Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
ApplesStrawberries – Yes! I hope you'll like it. Enjoy and thank you :)
Sasucakes – Thanks for the feedback. I will really do finish this as I planned and that's a lot more chapters but not like chapter 50...+ lol There's another stretch here so be ready. Then for your question if he will go back home? Um what do you think? Sorry I prefer not to answer it now, hope you don't mind?
X-Tudo – You made me laugh when you said, "as my mom usually says: regrets only come later ," haha she's right. As always thank you!, it's feels good to read reviews like this that will inspire you to write more, and be more creative. And about your description of "reality touch" that's actually me; I'm a person with a very realistic personality type that it reflects my writing, maybe that's why. I have more surprises for next chapters and I wish to still get your interests to finish this fic.
Lunaticmeap – Haha I love that you really screamed on that part! I didn't expect to reach 11 chapters to finally release the summary, and thank you, I really like to describe his behaviour it's so challenging in every way that's why we love him hahaha! Thanks for the advice, I really want to finish this as I planned, that there's another surprise coming. Thank you very much again! Hugs!
Oreo – I want to cry for your review and I love you too for reading this fic. But I can't tell yet! From time to time I am giving a shot on what's happening to the real world.
Guests – A hug for all of you and thank you for taking the time to give your comments! It's so satisfying to read your opinions and how you anticipate what will happen next. Since all of you want the update, here you go, hope to receive more from you!
One Decision
Both of them are sitting across each other, Sakura is hugging her knees in front of the bonfire that Sasuke made using his fire jutsu to warm them. It's was a cold windy night. In an instant, he became a stranger to her. Her reaction is perfectly understandable for Sasuke, even she acts very distant right as of this moment. It was not a secret to everyone that this teenager only wants to be acknowledged by him and then one day, that boy tells her the job was done to claim her. Right now, she's in front of her husband to be. And it's too much for her to handle.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat before he started to speak. Sakura narrows her eyes at him on how obvious he faked his cough. "You should go back to the palace." He suggested, though at the back of his mind, he really wants to take her away if possible, she wouldn't be a waste of the remaining time he have.
"Its fine, I can be here until morning, my clone is sleeping on my room and Okubo will wake-up possibly by tomorrow afternoon." Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief, even it's a clone, he doesn't want to visualize that she slept with someone.
"Didn't I tell you? Sasuke-kun? This is my mission. Once I'd settle this, that if you're still in Konoha... I'm all yours." The raven quickly lifted his head just enough to look at her and his reaction startled her. She's a little shy at the last word she said. "If you're still here and if you and I are, you know..." Crap! I don't know what kind of relationship we have right now! She thought, overwhelmed with anxiety, she has so many things to consider, and she had sneaked away just to see meet him.
"Why would you treat a marriage like a mission?" The tone of his voice became grating, and he looks very upset. He doesn't want to sound angry at the idea but he thinks it's not in her personality to consider marriage is just an obligation and duty. He thinks marriage isn't just to stay with the person to have child and be happy. If she will stay there's it's just a self-serving relationship to serve her own needs, same with Okubo.
"Because it is! A top secret mission; and I can't tell even its you. Only the Hokage and Okubo's family knew this." She explained, and that made him feel uneasy, because he missed something.
Damn, so I made myself a fool this morning huh? Forcing her not to marry the Daimyo and tell embarrassing things. She didn't even clarify it, though she really said it's a mission. Though what kind of mission to marry a high profile person? Assassination? Sasuke is battling with himself. He looks down in dismay, choosing to stare at his sandal, frowning at himself. "Does your mission is just to be a full time wife to him?" He asked, with emphasis on each word, intimidating her. "Like sleeping with him?" It was an interrogation. If she can't divulge the whole mission, he will question the things that will satisfy him. "What?" He continued with piercing eyes, he's not even blinking and waiting for her response.
"Whatever calls my duty? No... But I can't tell you!" He suddenly glared at her, locking his arms on his chest. "But of course, I won't sleep with him! I never think about it!" She defended herself, and suddenly there was this idea that keeps on bugging her ever since that morning that made her jaw dropped.
Sasuke shook his head and he's really angry. "Are you an idiot? This is not about your choice not to sleep with him. It doesn't go that way. He is your husband now. One night he will come to you and what if he forces himself to you!?" He yelled, but Sakura isn't listening to him anymore. She is blushing and her hands instantly embrace herself and moves away from him. Why she's acting like this? She's absolutely pissing me off! He thought.
