond today. She was planning on asking Sasuke out and needed things to go absolutely perfect. She has spent an hour on her clothes and hair, and was now off to meet her beloved for training.
On her way there, she passed by the academy. Children were playing with each other while laughing joyously, without a care in the world. She smiled tenderly, admiring their innocence.
"Sakura-san!" A voice called. She turned to find that it was Iruka-sensei, her former instructor.
"Is there something you need sensei?'' Sakura asked politely. He smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry to bother you, but do you happen to know where Naruto is?" He asked.
''No, why?" She answered, now a bit curious. He frowned.
''Well, I haven't seen him. Two nights ago I saw him at Ichiraku's. I promised I'd take him out for ramen last night but he never showed up. I haven't seen him for two days, actually. Have you?" He asked, the worry clearly evident in his voice.
"No, sorry.'' She admitted. ''But, I'll probably see him today during training. Don't worry; he probably just got caught up in his work. I'll tell him you're looking for him.'' Sakura promised giving him a reassuring smile.
''Thank you, Sakura-san." He beamed gratefully, before returning to his previous duties. Sakura sighed, then continued her walk.
That baka. He's so inconsiderate to make Iruka-sensei worry like that! Come to think of it, she hasn't seen him since that night either. He asked her to come with him to the ramen stand, but she said no, since Sasuke had declined the offer.
He's probably just been training. The baka most likely passed out and then rushed out to work more.She told herself. Satisfied with the answer, her mind went back to what really concerned her: Sasuke. She never bothered to ponder how she hadn't noticed her teammate's two day disappearance.
Finally arriving at their regular meeting spot, Sakura immediately noticed Sasuke waiting by the bridge. Her teammate was looking very cool leaning against the bar with that uncaring expression on his face. She nearly blushed at his sole cuteness.
''Sasuke-kun!" She called, running up to greet him. He turned his head in her direction, choosing to acknowledge her presence.
''Hey.'' He said. Short and barely considered a greeting, let alone the sentence. But that was Sasuke.
''Isn't Kakashi-sensei or Naruto here yet...?'' Sakura asked, though not really caring. She liked being alone with Sasuke.
Sasuke shrugged. ''I don't know. Sensei's usually late, but the dobe is usually here by now.'' Sakura chewed her lip in thought.
That's true, Naruto should be here. Maybe he's late? I should probably ask Sasuke...She shook her head. Naruto's probably fine. Naruto was always fine. He'll most likely show up late with some lame excuse. And although most of her focus was still centered on Sasuke, she couldn't shake away the worry gnawing at the back of her mind.
Finally after a conversation, on her part mostly since Sasuke wasn't very talkative, that lasted maybe ten minutes, one of the other members of Team 7 finally showed up.
With a puff of smoke, their sensei appeared wearing his usual grin. Not that you could actually see the grin; the only clue was his crescent shaped eye closed in amusement. "Yo!" He greeted.
"Sensei! You're late! Again...!" Sakura whined. Sasuke merely gave an annoyed look at the white-haired man in front of them.
''Eh, well I had a very good reason for that. You see, I came across a lost child, and had to help her find her mother." The man replied.
Liar...The two genin thought.
"Oi, Sensei, where's the dobe?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the question.
"Naruto's not here yet...?" Kakashi asked.
''No...He's usually here by now.'' Sasuke mused. Kakashi nodded. Naruto was always eager to train. The fact that the energetic blond was later than Kakashi himself, was not good.
"Hmm....I haven't seen him in a while either." Kakashi said aloud. Sakura bit her lip nervously before speaking.
"I-Iruka-sensei said he hasn't seen Naruto in two days. He even missed a chance of free ramen. Iruka-sensei was worried so I said I'd talk to him today, but I haven't seen him...'' Sakura admitted. She failed to admit how she really hadn't been concerned for her teammate when she first learned of his disappearance.
''What are you going to do Sensei?" Sasuke questioned, his bored tone drifting towards minor concern and intrigue.
"I'm going to go look for him. You two should look around too; check Ichiraku's or his favorite stores. We'll meet at the hokage tower in twenty minutes. Okay?" The two nodded.
