Aftermath Arc: Sakura
Chapter 11
Hushed and stern voices were blocked out as Sakura slowly closed the paper lined door of the meeting room. She slowly made her way away from the room, and leaned against a crafted wooden fence of the Uchiha manor. Sakura let out a breath she didn't notice she had been holding.
The Uchiha clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku had requested to meet Kakashi, their sole motive was to get their precious Sharingan back from the non-Uchiha.
Of course, they didn't expect to walk right into a concrete wall known as Kazama Arashi. Yesterday, right after Gai's challenge, Arashi and the other sensei's had shown up. Their blond haired leader had informed them of the clan's request, (or more like an order, as Arashi had put it) and conveniently remarked that he won't let any Uchiha near Kakashi. (" Unless they want to be Hiraishin'ed to the next century!")
Sakura walked away from the meeting room, and turned around a corner, she was met with four kunai embedding themselves into the wooden column beside her head. She slowly raised a pink eyebrow, and realized she was beside the Uchiha training grounds.
And a small little boy she had dubbed as 'The Weasel of Doom' was standing in the center of the arena, sweating his living daylights out.
" Sachiko-neechan!"
She let a small smile grace her lips, watching the younger boy rush over to bear hug her legs. Since the first time she had seen the future-S class criminal after getting sent back to time, Sakura had reluctantly brushed away any fears of Itachi murdering the Uchiha clan anytime soon. (Though her inner self always kept on ranting silently 'Kill the weasel' whenever the boy was around.)
" I'm angry!" Itachi mumbled, into her skirt, his petite fists fisted tightly around the cloth, " Father insulted Obito-neesan! Saying he was a dis-disgrace to the Uchiha clan by giving Kakashi-neessan the Sharingan!"
The small smile on her lips was quickly replaced with a frown, and Itachi continued on, oblivious, " A-and he threatened Uncle Yuudai last night, I didn't know what they were saying…but I think it's imp-portant!"
" Ah, so you're the other girl Obito had been talking about," The two spun around, to meet the new comer, and Itachi had leapt away from Sakura as if he had been shocked.
" Mommy!" The little weasel rushed over to the woman's side, clutching her leg tightly as he had done with Sakura.
" Now, Itachi, father wouldn't like you hugging anyone," The woman pulled a face, to resemble her husband's stern one, " It would be unbecoming for a shinobi!"
Itachi smiled before turning to the temporary neglected Sakura, " Sachiko-neechan, this is my mommy! She's….uh…" The boy wrinkled his nose as he stumbled on the new vocabulary word he had just learned, " P…pregn…pregnant!"
Sakura mentally sweatdropped while Itachi's mother laughed goodheartedly, unlike her husband…and for the first time since Itachi's mother had stepped in, Sakura noticed the woman's belly was indeed, slightly big.
Sasuke-kun?
" I'm Mikoto, Itachi's mother. I've heard things from Obito about his team," She gave a smile, " You're Sachiko then?"
The black haired genin bowed before nodding, " Yes, and…if you don't mind me asking, are you Obito's er…."
Mikoto smiled, " I'm his aunt," She glanced behind her, before lowering her voice, " Would you like some tea?"
Sakura paused, before nodding " Alright," And was violently pulled away by a hyper Itachi.
" Well! Good to know you'd be able to keep your gift, Kakashi!" Arashi said, once they were a good distance away from the meeting room. The silver haired teen standing beside him mutely nodded. After a few hours sitting and debating over Kakashi's eye, Fugaku had reluctantly let go of the situation. " Though, Kakashi, you be careful these days….even though Fugaku may have slightly given up, that doesn't mean the rest of the clan won't." He was answered with another mute nod.
Rin, on the other hand, frowned, " Where's Sachiko?"
At that very moment, Sakura stepped out from a room, smiling slightly at someone, before noticing her team's presence. Another head, poked out from the room, Rin recognized him as the clan's head son, Itachi.
As Sakura bid Itachi and Mikoto goodbye, she headed to her team, noticing Rin's smile and Kakashi's laid-back posture; she had noticed this morning while heading to the Uchiha compound that he was stiff as a wooden board.
" So, how did the meeting go?" Sakura asked softly. From the start of the meeting, she had noticed the stares from the Uchiha Elders and clan head, obviously they didn't want her to be there. So she left. And Rin?
She's the team healer, she's done more for them than I'll ever do.
" Kakashi gets to keep the Sharingan," Arashi announced, as they headed out of the compound, passing by a few Uchihas who were glaring at the silver haired teen, who in turn, lazily glared back.
Sakura beamed at the masked teen, " That's great!"
Tch, of course he gets to keep it, after all, there wouldn't be a Copy-Ninja in the future!
They continued on walking through the streets, Sakura noticed they were heading to the Hero's stone, but she remained silent, her heart aching again.
