WARNING: EXTREME INFORMATION OVERLOAD, NOT FOR THE FAINT OF MIND. LOL.
As you can see above, this chapter is LONG. And I mean long, it took me three hours to proofread this baby XD. I have to say though, I'm proud of how it came out.
You meet the bad guys in this one, so yeah, finally some more info into the plot other than Sakura needing to find a way back to her own time.
This chapter also reveals what's going to be causing Sakura some major troubles in order to get back home, besides the bad guys of course lol. And not a lot of how she's getting back home, that won't be until another chapter or so. Not a lot of NaruSaku-ness in this one, unless the young version of Naruto counts, meh. There won't be one until next chapter so I'm looking forward to that one. :)
I L-O-V-E-D the reviews I received for last chapter, it made Night-chan all giggly inside :P So thank you all very kindly for those wonderful reviews, it keeps this chick motivated, otherwise this chapter would have been short. Please enjoy and review if you did!
Disclaimer: Like I honestly own one of the biggest franchises in Japan? Pfft.
"Between the great things we cannot do
and the small things we will not do,
the danger is that we shall do nothing."
-Adolph Monod
"Master, you didn't include the fact that this Haruno girl would possess guards once she arrived here into that little plan of yours did you?" A cruel and deep voice echoed throughout a dark and dreary cave.
A set of chuckles resounded throughout the cave at the man's comment before a deeper voice made them seize.
"Enough! We have no time to be mocking me, besides, I left you in charge of making sure that village left her alone after she was transported here..." in the shadows of the cave the man smirked. "It's not my fault your fear of the Uchiha clan's two heirs is still fresh in your mind."
A eerie quiet overwhelms the vicinity of the cave. The first man that had spoken retreats from the dark corners of the cave and reveals his embarrassed and angry expression. His brown eyes flare with the flickering of the candles that barely lit the cave. His deep frown makes him look older than he is, and the headband on his forehead with the crossed out symbol of the rain adds to his age.
He whips around his black haired ponytail and tries to speak calmly to the man he calls master. "Now, Now master. No need to be harsh...I was simply stating a fact." the man he speaks to study him with his dark violet eyes. " We're talking about our current predicament with that Haruno girl. We weren't expecting her to survive that little trip we put her through, let alone find her in the hands of the two top Anbu during this time of Konoha." Both men narrow their eyes at each other. "My small personal matters over what I do and don't enjoy should be kept out of this...don't you agree?"
A grunt is heard and the man with dark violet eyes also makes his shadowed appearance known as he walks into the dim light the candles provide. Both face each other in a seemingly pointless battles of wits. The brown eyed man smirks and shrugs his shoulders in defeat.
"My dear cousin Takehiro. I'm glad we're finally starting to see eye to eye." The violet-eyed man twirled around to stare at the other shadows surrounding him and his cousin. "And that you've shown you have some intelligence."
Takehiro glared at the back of his cousin's head as he spoke, but kept his mouth shut.
"Now that this little outburst of yours has been settled we can get back on track and continue our previous discussion, ne?" The man's condescending tone of voice made the group of nin grow more agitated with their leader, Masahiro Kimura.
The man smirked at them all as he walked around the small semi circle of people. His dark violet eyes shined with aggression to anyone else who was thinking of talking back at him. His brown hair was unruly and seemed covered in mud from the cave he had been staying in with his nin group for the past month. His black clothes held tears and holes from the battle he had previously had.
His group of nin were no better. All had their clothes torn in more than one location and the bandages covering their bodies had grown brown from lack of changing. All their weapons hung behind them in piles of uncleaned metal. It was clear they were more than just agitated at their leader, Masahiro, but at their living conditions as well.
A soft neutral voice spoke out from the small crowd of nin. The petite woman made herself known as she began to speak, her colorless eyes showing her status of blindness.
"Master. As previously stated nearly eighteen hours ago, we proceeded to enter the village of Konoha to infiltrate their hospital, locate and then capture our current interest Sakura Haruno."
Masahiro and the rest of the group nodded at her words. "Yes, Sakura Haruno the medic-nin of the current team seven back in our time." He spoke quickly to allow her to continue.
"After we failed to locate her we proceeded to check the medical files of the hospital, where we discovered her release into the surveillance of the Hokage and the council."
The man nodded again and took out the file the small woman spoke of and shook it in his hand. "After that you and your group headed out to the Hokage tower in hopes of finding out target there."
The woman nodded keeping her unseeing gaze forward. "We tried our best to be unseen, but we did not expect for the Anbu of the Konoha in this time to be so abnormally strong. It appears Konoha's status has lowered in the past eight years."
The nin in the cave grunted their agreement as murmurings began over the current Konoha and the Konoha they now find themselves in.
"It appears that the Anbu known as weasel is an Uchiha. Or more well known to us as the infamous Itachi Uchiha murderer of his entire clan, and s-class criminal in the bingo book. Also part of the group we were considering making an alliance with, the Akastuki." The woman removes a scroll from one of the pouches still attached to her clothes. "We fought them with the information we had of them and managed to escape before being captured. I also managed to snatch this from the dog-mask wearing Anbu."
Masahiro grabs the scroll the small woman hands him. She waits to hear the sound of his hands opening the seal before continuing.
"Our target Sakura Haruno is still under investigation within Konoha walls and is in the watchful eyes of the entire Uchiha clan. Her current location is still unknown, but we do know she's residing somewhere near the Uchiha compound. She's is to be under their care after all. It appears she has managed to earn the trust of the current Hokage, Sarutobi and the council."
Masahiro cringed and eyed the woman. "Even Danzo?"
The blind woman stood still. "Yes."
The group of nin groaned at the newly heard information.
Takehiro turned to look at his aggravated cousin and withheld his smirk. "Looks like the girly had more people skills then we gave her credit for, eh Masahiro?"
"Pardon, but there is one little tid bit of information the scroll provided for us." Both men turned to look at the petite woman still in the same position in front of them.
"It appears she's trying to find a way home Master Masahiro. She still can't seem to recall what happened after you and your elite group performed the time jutsu we all developed."
Masahiro and Takehiro took in this new information with amused grins as they listened on.
"From the scroll in your hand, we've learned that Sakura is going to begin her investigation into returning to her own time in a small cave a group of Anbu discovered some days ago. She also had detailed information on our clan master."
Masahiro rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he let all the woman's words sink in. The group surrounding him watched their leader carefully as he paced slowly back and forth.
"Is that all you know?" He voiced quietly.
