Chapter 12: Suffering
I do not own Naruto. All rights belong with its rightful owner.
Naruto put some more fire wood onto the fire, his body having regained full mobility of its function. He was glad that Sakura had been able to overcome Orochimaru, though he feared of what Sasuke would be capable of when they finally confront each other. Orochimaru had easily disabled Naruto, though Sasuke was more of a close range fighter anyway, so that wouldn't be an issue.
But what about the Kamikage if he exists? Naruto thought to himself. If the legend is true, how are we going to be able to fight him on equal terms? Kurama interrupted his thoughts.
I wouldn't worry about it kit, Kurama said. Between the three of you, I doubt the Kamikage would be able to take you guys down easily. This didn't settle Naruto's thoughts.
And if we were to get separated? I mean, Kami is in his name, what is he capable of?
Aren't you the master of unpredictability? Kurama asked. You should have no problems taking this guy head on. Naruto rolled his eyes.
You're not the one fighting. Naruto said. Kurama chuckled.
Yes, but who's the one giving you chakra? Access to my powers? You are not alone Naruto.
Naruto sighed, and looked towards Sakura who was on the shore walking in the sand.
"How do you think she's doing?" Naruto asked Kakashi. Kakashi, who had been sharpening his kunai on a grinding stone briefly looked up towards her direction, before turning back to his task.
"She'll be fine. If I'm going to be honest, I'm proud of her. She has come far from where she was when we first started." Naruto looked to Kakashi.
"She's never been weak." Naruto said.
"Never said she was. She needed the right push, and that's what you and Sasuke gave her." Naruto remained silent for a while, before getting up and summoning Kurama's conscious into a clone.
"How about you keep Kakashi company for a little bit." Kurama raised an eyebrow, but Naruto walked past before he could notice. Kakashi chuckled.
"You don't think?" Kurama asked. Kakashi nodded.
"For their sake, it needs to be addressed and finalized. They will always have their bonds, but where they are ready to let go, they need to know if the other is ready to follow suit so that there is no animosity between the two, should their feelings not be returned."
"You don't think they will?" Kurama asked. Kakashi shrugged.
"The world works in mysterious ways. Maybe they've finally moved on, or both wish to confess their feelings. Maybe their hormones will kick in." Kurama snorted.
"Right. I think they've gotten past that that phase." Kakashi sighed.
"We will see."
Sakura stood in the sand barefoot, letting the water rush past her feet. It was cool and refreshing to say the least. A nice relief from the consistent running they had been doing all day. She would be lying if she said she would be glad to be back in Konoha for a little while, at least she would see Naruto finally become Hokage. Hopefully at least.
"Enjoying the water?" Sakura turned to the voice, seeing Naruto approach her from the campsite. Sakura smiled.
"Quite refreshing. Why don't you take off your sandals?" Naruto obliged and soon joined by her side, standing there as the waves washed their feet.
"The world is kind of like the ocean." Naruto noted. "It has its times of being calm, and it will have its times of being rough." Sakura nodded.
"Be a part of the water, or the rock that stonewalls and doesn't flow with the water." Naruto crouched into the water and placed his hand on top of the water, watching as the water flowed onto and away from the beach.
"So about earlier," Naruto said. "With Orochimaru …" Sakura looked down to Naruto, who remained looking forward.
"We suffered from what he did to us. He's the push that caused Sasuke to leave for power. Orochimaru is the reason we stand here now." Naruto stood back up and turned to Sakura.
"Who do you think it's impacted the most?" Naruto asked. Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"Does it matter? We all suffered." Naruto stepped forward.
"The fact that he took Sasuke from you …" Sakura turned away from Naruto and walked a little, pulling her arm back to stretch it.
"He hurt you as well." Sakura noted. "The fact Orochimaru said Sasuke was like a trophy, you didn't take that well."
"Sasuke is like a brother I never had." Naruto said as he pocketed his hands and looked back across the water. "He and I both had no one to look to after his parents and clan had been executed. It was the moment when I realized that I had a connection with him. And when he left, he had hurt me as he had hurt you." Sakura looked over her shoulder to gaze at Naruto, who had a few tears starting to fall. She then turned back to her teammate.
"About that promise," Sakura said as she walked over to him with her hands crossed behind her back. "Why did you push everything you had to get him back? I know your will and determination keeps you going, but there has to be something to drive that will." Naruto didn't say anything for a while, before sighing and looking to Sakura.
