AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, I've actually surprised myself and managed to write a chapter for this story. My last update was over three years ago 07/16/09, and I honestly don't know how I updated this story...I had always planned to finish it, but three years is a long time, and I don't even know how many of the original readers are still here or even willing to come back.
I've even had to re-read the story myself just to recall what I was doing with it. After weeks of reading and plotting again, I've somehow figured out what the original plot was and reorganized the story and how I'm going to do this. After this chapter the story was originally going to go for maybe 10 chapters, I've lowered it down to 5-7 roughly. I know increasing the chapters won't do any good since I might not update as fast as I'd like. It's also been about two years since I've followed the Naruto manga consistently, so this story has now become a complete AU, rather than a partial AU like it was before.
So if any new readers see something unusual that might not be accurate with the current manga, it's not going to be, this story at this point is completely diverging from the canon plot, or I'd never be able to update and I'd have to re-write the whole story, which I'm not going to lie I'm too lazy to do XD.
With that said, if any of my original readers do return, I'd HIGHLY recommend you re-read the whole story like I did. Unless you have perfect memory re-reading will help you remember what was going on, and this chapter will actually make sense. I do apologize at how horrible I was at writing in the first chapters of this story, since I was cringing just re-reading it myself. It's your choice though, and I hope any new readers will enjoy my story since I plan to finish it before this year is out.
I will be posting this author's note in the prologue chapter as well just in case the new readers read from the prologue, down. I'll be honestly surprised if I receive any reviews for this, and I hope I can finish this NaruSaku fic soon! Thank you for reading and enjoy!
Sakura wakes with the first rays of a new morning passing through her window in her small bedroom. She rubs the sleep from her eyes and stares tiredly at the pile of paper, opened scrolls, and scrunched up notes scattered across her bedroom floor.
She sighs, knowing that Naruto's unexpected visit yesterday had been the reason why her room was still a mess. She stretches out her muscles as she pleasantly reminisces on the young Naruto's presence and his continuous reminder that she was going to drop by the academy today like she said. Finally feeling the laziness vanish enough for her to get up from bed she heads over to the bathroom to get ready for the eventful day.
As she enters the bathroom, she can feel the presence of her two bodyguards, already outside checking out the perimeter for unusual activity as they normally do. She slumps against the glass of the shower door, and wonders if Kakashi and Itachi are suspicious of what occurred two days earlier. She'd been so busy recovering from a cold; she never bothered to think if her planned lie on the elders, Danzo, and the hokage could be easily discovered by those two.
Her green eyes narrow and she shrugs to herself before entering the shower. 'Whether they've figured it out, have some suspicion, or have some other conclusion altogether doesn't matter. As long as they're distracted long enough for me to discover the truth, and get back to my original time that's all I'll need.'
An hour and a half later Sakura exits her room wearing a new red shirt and a pair of navy blue leggings, her pink hair tied up in its usual loose bun. As soon as she enters her kitchen, she sees the door being opened and her two bodyguards making their entrance. She gives them a smile and a nod and goes about eating something for breakfast before heading to the academy.
Kakashi removes his dog mask and lets out a yawn as he makes himself comfortable on one of the kitchen chairs. Itachi follows suit and sits across from him, sending the gray-haired man a glare as he takes out his usual orange book to read. Sakura gives them side glances as she takes slow bites from her toast. They were acting like they usually do…and that was what was bothering her.
Yesterday they seemed anxious to ask her something, or seemed worried about what was going to happen now and wanted to get answers from her about the current situation. With Naruto's visit though, and then Itachi's sudden request to Sakura to babysit Sasuke after the academy ended, it seems distracted them from what they wanted to do.
'Now's a perfect chance to ask what they want, yet they're not doing anything.' She looks down at her glass of orange juice and tries to hide her growing tension. 'I don't know whether to be relieved over that, or in fact, more worried.'
"...kura…yo, kid!" Sakura's eyes widens as she jumps slightly at the raised voice of Kakashi and turns around to find him standing next to her and not sitting at the table. Her face growing red from embarrassment at having been caught off guard she pouts and takes another bite from her toast.
"What is it?" She asks in-between bites as she glares at Kakashi's amused expression.
"I was asking you if you're gonna be leaving to the academy soon?" Sakura's glare intensifies as he pats her head while laughing at her flustered reaction. Pushing the offending hand off her head Sakura hands him a toast to keep him from laughing further and nods her answer as she goes to place the rest of the toast on the table.
"I'm actually going to grab my bag and go now." She eyes her future sensei and the abnormally silent than usual Itachi as they chew on the toast and watch her with an expression akin to impatience. She feels the unease in her grow and she sighs as she turns back from going into her room and stares at her two bodyguards.