The woman flinched at how quiet his voice sounded. "For the time being...I'm afraid so. It appears the council is not taking any chances and have taken extra precautions to make sure no one in the village besides those necessary to Sakura know about her and who she truly is. Time-traveling is still mostly speculation at this time in Konoha. For the council to be helping a girl from a different time period and believing her words...it would cause an uproar among the people here."
Takehiro nodded his agreement and stared at his pensive cousin. "She's right Masahiro. It's likely all the information we have of Sakura right now is all that we're gonna get. Especially if they still have suspicions on her. Anything she does after this point will either be impossible to locate or difficult to obtain without losing serious amounts of nin on our side."
"I know that. Our clan is small as it is, which is why I chose such a dreary and horrible place to hide. No one would suspect of our presence if we go to a place no normal people would inhabit." Masahiro pushed past his cousin as he spoke heading towards the far off entrance to the cave.
"How much does she know?" He directed his question at the blind woman.
"Of our clan master?" He nodded. "She knows that we're the first to have performed a successful time jutsu and that's about it. She's still recovering from the injuries she received fighting you Master. She'll most likely begin her studies over the Kimura clan soon though."
"I see." He stopped in front a lit candle and stared at it.
The group of nin moved around uneasily at the lack of words from their leader. His violet eyes remained fixated on the candle for several minutes before he broke out into a fit of giggles.
Takehiro raised an eyebrow and questioned his cousin's actions. "What the hell's so funny Masahiro?"
The laughing man shook his head and turned around to face his shocked followers. "I find it a bit humorous that Sakura-san is actually hopeful of returning home is all."
Brown eyes glared at the man and spoke. "Is that so? By your confident tone of voice Masahiro I'm guessing you just figured out a plan?"
Said man grinned wickedly at his cousin. "But of course dear cousin of mine. You all have failed to realize that she is our target. I didn't waste more than half my chakra to send her back here just for her to return again as if nothing happened. Once she finds some way to return to her proper time, we'll make sure her plans never take fruition."
Takehiro smirked as he heard the small group begin to chuckle. "Sabotage in other words?"
Masahiro returned the smirk. "Exactly. Make her think she's found a way home, make her believe no one will be able to stop her from returning home, make her walls of suspicions fall one by one until she's bare, then crush them all down in front of her."
The two cousins faced the group of their followers as they all grinned viciously at their leaders. The prospect of more blood being shed to reach their goal exciting them.
"Our clan is small, but our ambitions and dreams are big. We will reach our goals...of becoming the greatest clan in Konoha. The girl will make sure of that." Masahiro's voice boomed out across the small cave.
"We'll wait for our next move carefully. Our next huge step won't be made until she's found the method of returning back to her time." Takehiro shouted out as well. His brown eyes gleamed with excitement as he eyed his cousin. Masahiro nodded.
"Of course...that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun with her. How about it guys...up for some little mind games with the Haruno girl?"
The group of nin shouted out their agreement simultaneously. Masahiro watched the display with utter pleasure. His smirk returning, he stares at the eyes of his followers, glad that their hope of accomplishing their goal had returned to their eyes.
'Keep walking ahead blindly Sakura-san. Reach your limitations and find the path you seek. And when you do...the Kimura clan will make sure to end your journey just as your reach the final stretch.' His violet eyes streaked a darker shade of violet as he imagined his victory over the Haruno girl.
'I'll make sure you never see that annoying blonde boy again. Your life will end right here...away from him and everyone else you care about.'
--
Sakura released the fifth sneeze since that morning into the fresh crisp air. She shook her head to rid herself of another sneeze. She stopped her walking as she sensed two other presences behind her near the second building on the right side of her. Her green gaze went upward as she sent a happy grin at the two Anbu kneeling by the edge of the building. The two made their way down in front of her and bowed to her in a display of respect. Sakura waved it off and stared at them with mock annoyance.
"I did like you guys asked and waited outside my apartment for over two hours and this is what I get two late bodyguards?" She resisted the urge to laugh as she watched both Anbu lower their heads in shame.
Kakashi was the first to speak up as he raised his head. "Sorry sorry, we were...uhh...lost on the road of life?"
Sakura cringed as she could just imagine the false smile he probably had on his face behind the dog mask. Her sensei had the stupid-excuses- for-being-late habit this early in his life? She sighed and turned to look at the weasel mask. Though her hate for the man had dwindled slightly, she still felt unease when he was around her. She combed back her pink hair and tried to keep her voice in a light-hearted tone.
"What about you Itachi-san? Were you lost on the road of life with Kakashi as he said?"
"No such thing. I was attending an important meeting with my clan. He disappeared from me shortly after I was excused to my Anbu duties. I managed to find him merely twenty minutes ago." The Uchiha sent a glare at the gray haired man through his mask.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "All right all right, it was my fault we were late meeting you here Sakura." Unseen by Itachi, Kakashi rolled his visible eye as he removed his mask, causing Sakura to giggle.
"What is so amusing Sakura-san?" Itachi removed his own mask and eyed the giggling girl with an icy stare.
Sakura automatically stiffened and stared at the Uchiha. She frowned as his gaze darkened upon making contact with her green eyes. 'What got stuck up his butt?' She wondered as she glared at Itachi.
A bulky gray vest covered both their glaring views as Kakashi stared at them with his lazy eye. "Now, now, No need for such hostile behavior so early in the morning."
His teasing tone was ignored as Sakura continued to glare at the Uchiha prodigy. 'Should have known his real character would show up eventually. He nearly made me believe he had a kind side to him, ha!'
"Well then, tell your asshole of a partner to stop glaring at me like I'm some sort of thing to be killed or something. I don't have the patience for men like him." The words struck the two men hard. They had never heard such harsh words coming from their charge since they first met. Though she was unconscious during that time.
Sakura huffed and picked up the bag next to her feet. Her green eyes avoided their surprised looks as she walked past them to make her way to the library again. Hearing no footsteps behind her she shouted out.
"Hurry it up please! I having something else I gotta do after I'm done at the library."
Kakashi shook himself from his stupor and nodded at her loud voice. He turned to look at Itachi, who was staring at the girl's back intently.
"Don't tell me you're attracted to Sakura, Itachi-kun?" The Uchiha slowly shook his head and turned back to stare at his partner's gray eye.
"That's not why I'm staring Kakashi-san. I was surprised by her reaction." he mumbled out as he began to follow after the small pink haired girl ahead of them.
A surprised gray eye stared at the Uchiha as he ran up to catch up to him. "Then you're telling me that little glare you gave her back there wasn't to hurt her feelings intentionally?"
Itachi scoffed as he continued walking. "Of course not. I was asked by the members of the Uchiha clan during the meeting to act cold towards her." his voice stopped mid-sentence as his dark eyes narrowed.
