OH GOOD GOD. WHY, NEJI, WHY? That is all. Enjoy your chapter.
XX
Karin flopped over on her stomach, unable to catch any sleep. She sighed irritably as she forced her eyes shut and pushed all her thoughts into the darkest corners of her mind. She just wanted to sleep, but the more she thought about Sasuke and Sakura, the harder she found it to sleep. She smirked slightly; just a few months ago, she was helping Sasuke destroy Konoha, and now she was helping him and his former teammate save it. She loved Sasuke unconditionally before, or so she thought until he stabbed her with his Chidori. But now she was sure that Sakura felt the same way about him, if not more so. And the part that confused her most of all was that Sasuke probably felt the same way. She saw the way he watched her, how he was so ready to protect her from everything that meant her harm. It was sweet, really. Almost sickeningly so.
Karin was snapped out of reverie by a sudden rap at the door. Karin glanced over at her clock. 2:30. Who could that be at this hour? Still, she pushed herself off her bed with a grunt and dragged her feet over to the door. She opened it and saw Suigetsu, her eyes widening slightly. "Hey…" she mumbled. "Is something wrong? What are you doing here at 2:30 in the morning?" Suigetsu jerked his head aside.
"Can we talk?" he asked. Karin's eyes narrowed slightly as she gave his chakra a once-over. Sure enough, it was the real Suigetsu. So she let him inside. Suigetsu unceremoniously flopped onto her bed, earning him a glare from Karin. "So…" he drawled out awkwardly.
"So…" Karin repeated awkwardly, pointedly looking away from him. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Suigetsu gave a heavy sigh.
"This is going to make me sound gay," he whined. Karin's eyes narrowed.
"Do you…" he said slowly. "Do you ever worry about Sasuke and Sakura?" That question caught her off guard. Sure she worried about them. Ever since Sakura got the Rinnegan and Sasuke was proved innocent, she worried about them every moment of every day. She was worried that Sakura would get kidnapped by Akatsuki or some other enemy, and that worry actually became a reality just about a month ago. Not that she would ever say this out loud, but if Suigetsu weren't there to save her, she wouldn't know what to do. She was worried that Sasuke's emotions would one day get the better of him, like what she thought happened to him after Madara – err, Izuna – told him the truth about his brother. Even though he claimed to want only to follow in Itachi's footsteps and protect Konoha and Sakura, he still harbored a deep loathing for Konoha's council. She could see that in the way his chakra fluctuated every time someone mentioned the elders. It was only a matter of time before he completely snapped and went crazy. It was rather reassuring to know that Sasuke's behavior at the Land of Iron was faked, but it still scared her to think of what would happen if his grief for his loss overwhelmed him. And she was worried that Sakura trusted Sasuke a little too much. So much that she wouldn't feel the need to watch over him when Danzo, Koharu and Homura were involved.
"Obviously," she said quietly. Suigetsu gave a tremendous sigh of relief.
"Well that's good," he said, grinning. "I thought I was the only one." Karin gave him a wry smile.
"Well, you're not," she assured him. She shoved him over and lay on her bed next to him.
"So what do you think they're doing now?" Suigetsu asked, turning his head towards Karin.
"Well Sakura said she was going to sneak into Danzo's office and get her notebook back," Karin told him, still staring at the ceiling.
"She didn't take Sasuke with her, did she?" Suigetsu asked, now turning onto his side. Karin turned onto her side to face Suigetsu.
"I don't think she did," she mumbled. "I told her not to." Suigetsu sighed, and the two lay in silence. Then, Suigetsu suddenly shot up.
"What if he's over there right now?" he asked. "At Danzo's office. With Sakura." Karin's eyes widened as she sat up.
"Sakura must have told him not to come," she whispered, more to herself than to Suigetsu, "but…" Her face paled as realization dawned on her face. "Sasuke must have gone anyway."
"That's bad," Suigetsu gasped. Karin scoffed as she tied her long black hair into a ponytail and opened the door.
"That's got to be the understatement of the century," she grumbled. "Come on! We have to stop him!"