"My dream to become Hokage. To protect the Village and everyone in it." Naruto looked down to the ground. "Even you. To keep you safe from sorrow ever touching. Yet as you've noted, here we are."
"Sasuke told me that you saved me from Gaara." Naruto looked back up to her, Sakura turned her head towards the sky. "I thought that he had been the one to save me, and I was showering him in what I thought was glory. But … it was you. And I never got to say thank you." She smiled sadly as she looked back to Naruto.
"All these years we've been a Team. We've come a far ways away from where we started. And at every step you and Sasuke were there, my motivations to getting stronger. After when Sasuke left, you became my sole inspiration." Sakura stepped towards Naruto, reaching out for her teammate. Naruto stood there.
"You make me strong Naruto. You make me happy to be your friend. You're the reason I continue to be a shinobi for the Village. The reason I can smile. Without you," Sakura's smile faltered. "I don't know what would have been." Naruto crossed the space towards Sakura to grab her hands.
"Then don't think of what wouldn't have been." Naruto said, he brought her hand up to his heart and kept it here.
"You feel that?" Naruto asked. Sakura nodded. "I wouldn't be here today if you didn't keep my heart pumping. If it wasn't for you, Kakashi, Sasuke, our friends, I don't think I could have been able to go on. You guys are my strength. My life without you guys, I wouldn't be who I am now." Naruto leaned forward, and rested his forehead upon hers. Sakura looked up as best she could to look into the eyes of her friend.
"And what am I to you?" Sakura asked. Naruto smiled.
"You are my friend, my teammate, and in my heart, a little something more than that. But … it's hard to say how you would feel right now. And I don't want to react too suddenly. Give you a chance to fully understand what my words mean." Sakura smirked.
"Fully understand? You don't think I wouldn't be able to process them fast. Why don't you-"
"I love you." Naruto interrupted. Sakura paused for a moment, and let his words sink in. Naruto panicked.
Oh shoot! I jumped too quickly. I should have given her time to think it through, give her time to walk it out. She probably – Naruto didn't get to finish that thought as he felt a pair of lips press against his own, and thin arms wrap around his body. Naruto was petrified.
Sakura's … kissing me? He couldn't react. He didn't know what to do. Sakura pulled back from her friend with a smirk on her face.
"I think I've successfully managed to find the mute switch on you." Sakura said. Naruto just stood there flabbergasted.
"You … like me?" he asked. Sakura pondered on the question, looking down.
"I still have feelings for Sasuke. A girl doesn't forget her first love." Naruto frowned, not exactly wanting to hear her say this. "But … a girl does know when to move on." She pulled herself closer to Naruto, trying to absorb his warmth, his emotions.
"I didn't understand the lengths you'd go just for me. I took it for granted, and that makes me selfish. I resolved to change that, and ensure that you didn't have to suffer any longer for my sake. My suffering became your own. I failed to realize that when I cried, you suffered from my sorrow. I failed to realize that the hero who supported me the longest, was whom my feelings truly belonged to.
"I love you Naruto." Sakura said with a smile, and leaned her head against his shoulder. "And I swear to be by your side to be your companion as your friend, and hopefully forever as your partner."
Naruto continued to look at Sakura, closing his gaping mouth from the shock, a small smile gracing his lips as he reached for her hair and gently combed it with his fingers, feeling the smoothness that greatly contrasted from his own. He rested his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes.
"I wanted to get to know you better." Naruto started. "That's how it all started. From there, the admiration I had for you just grew. I wanted you to get better with each experience. I wanted to be the one to help you when you were hurt. To support you and love you with everything I have. To keep you away from suffering so that you didn't have to be in pain." Sakura turned her head to speak.
"Suffering hurts, but it is through suffering that we learn our mistakes and become better people for it. Maybe things would have been different had Sasuke stayed, and we wouldn't have felt that pain of losing him. Maybe I'd be in his arms right now instead of yours. But as you said, it doesn't matter of what could have been. What matters is the moment, not the past." Naruto nodded and proceeded to lift her chin up so he could see her eyes. They stare at each other for a long while before he smiles.
"You have a charming forehead, makes me want to kiss it." Naruto leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Sakura's heart stopped for a moment as she thought back to when she last heard those words, when Sasuke had said those words. But it was unlike him to say something like that … especially considering his attitude after that moment.
It makes sense. Sakura thought as she hugged Naruto harder. He's the one that said those words. Figures.