"Alright. Go..." And with that the white-haired man disappeared in a flash. He took off at a breath taking speed, leaving the genin to their search. He would check the boys apartment first.
Though it couldn't be seen behind his mask, he was very worried. The boy had been missing for two days! And no one had noticed! It was horrible; Kakashi himself was ashamed. He had been so wrapped up in his missions that he hadn't even seen the boy.
Dammit...He thought bitterly. What if something happened to him?! I should have checked up on him. I should have done...something.
Although it seemed as though Kakashi favored the Uchiha prodigy, he couldn't help but have special feelings for the boy as well. Kakashi knew all too well what it was like to grow up without a father. And Naruto's father himself, had been a father-figure to his younger self.
He couldn't help but feel bad for the young blond. Such a harsh life to grow up with; no love, no care, no family. He had witnessed Naruto's poor treatment up close, when he was an ANBU and assigned to watch the boy. It had been heart-wrenching watching the toddler weep after the villager's treatment, and not even know why he was being tortured so.
That's why he also felt some admiration for the young shinobi. He never complained or gave up, despite such a hard environment. It's been harder for him than the other genin, and he's had to work twice as hard. But the boy has talent; there's no denying it.
Sadly, as hard as he, and others - like Iruka, Jiraiya, and Tsunade - had tried, they couldn't protect the boy from the cruelty forced upon him. Though he refused to show it, the boy was filled with pent up angst, pain, agony, and sorrow. With all that locked away deep within him and his terrible temper, he was as good as a ticking time bomb.
The thought didn't relieve his stress at all, and only made him quicken his pace towards Naruto's apartment. Worry, concern, regret, anger, and fear washed over him like a wave. But all was hidden, behind his mask.
Somwhere in the woods...
''Hurry up, Shika-kun!'' Ino screeched. Her lazy teammate was taking his sweet time as usual.
''How troublesome.'' The genius muttered. That was what set the blond off.
''You know what your problem is?! You're too damn lazy! You're always saying troublesome this, troublesome tha-! AH!" In the middle of her rant the girl had tripped and fallen with a comical 'bump.'
Shikamaru stopped in front of the exasperated gril, who was now trying to pick herself up off the ground. He heaved a heavy sigh; even though he was inwardly chuckling at the display.
"Nah, you should be more careful. It's troublesome to have to wait for you to pick yourself off the ground.'' He commented in his usual bored tone.
''Shika...maru...'' Then girl said quietly. Her voice had drastically changed from annoyed to scared.
''Hm?" Her companion asked.
''W-What is this...?" She stuttered. Immediately the other knew something was wrong. His teammate never stuttered unless something was very wrong. So he glanced down to where the girl was still kneeling.
The forest floor looked normal enough. Short grass, growing irregularly in its natural environment. Firm patches of ground and dirt were scattered around the plain with leaves decorating the ground with green, brown, and orange.
The only thing out of the ordinary: was the dark, patch of something. I knelt down to observe the unknown substance. It was a dark reddish-brown color, but was before most like a deep crimson. It had been a liquid, due to the moisture left on some of it. And that smell...
A horrible smell that ninjas know all to well. That stench was unmistakable.
''This is blood...'' Shiakmaru concluded. Ino shrieked in terror immediately scrambling herself away from the dried liquid.
Now standing, inhaling and exhaling fresh breaths of air, he body trembled. Shikamaru noticed how for once the girl was speechless and merelt stood there watching his ever move.
''Relax.'' He said, trying to soothe the shaking girl. ''It might not be human. It could be an animal's or something.''
''I don't think it is...'' Ino whispered. Shikamaru gave the female a puzzled look. She shook her head.
''I just...have a feeling...I...Just...Think it's human for some reason...'' She said quietly. Her gaze was so serious that Shikamaru wouldn't dare doubt her. Whether it was women's intuition, a hunch, or just plain fear; he believed her.
Because he had the exact same hunch as well. He had a wrenching feeling in his gut that this wasn't just some random, injured ninjas blood. No, he had a horrible feeling that it wasn't just that, but it was the blood of someone they knew. Maybe it was just his genius, or pure human instinct.
