Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter Four: How the Heart Remembers

"Naruto!" Sakura admonished. She gently took his hands and used her chakra to heal them.

Before Karin could see anymore, her connection with the girl's mind was broken.

"What the-" A hand around her throat stopped her mid-sentence. Her breathing was constricted as she was lifted into the air and shoved against a tree.

How did the girl wake up? No one can while I'm in their mind! Karin thought desperately.

"Get the hell out of my mind." The girl's voice was quiet, but like Sasuke's; it carried with it a deadly undertone.


Sakura tightened her grip on Karin's throat. Karin's eyes widened as her airway was constricted, stopping the flow of oxygen to her body.

Karin managed to get a gurgling sound past her now-blue lips.

Sakura blinked a few times, and her grip loosened. She dropped Karin, who fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

"What do you think you were doing?" Sakura demanded.

Karin was massaging her throat.

Sakura looked at her with no remorse or pity on her heart-shaped face.

"Answer me."

Karin glared at her. "Bitch," she wheezed out.

Sakura merely raised an eyebrow. "Why were you in my mind?"

Karin remained silent, her breathing gradually returning to normal. She massaged her throat as she said, "I'll make you pay for that."

"I don't care what you do to my body, but nobody messes with my mind." Sakura's eyes were fierce as she took a step towards Karin.

Karin laughed. "You have no idea what I'm capable of then, Sakura."

Sakura froze. She didn't bother to deny it. "You read my mind."

Karin smirked. "That. And a whole lot more."

"Whatever you saw you can forget it. That part of my life doesn't exist anymore."

"I don't really care," Karin replied. "Just stay away from Sasuke."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Is that a warning?"

"No. It's a threat, and you should take it like one."

"You don't scare me."

"No…but Sasuke does."

Sakura frowned. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're scared of him. Scared of what he makes you remember, and feel."

Sakura snorted. "What I feel for him is anything but fear."

"You mean you still have feelings for him when he doesn't even know who you are?" Karin taunted, enjoying Sakura's discomfort.

Before Sakura could retort, they both sensed another presence.

"What's going on?" Sasuke demanded.

Karin opened her mouth, ready to argue her case against Sakura's accusations, but Sakura beat her to it.

"None of your damn business, Sasuke!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Whatever. I'm leaving, Sasuke. Good bye!"

Before she could take one step, snakes were wrapped around her ankles and pinned her arms to her sides, preventing her from moving.

"Damnit Sasuke, let me go!"

"No," he said simply.

Sakura let out a frustrated sigh. "Why won't you just let me go?"

"Why do you need to go, Tora?"

"Sasuke!" Karin couldn't miss an opportunity to get Sakura into trouble. "This girl's been lying to us all along. Her name's not Tora. It's-"

"Karin, it doesn't really matter. Now leave us."

"But-"

Karin shut her mouth when she saw the Sharingan pointed at her. She quietly obeyed, but not without shooting Sakura a death glare.

Sakura rolled her eyes. As soon as Karin was gone, Sasuke was in front of her.

"Why don't you want people in your mind?"

Sakura remained silent.

The snakes squeezed her tighter. Sakura hissed in pain.

"Answer me."

Sakura glared, but didn't answer. Instead of making the snakes tighter, Sasuke made them disappear.

"Answer me."

Sakura glared once more before responding. She looked away and answered quietly, "Someone once entered my mind and killed a part of me that I'll never be able to get back. He…tortured me by using my memories against me. I'll never be that weak again." Sakura squeezed her fist when she said the vow.

She laughed bitterly. "But why am I telling you? You don't remember. Even if you did you wouldn't care."

"Who did it?" Sasuke asked quietly.

He thought she was going to tell him to shove it, so he was surprised when she turned her emerald eyes to rest on his onyx ones.

"Your brother."

Sasuke's black eyes flashed red. "Liar. I have no brother. He's dead."

"I know. Sasuke…do you remember how he died?"

Sasuke glared at her. "Of course I do."

Sakura looked at him angrily. "Well then you should know that I was there with you."

"You're lying."

Sakura's gaze was sad now. "Sasuke…what have they done to you?"

"Tch. Get some sleep."

Sasuke looked at the rapidly-turning dark sky. "Sasuke…I know that deep down your heart remembers me, even if you don't." Sakura waited until Sasuke was looking into her eyes before continuing. "The heart remembers what the mind forgets, Sasuke. Remember that."

"I thought you said I had no heart," Sasuke retorted, referring to when she called him a heartless bastard.

Sakura sighed. "Sasuke…what am I doing here? Why did you have to interrupt my life again?"