Kurama looked out towards the pairing, and smirked at their expressions of love, he turned back to Kakashi who had his Icha Icha book out.
"You know, the real action is taking place over in that direction, and I think it's much better than that thing you call a story." Kurama said. Kakashi looked up to see his students and smiled for a moment.
"Had Jiraiya still been alive, he would have been jumping for joy and had his notebook out for some 'research'." Kurama laughed.
"Still, I'm glad those two have finally come to terms with their feelings." He said. Kakashi nodded, though his smile faltered.
"Even so, there's still the issue of Sasuke. And I fear that the end result between Naruto and Sasuke won't end with both leaving the battle field unscathed. Maybe even the end for one of the two. I just hope it isn't Naruto. For the sake of Sakura, and the sake of the Village."
Author's Note:
… I finally wrote this chapter … I hope I did well.
I'm amused at how I couldn't help but smile when I wrote the moment when Naruto said "I love you." to Sakura. It just made me feel happy to write that.
I'm about to give a rant, because this is where I need to express my opinions on the NaruSaku pairing as well as the NaruHina pairing. I've kept these thoughts in my head for a long time, they are bursting.
So if you guys don't wish to read the rant, then I thank you for reading the chapter. If you liked it, great! If not, hopefully I'll do better on the next chapter.
Until next time, see ya!
AUTHOR'S RANT!
Do understand, there are positives and negatives to a lot of pairings. I'm sure NaruHina has positives as there are negatives with NaruSaku. In all honesty, the majority of my distaste for NaruHina stems from the fanbase who immediately write off NaruSaku for being the "worst pairing ever"; but I also have issues with Hinata as a character as well which has me question why she is considered a better character than Sakura. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and I will not question those, so I ask that you read the rant with an open mind and don't jump the gun and insult myself or other fans of their respective support. These are my observations over the years of reading the manga and (rarely) watching the anime concerning the two pairings. Now, you might think that it's rather stupid for myself to address this, especially considering that Kishimoto had finalized the pairing, but there are criticisms I want to point out. Either you agree or disagree. Take my opinions for what they are; as opinions.
Why do I love Naruto and Sakura as a pairing? One word … development. They build off of each and that's why I like them more.
Why do I strongly dislike Naruto and Hinata as a pairing? Two words, forced together.
Chemistry is what makes a strong relationship, and when I think of a strong relationship within the Naruto universe, Naruto and Hinata don't come to mind. When I look between the pairings, textual evidence and reactions from characters plays a key role in my observation. For certain reasons, I am looking purely at the manga as it is the original source material, and the filler episodes are not written by Kishimoto himself which does not progress the main story in any way, shape or form. Not to mention certain elements were added which I argue contributed to the popularity of NaruHina.
When I see NaruHina, this is what I see:
A one sided relationship where Hinata stalks Naruto all over the place.
A silent character that has little to no development throughout the story.
Is obsessive. Doesn't listen to others, not even Naruto when he clearly states that he would take care of Pain. I even argue Naruto would have found a way to get out of that situation.
Doesn't truly understand Naruto and his conflicts with Sasuke, Kurama and Akatsuki. Does she even know what Naruto's goals are and the reasons why he is seeking to be Hokage?
She sees a person who never gives up and aspires to become like him, yet in all honesty hasn't displayed this mentality at all, saying it only for the purpose of being together with Naruto, and not for the sake of defending others.
Naruto and Hinata have few interactions throughout the manga, and not enough to warrant any kind of interest for Naruto to actively seek her out.
Though Hinata supports Naruto, this is in her mind. It's not vocal, which in contrast to being vocal is leaps and bounds superior to being quiet (I found it rare when Hinata gave Naruto verbal support, and though Naruto acknowledges it he doesn't think back to her).
Naruto defended her, but she never comes up to him after he protects her. He doesn't show interest in her after that and she doesn't keep him company throughout his time in the academy. He calls her weird when introduced in the manga, something his mother pointed out to not go for (I'm not counting the movie. If I'm going to be stubborn about one thing, I do not consider the movie canon with the continuity. Those are not the characters I grew up reading. They are so OOC, it's not even funny. But that's my opinion.)