"And...?" His partner's voice caused him to jump slightly.
"The reaction I received is something I didn't want." was his quiet answer.
Kakashi stared at Itachi with a dumbfounded look. "Well...what did you expect Itachi-kun? You're nice to her one day and throwing daggers at her with your eyes the next."
The sliver-haired man was stopped by a hand. His eye fell on the troubled look of the Uchiha. "I was asked by the Uchiha members because they're suspicious of Sakura-san. If she is truly from the future, then she knows something about the Uchihas that we don't."
It finally dawned on Kakashi as his eye followed Itachi's stare to the young woman ahead of them. "If she acts hostile towards you so quickly...it means..."
"Yes. She had some conflict with an Uchiha later on in her life. And for that reason seems to hold a grudge against all of us." Itachi stared at Kakashi before beginning to walk again.
"They're supposed to keep an eye on her and yet hold no trust in her at all? How can they expect to protect someone who they see as suspicious?" The man was angry. For some reason he felt he had a connection with Sakura that he couldn't explain.
"I have realized all of that. Which is why I plan to lie to them and keep an eye on her myself." Itachi's own cold tone involving his clan surprised the silver-haired Anbu.
"You're going against your clan's orders?" he asked hesitantly.
"Even they are wrong from time to time, such as this occasion."
The two remained silent after that, trailing behind the object of their previous conversation.
"You know..." Kakashi finally spoke out after the silence that overtook them.
Itachi's dark eyes fell on the man's face waiting for him to continue.
"She's going to either ignore you all day, or treat you badly for what happened back there. You know that right?"
Kakashi didn't fail to notice his partner's flinch as he finished talking. Nor did he miss the sudden thick aura of tension filling the air.
He shook his head and placed his mask back on. "I'll take that as a yes Itachi-kun."
Itachi sighed in defeat as his partner jumped to reach the young woman ahead of him. He placed his own mask back on and grumbled to himself.
"The things I do for this stupid girl."
As he caught up with Kakashi and Sakura, he heard the distinct sound of a low growl. He ignored the glare directed at him from the small woman next to him and proceeded to pretend the road was more interesting to look at.
Kakashi poked Sakura's side to get another more easier conversation going. "Ne, you're returning your books already Sakura? You just checked them out yesterday."
Sakura sent the stoic Uchiha one last glare before turning to look at Kakashi with a happy grin on her face. "I am. I woke up pretty early this morning...around four actually, and decided to study over the books I checked out along with the folder given to me by the council." She patted the bag held in her hand to prove her point. "I found all I could get from these books so I'm going to return them."
The two stared at her, once again in shock. Itachi, trying his best not to stumble on his words, questioned the pink-haired girl beside him.
"You're honestly telling us you've read through those three thick books in one night and got all the information you could from the material?"
Sakura hung her nose up high in indignation as she glared at the Uchiha again. "Of course! Just because I don't look it at the moment doesn't mean I'm not a fully capable Kunoichi who knows how to look for something and get that something."
The two Anbu shared a passing glance before returning their stares at the upset Sakura.
"W-Well...if it's not too much to ask, what'cha find out?" Her green eyes stared intently at the gray eye of her sensei. He seemed genuinely curious when he asked.
She sighed and let the bag in her hands hang more limply. The two finally noticed the dark circles under her eyes, and the way she suddenly seemed to carry herself. She now looked troubled...and hopeful all at once.
She seemed to forget her previous little verbal exchange she had with Itachi as she gave both her bodyguards a tired smile as they turned a corner and found themselves in an empty little road.
"I found out a lot...but it was a...win-lose situation." she replied releasing another sigh shortly after.
Both Anbu cringed before asking simultaneously. "How so?"
She didn't answer them for a good minute, opting instead to stare at something ahead of them. Her feet began to slow their pace as her eyes dimmed, returning to the memories of only hours before.
--
Her half closed eyes stared at the words written in the book. She was starting to get worried though, the words were getting more and more blurry as she kept reading. Still, she knew this was her one chance of getting home, and since sleep decided to leave her in the middle of the night, now was a better time than any.
She let her fingers gently glide over the pages of the worn out books, trying as best as she could to locate any vital information. Over two hours of looking and looking and looking again over the pages of these books and still she found nothing. A puff of air left her lips as she narrowed her eyes in agitation. She knew finding a way home was going to be difficult, but she was going border-line crazy with impatience.
A time-travel jutsu just seemed to be accepted as impossible to occur in these books. 'Wished these authors could have been a bit more open-minded, and more optimistic' She thought angrily to herself as she let her aggravation get the best of her, and threw the book in her lap across the empty living room.
She lacked in the knowledge of forbidden jutsus, and she knew the council wasn't going to provide anymore help than they already had. That would be dangerous on their parts. And she didn't want to endanger the Hokage's job over her incompetence to find out about this jutsu.
Sakura buried her face in her knees. No, if that were to happen, things would change. The time period as she knew it could possibly alter in a way that wouldn't be beneficiary to her or her friends back home. She would have to figure it out the best she could, even if right now things looked bleak.
Her trembling hand gently reached over for the folder placed on the table in front of her. If she couldn't find anything in the books she found, then she would have to start on these caves the council located for her.
Sliding the folder off the table she opened the flap and looked at the pictures for the fifth time since it was given to her. The pictures were not of best quality, but she never really paid close attention to them until now. Her green eyes scanned over the dark textures of the caves and the lack of light in some areas. Something was nagging her to keep staring at one particular picture that was attached to the folder. Her eyes widened as she caught glimpses of the pictures drawn carefully on the cave walls.
"A dog, snake, ox, bird, and a tiger." her mouth formed a tight line. "How odd. I could've sworn I've seen these symbols somewhere be..."
Sakura rose abruptly from her spot on the carpeted floor and snatched the book she had thrown back minutes before. Her studious look returned as she skimmed through the pages again, trying to locate what she hoped was not a mistake on her part. A wide smile appeared on her face as she spotted the page. The book spoke of the hand signs said to have been assigned as the ones to use to perform a time-reversal jutsu. The hand signs matched the drawings in the caves.
Her eyes shined, renewed with new found hope of finally starting her path home. She opened the book all the way and grabbed the neglected notepad and pen in the corner of the table. Her nimble hands began to quickly scribble down the information found in the book that matched her recent discovery in the photos.
An hour passed, and her notepad was nearly a quarter filled. Her face formed a scowl as she read over her notes, making sure she didn't make a single mistake. She let out a frustrated sigh and collapsed onto the dark carpet of her living room floor. She held the notepad tightly to her chest and closed her eyes.