"We need to tell Asuma-sensei. He'll probably get a sample and take it to the hospital or something. That way they can find out who it belongs to.'' Shikamaru explained. The blond nodded in agreement.
''And I really need a shower!'' Ino drawled. Shikamaru inwardly smirked. He was relieved to see the girl revert to her usual behavior.
''Ah, this is so troublesome.'' He sighed. Earning him a slap in the arm from a seething blond.
''What did I just say before?!
At the hokage tower...
Today was not a good day. No, not in the least. Not for the hokage of the hidden village of Konoha.
Tsunade's day had started off less than great. She had woken up with the smallest of hangovers, after indulging in some alcohol last night. Upon waking up, she realized that she would in fact have to go to work, and proceeded to groan tiredly.
So, she set off to perform the duties of the hokage. And on days such as these, it usually meant listening to whiny genins, complaints from shinobis, and boring as hell meetings with the council.
And after dealing with a particular cocky youth, who dared to call her ''old'' her poor chair was thrown out the fragile window with a loud crash. Of course, any pedestrians that happen to be walking by at that moment knew well enough to simply ignore the injured piece of furniture. After some very quick repairs, and many chill pills later, Tsunade was finally calm and sitting in her office.
Sadly, her day was soon about to take a sinister turn. Instead of another complaint or messenger coming into the room, who but Sarutobi Asuma, should show up at her door.
''Hokage-sama, there is something I wish to bring to your attention.'' He spoke.
"Go on..." I gestured for him to continue.
"Earlier today two of my students, Nara Shikamaru and Yaminaka Ino, discovered a large amount of blood outside the village. It was dried, most likely days old, but probably human. I'm not sure of the significance of such a thing, but I brought a sample to the labs to be tested.''
Blood? That's not too unusual. Except...Why would it still be there? If it was indeed dry, than if it had been done by a Konoha ninja, the mess would have been taken care of long ago. What if it had been an enemy attack? Wouldn't they have left a body? Hmm...It was all very suspicious.
"Sarutobi-san, as soon as the results come from the lab, make sure they are delivered to me.'' I ordered. He nodded in understanding before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Something about this situation just didn't sit right with Tsunade. Something in her gut told her that something was very...very wrong. Hour later, she sat in her office filling out those damn endless piles of paperwork. From time to time she pondered the blood found in the woods, but decided it would be best to think of something else until the results came.
Then, low and behold, who but Kakashi came to her door. He came in, wearing his usual mask and his Konoha vest. What he wasn't wearing, was his usual playful grin. Meaning, that he was bringing bad news. News that Tsunade wished that she didn't have to hear.
"What is is it, Kakashi-san?" She asked, trying to keep her professional tone. His eyes grew solemn and he heaved a heavy sigh.
''Tsunade-sama...It's...It's Naruto...'' He began. Already, he'd said too much. Tsunade's eyes widened and her heart trembled hearing the boy's name.
"He's what..." She asked, attempting to keep her voice from faltering, but failing horribly.
''He's missing.'' Kakashi finally replied. The world seemed to still, as Tsunade's fears came crashing down around her.
That boy, the one she had been so fond of. The kind, young blond that always had a smile on his face. The youth that reminded her so much of her beloved brother and lover. The one who she saw fit to put all her last hope in and even give her necklace to...Also the boy who was being hunted down by powerful shinobi who could end his young life in an instant.
''Tell me everything you know.'' She demanded, trying not to sound frantic. He nodded.
''Today, Naruto didn't show up for training. Normally, I'd just think he was late. But then Sakura mentioned that Iruka hadn't met him last night at Ichiraku's and he was worried. Hearing that, we realized we really hadn't seen the boy in two days either. So, I told them to go search the village to see if they could find him.
I myself, went to his apartment. Arriving there, I noticed everything seemed in tact. That was what worried me. Things were too neat. If Naruto had slept or eaten there, I would have been able to tell. But there was no sign that he'd been there. I looked in the forest, the hokage monument, and a bit around town."