What would I know? They've known him longer than I have…
She glanced at her two teammates, taking in the sorrowful expressions. Or look in Kakashi's eyes.
Eyes.
Sakura blinked, noticing for the first time that Kakashi still had his eye closed, before smiling slightly.
They arrived at the monument, Kakashi taking the time to find their deceased friend's name, and tracing it with his thumb. Rin, Sakura and Arashi stood behind him.
" It's not your fault, Kakashi-kun…" Rin whispered softly, but her crush didn't reply.
They remained like that for a while, before Arashi broke the silence.
" Well, team," he started off, " Sandaime-sama's negotiating with Iwa, apparently right after our mission, another squad was sent out to eliminate the enemy that was at the bridge. The damage was great, and it reduced Iwa's number noticeably,"
Rin looked up, staring at her sensei, " That means the war's ending?"
" If the negotiation turns out alright." Arashi spoke, before his face broke out into a huge grin, " I'm not supposed to tell you anything though…" His eyes darkened slightly, casting a glance at the stone, " But since we're already here, and maybe Obito can hear us…" Arashi paused, letting the three teens hang onto his word.
" I'm nominated as Hokage!"
The three teens stared before grinning, (or at least Rin and Sakura did). " Ceremony's when the treaty's signed." The blond jounin finished, proudly admiring his handiwork of lifting his student's spirits.
But…
He noticed how Kakashi had remained silent throughout his announcement.
Kakashi, so you've finally realized that friends are important…
After saying their prayers, they left the monument, each planning to head on their own way.
Arashi looked up at the sky, if Obito never died on that mission…
Perhaps…
He glanced back, and could vaguely see Obito standing in the middle of the three teens, arguing with Kakashi; just like the old times.
" Kakashi, wait." Said teen stopped, and beside him, Rin did to. Ahead of them, Arashi had paused in his thinking.
Sakura headed towards Kakashi, she had been lingering longer than the others, and stood in front of the silver haired teen. A lone black eye stared right into emerald ones.
Rin stood next to them, and she wondered what was going on in Sakura's mind.
Sakura brought up her hands, to Kakashi's hiae-ate, and gently tugged the left side down, so it covered the Sharingan eye. It made his hair askew, and just by looking at his face, it reminded Sakura of the future.
" You won't have to close your eye all the time now."
The silver haired teen said nothing, before slowly, his visible eye arched up into that familiar eye smile.
" Thanks."
A month had passed since Uchiha Obito's death, and the disbandment of Team Arashi.
After the treaty was signed between Iwa and Konoha, the Shinobi War officially ended, it was a spectacular celebration, and the lonely hill where the Hero's stone sat on was filled with people paying their respects for the shinobi who had passed away.
During the announcement of the treaty being passed, Sandaime had announced Kazama Arashi as his successor, and another festival was held the following day.
It was also the last night that Team Arashi spent together.
After that, Kakashi and Rin were sent on missions, sometimes solo, sometimes together.
And yet again, Sakura was left behind.
A week after the Hokage ceremonies…
" It's not because we don't trust you, Sachiko," Arashi began. The two were in the Hokage's office, the man clad in the traditional Hokage robes, with only a dark navy blue cloak hanging from one of the chairs beside a huge pile of paperwork. " There's another case of a villager missing, and it happened near the same alley, where you appeared. There were reports of people seeing a shrine in that alley, I believe you've seen that too, according to what Sarutobi had said months ago, when he called you to his office."
Sakura nodded, wondering if they had found out yet.
" If it's true, to what the people say in the mental ward, that they've seen the future or the past…that shrine is a time transporter?"
Yup, he's found out.
Arashi smiled at the lack of response, " I see I've finally gotten it."
" It's true," Sakura paused, after a lapse of silence, " I'm…from the future." She cast a glance at the Hokage before muttering, " How many people know of this?"
" Apart from the Sarutobi and I, only Jiraiya and Tsunade. Those two only know that the shrine is a time transporter, don't worry,"
" Ah…"
Arashi suddenly gave a Naruto-ish like grin, leaning forward, propping his head up with his hands, " So I've heard from Kakashi before, that Sachiko may not be your real name…"
Sakura rolled her eyes, " It's…Sakura."
" Funny, there was a Haruno Sakura born just last month." Arashi deadpanned.
" There's probably a handful of women out there named Sakura,"
" Yes, but most of them don't have green eyes, and here I'm assuming you have pink hair then. Is that hair dye?"
Sakura sweatdropped, and Arashi gleefully remarked, " I saw you with a bag of black hair dye the other day,"
Damn.
Arashi sighed, " Alright, I'm done with the teasing. None of what we've just exchanged will be told to public, it wouldn't do if any of our enemies find out we have a time transporter in our village. And you're off missions for the remaining time you're here." He noticed the utter look of confusion on his student's face. " If you died, it would affect the future, no body would be able to explain your death, since it happened in the past."