"Earlier, after they sent me to the Lord's chamber, we drank together and I put a drug on his wine. Then I left a clone on my own room to pretend sleeping, she won't exert much chakra so she stay there on the bed even for another day." She explained without even looking at him, because her mind was actually occupied with something else. Then she presses her palms on her cheeks, and stole a glance at him.
"What is it?" He asked. Am I obvious? Does he think I'm a pervert now? Sakura bit her lower lip, and in just few seconds he moved beside her to place a hand over her forehead to check her temperature. "You're cheeks are red." He said, moving his hand gently down her right cheek.
He didn't know Sakura is thinking of what he said this morning. Why at this time? It means Sasuke-kun and I had one little baby girl, so by having her means Sasuke-kun and I did it. We did it, before I knew it... Shannaroo! Why is this happening to me! It means he seen my body!" Sakura had some realizations, which the truth is nothing compares to her sweet imaginations.
"Do you want to go back?" She looks sick. He asked, finally getting her full attention. "I will take you back." He stands up and offers his hands but she doesn't want to go home yet. So Sasuke has to sit again and watch how stressed she is, so he slowly lifts her chin up, her green eyes looking straight to meet his black orbs and he didn't expect her reaction that she tapped his hand away.
"No!" She cried that made Sasuke really surprised because he doesn't mean anything with his touch. Quickly she desperately grab the hand she shoved away and tells her apologizes.
"What's with you?" Sasuke's a little annoyed.
"I was just thinking how we become a couple, because I just can't believe it." She lied, finally calming down by holding his hand firmly with her two hands. He chuckled at the reason, enjoying her innocent reactions. "Did you marry me because you love me?" It's a sudden question and he didn't know what to say.
"Why are you asking that now?" He look around to see the flowers under the moonlight, and to check if ever she is being followed, diverting his attention that hopefully this won't end in some serious dramas. However, Sakura didn't answer; she ignored his question. "Or did you just marry me because you know, custom and tradition changes in time, there might be some force that made you come up with that conclusion... for example-
"Stop there, you're thinking too much."
"But you said you will tell me more... so like getting a girl pregnant? In some countries-"
"I'm absolutely offended Sakura." He snapped. Sakura moved away from her place on how the tone of his voice changed, afraid that she made him angry. "I thought you knew?" He shook his head, he needs to have more patience, and this is the young version of his wife, it's more troublesome than he ever imagined. "Don't compare our marriage to the event earlier. I married you first; stick that to your head." Though Sakura want to laugh because that's not the right reasoning to use on their situation. "It was difficult and I'm actually an idiot before." He started, and it's better to be honest so she won't attack him with more questions later.
This is it. Sakura thought, her heart starts to beat like a drum to hear how it all started.
"I thought being with you was enough." Looking back at their history to tell her, he promised he will fill her on what happened. "4Th Great Ninja War occurred that made me reunite to team 7 to fight along with them against a strong clan." He chooses carefully his words not to make her question more about the history of the real world. "After becoming an international criminal, I helped on defeating our enemies, and right after, I left the village for a couple of years to pay for my sins.
So when I came back, the news of Naruto who finally got married was everywhere. Everyone not only him get into relationship, except for you. And then the dobe encouraged me to settle down even he knew I'm not going out with anyone." Sakura who's enthusiastic earlier had slightly bowed her head down; afraid to hear something that will hurt her. "I'm not yet going out with anyone." Sasuke followed up, sending her some message to listen very well, wishing her acceptance after this. "I don't know what's with him but before I took another mission, he taught me how to work on the legal papers if ever I decided to marry someone. There's no dropping of any name of a girl whenever he suggest me the idea but you know who is the girl he's talking about right? He's a persistent one." His emotionless face makes her shrug in having no idea what does he mean by that. But she cheers him up to continue and gave her sweetest smile, saving her other question who's the one that Naruto end up with? So he's still wear his stoic face, he should be more romantic on telling me this, but whatever. Sakura told herself but this start is lighting up her eyes that just cried a while ago.
"To cut the story short, both of us were assigned in a mission that took 2 years, and on the first month of our trip, that thing that Naruto influences me keeps disturbing my mind. During that period I finally married you, of course you agreed in what I offered no matter how small it is, though it's not the ideal wedding." He shifted his look from the burning wood from her eyes. "It's a simple traditional wedding in a small village, and after some months, still during the mission, you got pregnant and give birth to our child outside Konoha... and that's it."