'The time-reversal jutsu has basic hand signs to perform it. The dog, snake, ox, bird, and then the tiger. With these signs done correctly you can go back into any time period you so choose, or so I'm concluding. The author of this book thinks that the jutsu, if at all possible to be done, is very sporadic with its user. The person can't decide where they'll end up, they can just hope they performed it with enough of their memory to be lead directly where they want to be.'
Sakura bit the small of her thumb's skin as she pondered on with her conclusions.
'Though it is very logical, I've seen weirder jutsus been done with complete success. In this world of nin growing more and more everyday in their knowledge of ninjutsu and genjutsu, I'm pretty sure it's plausible for the technique to be done and for you to chose which period to go to. The question remains though...can it be done at all?'
She opened her eyes slightly and let the ceiling fan above her cool her growing heat on her forehead.
'Whoever those bastards were that threw me into this whole mess in the first place, they're definitely part of the Kimura clan. So far, from what I'm getting from these books anyways, is that this clan is the only known one to have completely dedicated themselves into performing and perfecting the time-reversal jutsu. They obviously succeeded since I'm standing here, but I'm wondering. There must be some complication to performing it correctly, especially if you're doing it to send someone other than yourself into a different time period. Perhaps those guys we fought were sent back with me...and they didn't expect it. I'm pretty sure it was their first time attempting it, I don't recall hearing from other villages of mysterious disappearances. If they didn't expect it...or maybe they did and are here for another completely different motive.'
Sakura squeezed the notepad in her hand and reread over a couple of the words.
'This jutsu is considered forbidden, for its high level of danger to the user if unsuccessful. Serious cerebral damage even death is possible if it isn't performed to its exact directions. The hand signs are basic, but you have to have high amounts of chakra before even considering doing it. And from what I read of the Kimura clan, once they showed interest in making this jutsu their own, they trained all their shinobi with high amounts of chakra to be able to control it with ease. I'm curious to know though, how many attempts they've had in doing the time-reversal jutsu. And past that point, what are they aiming with this? What is their goal, what do plan to gain from making the jutsu fully theirs. They couldn't possibly be that ruthless in their quest to be the dominate clan with this jutsu, then again I know very little of them besides the normal textbook information.'
She slowly let her body lift itself from the floor and her green eyes automatically locked with the red colored headband hanging limply by the right side wall of her apartment. She smiled then frowned.
'If it is the Kimura clan who's behind all that happened...then why me? Why did they target me of all people? I didn't know of their history, of their anything...yet.'
Sakura felt the angry tears welling up in her green eyes. She blinked as they began to fall down her cheeks.
'Yet, they used that dirty jutsu and took me away from my family and friends. Away from the life I had and everything I held dear to my heart...they took me away from Naruto.'
Images of the loud blonde flooded her mind at that moment, her tears now falling more in number. She rubbed at her wet eyes, trying to stop the tears. She knew he wouldn't like the way she was acting right now. The Sakura-chan he knew would be stubborn and fighting her way through anything to get back home. She smiled as she heard his voice in her head reprimanding her for her silly behavior.
'Well, I got all I could from these books. I have to go ask for some medical scrolls through the Hokage to keep studying the jutsu, and I'll be heading off to those caves in a couple of days. I'll find a way to perform this jutsu, Kimura clan or not.'
She grinned at the red headband in front of her vision.
"Don't worry you knuckle-headed moron...I'll be back with you soon."
She had settled herself on the soft couch leaving all the materials sprawled across the table. She smiled as she let sleep finally claim her for the rest of the night. She dreamed of loud laughter and bright blue eyes twinkling just for her.
--
"Wow, you found out a lot then huh?" Sakura blinked as she let Kakashi's voice bring her back from her distant thoughts.
She nodded as the bag in her hand was once again held tightly in her grip. "Yep. And since I got the basic info on this jutsu down, I have to study more on the chakra system and see if I can figure out how much is needed to perform it. Hence me returning the books."
Kakashi let out a whistle, he was impressed with the girl's high intelligence. "It's obvious now that you're definitely needed back in your time."
Sakura giggled and accepted her sensei's compliment. "Thanks. Though there are far more intelligent people back in my Konoha."
Kakashi grinned behind his mask and ruffled up Sakura's pink hair, causing her to pout. "That so? Don't you think you're being a bit humble there Sakura?"
Sakura rolled her eyes as they reached the library. "Of course not! It's true, you just don't realize it cause you have a one-track mind right now."
Kakashi ignored the snort that came from the Uchiha, who had remained silent during the entire trip.
"So I won't have one when I'm older is what you're saying?"he questioned jokingly.
Sakura stared at the large building, her interest lost in the conversation seconds ago, she answered. "Yea, pretty much."
Kakashi removed his mask and blurted out. "Wait, you know me when I'm older??"
He got no reply, but the silent wind as it blew along a lone tumbleweed. A drop of sweat rolled down his face as he realized he was alone with the Uchiha.
"And she completely ignores me and runs off." he mumbled annoyingly.
Itachi scoffed as he eyed the building carefully. "What did you expect Kakashi-san? She was ordered by Hokage-sama not to speak a word of her future and who it involves with."
Kakashi formed a pout through the mask covering part his face. "I know that. Just wished she could have at least given me a clue or something."
The Uchiha didn't turn to look at his partner, and opted instead to stare at a far off building. Kakashi noticed the lack of attention he was being given and stared lazily at the Uchiha. He quirked an eyebrow as he noticed the intense stare Itachi was giving a building.
"What's the matter now? You acted all moody with Sakura this morning, then said it was an act, then turned back to your moody self and you're staring at a building like it's poison or something."
Itachi's dark eyes swirled into crimson as he turned to look at Kakashi. The silver-haired Anbu stared at the young man intently. The situation had gone from humorous to serious in a matter of seconds.
Placing his mask back on, Kakashi walked leisurely over to Itachi. "Is it them?" He whispered.
Itachi's mask nodded, his Sharigan eyes once again searching the area. "They just appeared to me. Who knows how long they've been following us though."
Both Anbu resisted the urge to jump as they heard the sound of the wooden door to the library being opened. The sound of sandaled feet met their ears. Sakura had returned from the library. They were about to order her to be quiet, but were surprised to see her hold their arms tightly, her way of telling them to be quiet. She began to walk again, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary, the two acted their parts and silently followed behind her.
As they turned the corner to head into the busy marketplace of Konoha's square, they felt the three presences leave the area.
Sakura was the first to talk. "Those bastards have been hiding their chakra pretty well huh?"