"Well, don't just stand there! You should get going before the little kid decides you hate him 'cause you didn't show up." Her eyes flinch at how forced the humor in Kakashi's voice is, and her suspicions grow.
"Also remember the favor I've asked of you Sakura-san. My little brother will be waiting for you outside the academy gates after class as I've told him to." This is the first time Itachi's spoken since entering the apartment, and even his usual monotone voice seems off to her, as if it too was being forced.
"I don't know what's changed from yesterday to this morning, but…" Sakura starts off as both Kakashi and Itachi seem to eye her curiously. "…it's not intimidating me. I have a goal to return home. I intend to accomplish this goal without harming anyone innocent; I'll keep my word to not cause Konoha problems, just as the hokage requested." She looks down momentarily and doesn't see the two men exchange glances. "Whatever it is you two are thinking, keep it to yourselves…I don't have time for bodyguards who are suspicious of the person they're supposed to protect."
She turns and enters her room, closing the door behind her. The two men stare at the door for a few seconds and then turn to look at each other. Kakashi smiles through the mask covering his face, and Itachi merely nods. Sakura emerges a few minutes later with her bag slung over her shoulder. She doesn't make eyes contact with both men and goes about putting on her sandals.
The two notice the young girl still seems troubled, though they doubt it's about them as she opens the door and turns to finally acknowledge them. "I'll be heading off now. Don't destroy the apartment while I'm gone. Please, think about what I said…." She smiles at them wearily. "…and I'm sorry for sounding harsh, take care."
The door closes behind Sakura, and the two bodyguards are left alone in the tiny apartment. Kakashi's the first to react as he slumps down on the kitchen chair and gives the young Uchiha a glare. "There. Satisfied Itachi-kun? That's the best acting I've ever done, you better appreciate it! It was tough being like that with the kid…"
Itachi takes the empty plate on the table and places it in the sink, his usual stoic expression turning to slight sympathy as he replies to his partner. "Ah, I apologize. I know how hard it is for you to act like a normal person and not your usual immature self."
Kakashi scowls at the Uchiha's subtle sarcasm and rolls his visible eye. "Ha ha, very funny Itachi-kun…" he visibly grows more serious as Itachi returns to his seat across from him. "Seriously though, you got everything you needed to report back to the Hokage correct?"
Itachi sighs as he removes the weasel mask from his face and he pinches the space between his brows. "Yea, the way she acted proves what you and I and the hokage suspected when she first talked to Danzo and the elders." Kakashi scoffs loudly and places his chin on the crook of his hand.
"So, what we're gonna hold her prisoner for being a liar on the sole basis of a feeling we had?" Itachi raises a brow at the annoyed tone in Kakashi's voice. It was growing obvious that Kakashi was forming an unusual bond with the Haruno girl.
"You were the first one to raise the question if I recall correctly Kakashi." The gray-haired anbu merely mutters under his breath and refuses to make eye contact with Itachi. The Uchiha simply sighs and looks out the small window in the living room. "Either way, nothing can be decided until the hokage decides on what to do with this information we've gotten from Sakura-san."
"I still think whatever lie she's telling, it's not to harm us but better yet protect us." Kakashi's ardent words go answered as the two anbu wait silently for time to pass before they quietly go check on Sakura and make sure she's safe.
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Sakura is grateful for the fresh air of a cool morning in Konoha as she walks down the familiar path to the academy. The tense atmosphere that gradually grew in her dingy little apartment was beginning to overwhelm her, and she knew she needed to get out fast.
Her time of being an innocent nin who was simply trying to find her way back to her original time was running out, she now realizes. That whole incident at the caves may have been covered up with her lie to Danzo and the elders, but it was obvious now that Itachi and Kakashi-sensei weren't as fooled. 'If my guess is right too, the third hokage probably already knows this as well. Those two do report to him after all.'
She reaches for the small scroll in her bag and tightens her hand around it. She's had a chance to look over it yesterday after Naruto left for the day. It definitely looks like a time-jutsu, it has the same characteristics of the original time-jutsu she read about in the books. So far, Masahiro's words to her haven't been proven false…still. Her eyes grow dim with dark emotions as she slows her pace. 'If this scroll given to me by that Kimura guy is the real deal, I can't just accept he's giving me a free ride back home without any ulterior motive. What does he really want…or if he's telling the truth…what should I do now?'
She had a week to think about what her choice would be. To either disregard his words and reveal to the hokage the scroll given to her, and find another way home while stopping whatever Masahiro planned; or trust this man who's practically responsible for sending her into her past in the first place and use this scroll to go back home.
