Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Hey thanks for everyone's comments again! I didn't know if I should continue or not but its winter break whatever P


Chapter 08: Sakura

Sadness swept through Sakura as she wrapped her arms around the blond haired man and held him tight, letting his head rest on her shoulder. They sat like that through the night, listening to the uneven patter of raindrops and the occasional rumble of thunder. Not one word was spoken, but an understanding came between them, and then they fell asleep.

Naruto felt his pain slowly fade away and felt Sakura's warmth seep into his soul, her soft skin wrapped about him, and fell into a dreamless state.

A narrow ray of sunlight seeped through a slit in the window and illuminated the sleeping pair. Sakura's eyes crept open and she turned head to watch Naruto. He looked so much like a shining angel but one with much pain wrought within him. She gently got up and went to see what she could find in the kitchen. The house was so bare. She found some supplies from his cabinet and threw together a steaming breakfast. With the trey in her hands she made her way back to the sleeping blond, pausing in the doorway to watch him sleep. She set the food on the table and left a quick note.

"Naruto, Hakage-sama invites you to join the ANBU team. If you want, meet them at the training grounds about the cliff. Naruto please enjoy your breakfast. –Sakura"

She smiled and then let herself out of the house. She felt something inside of her as she walked toward the hospital. Was it love? She blushed at the thought.

Naruto sat in his chair, staring at the note and at the breakfast prepared for him on the table. A deep feeling within him brought tears to his eyes. No one had ever prepared such a meal for him, and he felt arms of Sakura around him, comforting his sorrow. He would thank her today that was for sure. He wiped away a lone tear and dug into the food. It didn't even taste good at all, but with an ardor and passion he stuffed it all down, tasting every morsel of food. It was the best meal he had ever eaten. Remembering that Tsunade wanted him to join the ANBU, he went into his room and got dressed. He donned a long black cloak with a clasp in the shape of a fox and also put on his mask. He recalled the day he had found it. It had once belonged to the hunter-nins of the Hidden Sky but they had given it to him as a parting gift for doing them a favor. Under his cloak he wore light battle armor consisting of a grey battle vest similar to those of the jounin. He left his house and headed for the training grounds, his spirits better than they had been for years.

When he reached the field he was surprised to see Shikamaru, Shino, Sakura and two others he did not recognize. Shikamaru glared at the newcomer's tardiness.

"What a bother," he sighed, scratching his head, "Tsunade said that you would come and Sakura was really…"

Before he could finish she smiled openly and called out, "Good morning Itai." Naruto suddenly understood, Shikamaru probably knew the story of the blond haired boy and Sakura knew that he didn't want to be found out. He chuckled under his mask.

"My apologies ummm…"

"It's Shikamaru. That's shino, anko, and ibiki. (Authors Note: anko and ibiki are the same age as the other shinobi). We're on a reconnaissance mission to the Hidden Rose village and then the Hidden Sound village so don't make trouble for us or I'll have to kill you myself. Now I've already gone over the plans with the others so I'll tell you while we are on the move. Don't die and make me carry you all the way home." The others laughed and Naruto couldn't help but laugh softly. With that, they all soared into the air and sped across the rooftops toward the wall and then the forest. The mission had started.

Naruto and Sakura traveled near the rear. They were all donned in dark hoods and masks but he could tell it was sakura, a few strands of pink hair fell through her covering. He wondered why a non-jounin would accompany an ANBU team but then remembered that Tsunade didn't know he was a versed medical-nin like Sakura.

"Sakura." She looked sideways at the blond, "About last night…thank you."

"It's nothing." It took all her willpower to keep her from hugging him again and telling him her feelings. She was glad that she had a mask on otherwise her cheeks would have been the color of her hair. They traveled like that for the rest of the day, content to be silent but side by side. Naruto had been impressed by Shikamaru's planning. It was definitely better than Sasuke's and was the prodigy of a true ANBU leader. As they neared the Hidden Rose, they planned to walk straight in acting as travelers seeking shelter for the night. They all pulled off their masks but kept their hoods low over their heads. They acted tired and walked toward the large gates of the village, hiding their chakra as well. The Rose-nin were cautious but let the ANBU in after an annoyed Shikamaru claimed they were tired and wanted to rest for the night. They found a cheap hotel and dropped their gear in their rooms and then headed off into the crowded streets. Splitting into pairs, Naruto and Sakura strolled off together in search of a place to sit, eat, and at the same time complete their mission. Shikamaru assigned them to watch the number of shinobi passing in the streets and to also get a rough feeling of the social conditions of the village.

"Naruto," asked Sakura softly, "can I call you oni-san? Itai doesn't fit you and I don't think calling you by your real name is safe." She smiled up at the blond.

"Only if we get to eat Ramen," he responded.