Kakashi and Itachi nodded dumbly at her, taken aback by the fact that she knew about the three strangers as well.
Her green eyes meet their masks as she blinks at them, a frown on her face. "Well, aren't you going to add some feedback here? I kind of feel silly here talking to myself."
Kakashi nods and walks up to her. "You kinda shocked us for a sec there Sakura. We didn't think you even knew about those people following us. Itachi-kun and I just realized their presence."
Her mouth shaped an 'o' in understanding as she tilted her head to the side to see Itachi staring up at the sky.
"I see. Well I don't know how you guys didn't feel them. They've been following us since we left my apartment." Sakura stated to the two Anbu, but began to mumble to herself as she delved deeper into her thoughts over the three strangers. "Now that I think about it, those three seemed familiar to me, like I've felt their chakra signature before...how strange..."
The two Anbu stared at the pink-haired girl with dumbfounded looks.
Sakura is taken from her deep thoughts as she's jerked back roughly by a large hand. Her thoughtful look turns into a scowl as she stares at two calculating dark eyes.
"What?" she asks the Uchiha, the venomous tone in her voice obvious.
Itachi remains silent. His eyes studying the girl in front of him. Kakashi watches the two through his mask, his stare turning serious as he notices the stiffening of Itachi's shoulders.
"Sakura-san..." he starts out, his tone slow and filled with an underlined worry. Sakura doesn't fail to notice it.
She eases her body, and the hand holding her arm slackens. A frown still on her face she asks calmly. "What is it?"
His mouth opens, then closes. His dark eyes look down, almost contemplating over his next course of words. He then turns to stare at something neither Sakura or Kakashi can see. He opens his mouth again.
"The last thing you said, it got me thinking. Is it possible...can it be an absolute certainty... that maybe" Sakura's eyes narrow as she tries to read into the Uchiha's thoughts through his cautious words. "That feeling of familiarity you had with those three following us..." She sees no doubt in his eyes as he prepares to finish speaking his inner thoughts. "Are the ones responsible...for sending you here, to your own past?"
Her breath hitches in her throat as she watches the stoic look the Uchiha has change to one of new found acceptance. She hastily removes his hand and begins to stare at the ground, her eyes darting from one side to the other.
Kakashi grows quickly uncomfortable by the tension beginning to surround Itachi and Sakura, and prepares to intervene when he hears the call of a hawk above him. Three set of eyes look up to see the brown spot of a flying hawk lowering down to land on Kakashi's shoulder.
The silver-haired man plucks the piece of paper from the leg of the hawk as soon as it lands. He opens the slip of paper and reads it. Sakura and Itachi stare with worry when Kakashi lets an unusual growl escape his lips.
"Son of a bitch." He removes the mask and throws the slip of paper into Itachi's hands. His one visible eye narrowed in displeasure.
Sakura attempts to read the paper, but stops further action when she sees Itachi's hands grip the paper so tightly it was beginning to wrinkle.
"Guys, everything okay? Is that message urgent or something?" Her voice trembles slightly as she sees that her attempt to make the question light-hearted fails to ease their tenseness.
She takes an involuntary step back as she sees their gazes turn in her direction, they looked apprehensive and concerned for her.
Kakashi seems to make a move to talk, but stops himself and shakes his head. He turns around and puts his mask back on, jumping quickly up to the building next to him.
Itachi lets out a sigh and gives Sakura a stern look. "We've been called out to the Hokage's tower once again, this time it seems to be more urgent than our last mission." Sakura stares at the Uchiha, still puzzled at why her sensei had such a violent reaction to a mission.
"Don't worry Sakura-san, we're not in any danger and neither are you." he voices this carefully, hoping Sakura won't let Kakashi's reaction affect her. "Please, return to your apartment and we will come back to you as soon as we can."
Sakura nods slowly, keeping her expression as blank as possible.
Itachi turns back around and prepares to follow after Kakashi, but stops and gives Sakura a warning. "Keep yourself safe on the way home Sakura-san." with that, he vanishes leaving a stunned girl.
Sakura remains in her stiff position in the middle of an empty street for five minutes. She was so elated of having found out new information about that jutsu that would return her home. That was this morning, now she experienced all sorts of unpleasant emotions in less than two hours. The uneasy feeling that perhaps the Uchiha clan was not to be trusted as she had begun to let herself believe, then the shocked and fearful feeling of knowing that perhaps Itachi was right about those people that had been following them. And now her two bodyguards, for the second time, have been forced to leave her side for a mission far more dangerous than they led her to believe.
Sakura let out a forced sigh and her shoulders droop. She really should have known, if those people were capable of sending her to this time, then they can most certainly send back themselves. 'Things seem to get complicated the minute I think I've found a way to make my way home easier.'
Her green eyes travel up to see the sun gleaming down on the quiet village. It was right past noon by the looks of it, she thinks as she lets her feet direct her back towards her apartments.
"I still have about four hours before I have to meet Naruto for ramen..." her eyes gain back some warmth as she recalls the promise she made to the seven year old Naruto. "Well, at least I have something to look forward to. The idiot always had a way of making me feel better, I'm sure his younger self can do the same."
The young woman lets a soft whistle escape her lips as she walks back to her temporary home.
--
"Hokage-sama, this is becoming more troublesome than I would have wanted to accept."
The old man releases a sigh and surveys the trashed area of the back of the Hokage tower. His dark brown eyes narrow as he sees the dried up spots of splattered blood covering the dirt.
"Yes, I know. Even I'm surprised at the violence these characters are showing. And all for a young woman." Saratobi pinches the bridge of his nose and averts his gaze from the view of the blood.
"Are any of them dead, Kakashi, Itachi?" He asks quietly, urging himself to stop a headache from coming.
Kakashi removes his bloodied mask and grunts. "Fortunately not on our side, we managed to beat them up pretty badly. None of them died though."
Itachi cringes as he stares at his bloodied blade. 'I thought I had one of those nin, but it was almost as he expected me to use my Sharingan in battle.'
"Something is troubling you Itachi?" The Uchiha raises his head as the voice of the Hokage rings in his ears.
"Those nin knew I was an Uchiha..."he points out, a solemn look in his eyes.
Both men stare at the Uchiha in astonishment.
"You've got to be kidding me! Itachi, you had your mask on the entire time, even if you used it they shouldn't have been able to see your eyes." Kakashi exclaims, touching his own unused Sharingan eye.
"I know, that was my conclusion as well." Itachi clenches his fists. "But they still knew, and knew what to do to avoid my attacks and make it rather difficult for me to use it properly."
