Hey all! I should apologize for this long and unexpected, more so unceremonious, hiatus from my side first... my exams were crushing down on me and I had to sacrifice my computer timing by more than half, but that's past now and I am relaxed from next fortnight, ready to write more and do best to keep the hype alive and garner interest. I thank all my kind reviewers, followers and fans

Retros1000


CHAPTER: 9

It was his house.

She had drifted from the hospital and found herself in front of a building. One she had visited many times in her past for reminding herself of him, his kind spirit and her own mission. Now, after three years, she could get into that house with Naruto Uzumaki inside it, in flesh and blood.

'Am I ready to face him? Will he be the same to me as he was? Even now?'

'You can know only if you see it yourselves. Quit stalling and get in there'

Sakura slowly climbed the steps and knocked his door quietly. The door opened to show her teammate in his shinobi attire, ready to get to work. She tried to keep the best possible smile she could as she looked up into his face. His face showed a small surprise and nothing more, not a trace of the radiance she remembered from him when he had looked at her in the past. It struck her oddly, but not as much as it did until she looked into his eyes.

The cerulean orbs were brimming with indifference and a tinge of another emotion she could not fathom. There was no sparkling sapphire happiness there, nonetheless on seeing her.

After a still moment, his lips curled into a stiff smile. "Hello, Sakura".

And her heart crashed into her ribs like it wanted to be ripped off the body. It was suddenly too much to bear.

'What happened to Sakura-chan, Naruto?'

She spoke with a heavy tone. "I think I must leave now, Naruto. You seem displeased with my sudden coming"

"It's nothing. I was in the middle of my breakfast. Come in, Sakura"

The rooms were the same as she remembered from her last visit. Only difference that the thrash was brimming with cups of instant ramen, another bowl of which was waiting on the table for him. Despite the growing inner turmoil, she could not help but smile. Some things may never change after all.


"The date Sasori said is tomorrow, Jiraiya. What do you think we should do?"

The Hokage's office was silent as the sannin pondered over what had to be done with the information they had received.

"Kakashi is still recuperating. We can't send him on such a mission after his chakra exhaustion. Will you lead them then?"

"Me? I have to leave here to keep tabs on the Akatsuki and its leader, who, according to Sasori, has powerful eyes. Though it can be a bluff, any person leading the group that contains Itachi and Kisame Hosigaki is undoubtedly very strong, maybe even beyond us. He simply can't be allowed to succeed"

His tone was determined but bitter, like he repulsed the very thought of the Akatsuki. But his face did a complete one eighty to sport a smile as he looked to her. "I don't know what you are going to do, Tsunade, but I know it will be the best thing available. Are you planning to send your student with Naruto?"

Sakura. The glaring problem in her mind. But her decision was very easy.

"Of course I am. She is the medic and has recovered from that stab quickly enough. Besides, she is his teammate and I sure as hell will do anything to make them stay, for both their sakes. They need each other"

"Hope Naruto has no ill feelings towards her, Tsunade. He has understood the others but his own team is still a sore spot for him and will take time to heal. What are the girl's feelings towards him?"

Tsunade had to smile at this. "She keeps telling that he is her friend, but I smell something deeper in there. She has more than friendship for him, though even she is yet to face her feelings. If it's about her silly crush you want to know, it's gone for good. Any feelings she may still have for that Uchiha boy are only general and not anything more"

"Tsunade sama, Danzo sama is here to see you"

Shizune was followed by the infamous warmonger with his bandaged torso and lone eye. Danzo Shimura did not ask for an invitation as he went in and sat with the sannin.

"I have come to know that the jinchhuruki boy has returned and is set to rejoin his team. As you know, his team is incomplete with that Uchiha betraying us to Orochimaru. Therefore I take it my responsibility to offer a most suitable candidate for that position as a replacement, given that there is no viable replacement you can find within your roster, Tsunade"

The Hokage was not remotely pleased with what she was hearing. But she had no person in mind to fill a team with two of the most powerful teenagers of Konohagakure.

"Let's hear it, Danzo"


"So, how have you been, Sakura?"

'Not Sakura chan?'

"I-I am g-good, Naruto. After our chunin exams I s-started to train under Tsunade Sama and have managed to live up to the name of being her apprentice, chunin and a-all. But what about you? You took on those Akatsuki members all by yourself. T-tell me how you spent af-f-terlife"

'Very smooth. You did a perfect little Hinata Hyuga there, moron'

He gave a forced chuckle. "I travelled a lot with the pervert and learnt a few tricks from him as well. I learnt ninjutsu, taijutsu and fuuinjutsu basics from him. He also showed me his spy network as he calls it, and we returned when we learnt Akatsuki was making its move"

Something about his face was very maddening for Sakura. What had been a wave of sadness changed into fury as she remembered him from the past, genial and pure.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU COME BACK THREE YEARS AGO? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US YOU WERE ALIVE? WHY DIDN'T YOU EVEN SEND A DAMN MESSAGE OR ANYTHING FOR THE WHOLE TIME? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW ALL WERE UPSET WITH YOUR DEATH? TSUNADE SAMA LITERALLY CRIED OVER YOU AND KAKASHI SENSEI DIDN'T WANT TO EVEN SPEAK FOR QUITE SOME TIME. OTHERS WERE UPSET AS WELL, ALL BECAUSE YOU SO DIDN'T WANT TO SHOW YOURSELF ALIVE. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO…?"