"Thanks to that mission." She didn't mean to put it bluntly and he studied her face, he might be able to memorize Sakura's reactions but this girl made him curious on what will be her reply, that even he's able to make a strong bond to his wife, he still in the learning process to know her better. If he can look back 6 years ago, he can't deny that he missed some parts of her teenage life that he should be there to know her more.
"Are you disappointed?" He asked hesitantly, lacking the confidence to speak more about their story. Sakura find how worried he was so she grabs his arm and rests her head on his shoulder.
"No." She answered, hoping this can erase his fear. "I think I feel comfortable now. Thank you. It's a very good memory if I have it." She said, and he didn't answer. "But you didn't tell me if you married me because you love me." She made a fake exasperated sigh with pouting lips.
Here we go again. Sasuke thought."Don't ask me about that, isn't telling you this enough?" The wind blows hard this time, the fire might die and Sasuke shifted his irritation to the twigs on his feet to add with the burning logs on the fire. Sakura giggled because it's his pride talking. "Sorry."
"It's okay." She said, closing her eyes, while leaning her head on him, enjoying the warmth in front of them.
"But you deserve to know this, and I rushed things up because I'm a slow learner in things like this, I realized them too late. But Sakura, I married you because it was you." He can't say the right words, but in every explanation, and his hand that reached for hers, she can read his message.
She grinned and felt his hand holds her tighter. "Okay, I have another one!" She sounds excited that made him nervous of what else she would like to know?
"What's the name of our child?" Unexpectedly, that question made him smile, because this young girl is thinking about their future kid. "Sarada." He answered, trying his best not to sounds so proud that will make him funny.
"That's so cute! I want to imagine her, so if she is a girl, does she have pink hair?"
"Nope." He teased, poking her forehead gently. "You said I looked like her, but she has your cat-like eyes." She giggles and he can't help but feel satisfied with her eagerness to know more.
"Then, how about the old me, what do I call you?" She suddenly asks, and he flinched automatically.
She heard him stutter until he freezes for a moment. "Well." He leans on the grass so that he is lying to see the night sky. "I think that's not important." He said, averting his eyes from her.
"No way! I will not call you Sasuke-kun if you are my husband!" She claimed but he just ignored her. He is hiding something. "No! I know myself! If I have a boyfriend or husband, I will call you like, uhm.." She is trying to come up with sweet terms of endearment, the possible term she could pick. On the other hand, Sasuke is not cooperating anymore and trying to sleep like they're on a bed.
"Ask another one!" He said sarcastically, turning his back on her. Sakura can't believe he is avoiding this and in his surprise, she embraced him from behind. "Hey, what are you doing?" He asked gulping hard and not even moving an inch on how close she is now. As much as possible, he don't want a sequel of taking advantage of her even he was drunk the last time. Sasuke doesn't want to do things he will regret in the future.
"Anata!" She said in a very high pitched voice, Sasuke curls his back ignoring her embrace. "When that day came, I'll call you Anata, the same on how Mama calls Papa." She said with such energetic tone, and the man didn't say anything, but she seen his ears were red knowing the term she chose has an effect on him.
It can be a long night but he can't sleep, he needs to return her to the palace, though he appreciate this time, and enjoy to ask her questions, it did irritate him at first but he wants to see her different reactions when telling her about the future.
However, he wants to be with her before this tsukuyomi end. "Sakura." He knew she's not yet asleep. "I have to be honest with you." The girl waited and lean her face on his back. "Tomorrow, I will leave." It's too soon and unexpected. "I can't stay longer here, and I hate the fact that I'm leaving you with that Daimyo."
"Don't worry about me."
"I have to. This is not your destiny, you're the bravest kunoichi I've known, the most successful medic-nin and the toughest woman I met. That will be you, and I want you to be ready for that." She smiles on how he praised her, memorizing every word so she will treasure it once he's gone. "And Sakura this might be our last time together."
"Then leave." That made him speechless. "I don't want you here." Sasuke tries to turn around so he can see her face but she hugs him tightly, so he stops. "I won't be the reason to hold you here. That's why I'm not afraid to tell you that I don't want you to stay. Don't make your wife wait, go back to her as soonest." Sasuke didn't know how to respond, because he never expected the Sakura of this world will react like this. Is this still the tsukuyomi? He thought, all of the people here will try to hold him, even Itachi. It was the first time that there's one soul that tells him to go back home. The logic of how the jutsu works doesn't make sense anymore.
"I will." He said, and finally turning back to give her surprises kiss on her hair and feels glad that she isn't crying. Thank you for making the difference, Sakura. "Thank you."