'If I choose that second option, I'd be lying to everyone here who's trusted me in doing this knowing this could easily be a trap if they chose wrong…but…' She stops completely and her green eyes shimmer with hope and longing. 'The selfish part of me, wants to be back home with everyone…with Naruto. This could be my only shot…or it could be a trap….'
"Urggh!" Sakura releases an agitated groan as she drags herself to a nearby tree and places her forehead against the trunk. She should have known her selfish desires and her guilty conscious would clash violently over this stupid scroll given to her by Masahiro Kimura.
"Uh…what are you doing to the tree nee-chan?" The familiar voice of the young Naruto reaches the pink-haired girl's ears and she abruptly raises her head to see blue eyes staring at her weirdly through the academy fence. Sakura glances rapidly from side to side, noticing for the first time that she's somehow reached the academy without realizing.
Sakura straightens back up quickly and laughs sheepishly at Naruto's growing look of curiosity. "Eh, sorry Naruto, looks like I spaced out again! I didn't even realize I got here." She's rewarded with a laugh only Naruto could give as he nods his understanding and goes around to open the playground gate for Sakura. "It's okay Sakura-neechan! I do that sometimes too! Being friends with trees is perfectly normal!"
She feels a drop of sweat roll down the side of her face as she enters the playground. 'Of course Naruto would completely miss the point someone's trying to make and make another conclusion altogether.' She smiles wide as Naruto eagerly grabs her hand and starts to point at everything and giving an explanation. 'Then again, how could I possibly stay mad at him when he's being his usual warm and excited self?'
"I'm glad you got here nee-chan! Class was about to start, and Iruka-sensei hates when I'm late, but I was gonna wait out here until you got here! Of course, since I'm such an awesome ninja already hiding from Iruka-sensei while waiting for you would be a snap, believe it! Oh, yea and this is where we do kunai practice!"
'There he goes ranting off about a million different things…I forget how much I miss this.' Sakura thinks silently to herself as she's dragged by the hand from one end of the academy grounds to the other. She's about to tell young Naruto that he should be heading inside when a fuming Iruka comes out from the front doors. Sakura flinches and yanks Naruto forward to face his teacher and then pushes him along when he wants to run from the angry look in Iruka's eyes.
"Ah! Run nee-chan! We gotta escape before Iruka-sensei kills me!" Before he could pull Sakura in the opposite direction he feels a yank on his shirt, and Naruto now dangles helplessly in Iruka's hand as Sakura watches on.
"Aw, come on Iruka-sensei! Not in front of Sakura-neechan, I'm trying to be cool here!" he's rewarded with a slight bop in his head as Iruka looks angrily down at him.
"Naruto Uzumaki, class started ten minutes ago and you're out here playing hooky with a girl almost twice your age! Now's not the time to preserve your cool streak Naruto! Get to class now!"
Through the two arguing back and forth, Sakura stands in front of them and laughs sheepishly at Naruto trying to bite off Iruka's hand to escape. She clears her throat to get the man's attention, and when he does turn to look at her, he puts Naruto down without letting go of the boy's shirt collar and speaks to her apologetically.
"I'm sorry miss. I'm sure you have better things to do then watch me discipline one of my students, I also apologize if he caused you any trouble too." Sakura raises her hands to dismiss his claims and shakes her head.
"Oh, no please don't apologize. I'm actually a friend of Naruto's…I came here to visit his academy since he wanted me to visit it before but I couldn't." Iruka stares at her surprised as he releases Naruto's shirt and the young boy runs to hide behind Sakura.
"Yea, Iruka-sensei! I was trying to tell you that yesterday while eating ramen, but you wouldn't listen!" Naruto exclaims before latching his hand back unto Sakura's. "So can she come too Iruka-sensei?!"
Iruka looks down at Naruto's happy and excited expression before looking back up at the young woman. Her bright pink hair and green eyes looked similar to one of his students, Sakura Haruno, she even seemed to have the same name. He has a skeptical look on his face as he eyes her, and then sighs with forced resignation.
"Sakura was it?" He asks cautiously as she lets Naruto hold her other hand as well.
"Ah, Sakura Hasashi, Iruka-san," His look of skepticism doesn't lessen and she quickly adds. "I'm a recently re-instated nin here, I lived outside Konoha for several years, I was originally from the Haruno clan?"
This seems to do the trick as Iruka's eyes light up in understanding and he smiles down at her. "Ah, I see. No wonder you looked familiar, you are from the Haruno clan! Well, it's nice to meet you young lady! I see Naruto here won't let you go on your way, so I suppose it's okay with me if you visit the academy for the day." He glares down at an ecstatic Naruto. "As long as this little troublemaker gets inside and goes to class!"
"I am! I am!" Naruto agrees happily as he pulls Sakura along inside the school. As they make their way towards the classroom of her past, she turns to look at Iruka following behind and speaks to him. "Thank you for letting me join the class today, I promise not to cause problems while you're teaching."
