DISCLAIMER : I won't be writing this if I own it...

Sapphire09 : Sorry for the late update :)

Enjoy~


CHAPTER XI
Himitsu


The cherry blossoms dance, falling into my empty hand.
Ephemeral, gentle, and fragile, this flower that seems like you.
The child who usually slips through the gates
His eyes sparkling as he grabs something.
And as for me, my empty days go on
With a cold heart, I'm searching for the moment when the flowers fall, and I close my eyes.
The cherry blossoms dance, falling into these empty hands
Ephemeral, gentle, and fragile, this flower that seems like you.

- Sakura Addiction, Takashi Kondo & Toshinobu Iida (English TV ver.)


After our conversation that day, I spied on Naruto's team even more, consequences be damned. I managed to get myself out of the Jounin's radar and get to see Naruto closer.

I need to find out what I had missed.

The dreams of her, I knew they were real. I knew what she had felt, and how bad she wanted to stop the pain. I knew her more than anyone else.

The pain she had to endure, the humiliation she had to face, and the torture she had to go through, I knew them all too well. In that village… everything just seemed to be against her.

So then, why…?

Why she still wanted, or even had the will, to protect that village?

Why is it that… even though she was already tainted by life… she was still so… pure?

At first, I had thought that she was no different than other unfortunate souls that were spread across the world. They seek for revenge in the name of justice. Those children… were consumed by their hatred which they call as duty.

There were some children, I knew, who thinks the futility of revenge and chooses to let the past be the past and look to the future. But, even they could no longer be pure. They can't go back to the way they were; children.

So how can she be so… pure? So trusting, like a child?

How can she shrug everything off, as if it was nothing?

I know that what she had gone through was everything but nothing.

The humiliation… The pain….

Even I was suffocated. And it was not I who went through it.

It seemed that my decision to look after you weren't for nothing, after all…

You really are interesting, Naruto-chan


The time that Zabuza had promised was reaching for its end. Soon, the mission that he was entrusted with must be carried out. I did ask for him to postpone it only for a week, and there was no reason for him to drag on even longer.

I watched as the team left the house, noticing that they were one person short. Confusion took over me as I realized Naruto was missing. As the team went for the bridge, together with that old man, I waited for a chance to sneak into the house.

Then, I noticed a couple of thugs. Gatou's men, I presumed. It seemed he finally decided to end the bridge builder's life without Zabuza's help anymore.

Both of the thugs headed to the house, taking hostages perhaps? Such a cowardly thing, I mused. The thought of helping the family had passed my mind, but then I decided to go against it. They didn't matter to me, after all.

I won't dirty my hands for something that is nothing to my gain.

However, curiosity once again took over me and made me to go closer to observe what they will be doing. It was then I finally realized the reason why Naruto didn't go together with her team. She overslept, yet in such a good time. She managed to make the thugs bend to their knees and render them unable to fight by brute force. It was a nice sight to see, especially since this is the first time I ever got to see her actually in power. She always seemed so weak and fragile in my dreams, and this is a welcomed change.

She just seemed to be getting more and more interesting by minutes.

After she left to catch up with her friends, I stayed around for a bit. Silently, I sneaked in to the house and went over the unarmed thugs without the knowing of those who were in the house. I knelt over them and watched them squirmed under me.

"W-Who?" one of them asked weakly. I smirked under my mask. They had given me quite a show, but still the fact that they had tried to harm Naruto lingered. Not even that, I saw a glimpse of lust just when they realized the one they fought was a girl.

I disliked it.

"Please, stay quiet," I whispered to them before I took out my blade and slit their throat in one clean cut, rendering them even unable to comprehend what just happened. I watched in satisfaction and blood pooling beneath their bodies and their heartbeats slowed down before completely disappeared.

I felt the need to cover up their blood, yet I had no obligation to do so. It might scare them, but I decided to leave both of the dead thugs to the bridge-builder's family. Looking back, I then followed Naruto's path back to the bridge.

I arrived just in time to see a dome made of ice and a thick layer of fog surrounding the bridge. This is Zabuza's mission, I realized from my hiding spot. Out of my respect for him as a fellow swordsman, I left his battle with Kakashi alone. I kept my eyes open only for Naruto, who was inside the dome made of ice together with that foolish boy. I noticed their bodies were covered with needles, but it seemed none of them truly hit their vital spot. Why, I myself could not comprehend.

However, they seemed to be in a pinch. I then noticed the masked boy was about to throw another needles towards Naruto. I saw where he aimed, that was all it took me to realized what he was about to do. He wanted to put Naruto into a death-like state.

As long as she lives, I could care less. So, I only watched.

But then, the needles missed their target and instead of Naruto, it was the foolish boy instead. I was taken by surprise once I witnessed it. That boy, that foolish boy, had taken the damage for Naruto.

As the boy's knees were shaken as he tried to keep himself up, I saw how Naruto looked at him. It was a look of pure terror, also surprise. Her lips parted and her mouth agape. She was stunned just like me.

Everything seemed to be in a slow motion as my vision began to overlap with her vision.

"Why…" I feel my lips moved on their own, the sensation I already used to, even if in dreams. I saw that foolish boy right in front of me—of her, looking back to me—to her. I noticed his eyes held bitter amusement and also a slight confusion and I also noticed his lips were forming a small smirk.

"My body… moved… on its own," the boy said, making confusions and disbelief mixed wildly inside my—no, her—heart. The vision of that boy fell right in front of me kept intruding my mind, as well as her sensation, her feeling which also flowed to me.

This is very rare, I thought. This usually happened only when I was asleep. This is the first time this happened when I was wide awake.

Alas, it already happened.

I could feel her emotion going haywire, from confusion to disbelief, later sadness and then hate.

It was then I felt that horrible chakra, as I was suddenly snapped back to myself.

I saw her again, noting the look of anger on her face. Red chakra surrounded her, destroying the dome of ice that once trapped her. I was shaking unconsciously from the fear. I feared that malicious red chakra, I noted absently. Only later that I realized it came from Naruto, my little flower.

So many surprises in one day… Is there more secret that defined you?

I wonder what you are going to show me now, I thought as I saw red chakra mixed with wind swirling around her. Such malicious intent, such frightening chakra!

And it was because she thought that foolish boy died?

That boy… who was he to make you feel like this, my little flower?

You, who had forgiven those villagers for what they did to you, could feel hate towards those who harmed your...less than friends?

…Why?

And that boy, I mused, didn't deserve such attention from you. I didn't forget his foolish attitude. From what I could see, that boy is a self-centered child. He should be a boy who cared for himself, who could forget the other's existence.

So, again, …why?

How could you had the will to protect those who had done nothing for you, who made you sad, who hated you…?

My little flower…

Are there more secrets of yours that you buried deep, out of my knowledge?

That red chakra… Is that also a part of you? A part of a big secret you buried?

Or was it the secret of the village, buried deep even from your knowledge?

A secret known by everyone but you, hidden away as if you don't deserve to know…

A secret which should be told from a long time ago…


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