"And what about you, Sakura. I can't hear anything about how you felt about my death. But I know that well. You never gave me a thought back then alive, did you? And what could I expect from you after death? Tell me Sakura, did you even bother to visit that memorial of mine for at least once? Or did you spit on my memory and continue your life and hunt for your Sasuke kun and win his heart, if he has one? TELL ME, DID YOU EVEN REMEMBER ME ONCE TILL TODAY?"

If it was sadness inside her before, it turned into bitter remorse as she heard him speak. A blind rage seized her and only one thing mattered at that instant. Hands can speak where words fail.

"SHANNARO"

A heavy punch landed on the floor where Naruto had been a second before. Splinters of wood shattered off from where she struck as she raised her arm again and searched to hit him again.

"HOW DARE YOU NARUTO?! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HOW I SPENT MY TIME? ABOUT HOW I FELT WITHOUT YOU? HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW I FELT WHEN I THOUGHT THAT I HAD BEGGED YOU TO BRING SASUKE BACK? HOW I FELT WHEN KAKASHI SENSEI SAID HE COULDN'T EVEN FIND YOU DEAD OR ALIVE? HOW I FELT WHEN I WENT TO YOUR MEMORIAL? HOW I FELT WHEN I THOUGHT BACK OUR DAYS AS GENIN AND SAW WHAT A DOUCHE I HAD BEEN? DO YOU EVEN HAVE ANY IDEA WHY I MADE IT MY MISSION TO BRING SASUKE BACK TO KONOHA? NO! YOU KNOW NOTHING AND YET YOU DARE TO SPEAK LIKE THAT TO ME! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW HAPPY I FELT WHEN I SAW YOU ALIVE THERE? HOW HAPPY I FELT THAT I REGAINED MY TEAMMATE AND FRIEND? I don't know what you think, Naruto, but I am very sorry for all that I did to you as some foolish fan girl. I have grown up now"

His face bore the same sickeningly amused look as he looked at her.

"Maybe you think you have. But I can still see the same stricken girl in you, not someone grown up to face reality. What do you think you went through? If you believe you are up to it, try digesting this, Sakura. I grew up as the village's demon and punch bag, even from my childhood. I spent twelve years before I even knew why they hate me. Even with that knowledge nothing changed. I had to resort to pranks and mischief to even make people think me as something other than a demon or worse, ignoring. And tell me what were you doing? Chasing after Sasuke and fighting for the top seat of his fan club. Then we came into this team seven and even then nothing changed, did it? I was still hated and you admonished me more than anyone else put together. But you know what, I simply took it all in because it was better than not being spoken at all. The chunin exams came and I started to hope that you saw me as a friend then. I was happiest because we came together as a team, how naïve of me. You worked to impress Sasuke and he worked to win. I was the one who played for what was supposed to be a team. He showed his true side after that exam and still you went after him, as you are now. Tell me, what makes you think you have grown up? Your physique perhaps? Or that granny's training? No. you are still that same girl from past. Only you want my help now to bring him back, don't you? TELL ME"

Tears were all she could reply to him. Suddenly, they all dried up and her voice was low, but solid.

"Maybe you are right. I may have thought I grew up. But what you don't know is that I don't want you to help me find Sasuke Uchiha. I will hunt him alone and I will find him and bring him back or die trying. It's my way of honoring Naruto Uzumaki, my friend who died three years back. I will complete his last mission, no matter what".

And with that Sakura Haruno left the house with unfallen tears clinging to her eyes.


His chamber was dark, the way he preferred it. The only visible person in the room apart from himself was a pale young boy with a simper. He was garbed in the standard uniform and was kneeling to take down orders.

"I want you to take the place in Kakashi Hatake's team as the third member and henceforth join them in their missions. They are to leave on a trail following Orochimaru tomorrow. Make sure you go with them and perform the mission I am to assign you. Your code name will be Sai. Do you understand?"

'Sai' gave no sign of clarity whatsoever but spoke in a plain tone. "Hai, Danzo sama".


And that's it folks. Naruto has acted, Sakura has thought and found her way to redeem. What will happen in the mission? Will Naruto and Sakura act as a team despite their shout match? How does the kyuubi get along with Naruto? Find out more in forthcoming chapters.

So long