Iruka waves it off and smiles warmly at Sakura. "Don't mention it. Anyone who's this nice to Naruto, is definitely okay in my book." Sakura smiles, and reminds herself to thank the Iruka of her time when she returns, for being such a good person in Naruto's life.
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She sort of regrets on agreeing with the young Naruto on coming to the academy, Sakura thinks as she sulks in the back of the classroom. All the students, including the younger-versions of her friends are all trying (and failing might she add) at stealing quick glances at her direction, without being obvious. She tries to slide down the chair she's been given to hide behind a convenient wall, but this only serves to entice the kids' curiosity further.
She spots her younger self giggling with the other girls at how the pretty woman looks a lot like her. She tries to hide her bemused expression at the irony of their giggling. 'You have no idea kids.' The boys seem to be glowering at Naruto for being the one who brought the pretty woman, and she's amused by this at first…until she hears some unwanted comments.
A lot of it consisted of 'The freak gets the cute girl? Yea, right!' 'Naruto must have cursed her or something.' 'Maybe she's a freak-lover!' 'Ew, maybe she got brainwashed by him! Makes sense for a creepy guy like him!' Her fists clench at how awful these comments were getting, and these were from seven year old boys! She turns to stare at the back of Naruto's head, where he seems oblivious to everything as he actually focuses on the lessons for once.
She smiles sadly at him, and looks down at her sandals. 'Of course…he's probably used to the harsh whispers that are always around him and always about him. This…is probably no different than any other day.' She looks towards her younger self where she can see her swooning over a young Sasuke…again. She mentally berates herself as she turns away from the awful scene. 'And there I am being such a stupid one-track minded girl. I could've been helping Naruto through this…instead I was part of the people talking bad about him too…'
She closes her eyes and can see her Naruto, and the anxious look on his face in that mist vision Masahiro had shown her. How he looked so desperate to find her, to make sure she was safe, he believed she was alive while everyone else was thinking the worst. She covers her face with her hands that are resting on her knees and tries to fight back tears. 'He loves me, he loves me so much that he's willing to put everything aside to find me…and here I am in my past reliving every awful choice I've made against him. How could he possibly love someone like me…when I couldn't even be near him for practically our whole lives?' She bites her lips to keep a sob from escaping. 'How could I possibly deserve someone like him…when I've done nothing to earn it?'
She doesn't hear the bell for class being dismissed ring out across the classroom, or the whispers of children getting louder as the kids all begin to inch closer to her. She's so caught up in her inner turmoil she doesn't realize anything until she feels a familiar warm presence looking up at her from the floor. She jumps slightly as her wide green eyes look down at a worried Naruto, his whiskered cheeks slightly colored pink as he grabs her hand. "You okay nee-chan?"
She somehow feels better looking at young Naruto's eyes and she pushes her negative thoughts away as she nods happily and grins at him as she sits back up. "Ah, I'm fine silly! Just lost in my thoughts again!"
He laughs and shakes his head. "Geez, nee-chan, you're always spacing out on me!" He turns to look at three boys she automatically recognizes as Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba and points at her excitedly. "Hey guys! This is nee-chan! She's the nice lady I mentioned before!" He turns back around to look at her. "School got let out early 'cause they're renovating the kunai practice field or something like that, so we can hang out at the playground Sakura-neechan!"
The three boys eye her weirdly before Kiba speaks up first. "Wow, you weren't lying to us Naruto! Here I thought you made it up to make yourself look cool!" He laughs as Naruto glares at him and sticks out his tongue.
"Well I guess he wasn't …I owe you a bag of chips there Chouji." Shikamaru replies sulkily as Chouji grins out in victory. Naruto pouts at the boys and then scoffs. "You guys are mean! Why would I lie about meeting nee-chan? Obviously you guys are just jealous!"
Before the three boys can throw a retort, Naruto sticks out his tongue again and grabs Sakura's hand, running out of the classroom and straight for the playground outside. Sakura turns around to give the boys one last glance, and looks on in surprise at the smiles of enjoyment on their faces. 'Naruto was already friends with them…?' She turns to look at the young blonde-haired boy tugging her along and she smiles at him in relief. 'So, you weren't completely alone back then…I'm glad, so glad.'
They make it outside to find the rest of the kids outside and playing, waiting for their parents to pick them up for the day. As Naruto begins to ramble about random things around the playground, Sakura notices the group of girls huddled together whispering about the young pouting boy sitting on a bench near the swing. Sakura looks on with growing embarrassment as she sees her younger self argue over who Sasuke would like better with Ino and the other girls.