Sasuke was prevented from replying by Suigetsu, who had come to take watch over Sakura.

But as Sasuke was walking away, he looked back at Sakura's prone form. He whispered, "No. Why did you have to interrupt mine?"


"You wanted to see me, old lady?"

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched at the insult, but largely ignored it.

"Yes, Naruto. I thought you should know."

Tsunade's weary tone made Naruto swallow. "Know what?" he asked warily.

"Sakura's missing."

Naruto frowned. "What do you mean?"

Tsunade rubbed her temples. "Every month she meets with ANBU and updates us on her village's status. She didn't show up last night. Sakura would never forget, so there's two options. One: she was physically prevented from going. Two: she's dead."

Naruto slammed his hand on the table. "That's impossible! Sakura's not dead! She-"

"Naruto, I know she's not dead."

After a few moments he calmed down.

"Naruto, your mission is to find Sakura and bring her back home. I need her here more than out there, what with Akatsuki growing again."

Naruto's blue eyes glittered. "I'll bring Sakura back!" he vowed.

Tsunade nodded her understanding. "Your teammates will be Kakashi, Neji, Lee, and Kiba."

"Yes, Tsunade."

Tsunade handed him the mission scroll and then waved him away.

Naruto bowed and then left. "Yes, Hokage."

After he was gone, Tsunade allowed herself to smile. He really had grown from the twelve-year-old brat that used to call her old.


Sakura couldn't sleep. She'd been in the same position for over an hour yet no sleep overcame her.

What am I doing here, anyway? Why am I letting Sasuke keep me against my will? I don't even know what he wants with me…geez…that's it, I'm out of here!

Sakura was fed up with being idle. She sat up and stormed over to Suigetsu.

"Okay, I'm leaving whether Sasuke likes it or not."

"Hey-" Suigetsu began.

"What is it now?" Sasuke asked, irritated. He was here to check on Sakura and make sure she wasn't doing anything…unexpected.

Before Suigetsu could answer, Sakura folded her arms over her chest.

"Well if it isn't Stone Cold himself." She looked at him and frowned. Something was different about him. It was more…familiar now, somehow.

Sasuke remained emotionless, something Sakura had aspired to but could never achieve.

"Sasuke, what use have you of me?"

"Has anyone ever told you you're annoying?" Sasuke shot back.

Sakura smirked. "You."

"Hn."

"Look, whatever your great plan is, you can forget it. You're a traitor to your village and an S-class criminal. I wouldn't help you if you were on your deathbed and it was your dying wish."

Suigetsu winced. "That's harsh, Sasuke. What a low blow."

Sasuke glared at him.

"So how's your revenge coming along, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, her tone polite.

"Revenge?"

"Well, that's all you live for now. I thought you were going after the Akatsuki leader for making Itachi kill your family. Or did you find someone else who had done some wrong to you that you felt the need to devote your entire life into killing them? After all, that's what an avenger does, and-"

"Shut up." Sasuke's Sharingan was swirling, but Sakura continued, unfazed.

"That's what you are, Sasuke. You are an avenger, if I remember correctly. That is, unless Karin's changed your mind about that, too. What else don't you know about yourself? Do you even know your full name? Or that you completed one of your only two goals in this life? Did you-"

Sasuke was in front of her, holding her by the throat. "I said to shut your mouth, Sakura."

Sakura smirked, and despite the lack of oxygen, managed to gasp out, "So you do remember me."

Sasuke leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I remember everything."


"Yes! Another mission! We're getting Sakura back! I can finally see her bright glowing hair to match her smile-"

"Lee," Kiba interrupted, "If you don't shut-up I'm going to tell Akamaru to bite off your-"

"Guys, can we please just focus on the mission?"

Kakashi, Neji, Lee, and Kiba all stared incredulously at Naruto. Was Naruto actually being serious? No one spoke for several minutes as they leapt from tree to tree.

Finally Neji broke the silence. "We should camp here for the night."

Naruto, for the first time, didn't complain. He quietly set about making camp.

Kiba couldn't stand it any longer. "Man, what the hell is the matter with you?"

"Nothing. I just want this mission to be over and for Sakura to be safely at home again."

Kiba nodded, not saying anything. Lee put a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder. "So do we. Don't worry, Sakura's strong. Her youthful spirit will-"

"We get the picture, Lee," Kiba interrupted, annoyance clearly on his face.

Naruto smiled. "Thanks. I know we'll get Sakura back!"

Kakashi approached Naruto. "Naruto, I know you're worried about Sasuke, too." He looked up at the stars. "Who knows? Maybe our paths will cross again someday in the near future…"