"Right!" Suigetsu affirmed as he followed Karin out.
Sasuke was gone before Sakura could even bat an eyelash. He charged straight at Koharu and Homura, his sword drawn. He swung his sword at Koharu, who blocked it with a kunai effortlessly. She then pressed two fingers into his chest, and Sasuke was sent flying backwards. Sakura turned to look at him, wanting to do something to help, but she couldn't move. Part of her didn't want to. "Sasuke," Danzo said cautiously. "Don't just blindly rush into battle. Think this through first." Sasuke scowled at Koharu and Homura; Sakura wasn't even sure he heard Danzo.
"What do you want?" Naruto demanded. Homura pointed to the red notebook in Sakura's hands. Sakura's eyes widened.
"M-My notebook?" she stuttered.
"But of course," Koharu said simply. "You have some information there that Madara-sama wants."
"Izuna!" Sasuke yelled. "It's Izuna! How many times do I have to say it? The real Uchiha Madara was innocent!" Sakura glanced back at him worriedly. If he was losing his temper over something so trivial, there was no saying what else he would do. To everyone's surprise, Koharu smirked.
"Well, then Izuna it is then," she drawled. "Whoever he is, he wants the information in that notebook. Whatever was written on the wall of the Naka Shrine." Sakura took a step back and clutched the notebook closer towards her chest. Sasuke clenched his fists and continued to glare at Koharu and Homura, Mangekyou Sharingan spinning in his eyes. He stood up, and…
"Tsukuyomi," he said as the Mangekyou Sharingan stopped spinning.
"Insufficient," Koharu snapped back, her gaze alert. Sasuke fell back, panting. Sakura looked to Sasuke again, unsure of what to do. Shock crossed Sasuke's face briefly, and the expression was quickly replaced by one of determination.
"Amaterasu," he snarled. Black flames shot straight towards Koharu and Homura, but twin silver rings on their fingers glowed simultaneously, and a diaphanous barrier of pale blue chakra formed around them. Both were completely unharmed by the black flames. The held up their hands together.
"Special protection rings, a gift from Madara-sama," Homura introduced. Sasuke didn't even bother to correct him.
"Your little Sharingan tricks won't work on us, Uchiha," Koharu added, smirking. Sakura remained where she was. You have the Rinnegan, said a small voice in the back of her head. Use it. But she couldn't, and she almost didn't want to. She couldn't do anything but watch.
Karin and Suigetsu sprinted through the deserted streets of Konoha. "So, where to?" Suigetsu asked, looking back at Karin, who was a few feet behind him.
"Let's just go up to the elders' office," Karin suggested. "We just need to check if Sasuke's there. If he isn't, then we can go back home."
"Then what if he's there?" Suigetsu asked. Karin fell silent.
"I don't—" She stopped talking immediately as she crashed into Suigetsu, who had suddenly stopped. The force with which she hit him was enough to send him crashing down. Only after they'd hit the ground did she realize that there was someone else underneath them. "Hey! What are you doing up? The people of Konoha don't really trust you, you know, so you should—"
"My daughter disappeared from her bed," Nagato said, standing up and dusting himself off. Though he was frail-looking, Karin still felt rather intimidated by him. "I am simply looking for her. Do either of you know where she is?" Karin and Suigetsu exchanged nervous glances.
"Um…" Suigetsu mumbled. "Well…"
"She went to Danzo's office to get her notebook back," Karin explained. "We were just on our way over there." Nagato raised one eyebrow.
"Why?" he asked. "Surely she's not alone?"
"Naruto's probably with her," Suigetsu remarked. "And maybe Sasuke too."
"But hopefully not Sasuke," Karin added.
"Yeah, that would be bad," Suigetsu agreed.
"Wait," Nagato interrupted. "Why is it so horrible for Sasuke to be there?"
"Because he'll go crazy," Karin and Suigetsu said simultaneously. Nagato's mouth formed a hard line and his expression grew blank.
"I see," he said. "I shall go up to the Danzo's office then. You two should get back to bed." Karin looked to Suigetsu, unsure of what to do. Suigetsu was just as clueless as her.