When first introduced in the anime, Hinata was revealed in the first episode and is seen to be the only person to like Naruto, and fans more than likely took a liking to her for that reason. Thus when we get to Sakura's proper introduction in episode three, despite Naruto showing interest in her, fans have already attached themselves to Hinata and view Sakura as a selfish person (who continues to act this way for the majority of Part 1). Hinata even gets a line about how she wanted to be on Naruto's team, which more than likely cemented some of the fan's likening for her. In the manga, Hinata wasn't introduced until Chapter 32 or 33 (I forget which one). I feel that the liking towards Hinata by the fan base stems from the anime, and not the manga. If I'm going to be frank, Hinata's moments with Naruto don't even leave a lasting impression (exceptions to this are her confession and Chapter 600), so once more, why Hinata?
Heck, even if I did consider the filler episodes, there are still more moments with Naruto and Sakura in them. Naruto and Hinata don't even get development from filler.
Naruto the Last: (ugh … Smut: A Naruto movie. I'm debating on whether to watch this film and just get angry over its stupid premise) an unnecessary film to fill in the missing holes between 699 and 700, and ultimately fan service for the fan base it was intended for (more than likely not true, but I feel this is the case). Naruto starts to have (Yes I say start. There's no evidence of development since the War. No talk of her confession for him until this film, and then he's suddenly in love with her? Sounds like a Disney film.) feelings for Hinata, acts completely out of character in her presence, and there is the most retarded (I sincerely apologize for using this term) way to end the romantic connections between Naruto and Sakura; Sakura saying Naruto only chased after her because of Sasuke, or was it Naruto who said it, I don't know (had he said he grew up I would have been okay with this, yet we're left with this explanation). I watched the scene, and I can't stand to look at Sakura in Chapter 700 and Gaiden anymore. She has been castrated as a character, as has Naruto in this film and 700 onwards. And then he proposes marriage after he saves Hinata … Oh lord, I'm switching focus to go to a happy place because I just can't stand this apocalypse of a film. It's so stupid and cheesy.
Naruto and Sakura … a breath of fresh air in my opinion. When I say development, these two characters have been through thick and thin. They support each other no matter the circumstance, inwardly and outwardly. They can be themselves (most of the time) without being scrutinized by each other. Yes, Sakura does hit Naruto to keep him in line, but this is done for his betterment, and he's not scarred from those moments. He knows that she will have his back when he needs it. Yes she lied to Naruto about loving him, but it was for his wellbeing, and she was willing to let go. Yes she didn't assist Naruto in his fight with Pain, but she is a medic, and medics were supposed to stay out of the fight. Yes, she was selfish in Part 1, but she did grow up.
Through my observations of the manga, here is what I have noted.
Sakura has developed as a character, physically and characteristically.
Sakura is not as clingy as she was in Part 1. She can handle herself.
Naruto and Sakura have been through rough situations, and they are there to watch each other's backs, Naruto saving her on several occasions and Sakura healing him on others.
Sakura sees Naruto's pain in trying to get Sasuke back and handling Kurama. She resolves to do everything in her power to assist her teammate no matter the costs.
Sakura supports Naruto no matter the situation.
Naruto sees Sakura's development and admires her for it, which is ditto for Sakura and seeing Naruto's development.
Naruto is protective of Sakura and comes to her aid when attacked.
Sakura wants to see Naruto's dreams come true, even willing to risk their participation in the Chunnin Exams to ensure he would be ready for the following year.
I don't need the anime to support these two, the manga does it by itself. Naruto's mother is compared to Sakura by her husband. Kushina tells Naruto to find someone like her. Sakura is like Kushina in so many way, they are one in the same. When I read of Kushina's upbringing, I thought of Sakura and how similar they were. Heck, I even forgot Hinata was a character when I read the manga. Because of the development throughout the story, I thought Kishi was leaning towards NaruSaku (yet here we are).
Okay, I've gone on long enough. I really shouldn't be going to in depth into a fictional pairing, but I had to get this out there and make my opinions known. I've stated my views, make with them what you will. These are my opinions and observations, not fact. I'm sure that there are good points in the NaruHina pairing, but I just don't see it, and I've tried to be open to them. In the end I get frustrated whenever I see Hinata. I think she had potential as a character. But she ticks me off with how she didn't help Naruto at all in his times of needing a friend. Somehow people see that there's some redeeming quality about her and not Sakura. That's fine, you're entitled to your opinion. Just don't say I'm wrong for believing NaruSaku is the better pairing in my opinion. I have my reasons.
As for SasuSaku … one word: forced. Just like NaruHina.
I'm sorry if it went too long, I have no intentions of writing another rant in the future, this will be the only time I do so.