'Seriously, I know I've done some horrible things with how I handled my feelings, but come on karma…give me some slack here.'
She feels her hand being tugged harder, and she looks down to see Naruto beaming at her with his signature fox grin. "What's wrong nee-chan? You got a really sour look on your face!" He giggles as she slumps her shoulders forward and shakes her head.
"Nothing, don't worry about it, it's... uh, a girl thing." She gives the boy a silly look as Naruto eyes her suspiciously for a second before letting it go and taking her towards the swing. "I wanna show you my favoritest spot in the playground nee-chan, it's where I spend a lot of time when I'm alone."
It's a comment not meant to be harmful, but the way he speaks it like it's just natural for him to be alone…makes a small ache grow in Sakura's heart. 'Alone, you were always alone weren't you Naruto?'
She looks at him with a saddened smile as he jumps on the swing and grins up at her, his little legs pushing him forward. "Do you like it? I plan out all the great ways I'm gonna become hokage here, and all the brilliant pranks I can pull once I am!" She chuckles at his words, knowing years down the road, this dream would become more serious and he would be someone who could be just that, the hokage.
Sakura is about to tease him on his plan to prank when he's hokage, when she notices his happy mood suddenly take a downturn and his grin turns into a scowl. She blinks when he sees his blue eyes glare at something behind her and she slowly turns around to find none other Sasuke Uchiha, at seven years old, staring at her. She feels a pang akin to pain, discomfort, and growing disdain as she eyes the black-haired boy staring straight at her too. She had been so happy to keep the young Naruto company, she'd almost forgotten she had to take care of Sasuke today too. 'That's right, Itachi mentioned taking care of him for about an hour while his family finished a clan meeting.' She tried to hide her grimace at the prospect of being around the younger version of her former crush.
'I thought I was done having to deal with him honestly. I've shed my tears and screamed my regrets, and now karma also wants to punish me by making me see a Sasuke before he becomes a heartless psychopath…perfect.'
This Sasuke seems to want to glare at her, but stops himself before looking at the ground; his sandals scratch the ground disinterestedly before he looks up again with a pout. Sakura blinks back a look of surprise as she sees his face become flush with embarrassment. Was he…being shy?
Naruto seems to realize this too as he bursts into a fit of laughter and points a finger at the glaring Sasuke. "No way, no way! Is Sasuke-teme really nervous about talking to a girl? To Sakura-neechan?" She can hear Sasuke's growl as Naruto only laughs harder, and though the situation doesn't call for it; she feels a strong sense of nostalgia seeing these two fight like before.
'We haven't been team seven in so long, I'd forgotten how these twos' bond works. The endless teasing, the critical comments, the hidden compliments, and the support,' She smiles as Sasuke throws an insult at Naruto that causes the boy to stop his laughter and throw an insult back. 'If I can return home…besides fixing my relationship with Naruto…I would want this back…this dynamic.'
"Sakura-neechan! Tell teme here that he's obviously the loser here 'cause he can't make cool friends like I did with you!" He stands next to Sakura as Sasuke's glare intensifies.
She sees the girls glaring at her too, as Sasuke seems to constantly look at her while glaring at Naruto. She feels another drop of sweat roll down her cheek at the irony of the whole damn situation. 'Better end this quick before I find myself at the end of my own smaller hands, and those of the other girls.'
"Look boys, I was told by Itachi to take care of Sasuke, and I'm pretty much taking care of you too Naruto, so let's just get out of here and get something to eat ok?" The prospect of food seems to calm the two boys down as they both look at her with expectant eyes and nod their agreement.
She breathes out in relief and begins to walk towards the entrance of the academy. Naruto latches onto her hand again and she spots Sasuke slowly following behind them. She can hear the scurrying feet of kids running to catch up to them, and with growing annoyance she realizes it's the girls.
"Sasuke-kun, you're going with that lady?" She recognizes Ino's indignant yell and snorts as she turns to see Sasuke's response. Naruto seems to be giving googly-eyes at her younger self and Sakura can't help but find that endearingly cute, even if seven-year old Sakura doesn't even notice it.
Sasuke's signature scowl returns to his face, and he replies with a shrug and goes up to stand next to Sakura. "It's not really any of your business, so you should just leave me alone." His words bring a different type of nostalgia to Sakura, and she's beginning to wonder what she ever saw in the boy.
Ino seems unfazed though and smiles up at her and then as Sasuke. "Oh, she must be your brother's girlfriend or something right? Well, it's nice that's she's taking care of you Sasuke-kun."
Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke both get the same violent shiver as they react with disturbance at the idea of Sakura and Itachi being an item. 'Okay, we're leaving before my big-mouth seven year old self says something like, if I'm marrying Itachi…ew.'