"What should we do?" he whispered.
"I don't know," Karin answered honestly. "He has the Rinnegan."
"Which means he can probably do more than the two of us combined," Suigetsu concluded. The two turned to face Nagato.
"All right," Karin said. "Just hurry." Nagato nodded in affirmation before turning on his heel and striding towards Danzo's office.
Back during Team Seven's mission at the Land of Waves, Naruto had completely frozen in fear when the Demon Brothers attacked. Sakura had laughed at him then and called him a coward. Now she was doing the exact same thing. Now she was the coward. But no matter how much she berated herself, she couldn't bring herself to do anything. She was too afraid of what would happen and too confused about the sudden turn of events. She felt like she was a genin again, always getting in the way, too weak to do anything on her own. Now things were moving fast, and there was nothing she could do to stop them. "Sakura," Sasuke practically growled. "You have the Rinnegan. Use it." But she couldn't. There was nothing she could do but stand there and watch the scene unfold.
"Well," Koharu drawled. "Who to kill first?"
"Why don't we start with Danzo?" Homura suggested. "He betrayed us, after all."
"Or we can get rid of the girl with the Rinnegan," Koharu added. Homura shook his head.
"No," he said firmly. "Madara-sama specifically said he wanted that girl alive." Sakura gasped, and all will to fight disappeared entirely.
"Well then why don't we get rid of the Uchiha brat first?" Koharu asked. "He's been a thorn in our backsides since Itachi's mission."
"I agree," Homura concurred.
"No way!" Naruto yelled as he slid in front of Sasuke.
"You idiot!" Sasuke yelled. "They're after you too!" He turned to Sakura, looking slightly desperate. "Sakura, do something!" Sakura remained frozen.
"Why don't we just take them all to Madara-sama?" Homura asked. "After killing Danzo, of course."
"Not on my watch." Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Danzo turned to the source of the voice. At the windowsill stood a man, his silvery hair whipping around his face. The Rinnegan shone in his eyes, and Sakura's eyes averted to the floor.
"Otou-san…" she mumbled quietly. Nagato charged straight at Koharu and Homura and locked in a deadly duel with the both of them. They fought with kunai, constantly hacking and slashing at each other. Nagato was outnumbered, but the Rinnegan gave him an advantage. He turned back to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, help me," he said firmly. "With the sage's power, my Rinnegan, combined with your Mangekyou Sharingan… We could do almost anything." Sasuke nodded and charged at Koharu and Homura, his katana drawn. "Of course, you need to use your Tsukuyomi at the perfect moment."
"Understood," Sasuke said in a low voice as he swung his Chidori-lined blade at Koharu. "Naruto, Sakura, get out of here!"
"No!" Naruto protested. "We're staying!" Then the unexpected happened. Koharu and Homura swerved around Sasuke, somehow pushing him violently into the wall, drew two swords, and plunged them into Nagato.
"NO!" Sakura screamed, finally finding her voice. Quick as lightning, the elders yanked the swords out of Nagato's body, earning a grunt from the injured man, and plunged them into him again. Sakura collapsed onto her knees. Everything was falling apart. Everything was over.
"Stop," Danzo said suddenly, pointing two trench knives at both Koharu and Homura. "You have three seconds to leave before I drive these trench knives into your vital points. One." Koharu and Homura shifted slightly. "Two." Homura grasped Koharu's hand. "Three." They disappeared just as Danzo proceeded to stab them.
"YOSH!" Lee yelled. "We survived this war! Behold the power of youth!" Tenten gave an irritable sigh.
"We just survived one battle, Lee," she reminded him.
"There will be many more to come," Neji added solemnly.
"M-Maybe with Sakura-chan's R-Rinnegan and N-Naruto-kun's new powers, w-we can actually win," Hinata said hopefully.
"SO YOUTHFUL!" Lee screamed. "So much more youthful than your unyouthful cousin!" Neji scoffed.
"Lee," Tenten groaned. "Just drop the youth already." Neji drew to a halt as he gazed around the empty streets.
"Much has changed in this village since we left for war," he observed.