"Ok Oni-san."

A while later they found a Ramen shop and sat in a secluded corner, which had an adequate view of the street. Naruto told her about his travels in the other Hidden village. She watched how his eyes seem to glaze over, filled with both adventure and sadness. The tales he had were amazing, but he never talked much about his own part in the stories, as if he was an outsider watching the events unfold. Then he asked her about the passing of the village and the things he missed in those seven years. It was dusk before long, and when they had gathered enough information, they strolled back to their hotel to meet the others. When they approached the inn, the blond haired shinobi stiffened and grabbed Sakura's arm to stop her. She looked at Naruto questioningly, seeing the intense concentration of his eyes. He hooked his arm into hers and turned them both around and started walking from the building.

"Oni-san," whispered Sakura, "What's wrong?"

"Something happened," he replied without turning his head, "Just keep going. Go back to the Ramen shop and wait for me. I'm going to see what's happening in the inn. If I'm not back by morning return to the Hidden Leaf and notify Tsunade."

"What…but."

"Go." There was an urgency in his voice and she reluctantly turned and went back toward the restaurant. She turned to take one last glance at Naruto but he had disappeared.

Naruto bounded onto the roofs and swiftly sped his way back toward the inn. If his suspicions were correct, they had been discovered and either the others were all captured or they had been chased out of the village to lick their wounds, if they were alive. He silently watched the back of the inn from his perch and sure enough, a group of about six shinobi came out and bounded off into the darkness. He dropped from his hiding spot and climbed through their open window. Their gear had been taken and there were signs of a violent struggle. The tables and chairs were all cracked and overturned and he only hoped that the blood stains covering the ground were not from the wounds of the ANBU team. He hurried out of the inn and sped off back towards the Ramen shop. Even before he got there he heard the sounds of battle.

Shikamaru and Shino were barely holding their own against over ten Rose-nin. Shikamaru held a short two sided kunai while using his shadow jutsu with his other hand, slashing left and right while covering Shino's rear. Shino on the other hand was using dual katanas both conjured from his Chakra bugs. His strokes were both deadly and efficient, but there were just too many Rose-nin. At first there seemed to be ten but more were appearing in the distance. What Naruto saw next almost stopped his heart. Sakura was sprawled between Shino and Shikamaru upon the ground, blood seeping from the edge of her mouth and a kunai jammed through her ribs. Naruto's blood tingled. As he approached the battle, a ocean calm swept through his veins, emptying his soul of emotion. He had transformed.

The Rose-nin fighting did not even have a chance to see him coming. Naruto soared in like whirlwind, his kunai flashing back and forth, appearing as blurs the color of the moon's reflection. Coming to a stop beside Sakura, four of the Rose-nin behind him stopped moving, their necks suddenly bursting with blood. Good. She was still alive. The blond-cloaked Leaf-nin swept around and faced the oncoming tide of Rose hunter-nins. These masked shinobi had fought against S-class criminals before. They would be no pushover. Both Shikamaru and Shino quickly dispatched of the other Rose-nins.

"Shikamaru." The usually annoyed Leaf-nin looked up. "Take Sakura back to the village. I'll hold them off."

Shikamaru eyed the approaching wave of hunter-nins and stared into Naruto's eyes. It had already passed through his mind that with their current wounds and fatigue they would never escape from the Rose village. He was about to volunteer himself to hold their pursuers back but somehow he knew that the mysterious Leaf shinobi was willing to risk his life. Death was inevitable for him. No one survived against more than one hunter-nin at the same time. He grimaced, "I understand. Don't die." With that, he picked up Sakura, slung her over his shoulder, and disappeared into the night with Shino.

Four hunter-nin stood around Naruto with another ten jounins in a circle behind them. "You'll die a painful death Leaf bastard!"

A smile appeared on Naruto's face. For Sakura. Even a shinobi of his skill probably could not take out all of the hunter-nin and all the surrounding jounins. Red flames began to seep out of his hands and feet, a Chakra so powerful and deadly that the Rose-nins cringed, fearful of the foreign Chakra. If he was to die this night, he would give this fight his all and instill fear into the enemy. Throwing his cloak off, he surprised the Rose shinobi with his blond hair and his fair face. One of the hunter-nins, a young maiden, gasped as she took in Naruto's beauty.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Those who would hurt my village will now die by my hands," he smirked and paused, "who's first?"

Taken aback by the unveiling of the cloaked blond, none of the Rose-nins dared to step forward. Then the leader of the hunter-nins stepped forward and then the rest crouched into battle stances. They quelled their fear in an instant for they were hunter-nins, feared by even some Kages. The leader sneered and suddenly the four rushed forward, completing jutsus while in the air. Shit four at once.

And so it began.