The Hokage stares at the two Anbu, and then turns to stare at the path of blood leading over the wall that was currently being washed by a medic crew.
"Then our suspicions are correct boys?"
Itachi and Kakashi look down in unwanted resignation and nod slowly.
The old man sighs and stares back up at the Hokage tower. "I see. They're from the same time as Sakura, and for some reason or another, are after her life."
The two nod again.
"I was hoping that her transition from this time to her own would go by more smoothly. No unnecessary intervention on our part, and no intervention from her. No one would be put in danger, and she could return to her time. And all of this would just be like a dream." The Hokage's eyes dull as he feels the anger and pity for the girl grow.
"If it's my guess, I'd say they're doing this on purpose." The silver-haired man grumbles, a dark shine in his eye indicating his anger.
"How so?" Itachi questions his partner.
"Isn't it damn obvious to you Itachi. I'm sure those bastards have already figured out that we're helping her find a way home. Something I'm sure they don't want to happen."
Kakashi glares at the wall ahead of him as both Itachi and the Hokage stare at him intently.
"So, they're gonna try and sabotage her and our plans in any way they can. I'm pretty sure if they know about your bloodline trait they know about the Uchiha clan guarding her as well. They're going to try and make us go against her, if not make sure we stall her long enough for them to make their own damn move."
The Hokage nods, agreeing with Kakashi's words. Itachi stares again at the bloodied blade in his sheath.
"If that is truly their goal, then we have no choice but to keep our resolve rock solid until we see for ourselves that she's returned safely to her time." was the Hokage's simple answer as he scratches his chin thoughtfully.
"Yes, I agree with Hokage-sama. We cannot let their feeble, yet annoying attempts get to us, especially if your theory proves correct." Itachi walks over to the smudge of blood and glides two fingers across it.
"So, we're not going to stop her from continuing her research for the time jutsu? We're going to let her go on as if those nin aren't after her life, again?" Kakashi mumbles quietly, staring at Itachi's slumped form over the blood.
"Yes. We've been protecting her for nearly two weeks now, and not once has she been put in danger. As long as we make our presence known around her, they'll wait to get us alone to attack." was the Uchiha's reply.
"The council will most likely sign you two into a permanent placement with Sakura, until we can track down those nin and end this whole matter before lives other than Sakura's are put in danger. This little scrimmage shouldn't have occurred at all, but what has happened cannot be undone." Saratobi faces the two young Anbu and takes out his pipe.
"Boys, I'm glad you handled this well, thank you." his wrinkled face forms a smile as the two bow at his words. "You may return to your duties with Sakura now. The medic crew and the jounins here will finish the clean up job."
Both men begin to place their mask back on as the Hokage turns to walk back to his office.
"Oh, and..." the Hokage's voice stops the two Anbu.
"Don't mention this to Sakura. The girl is in enough stress as it is. She's still recovering and...this will only lengthen her already growing troubles." The two don't fail to notice the tired and sad stressed out voice of the old Hokage as he smiles and dismisses them with a wave of his hand.
The two disappear in a puff of smoke.
--
Sakura waves absentmindedly at an old Uchiha couple as she makes her way towards the Ichiruka. Her sandals make rather loud scrapping noises as she runs around a corner. Her breathing comes quick and her green eyes are wide with embarrassed fear.
"I can't believe I took a freaking nap! I have to hurry or I'll be late and then..." she shudders in her run at the thought of a crying seven year old Naruto. "Gotta hurry."
She sends a quick smile at Mikoto and Sasuke as she passes them by in a open fruit and vegetable market. She fails to notice the strange looks both Uchihas give her. She momentarily stops and leans on a tall wooden pole, catching her breath. She stares at her watch and grimaces.
"Damn me and my need for naps. With my chakra still a bit low I use up more energy, and now I have to run like a normal person." she grunts in annoyance and begins to run again.
She sees the familiar street lamps ahead slowly lit one by one and lets a smile of relief appear on her face. She pushes back some strays of pink hair in her face as she stops running. She leans on her knees and bends down to catch her breath. She can hear the murmurs and yells of people as they walk past her. Taking in a deep breath, Sakura stands straight up again and looks for any sign of blonde spiky hair.
"I should consider taking more morning walks, this was just a fifteen minute run and I'm already pooped out." she talks to herself as she looks at her watch. She's just two minutes late.
"Maybe he got held back at the academy...he was a troublemaker... wouldn't be surprised if he got detention. Little moron." and affectionate look is on her face as she imagines Naruto with a pout on his face for getting into trouble.
"Nee-chan!!" A shrill happy scream echoes loudly behind her. She begins to twirl around to see the young Naruto, only to be held back by two arms attaching themselves to her left leg.
She giggles as her green eyes look down and lock with happy shining blue ones. His foxy grin ever present the young Naruto giggles with her, still not letting go of her leg.
"I'm glad to see you too, Naruto. I need my leg back though." Her affectionate look returns as she sees him pout again, begrudgingly letting go of her leg.
She ruffles up his hair and winks at him when he gives her a glare. "Ne, Sakura-neechen! You gotta stop doing that, it makes it look like you're treating me like a baby."
She tries to hold in her laughter as she nods to his request. "All right Naruto, whatever you say." she raises an eyebrow at him as he smiles triumphantly. "By the way, you're late mister. I was about to eat some delicious ramen without you."
Sakura marvels at the shock face of the young Naruto as he shakes his head and protests. "You won't believe what happened to me though Sakura-neechan!"
"All right, all right, you can tell me what happened after we order okay?" she laughs as he nods fervently and begins to tug at her hand to start taking her over to the ramen stand.
The owner has a rather stunned expression as he sees his young daily customer come in with a beautiful young woman. He coughs slightly and proceeds to say his usual greetings to the young blonde boy. Sakura politely introduces herself to the owner, though she felt awkward, having already known the old man in her own time. He smiles gratefully, as though thanking her for being so kind to Naruto.
She gets a saddened look as she watches the young version of her teammate order his bowls of ramen. It was obvious why the owner looked so relieved Naruto had some friends, people still held cruel grudges on him back then. Blaming a mere child for the crimes of a demon he has yet to know about. How much of Naruto's past was hidden from her though?
"Ne, Sakura-neechan you must really be hungry! You're spacing out on me!" Sakura's blinks wide-eyed at the young Naruto as he snickers at her mischievously.
She frowns and pulls his ear playfully. "What was that you little brat?"
Naruto laughs as he tries to pry her hand away. "Ne, ne, I'm sorry nee-chan! You can let go!"