''And...?'' Tsunade question, the tiniest bit of hope in her voice. He shook his head sadly.
"Nothing...'' The word itself, shattered her last ounce of hope with a large crash.
Her hands began to shake as the lines started to connect. She was the hokage dammit! But, she couldn't stop. All the pieces were starting to form a picture she did not at all like.
Naruto missing for two days!! How could no one have noticed? How could no one have brought this to my attention?! All the dangerous ninja after him..! And the blood-!
My heart was practically leaping out of my chest. It couldn't it just couldn't be!
"Kakashi...Do you believe that Naruto is no longer in Konoha?" I asked, trying desperately to keep my composure. Kakashi gave her a sad look.
''I do not believe he is." He replied.
''Then we need to have an immediate search party go and look for the boy. Kakashi, I need you yourself to locate someone, and tell him about this. He should be hanging around the village somewhere.'' I ordered.
''You mean...?'' She nodded. "Yes, I need you to alert that perverted, old idiot of the situation.'' She said, referring to her old teammate Jiraiya.
''Yes, Hokage-sama.'' He answered, and was about to take off when there was a knock at the door.
"Enter!" Tsunade commanded loudly. A very flustered Shizune ran inside, huffing and puffing, apparently out of breath.
''What is it?" Tsunade demanded. Shizune, still trying to catch her breath gave her lady a serious look.
"Tsunade-sama, the results of the sample found by two genins have been deciphered.'' Shizune announced.
"What were they?!" Tsunade yelled, startling the woman just a bit. Shizune's dark eyes clouded with sadness and her expression was grave.
''The sample was taken to the hospital, and was found to be human, AB negative to be exact. After comparing them to the sample in the hospital files-" Everyone in the room held their breath.
" -they came to the conclusion that the blood belongs to Uzumaki Naruto.''
A deathly silence draped over the room and seemed to strangle all those present. No one could seem to speak past the lump that had lodged itself in their throats. They were at a complete loss for words.
...But the two genin who happen to be outside the room eavesdropping, weren't exactly at such a loss. Unknown to the the ninjas in the other room, Sakura and Sasuke had been listening to the conversation since Kakashi had given his report. They had arrived after their unsuccessful search, and decided it would be best to not make their presence know.
"S-sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispered. Her voice cracked on the last syllable. Wetness formed at the edges of her ivy eyes, minutes away from cascading down her cheeks. Yes, now, she weeps and mourns for her teammate. But shamefully, she finally does so when it's all too late.
She turned over to her beloved, raven-haired teammate, the one who had yet to vanish from her sight. And he had no traces of sorrow radiating from him at all. What had she expected? For him to cry? No; Sasuke was much too strong - too cool - to cry. Instead of sorrow, another feeling came from the Uchiha. Rage.
And suddenly, Sasuke released a short growl of anger. Without explination nor reason, he ran from the spot at rapid speed. Sakura called out to the teen various times, but all in vein.
Sasuke had not heard her calls, with the only sounds running through his head, his own thoughts. That stupid, stupid dobe!! What the hell happened to him?! I should have done something...I should have-! Argh! He kept running and running, not knowing where to go or what to do. Though he was most likely going to take his rage out on something; possibly smash some tree into pieces.
When his footsteps silenced, and the pink-haired girl could hear him no more, she slid to the ground. With her face buried in her pale hand she allowed a choked sob to escape her lips.
She wept because she realized what had happened. And she realized she could have prevented it, if she would have just had a single thought about the blond. She felt selfish and unkind all at the same time. And now, the happy-go-lucky teen that they all knew and liked, could right now be....be...
"I'm sorry...Naruto." Her lips mouthed the words she so desperately wanted to say to her friend's face, but to no avail. The words never came out, just as her friend was not there to hear them.
And...finished! A sad, yet touching, ending I suppose. I hope you enjoyed! Now, I must get started on the next chapter! To the writer mobile! Don't forget to review!
Oh, and the thing about Naruto's blood type being AB negative -- that's probably not true. I didn't know what it was in the manga, (if anyone does) so I just gave him that. I'd laugh if I guessed right.
See ya' next time!