She tugs Naruto along, and can feel Sasuke following close behind, ignoring the good-byes of all the girls talking to him. Naruto seems indifferent to everything as he talks to Sakura about what kind of ninja stuff does she do. The last thing she hears before leaving the academy is the sound of the girls realizing they never asked why she looked like her seven-year old self.
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Roughly an hour later, Sakura eyes the two boys sitting across from her as they eat the last bite of their freshly ordered bento they got from the marketplace. Even in eating the two compete as Naruto gives Sasuke a smug look as he puts the last bite of rice into his mouth, beating Sasuke by seconds. Sasuke only scowls at him and finishes his food with a pout. She holds back a snort at their childish behavior and then holds back a laugh realizing this behavior followed them unto team seven.
She shakes away more depressing thoughts of a former team and of broken bonds and looks down at her watch. It's about time I drop off the brat of darkness before Naruto encourages him into another race of food, she thinks as the two boys nudge each other back and forth angrily.
"Okay you two, enough horsing around, let's get Sasuke home so I can drop Naruto and then go take a long well-deserved sleep." The two boys stop bickering and open their mouths to say something but both stop and stare at her weirdly. Sakura's bored look turns to worry as she eyes them. She recognized that look…Naruto had it once before…when she held him in comfort back at Ichiraku's.
She's about to say something when both boys speak simultaneously and halt Sakura to her seat, a wide startled look on her face. "Sakura…you'll find a way. You'll come home."
Just like that the moment is gone, and both boys blink rapidly, as if waking from a trance. Sakura glances away to wipe away the tears trying to form in her green eyes, her hands are trembling and she hopes the boys don't see. 'What was that…was that real? Or am I losing it from the time-jutsu…or what if…'She gives the boys a quick glance before looking away again. 'What if there're side-effects I didn't take into account? I…I need to study this further.'
"Nee-chan?" Naruto's voice brings her back from her thoughts and she forces a smile as she turns to look at him.
"Yes?" She hopes her voice isn't trembling as Sasuke seems to be lost in thought as Naruto eyes her with confusion marring his usually happy expression. "Did, something happen just now? I kinda…feel weird, and so does teme…"
Sakura looks over at Sasuke and sees him glaring at the table, like he's trying to figure something out. She doesn't want to traumatize the kids with something they wouldn't understand, so she tries to give a simple explanation. "Not really, you guys opened your mouths to say something and then just close them…you haven't said anything since." Naruto seems to accept this explanation and shrugs it off as just forgetfulness, but Sakura's eyes turn to stare at Sasuke who doesn't seem as convinced.
"Let's get you home, huh Sasuke?" At the mention of home, Sasuke's head perks up and he nods, already grabbing his bag and getting up from the table.
In fifteen short minutes the trio reaches the outskirts of the Uchiha compound and Naruto stops near a lamppost about half a block from the compound entrance. Sakura turns to question why he stopped when Naruto shrugs and points at the looming Uchiha symbol up ahead. "The old man told me to keep away from the Uchiha…they're not big fans of me…so I'll wait here for you while you drop off Sasuke-teme."
Sakura understands immediately and walks forward towards the entrance, when she notices Sasuke has lagged behind to stare at Naruto. She stares in bewilderment as Sasuke extends his hand towards Naruto, wanting to shake it. Naruto's blue eyes widen, before he slowly extends his own and slowly shakes hands with Sasuke. A weird mutual trust seems to form here, Sakura can feel it, as Sasuke turns back around and goes to stand next to her. She hides her smile and tells Naruto to wait for her there and that she'll be back soon. Naruto nods and watches them head off around a corner towards the entrance.
She expects awkwardness in this short five minute walk, but finds it oddly normal, as if dropping off a seven-year old Sasuke was something she does all the time. In fact, she thinks Sasuke finds it too normal, as she suddenly finds her hand being held by him as they reach the entrance to the Uchiha compound. Several years ago, her heart would have leapt to her throat at the thought of him holding her hand, now she just feels…pain.
"Sasuke…?"
He's quiet for a few seconds, their steps slowing down until they make a complete stop in front of the entrance. His hand tightens around hers and he looks up, and her eyes widen slightly as she spots the twelve-year old Sasuke that was Naruto and hers reliable teammate. "Those guys that hurt you don't trust them." She quirks an eyebrow and asks him what he's talking about. "I was the one that found you first…before aniki, and I saw those men before they escaped. They were talking about tricking you…and luring you into a trap…" He looks down, his hand trembling in fear. "Whatever they tell you…if they see you don't trust them…they're lying."
Sakura stares in disbelief at his words. If what this young Sasuke is saying holds true, then everything Masahiro had told her was false….this could open a whole new set of floodgates. She grits her teeth, not sure as to what to believe or what to do. She kneels down to see him at eye level and asks very quietly to hide her growing apprehension. "Sasuke, why are you telling me this now?"