She smiles and lets go, facing back forward and watching the old man cook the ramen. Her green eyes fall back on the little Naruto as he pulls at her skirt to get her attention. She eyes him carefully as he fumbles with his fingers, seeming to be thinking over something before talking.
"I m-met a really pretty girl today nee-chan..." he whispers quietly to her, a small tint of pink covering his whiskered cheeks.
Her green eyes widened with mild surprise, her gut telling her she knows who it is. "Oh, really?"
He nods fervently again and stares at her with love-filled blue eyes. "Yea! But don't get jealous nee-chan! Cause you'll always be nee-chan, there's no replacing you!"
Sakura lets a small blush form on her own face as a happy grin comes over her face. "Don't worry you silly brat, I'm not jealous. Now go on, tell me about her."
He grins at her, satisfied at his nee-chan's reaction. "Well, she's really pretty! She has the same name as you nee-chan! And she has pretty pink hair and green eyes like you too!"
Sakura let her grin fall a bit as she stares at how excited the young Naruto is. 'I guess...I was right. He has had a crush on me since our academy days...' her eyes dull a bit as she lets her self-loathing increase. 'Great job Sakura, while Sasuke was breaking your heart back then, you were breaking Naruto's. Absolutely perfect Sakura.'
Her small moment of self-hate ended as she felt the hot steam from the ramen fill her nostrils. She looked up to notice the owner looking at her strangely. Naruto, smiled and thanked the old man, oblivious to the look he was giving Sakura.
"Have I...seen you somewhere before?" he asked cautiously.
She shook her head, trying to hide her anxious feelings well. "Sorry, no. I just moved here a week ago. I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else."
"Yea old man! Nee-chan's new here, so just let her eat her ramen." little Naruto grins up at her, pieces of noddles already stuck to his face.
The man seems unconvinced, but lets it go and bows slightly before returning to his kitchen.
Sakura sighs out in relief and gives the boy a pat on the head, happy he made the old owner drop the subject. The young Naruto beams at her, his mouth full of ramen. She giggles and shakes her head.
"Ne, so what'cha think Sakura-neechan? Doesn't she sound nice?" he questions her after swallowing his ramen.
Sakura breaks apart a pair of chopsticks and smiles at him sadly. "Yes, she sounds very nice Naruto."
He seems to have not noticed the smile she gave him as his grin widens and he nods to himself. "Yep, and one day I'm going to tell her how I feel and she won't like that teme anymore." he proudly declares, his eyes already aiming for his second bowl.
Sakura lets her hand let go of the chopsticks, a wave of depression overcoming her. 'He does tell me, and I shot him down before he can even speak the full sentence, was I really that...hurtful when we were young?' her green eyes stare at the young blonde boy, his gaze seeming to be in another world, most likely imagining the scenario of asking out the pretty girl in his head.
'Sasuke was right, I was and still am annoying. I'm even annoying myself. Naruto had such pure emotions for me, and I'm too busy being infatuated with a block of ice.' Sakura groans out her frustration and bangs her head on the table.
This startles the young boy next to her as his blue gaze turns to her, and he asks worriedly. "Ne...nee-chan, you all right?"
Sakura raises her head slowly, a small red circle forming on her forehead from where it made impact with the table, and smiles at him sheepishly. "Of course I am silly! I just got lost in my thoughts again." she pats his head again, earning her a loving smile from the young Naruto.
"Well better go put a band-aid on that bump on your forehead Sakura-neechan." his arms extends out to let his finger carefully poke the swelling bump on Sakura's forehead.
Sakura and the young Naruto break out in a fit of giggles as Sakura touches the bump. "I think so too."
She's about to ask the owner if he had one, when something catches her eyes. Something purple and blue in the shape of a hand imprinted deeply into Naruto's upper right arm. Her green eyes turn icy as she yanks his arm from holding his chopsticks and she begins examining it.
"Nee-chan?" he asks her innocently, watching her as she poked at his arm.
"Naruto...who did this to you?" she asks quietly, almost guiltily. The bruising was so horrible, she was surprised his arm wasn't broken.
His blue eyes land on his bruise and he shrugs nonchalantly. "Oh, that? I was attacked by some stupid villagers again today, but I managed to run away when some guy in a dog mask scared them off." he shrugs again as he traces a finger around the bruise. "I would've found a way out eventually, cause villagers like that are usually stupid drunkards who have pathetic lives...or at least that's what Iruka-sensei tells me."
Sakura's gaze hardens, people were so cowardly they were only willing to act upon their actions when they were so far gone they wouldn't remember doing it the next day? 'What's worse is that Naruto's acting like this is just an everyday thing...' her eyes soften as she looks at the bored look on his face. 'or maybe...it is.'
"I'm sorry..." she whispers softly, her hand slowly covering the bruise with a low green chakra.
The young Naruto stares in wonder at his nee-chan's green hand, wondering how she did it. "Ne, nee-chan! You can use chakra! Are you a ninja then Sakura-neechan?? That is so freakin' cool!"
She smiles faintly at the compliment, continuing her healing until she sees the hand print vanish from his arm.
Naruto looks over his arm, an impressed smile covering his face as he pats the healed skin. "That was so awesome nee-chan! Thanks!"
Sakura simply nods, her eyes still hardened with disgust and sadness. 'What's the point of thanking me? You'll just get more bruises tomorrow, I'm sure of it. How long have you've been suffering like this Naruto?'
"I-I'm sorry, t-this is all I can ever do for you...I'm sorry." Her trembling voice catches the attention of the little Naruto and the owner, who are both shocked at the tears slowly falling down her face.
"N-Nee-chan! Please don't cry over me! I'm fine really, see?" he points at his previously injured arm. "All better!! It's like getting a new and better arm, p-please don't cry...Sakura-neechan."
The blue-eyed boy is silenced as he's pulled into the young woman's lap, and her small yet strong arms grip him in a tight hug. The owner smiles at the scene, once again grateful that there's someone kind enough in this village to see the boy's true value, and his pain. He turns away from the scene, deciding it best to give the two some wanted privacy.
The young Naruto blushes as he's squeezed deeper into Sakura's bosom, and he can smell the scent of cherry blossoms on her clothes. His gaze turns upward as he hears the sniffles coming from his nee-chan. He frowns, she was still crying and she seemed to try and avoid his eyes. Was she really crying over him?
"It's okay nee-chan, really. Those bruises are nothing, I'm stronger than that! Believe it." he tries to laugh but is not allowed as he's once again pushed into her chest.
"I know...you are strong, so damn strong. You big goofball." She whispers into his ear softly, her grip on the boy still not yielding.
"Sakura..." her eyes widened, his voice sounded just like...
