Chapter 24 – A Grueling Awakening

He doesn't know what he's doing here, in a dango shop, when he dislikes anything that is sweet. Someone laughs behind him and he swears it's at him. His eyebrow twitches as he progresses slowly in the queue in front of the counter. "How can such a small room hold that many people? Nobody knows that sugar kills?" A girl on his left brushes his shoulder and when he looks at her, she recoils in fear. "That's right, know your place, sugar addict." She goes back to her table, glancing at him behind her long eyelashes once or twice, her long blonde ponytail waving as she walks. When she arrives, she has a smug look on her face and a second later, every damn girl at the table is looking at him, giggling. "Really? Why did I leave the house again? Kakashi's training, right. He is supposed to train me. That's the only reason I would come out of my apartment. The only reason… Right?" When it's his turn, he orders the first thing he sees on the menu and leaves hurriedly, trying to avoid the blonde girl, who's now making her way back with a confident look on her painted face. As he's escaping the shop through the horde of people, a box of dango in one hand and a fist in the other, a voice stops him right on track.

"Mah, Sasuke. Never thought you had a sweet-tooth."

"Kakashi."

His sensei seems to have been waiting for him by the way he leans against the wall, his stupid book open in one hand.

"We are supposed to meet in half an hour at the training ground, what do you want?"

"My, Sasuke, and I thought you were enjoying my company." The older man ruffles the boy's hair as he passes by.

"Tch."

"Well, I felt your chakra, thought I might warn you I will be a bit late, I have something to do first. But, I see you're ready to snack anyway. You're going to see Sakura-chan?"

"You're always late… And no, I'm not. She's still unconscious. I don't lose my time at someone's bedside. I'm not the dobe."

"Oh. I see."

The boy shrugs and turns to leave.

"But", the silver-haired man continues, "she's awake now."

Sasuke freezes. "She is?"

"Aa. Her parents were at her side, but had to leave, so she's alone now… You know, since Naruto is training, and I had something to do, and you… had to ate dango…"

The tips of Sasuke's ears turn red and he looks down at the box still in his hand.

"I'm sure she'll be really happy to see you. You two have a deeper bond than any of us after all!"

"No, we don't."

"Well… she really likes… dango… As you know…"

"Hm." It's true. She is always dragging them here after trainings or missions, though he never ordered anything… until today.

"Anyway, see you later Sasuke!" And with that, his sensei disappears in a cloud of smoke, leaving his black-haired student behind in deep thoughts. Unbeknownst to him, two men sitting not far from the shop disappear as well, but not before one of them glances one last time at the boy.

People are talking, but an annoying beeping in her ear successfully diverts her attention from what they say. She's lying on her back, on a hard mattress and a thin pillow. The first time she tries to open her eyes, a blinding white light welcomes her. She lets out a whimper and quickly shuts them again. The voices surrounding her stop their chatters and a chair is moved. When she tries to look, this time, she's careful and does it slowly. A cold hand intertwines its fingers with hers and squeezes them slightly. She turns her head to the side and her eyes land on a frail figure, blond hair covering petite shoulders and then her eyes meet with two watery seafoam orbs.

"Mom." Her voice is raspy and weak. She doesn't like it.

"Honey! We were so worried! How are you feeling?"

She slowly sits up and assesses her surroundings. White walls, white tiled floor. Big windows. Medical equipment and a cardiac sensor. And one aloof figure, back against the wall, lone eye focused on the orange book in its hand, though subtly glancing at her every now and then.

"Your father was here not so long ago. He had to go back to the bakery, but he was really worried. You know it, right?"

She looks at her mom again and smiles weakly.

"Mm. I'm glad you took the time to come. All of you." The last words are directed at Kakashi, and the silver-haired man closes his book before advancing towards her slowly, his lone eye crinkling.

"What happened, Kaka-sensei?"

The man stops at the end of her bed and one of his hand gently lands on her ankle, where he gives her a reassuring squeeze.

"When I arrived, you were unconscious, Sasuke was trying to stay awake, though he was way over his limit, and Naruto was laying not far from both of you, talking some sense into that red-head, but unable to move an inch. I brought you here, and they started healing your broken limbs and all. You were in a coma for three days due to your head injury, but nothing a good medic-nin can't heal."