He shrugs at first, his pout returning, but his hand, which had never let go of hers, tightens even more. "I don't really know. I can't explain it to you really…for some reason I just don't want you to get hurt…it's like how Iruka-sensei taught us…protect your own…and you're a nin…like I'm gonna be."
Ah, she understands now. This is why Naruto has never given up on Sasuke…he still sees this kindness…this admirable quality of Sasuke, this Sasuke who simply wants to protect his comrades. She smiles, and ruffles his hair. "Hey! Stop! I'm not a little kid for you to do that…"
"Thank you." Her smile stops his pouting and he wonders why her eyes look so sad at the same time though. "I mean it…thank you, I owe you for this…I'll repay it…I promise."
'I'll mend our relationship too Sasuke…Maybe Naruto and I together can reach you…it'll be my way of repaying you for today.'
Sakura pushes herself back up as she spots Itachi walking towards them. Sasuke smiles wide and runs to his older brother. Itachi pats Sasuke's head lightly as the younger brother clings to his leg happily. He looks at Sakura and speaks to her. "I hope he wasn't too much trouble for you Sakura-san."
Hiding her earlier distress over Sasuke's sudden revelation, Sakura shakes her head and gives a small smile. "No, he and Naruto teased each other, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle." The young Sasuke gives a quick glance, which she catches and she knows that what they spoke would be kept between the two of them.
"I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you again; my parents send their gratitude as well for having helped on such short notice." The older Uchiha struggles to get Sasuke to release his leg, and gives up after a few tries and gives an exasperated sigh.
Sakura nods and turns to walk back to where Naruto was waiting when Itachi stops her. "Kakashi and I will be returning to you shortly. I just have to finish business here and then meet up with Kakashi." Sakura raises a brow and wonders why Itachi seemed almost…earnest in telling her to expect them at her apartment soon.
"Ah, I know…you're my bodyguards, it's kind of your job." She means it as a joke, but catches Itachi's unusual behavior, almost as if he was fidgety over something. Sakura lets it go though, her head too caught up in other worries to wonder what exactly Itachi was trying to tell her without actually saying it. Sasuke's already tugging on his brother's arm to head back home, and Sakura takes that as a sign to make her leave.
"I'll say good-bye then. I'll see you and Kakashi later." She turns back around, giving the Uchiha brothers a quick wave before jogging back towards Naruto. As Sasuke tugs him along down the road, Itachi watches Sakura as she disappears around a corner. His expression is troubled as he wonders if he should have spoken up about the troubles coming up in the next days.
'I suppose it's not my place to say though. Perhaps Kakashi-san is right though, what if we're all wrong and if she's lying…it's to defend us not endanger?'
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Sakura spots Naruto sitting on the ground playing with some random stones when she makes it back from dropping Sasuke off. His blonde head looks up as he hears her footsteps and his grin returns as he quickly runs over to her. She smiles at how happy he looks to see her, and lets him hug her tightly as he reaches her.
"Did you finally get rid of Sasuke-teme?" He asks with a mischievous look in his blue eyes. Sakura can't help but laugh and ruffle his blonde locks at his constant teasing.
"Yes, though I don't know why you constantly find a way to tease him Naruto." Her green eyes look down at the young Naruto as he seems to think this over before shrugging and letting it go. Her eyes gain warmth as he seems to change the subject and begins to ramble about wanting ramen. 'It's all right; I already know why you do it…because he's your friend…right?'
"Why are you looking at me weird Sakura-neechan?" Naruto asks as they near the neighborhood where his apartment is located. He stops in front of her and looks up curiously as she jumps slightly at the question. Sakura laughs awkwardly and shrugs her shoulders.
"No reason, I was just thinking." At her words, Naruto pouts and points a finger at her. "Nee-chan, you're always thinking too much! You're head's gonna hurt if you keep doing that!"
Sakura simply nods and walks forward towards his distant apartment. "Yea, yea, I hear you. Now, let's see who wins in a race to your apartment huh? Winner gets a prize!" Naruto's blue eyes lose their annoyance as he jumps up and down and stands next to her. "Okay! You're on nee-chan, I'm definitely gonna win, believe it!"
The sounds of laughter could be heard throughout the empty street as the two raced towards the small apartment building.
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"Baa-chan you gotta hear me out just once!" An agitated and out of breath sixteen year old Naruto yells out as Tsunade glares at him from her desk. Several anbu guards stand around them, they too wondering where this sudden burst of energy and defiance came from.