PRESENT TIME
Mist Village
Sakura finally reached the place where Kiba and other teams are waiting for her arrival. She didn't even get a break to reach the village because she wants to go there as fast as possible. It was a hot afternoon and there's enough light for the Konoha ninjas to check around the forest with giant trees. There she found the medic-nins are all engaged to the unknown bodies that seem to be survivors. She can't believe what she'd seen.
"This is a lot of corpse!" The sight is beyond horrifying, she can't even tell if it reaches nearly a thousand of lifeless white zetsu bodies scattered inside the forest, it's not easily seen from the outside due to the thick mist that hides the trees.
"Sakura! Finally you're here." Kiba run to her with the white dog following behind him. "You're husband is definitely something; we're in the middle of headcount and almost done, as of now they're 600 zetsus and still counting. I can't imagine how Sasuke fought them all." He said, handing over a folder that shows the report but Sakura remain silent at the terrifying scene in front of her. Looking around the bodies that they're aiding are just skin and bones. The sight is heart wrenching for the medic-nins but all of them are doing their best as long as the bodies have the chance of survival they have to try. "There's a weird tree there same as the divine tree like the last war, while his body was over there with that short-haired medic-nin." He said, pointing at the south were a bit further than all the bodies around. "Wear this, the zetsus stinks." Kiba handed her the white mask and she immediately wears it.
As informed by the young medic-nin that Sasuke is inside the corpse bag behind her, she questioned Kiba and the amateur ninja on how did they identify his body? The girl is afraid to explain to her because Sakura looks like she's going to bite her neck. She is asking them because the body she gave her was burned and beyond recognition. Kiba helped her and told her the body is found with the metal of Sasuke's forehead protector without the band of cloth together with his katana. She glared at them after hearing their reasons.
"This is stupid, who announced that Sasuke is dead!" She shouts at the female medic-nin who apologizes to her; she respects Uchiha Sakura so much she bows down her head so low to show how sorry she was.
"How did you know it's not him? Well it's not yet officially announced but we informed Shikamaru to prepare you just in case." Kiba defended.
"I didn't checked the whole body yet but I guess all of you don't know that my husband only have one arm." Both of them were shocked and checked again the burned corpse and it have two arms. "See? You don't know. Don't make mistake like this, you're going to kill their love ones to give wrong reports." She left the two of them, in a hurry to find the real body.
She had searched everywhere but didn't find him until she gets near the tree. "An S-glass genjutsu." She said looking at the tree that seems to have a barrier but actually it is hiding something. She can see an immense amount of chakra. If you don't pay attention carefully anyone will assume it's from the tree but there's more. She can feel the chakra is the genjutsu created around it so a barrier is protecting it. So what should be protected from a cut down tree? I can literally see the tree with two branches but both ends were cut. No. Though it has remaining two branches, the genjutsu is coming from those branches. If I release this genjutsu, I can see what this tree is hiding from our naked eyes. She didn't held back and used the release seal so she can see why there's abnormal flow of chakra on both branches.
"Oh no!" She can see them clearly. Like Kaguya's Infinite Tsukuyomi! She prepared her kunai and cut down of the stem to catch the body she's been searching for. This can't be! "Anyone! Come over here!" She called for help, but the cut down stem goes back to the body to wrap around, but the second time the tree is too weak it didn't cover the body enough.
No matter how much force she uses, no matter how many times she cut the branch, it keeps on holding the body. "Sasuke-kun!" She tried to call his name but she receives no response, his body is the same with others; skin and bones. This is the first time that she'd seen her husband at his weakest; she didn't expect to felt so much pain on how he ended up like this. She can still recognize his face, it breaks her heart to see him like this. Carefully she embraces the body, gently wrapping her arms around with the tree branch attached to him. He was still alive but his vital signs were weak.
"You did your best." She leaned down, removes her mask and kisses his dry lips. "Don't worry, I will save you." She pulled out a towel from her pocket and cleans his face, he must been attached to the tree for a very long time. The evidence was his grown hair over his shoulders, because he never let his hair that long. "There's No way, there's no way you'll die like this."
That night, she called for another medic team to send all the medical supplies. She also demanded to send someone from Yamanaka clan who can do Shintenshin technique. Uchiha Sakura had decided to build a base near the small divine tree to investigate further and stay to her sleeping husband which is unknown when he will wake-up.
a/n: Hello! I'm glad with the last reviews, and reactions for the latest chapter, now this is a surprise for everyone asking me what is happening to the present time. Please REVIEW, it's very inspiring!
TO BE CONTINUED...