He pauses a bit, trying to find his words, then continues, his voice calm and low, though Sakura can hear something new in it. "What is it? Sadness?"

"The invasion was stopped. Not too many losses… All in all, we were lucky."

A sigh escapes his lips, and he takes a few steps closer to her bedside, but turns his head the other way, facing the window.

"Hokage-sama is dead. It happened while you were fighting in the forest. You missed the ceremony. It was yesterday."

"The Hokage… is dead? Ho… How?"

"Orochimaru."

Everything becomes silent. Sakura retains her breath but her heart starts to beat faster, making the cardiac sensor to beep at an increasing rhythm. Kakashi looks back at her and after assessing her condition, continues:

"But he's not very strong himself right now. Anbu squads are looking for him. I'm sure we can find his hiding spot… Don't you worry, Sakura-chan."

"And where is Sasuke? And Naruto?"

"Sasuke is okay. Probably training or something. He is safe. And for Naruto… Well, he left."

"What do you mean, he left?"

"Don't think he was happy to leave, but Jiraya-sama and he departed for his training yesterday, and meanwhile, they are trying to find the new Hokage too…"

"… I see." She can't believe everything she just heard. The death of the Hokage she has known all her life, the reappearance of Orochimaru, the fact that he was more powerful than the most powerful man in her village. Chills go down her spine at the thought.

"You look so tired honey. Maybe we should leave and let you rest some more. We'll come back later."

The woman leans and gives her a peck on her forehead, before heading for the door, and her sensei ruffles her hair and disappears in a cloud of smoke. Lost in her thoughts, she doesn't react when someone knocks on the door. Then, a nurse comes in with a tray of food in his hand. He is tall, probably in his twenties, with spiky brown hair and beautiful green eyes. His not very muscular, but his face his so soft and his smile so kind that Sakura can't help the giggle that escapes her lips when his cold fingers come in contact with her wrist. "So, it's not just with Sasuke. You really are obsessed with boys…"

After taking her vitals, the man sits at her side, where her mother was before, and asks her about how she feels while she eats the tasteless food. When the list of formal questions is over, he enquires her about her life, her team, her friends, and she blushes profusely at the attention she gets from this older, handsome man. "He's just doing his job, girl." Hana reminds her.

Afterwards, he helps her stand up and walks with her until they reach a bathroom situated at the opposite side of the corridor. Then he gives her a new set of clothes that her mother left for her, assuring her he will be helping her back to her room when she's finished. She thankfully accepts his offer, though she already feels better, only to be with him once again. "Jeez, calm your hormones, he's like Kakashi's age."

"Please, why did you have to talk about sensei?" An image of the silver-haired man replaces the nurse's one and Sakura shuts her eyes suddenly.

"Well, sensei is hot, way more than him."

Sakura's face turns crimson as she closes the door behind her. "Stop it! He's my sensei. My old sensei!"

"With broad shoulders, muscular arms and chest, and…"

"Please, just shut up!" The girl places her hands on her ears in an attempt of blocking Hana's not so innocent thoughts and drops her clothes by doing so.

"We are thirteen, Hana. We should be thinking about boys our age."

"We shouldn't be thinking about boys at all, you mean." Hana responds as Sakura enters the shower.

"Yeah, whatever."

Fifteen minutes later, the girl stops the water and comes out of the shower. When she looks at the clothes her mother got her, her shoulders fall down in something akin to deception. A dress. Her mother brought her a green dress. "Well, I hope I will not have to fight before I have time to change into my training gear… Thankfully, she thought about bringing black shorts as well. She does know me a bit." Then, she notices her headband is missing. "Really mom? Now everyone will think I'm a civilian girl whose only desire in life is to be pretty and marry a rich and handsome man."

"You just described yourself."

Sakura's eyes narrow at that, but she can discern the mirth in Hana's voice so she lets it pass and after brushing her teeth, she leaves the room. The nurse is at a desk not far from the bathroom and when he sees her, he finishes his task quickly and comes back, making sure she's still feeling okay. Then, they walk back to her room at a slow pace.