"Naruto, I've heard you out again and again. It was one thing and then another and even stupid excuses and explanations on how Sakura could still be helped, and I let you yell them all out!" The fifth hokage slams her hands on her desk as she swiftly rises from her chair. Her brown eyes gleam with agitation and resignation as she grimaces at the young blonde in front of her. "Enough is enough Naruto! I don't like the idea that she's…." she looks away, her hands clenching into fists, trying to fight back tears wanting to form. "…that she's gone, but that's all that's left. Don't linger on this anymore; you're only going to hurt yourself emotionally….she's gone Naruto."
It's Naruto's turn to slam his hands down on Tsunade's desk, startling her and the anbu guards inside the office. His blue eyes blaze with so many emotions, the hokage doesn't know which is the strongest. His lips tremble with contained anger, and his whole body begins to shake as he tries to fight back harsh words and speak clearly to Tsunade. "I…I know you care about Sakura-chan too baa-chan…she wasn't just your student, she was almost like a daughter to you." His voice is surprisingly soft and contained, and his tone makes Tsunade bite her lips to fight her own torn emotions from surfacing.
"I know you also think…letting it go and accepting what happened is the only way to get some closure…" His hands visibly shake on her desk, and Tsunade begins to wonder just how much he's actually been bottling up. "…and if she were really gone…then I'd do exactly that, but she's not baa-chan! I know she's not! I feel it…in here!" His right hand goes to his heart, and his blue eyes shine with the determination and hope that's never wavered since Sakura disappeared nearly two months ago.
She sighs, and feels a smile forming despite herself. Only Naruto could fill her up with hope that perhaps Sakura was still alive…somewhere. The hokage gives a tired sigh and with a yielding look towards the fiery teenager she smiles. "You really are a stubborn piece of work you know that you brat?"
Her tone is one who's accepted to listen, and Naruto's grin returns to his face as starts digging into his pocket. "Thank you so much baa-chan! You won't regret this! We're definitely finding Sakura-chan this time, believe it!" He seems to find what he's looking for as he places the piece of burnt scrap paper on her desk.
Tsunade eyes the paper and then Naruto, thinking that perhaps the emotional distress has really gotten to Naruto this time. That is, until Naruto starts to point out at what exactly caught his attention. "I was out searching for clues in the forest where we had that battle and I found this baa-chan!" Naruto points towards the odd smudged ink writing on the paper, "At first I thought it was just ink blotches or something, but when I looked closer I managed to read out this part here: it says time jutsu."
Tsunade reads where Naruto points and her brown eyes widen in disbelief. Naruto was right….what's more she recognizes this handwriting…as smudged as it is. She snatches the scrap paper and scrutinizes it for any other information she could find. She scowls as her head begins to try and group together jumbled thoughts over what this could mean. "You're sure you found this where those nin attacked you Naruto?" She mumbles as she tries to recall where she's seen this handwriting.
"Definitely baa-chan! I even think it might have been from one of the scrolls those bastards were carrying! It seems to be made out of the same material." Naruto looks on worriedly as Tsunade grows silent and studies the paper further. After a few minutes, Naruto grows restless and anxious and cautiously asks. "Did you figure out something baa-chan?"
Tsunade is silent, her fingers tapping on her desk as she seems to finally realize something. "Get Kakashi in here Naruto…I think I've got it!"
At her words Naruto's eyes widen and he leans forward towards the hokage. "Eh? Really?! What is it baa-chan? Can we save Sakura with this; do you know who those bastards are?"
"If my theory is correct, we're about to get into a serious and complicated situation. We're going to need all the back-up we can get." Naruto seems slightly discouraged at this, and Tsunade gives him a smirk. "Don't look so down brat. Sakura's alive, I know it now, and these bastards have her well hidden…she's been taken back in time… and we're getting her back, at all costs"
The room grows silent, the anbu seeming to grow tense at the implications their hokage was making. Naruto stumbles back onto a chair behind him, his blue eyes wide in shock. "N-No way, that's actually possible…they sent her back in time?"
"Pull yourself together Naruto! Go get Kakashi like I told you to, we've got a lot of work to do, and this isn't time to lose, you've got a girl to save!" At the mention of Sakura, Naruto springs up from his seat and nods rapidly.
"Y-Yea! I'll bring Kakashi-sensei right now!" He runs out to locate Kakashi, his heart hammering in his chest with excitement and worry. 'Don't worry Sakura-chan, we're coming, just wait for me!'
Thank you for reading until the end! For those planning to continue following the story, major plot development will be revealed in the next chapter as well as the unanswered questions from this chapter. Things will seem rushed since I've condensed what supposed to be 10 chapters down to 5-7, so I apologize for that.
Those here for more of the NaruSaku, it's coming as well, the last chapters will especially be full of it, so be patient, yes? :D
END.