She pulls the young boy away from her gently, and stares at him. She can see the beginning of tears on his eyes, and his blue eyes are focused on her alone. She can see the Naruto she left behind in his eyes. The strong, determined, yet always caring Naruto with the stupid smile.
"Naruto..." she whispers out, still unsure of what she sees in the blue eyes in front of her.
He smiles, almost as if he knew who she really was. The boy's features remain the same, but his eyes seem more mature, and seemed to automatically know who she was.
"Sakura-chan..." she hears from the boy's lips, and suddenly he finds himself again squished into her bosom.
The moment is gone as soon as it had appeared, and the normal seven year old returns. Sakura knew it was her mind, she was so grief-stricken, so overwhelmed by the thoughts of someone hitting and hurting Naruto, that she saw the one she left behind.
"Nee-chan, I can't breathe." She gasps as she hears the muffled voice of the young Naruto.
She lets him go and he automatically takes in a deep breath and let his his lungs be refilled. Sakura wipes away her tears and grabs a handkerchief from her pocket. She rubs away the stray tears hanging on the young Naruto's eyelashes. His blue eyes stare at her with concern and hope.
"Ya okay nee-chan?" his voice is softer than before, and he smiles when she pats his head.
"Yes, I am now. Sorry about my little outburst." She giggles as she wipes away a stray tear falling down his cheek. "I'm a really sensitive person when it comes to these things."
She feels the warmth, a small hand being placed over hers. She looks down at him, his determined look back on his face.
"Then I promise to never make you cry again nee-chan!" he exclaims to the shocked Sakura. "That means I gotta keep two promises now, but I can handle it! Cause I can do anything!" he grins as he jumps off her lap and goes back to his own seat.
"You don't have to do that..." She gets cut off when a chopstick lands in her lap.
"I don't ever wanna see you cry over me again Sakura-neechan...it hurts me too you know." his voice gets quiet as he looks down at his cold bowl of ramen.
She can see the Naruto of her time in him all over again, and she smiles, cause if she doesn't she'd cry all over again.
"Right. I understand Naruto. Thank you."
They both smile at each other and let the past minutes fly by them as if they never occurred.
They finish the rest of their dinner, the owner allowing them a free bowl of ramen for their troubles. Sakura notices the kind look the owner gives her as she hands Naruto her second bowl, claiming she was too full to keep eating. In total Naruto ate five and she ate one. 'Sounds just like him.' she thinks to herself as she takes out the money to pay for their meal. As she places the money on the table, the man grabs her hand gently into his wrinkled one and winks.
"Thank you kindly Miss Hasashi, for everything."
"Don't mention it, for him I'd do anything." she bows to the man and heads outside where an overexcited Naruto bounces for her to hurry up.
She shakes her head, the moment of sadness between them almost seemed forgotten as they walked down towards the residential area of Konoha.
'It must be so lonely for him to have to walk home alone every night. How did you do it Naruto?'
She watches as the young Naruto skips ahead, and stops to turn around and look at her. A smile appears on his face as he notices she's still behind him.
'It's almost like he's afraid I'll vanish if he doesn't keep checking.' She opens her mouth to ask that very same question to the boy, when she feels two strong and very familiar chakra signatures a couple of blocks behind her.
She freezes in her spot and tries to pinpoint their exact location. She grunts in slight annoyance, she was hoping to be able to visit Naruto's apartment and see how it was before he got older and learned the meaning of chores. The young Naruto notices the lack of echoing footsteps behind him and turns to find Sakura staring at something in the sky.
His blue eyes travel up to see if he can spot what she sees, with no luck he runs over to her and nudges her sides.
"What's wrong nee-chan? Are you sad again?"
Sakura shakes her head as she looks down at his young and troubled look. She smiles sadly and pats his head again.
"No, but I'm afraid this is where our little meeting has to end Naruto. Some people need me to go meet with them, and if I'm late my butt's fried for sure."
The little Naruto quirks an eyebrow and asks her. "Is it those weird Anbu people with the masks on again? Those meanies that I didn't like?"
She laughs and pinches his whiskered cheek, causing it to turn red. "You hit the mark! It's better of I go and find them before they get more pissed off at me than they're probably already are."
Naruto pouts and grunts in protest. "Bah! I bet'cha I can tell them to leave you alone for good and not be so nosy and annoying."
"I'm sure you could, but let's avoid trouble. Now, go on to your home, it's late and you got the academy again tomorrow." She teases him as he grins at her and nods.
He runs off and goes towards the familiar apartment buildings she's seen the times she's visited him before in their genin years. He stops on the first steps of the staircase and turns to look back at her. Her green eyes widen slightly in curiosity as he prepares to yell out something to her.
"Can you come visit me at the academy one day nee-chan?? Iruka-sensei wants to meet ya! And I can see you more times than now!" she can already see the hopeful grin on his face, even at their distance.
She smiles back and waves at him. "Yes, I will. But it'll be a surprise visit, so I'm not gonna tell you when I'm visiting!"
She giggles as he pouts at her words, but nods nonetheless. He soon vanishes into the hallway of the apartment building, leaving Sakura alone. She kicks away a stray pebble in the road, and let out an exhausted sigh. She turns back around the way she came, and starts to head towards the chakra of her bodyguards.
She lets a contented smile appear on her face as she feel them getting closer. She knew she had left the apartment in such a hurry, she never had a chance to leave them a note to where she was heading off to. They'd probably be angry at her. Still, she had a chance to be with Naruto, and find out a little bit more about him. For now that was enough.
She stops her steps as a huge gust of wind and leaves surround her. She closes her eyes and waits for the wind to settle down. She squints her eyes open slowly and stares at the two shadowed figures of her bodyguards.
She shivers involuntarily as they begin to walk towards her. 'I forgot how scary the Anbu can look at night.'
She tilts her head as they stop in front of her and remove their masks. Her innocent look, is replaced with a questioning one as their eyes meet hers.
"What's with the gloomy looks guys?" she asks, hoping to get something out of them. She frowns when neither reply.
"Guys...?" she asks again, this time worry furrowed in her brows. "What's going on?"
Kakashi and Itachi sigh, a look between pain and remorse clearly shown in their eyes.
"Sakura...we gotta talk."
Upon hearing her sensei's words cut through the night, she suddenly released how cold it was outside.
OMG! You made it! LOL seriously I'm amazed how some of you can read these long chapters without your eyes drying out on you. Well, I hope you enjoyed it, and that it explained some things, not all, but some :P
There will be grammar mistakes cause I am very lazy when it comes to proofreading XD
Please review because your opinion matters, just like my oreos and milk matter :)
End.