"I noticed you already have a few scars. You're job sure looks dangerous to me. And you are so young! Can I ask how you got them?"

She blushes and stumbles a bit on her words when she answers.

"We-well, uhm… It is sure d-dangerous, but, saving lives is what… what matters… ri-right?" At that, he gives her a knowing smile and she takes a second to recompose herself. "I have three big scars…", she continues. "The one on my forehead, the smallest, I got it while saving my client's life. That was the first time I was proud of myself..." She smiles at the recollection. "When I got the one on my collarbone, I almost lost my life. I was trying to save someone's life. Someone dear to me… My teammate. But at the end, the opposite happened. Without Sasuke-kun, I wouldn't be here today…" She passes a hand on her forearm, feeling the carving letters on her soft skin. "And the last one… It's a reminder that I have to train harder if I want to protect myself… Because I tend to forget that I need to take care of myself too, you know."

They are now in front of her door. The man turns to look at her while his hand turns the knob and pushes the door open. "Well, my dear Sakura-chan, I have to say that no matter what people say, I think those scars make you look even prettier."

Her face now a new shade of red, she turns her head the other way, not knowing what to say, when her eyes meet with two obsidian orbs.

"Sasuke-kun!"

The two teens stay silent after that and doesn't move a muscle. The boy's eyes travel back and forth between the nurse and the blushing girl suspiciously before taking in the appearance of his teammate. She's wearing a green dress that stop mid-thigh and falls perfectly on her slim body, showing her tiny waist, her slender arms and legs with new defined muscles, and her pretty collarbone, still marked with the pink line of her scar. Her hair, still damped, starts to curl and one side of her bang is tucked behind her red ear. "She's pretty today… I mean she looks pretty well today…" The nurse notices the box in Sasuke's hand, then the way he looks at the pink girl and decides to take his leave. Putting a hand on her petite shoulder, he turns to her.

"I'll give you two some privacy. I'll be at the desk again, if you need anything, and will come back later to see if you can be discharged. Ja ne!"

When the door closes, Sakura gets out of her torpor and clears her throat.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm glad you came!"

Upon hearing his teammate's voice, the boy averts his gaze to look at the bed.

"Aa. Kakashi told me you were awake."

"Mm. I'm fine really… Are these for me?"

"Hm." The boy places the box on the bed without looking at the girl and turns to watch through the window at the cloudy sky. "What am I doing here? I should be training. Tch. She's so annoying."

"Mmthanng ouh, mmsasue-unn." When Sasuke looks over his shoulder, he feels his heart fluttered at the sight of Sakura, a mouthful of dango and a stick in one hand, her face the same color of her hair and her other hand hiding her mouth, her eyes wide. She swallows quickly.

"Sorry. I was eager to eat something good…" Her gaze falls to her feet sheepishly. When she hears footsteps approaching her, she looks up to see Sasuke smirking.

"Are you mocking me?" She tries to hide her smile with a pout and pushes him slightly on the shoulder.

"Aa." His eyes are glued to her mouth and he doesn't know why. She begins to giggle, and he even lets a chuckle escape his lips. When silence comes back, Sakura tucks a stray of hair behind her ear and asks:

"Ne, Sasuke, do you happen to know where my headband is?"

"Your mother took it with the rest of your clothes, I think. She said she wanted to try to wash away the blood…"

"Oh… I see…" Then, realization hits her. "So, you met my mom?"

Sasuke shrugs. "Aa. And your dad. The first day, when the doctor said you were in a coma…"

She winces at that. "You met my dad… Oh… Sorry about that."

"Hm. He and Naruto are… surprisingly a lot alike."

"To my dismay… But… that means… you came to see me before?"

"Aa. With the dobe and Kakashi." When she notices that her teammate seems uncomfortable, she doesn't push further.

"Well, thanks. It means a lot. I know how you and Kakashi hate being in hospitals."

Sasuke is about to respond when a voice in the corridor interrupts him.

"My youthful rival. Somebody helps him. Please!"

The teens lock eyes and their brows furrow before they flung out of the room in time to see their sensei being lay on a hospital bed, unconscious, the other three senseis of Konoha's genins looming over him, worried. Then, when the nice nurse from before pushes the bed in one room, they follow silently, curious and, in Sakura's part at least, concerned.