"I-I heard Tsunade-sama m-made the civilians evacuate," Hinata stuttered. Tenten shook her head as she stood next to Neji.
"It's not that," she objected.
"Sakura-san now has the Rinnegan," Lee pointed out. "The most powerful dojutsu in this world!"
"Well it won't be of much use if she doesn't even know how to use it," Tenten grumbled.
"A-And Sasuke-kun returned," Hinata added. "H-He was innocent this whole time."
"I don't buy it," Neji insisted. "He's still going to stab this village in the back. I can tell."
"M-Maybe he really did c-come back to protect S-Sakura-chan…" Hinata mused.
"But Naruto and Sakura always did place a little too much faith in him," Tenten pointed out.
"But Inoichi-san scanned his mind," Lee said. "He said that Sasuke-kun really did just want to follow in his brother's footsteps."
"I thought Uchiha Itachi was the enemy," Neji objected.
"Well he's not," Tenten retorted.
"Why?" Neji asked.
"It's really complicated," Tenten said. "Something about a coup d'état on the Uchiha clan's part and corruption and hypocrisy on the council's part."
"Either way, Itachi-kun was innocent," Lee concluded.
"Wh-What do we do now?" Hinata asked.
"Let us go home for now, Hinata-sama," Neji advised. "We will discuss our future plans tomorrow morning."
"Training tomorrow, Neji?" Tenten asked.
"But of course," Neji replied, smirking.
"YOSH!" Lee yelled. "I will do five hundred pushups and seven hundred laps around the village!"
"Lee," Tenten grumbled. "You'll wake up the whole village!"
"Sorry," Lee apologized in a much quieter voice.
"One," Sakura counted as she moved her glowing green hands across Nagato's wounds. "Two. Three. Four." Her shoulders sagged slightly, but her face remained completely devoid of any emotion. "They got you in four vital spots." Naruto and Sasuke didn't say anything, but the unasked question still lingered in the air: "Why didn't you use your Rinnegan to fight them?" Sakura could have given a myriad of excuses. She didn't know how to use the Rinnegan for one, she didn't know what exactly it did and… The list went on.
"It looks like my time is up…" Nagato croaked. "Again." Sasuke kept his eyes fixed on Sakura. He didn't know what unnerved him more: the sudden turn of events or Sakura's complete lack of emotion. He wanted her to cry, scream or do something. But she didn't. It was as if she'd become a completely different person within the past hour or so.
"Hang in there, Nagato!" Naruto yelled. "Sakura-chan can still heal you!"
"No I can't," Sakura whispered. "Vital spots are impossible to heal, and Koharu and Homura got you in four of them." She exhaled sharply. "I'm sorry."
"You can't blame yourself," Nagato objected, reaching a hand up towards her. "Sakura… I may have only known you for a short while… but I would not give that time up for anything." Sakura shook her head. "Sasuke… protect her… and continue following in Itachi's footsteps." Sasuke nodded affirmatively. "Naruto… the fate of this shinobi world depends on… you…"
"I know," Naruto said sharply. "You told me that last time you died." Nagato's hand fell to his side, and the Rinnegan disappeared from his eyes, leaving them a cloudy gray.
"Amegakure…" he choked. "That is where your mother is." Naruto and Sasuke turned to look at Sakura. "Find her… and tell her… what happened…" He let out a groan and his eyes glazed over. Sakura bent her head and choked out a sob, tears spilling out of her eyes.
XX
I fail at writing death scenes. Screw me. Anyway, back to chapter 539. WHY, NEJI, WHY? You know, there's proof that "evil Neji" may be a fake. You never see his Byakugan or his caged bird seal. I don't really agree with the theory that he's being possessed by Itachi's genjutsu or Nagato's Rinnegan. I'm almost positive it's an imposter. Wouldn't it be cool if Sasuke finally decided to make an appearance by impersonating Neji? But I guess that would mean he killed Neji then… Oh well. And was anyone else excited to see Sakura in an actual role instead of in just one panel? Hopefully we'll get to see her skills and (maybe) badassery?
Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!