Sakura could just imagine what would happen. She coughed, and decided to change the subject, " So how are Kakashi and Rin doing?"
" On missions," Arashi answered, " I've noticed Rin odd behavior lately, is there something going on with you two?"
" Well…"
She couldn't just answer that she'd been avoiding them lately, can she!?
Apart from staying at Rin's semi-empty home, (except for her mother's presence) Sakura found herself seeking out the other kunoichi in Kakashi's generation, though there weren't much to find…And she became close friends with Kurenai, (Sakura found out she's actually a gossip-monger.)
" We're fine."
Arashi stared, with a look of utter disbelieve on his facial features before sighing and muttering, " You may go now."
Bowing, Sakura turned to leave, when she heard the blond's voice again, " Did I tell you that my wife's pregnant?"
…
"……………………………..You're married?"
Two months after…
Kurenai and Sakura lay on the grass of the Training Field 12, both heaving after a session of sparring.
" So, have you heard of Kakashi and Rin?"
What's up with everybody asking me that?
" No…" Sakura noticed the bewilderment on her ruby eyed friend's face, " Am I supposed to?"
Kurenai sat up abruptly, eyes wide, " What? You haven't heard? They're going out!"
………………………What?
The black haired kunoichi sat up too, eyes wide as saucers, " What?"
" I can't believe it, you live with Rin, and you don't even know!?"
Sakura sighed, running a hand through her messy locks, " She's not…at home often anymore. And I'm not either," She glanced at Kurenai.
" Ah, library worm."
"….."
Yet, they've gotten together, becoming the number one gossip news in Konoha.
I wonder why I never noticed the faraway looks on Rin's face every time she came back from missions…
I sometime wonder why I've been sent back in time…is it because of what I've asked to Naruto and Sasuke all those months ago?
" I wonder what Kakashi-sensei's like when he was our age…"
Is it because I'm supposed to change something?
If that's it…what am I supposed to change?
August
News of a second Uchiha heir being born spread through Konoha like wildfire, Sakura was hanging out at bookstore, when she heard the news from another aisle.
' Sasuke-kun?'
She smiled slightly, wondering if she should go and pay another visit to Mikoto-san and Itachi.
' The clan head wouldn't be pleased…but still.' She sighed, closing the book she had in her hands with a snap.
' Alright, a visit is in order.'
After buying a present she thought Sasuke would like…(which was a plushie shuriken and a lion plushie.), Sakura headed to the Uchiha compound. Along the way, her mind whirled of explanations she'd spout if she happened to pass the clan head.
It was just her luck that Itachi was standing right outside the compound.
" Sachiko-neechan!" The boy squealed, bombarding the poor girl with a bear-hug around her thigh.
" Hey, Itachi," She patted the weasel's head, and wondered how she had gotten herself in this mess. Sakura kneeled, so she was facing Itachi, " Can you bring me to your mother? I have a present to give,"
" Sure!"
Moments later, Sakura found herself in the clan head's house, or was it dojo…Mikoto was at the kitchen, preparing a bottle of warm milk when Itachi literally dragged Sakura in.
" Mother, Sachiko-neechan's here!"
Smiling, Mikoto beckoned Sakura to follow her, shaking the milk bottle, " I believe you've heard of the news then?"
" Yes, in the bookstore I might add."
Itachi's mother laughed warmly, as they headed into the nursery room, where Uchiha Sasuke laid in a white painted crib, gurgling something.
" That's my brother, Sasuke!" Itachi announced, grinning up at the black haired kunoichi, who smiled back.
" Lovely brother you have."
Mikoto lifted the infant up, and sat in one of the chairs to feed Sasuke. Before he started to suck, the infant was gurgling, and it made Sakura laugh.
' Imagine what Sasuke's reaction would be if I told him this!'
She heard Mikoto mutter, " I don't speak baby, Sasuke-kun…"
Sakura lifted up the bag that held her gifts, " Uh..I've brought presents…"
Days later Sakura saw Sasuke's lion plushie in Itachi's hands.
Sakura continued living her days like this, occasionally going on simple missions here and there.
It was weeks after her visit to the Uchihas, on a dark gloomy day. She and Rin's mother was staying indoors, Rin's mother explaining a theory on a medical jutsu when one of the Hokage's personal messengers arrived at their front door.
With bad news.
A/N: Urgh, Eight pages of nonsense. I'm on writers block, can't really think up what to write, even though I practically have everything thought up. Hope everybody's not too disappointed!! A lot of time skips in this chapter, I really wanted to finish the Sakura arc and go onto Kakashi arc...since there's KakaSaku fluff coughs
ANYWAY! Hope you're at least satisfied that I didn't turn into roadkill this week sweatdrops