"Tell me what happened." The nurse inquires quickly, assessing Kakashi's state.

"It has to do with the sharingan. He's been sent into a powerful genjutsu by Uchiha Itachi. We don't know how to dispel it."

"Uchiha… Itachi? What was he doing here?" The nurse asks, surprised. Silence fills the room and Sakura turns to look at Sasuke. Her teammate's fists are clenched and his features, closed.

"He's after Uzumaki Naruto. I just hope that Jiraya-sama will be enough to protect him." Asuma answers, a cigarette in his mouth even though he's in a hospital.

"Naruto?" Sakura can't hold back her query and everyone turns to look her way, their eyes widening after noticing Sasuke's presence and aura.

"Where is he?" His voice is low and serious.

"You can't go after him, Sasuke. It's not in your control." Kurenai speaks softly.

"It doesn't concern you. He is my brother. He killed my clan. Where is he?"

Gai sighs before giving him the name of the city where Naruto and Jiraya were heading.

"It's not so far, I can make it in time." And with that, the Uchiha jumps through the open window without hesitation.

"Sasuke-kun! Wait! I'm coming!"

"Sakura-chan, you have not fully recovered!" The nurse yells but the girl is already gone.

When Sakura finally reaches Sasuke, he doesn't acknowledge her presence at first. Then, an hour later, when the gates of the village come in sight, he slightly turns his head to her side.

"If we find him, you do not interfere. This is my revenge. And make sure Naruto stays away too."

Then he accelerates without waiting for her answer and they enter the crowded town. "Alright, we split up. If you find them, explode something so I can hear you."

"Aa. Do the same if–" She doesn't have time to finish her sentence that her teammate is already out of sight.

She decides to start with the hotel from the other side of town, since Sasuke seems to have already begin his search in the shops surrounding her. When she reaches the building, a motel not so creepy, but not too expensive also, she thinks it looks like somewhere the old Sannin would go and enters the lobby confidently.

"Welcome young lady", a man tells her at the reception desk. "How can I help you today?"

"I'm looking for my friend. A blond boy around my age accompanied by an old man…"

"Aa. Let see…" he looks in a book in front of him. "Ah ha! Yes! They are in room twelve. Second floor, first door to your left passed the first corridor."

Without thanking the man, Sakura jumps through the stairs, then runs in the hall of the second floor. When she turns the corner, she bumps into something hard. A chest. A really big chest. A blue hand quickly grabs her shoulder and holds her in place.

"S-sorry!"

"Sakura-chan!"

Upon hearing Naruto's voice, her eyes shots up and she notices that the man holding her his very muscular and tall, that he is wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it and that he is holding a big sword in his other hand. Then her gaze falls on his face. A shark-ish face with blue skin. Her eyes widen in fear and she tries to retreat but the hand on her shoulder is stronger than her will.

"You know that pink-haired girl, kid?" the man asks in a raspy tone.

She glances to her left and she notices another, smaller man, also wearing the ugly cloak, who's standing right in front of her friend. His long dark hair is tie in a low ponytail and his Konoha headband resting on his forehead is scratched, his face, an older copy of Sasuke's features. "Uchiha Itachi."

"What are you doing here, kunoichi?" The Uchiha asks in a low voice.

That's when she remembers Sasuke. "I have to warn him…"

She tries to reach her pouch but realizes she doesn't have it. "Dammit! Stupid dress!" Panic starts to rose, but she quickly recomposes herself and decides to use another way to attract Sasuke's attention. Channeling chakra to her hand, she takes a hold of the blue fingers still on her shoulder and swings the man on the wall next to them, successfully breaking the façade of the building in a loud noise. Then, she jumps backwards.

"Naruto, dammit! Do something! They want to kidnap you, don't let them!"

As she lands a few meters away and starts to assess the situation, a big sword charges at her and she avoids the weapon by a mere centimeter, still getting scratched a bit on the arm. She falls on her knees a second later, felling some of her chakra leave her body.

"Mmm. Samehada finds your chakra really tasty. She says its sweet and soft." The blue man reappears in front of her and chuckles, taking his sword back. "I must say, your look is really deceiving. I like it."

"Oye! You've hurt Sakura-chan! You're a dead fish you hear me?!"

Naruto performs is shadow clone jutsu and launches at the shark man. Finding an opening, Sakura starts to wave some signs, before jumping in the melee, but Itachi catches her wrist and twists it until she stumbles in his chest.

"Your genjutsu is probably not strong enough anyway, but just in case. I need Kizame's strength." He applies a little more pressure on her arm and the sound of broken bones reverberates through the hall, follows by the pinkette screams.

"Itachi! Let go of her. I'm the one who will defeat you." Sasuke stands in the hole of the wall, his hand illuminated by his chidori. Without further notice, he charges at his brother, who easily dodges the attack and pushes Sakura in the wall with full force, where she slides to the ground with a thud, barely conscious. Meanwhile, Kizame has already defeated Naruto's clones and is holding the blond boy by the collar, a smirk on his lips.

"Who is it, Itachi? I thought you had killed everyone in your clan, but he looks just like you… It's funny."

The two Uchiha fight for a minute, Sasuke putting all his efforts into hurting the man and the latter avoiding the blows easily, his face impassive. Then, he catches Sasuke's arm and winds him over, successfully detaching the limb from its socket, and kicks his sibling in the back, propelling him on the wall next to Sakura.

"Foolish little brother. You are weak. What were you doing all these years? You didn't train enough, obviously."

Sasuke's now shaking in rage and when Sakura looks at his face, she sees how much he's hurt by those words.

"Don't listen to him Sasuke. You're the strongest genin I know, and he is older than you. It's not fair." She puts a hand on his shoulder but he pushes it away quickly.

"Shut up. You don't understand."

When he gets up, she follows him, though her body screams in protest.

"Is she the dango girl, Sasuke?"

The boy's body tenses suddenly, and he shots his eyes up to meet his brother's gaze, horror adorning his features.

"She seems to care about you a lot…"

In the corner of his eyes, Sasuke sees Sakura taking a defensive stance.

"Sakura, leave, right now."

"What? No! I'm not going to let both of you die in here. I'm sorry Sasuke, but you are not ready to face him yet, and if you want to avenge your clan, you have to stay alive! We have to take Naruto and leave together!"

"She knows?"

"SHUT UP! SAKURA, HE WANTS TO KILL YOU! RUN!"

A pause. Then she understands. "Oh." Itachi chuckles before launching forward. Sasuke quickly places himself between the two but is easily pushed to the side. Sakura focus chakra to her feet and enhances her speed to flee, but when she jumps, Itachi grabs her ankle and yanks her back. As she is about to land on the wall again, she turns her body and absorbs the chock with her chakra infused feet. A second later, he appears in front of her and she tries to punch him but he avoids her fist, after which his hand wraps around her throat and he holds her to his level, Mangekyou Sharingan meeting two wide and pretty seafoam orbs.

Then, for what feels like forty-eight hours but is merely a second, Sakura is stuck in the same Tsukuyomi her sensei experienced two hours ago. After getting stab again and again, her mind gives up and she falls back into coma. Fortunately for her, Hana isn't present in that genjutsu and when Itachi's eyes fade into black again, the other girl takes control of the limp body and with all the chakra she has left, she takes a hold of Itachi's hand still wrapped around her throat and breaks it. A disbelieving look on his face, the man drops Hana and retreats, watching her with a calculating gaze.

"How did you?"

In a cloud of smoke, Jiraya appears in front of the older Uchiha as Sasuke hurls to the pinkette side, now sitting on the floor.

"Sakura! Are you okay?"

Hana watches the boy's face for a while, then murmurs:

"No, she is definitively not okay."

I'm so sorry for the wait! But, at least, this chapter is longer than what I expected. I hope you can forgive me! Now that its summer time, I will probably have the time to publish the rest of the story! I'm so eager for you to read the next chapters. And, spoiler alert, I have a sequel in mind too!

Thanks for reading/following/reviewing. It always means a lot to me.

If you are a reader since the very first publication, first, thank you so much. Also, I want you to know that I'm currently reviewing the story and (mostly) the writing, if you're curious :)

Enjoy the sun!