Hey, guys! It's been a while! I apologize for the late upload but I hope the slight larger size of the chapter would put out your anger :P Hope you like it and I thank you beforehand for the feedback on it.
You can expect the next update in a month of so, depending on how busy I am with my summer internship work.
Have a great summer!
~XoXo
PS I do not own "Naruto" it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto ©
Cover up your face,
You can't run the race…
The pace is too fast,
You just won't last…
"Points of authority" by Linkin Park
"I knew this was going to happen! Cocky bastard!", Tsunade crumpled the piece of paper in her fist and threw it on the floor. The Raikage couldn't make it. Madara had attacked Kumo as well. Six thousand clones were attempting to invade the village and A couldn't risk sending the promised troops to Konoha and thus endangering his own village. Their plans ended in smoke and now Tsunade could only wait for Suna's response of their request. Not that she thought that the Kazekage would chicken out and hide in a mouse-hole, her worries came from the fact that they would arrive too late. Normally, the route between Konoha and Suna took two or three days for an average shinobi and if the Hokage considered that there would be large group of soldiers that meant more than three days.
Tsunade frowned, "Is there any sign of Madara?", the blond kunoichi looked through the window of the room. Shikaku had advised her to change her hideout because if its location was to be found out by the enemy, the civilians who were hidden nearby inside the Hokage Mountain would be endangered as well. So now, the Leaf leader resided in the old ANBU HQ.
"No, Hokage-sama. But I think he's waiting for his underlings to weaken our forces and then make an appearance.", the voice of Shikaku was calm and confident, the old shinobi let his forefinger slide across the map, "There's something that troubles me, Tsunade-sama."
"What is it?"
"Why are they attacking only the north gate? They have superior numbers. Wouldn't it be more logical to divide our troops?"
Tsunade hummed thinking, "Do we still get the regular reports from the guards on the other gates?"
"Yes.", a young shinobi, who stood by the door with a pile of papers in his hands, probably chuunin, answered respectfully.
"Are they authentic?", the Hokage raised an eyebrow.
The chuunin paused for a second not knowing what to response.
"The Hokage asks if you've sent someone to verify them personally.", Shikaku said with easily noticeable nervousness.
The young shinobi bowed his head down and shook it, "We were short on personnel and my captain said there's no need for verification. I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I'll go right away."
"No. Tell your captain to come here and then continue with your work. Dismissed.", Tsunade's frown darkened as she exchanged glances with Shikaku.
The sun was low on the horizon and it was bathing the battlefield in golden light. The fight hadn't ceased and the ground was covered with dead bodies and blood. Shuriken and kunai were stuck in the soil where the attacks had landed. Most of the still fighting ninjas were panting irregularly from exhaustion, wounds or simply chakra depletion. Kakashi was one of them. He brushed the sweat and the blood that was flowing from his forehead and picked up a kunai from the ground as he himself had run out of weapons. The medical team had brought the antidote vaccines just in time to save most of the wounded soldiers and relieve part of the stress and despair that were clinging on their minds.
The Copy nin was one of the few who were still able to fight despite being on the battlefield since the outbreak. His sharingan was once again closed preventing him to overstrain his eye and cause an internal bleeding, damaging the nerves. His coal eye glanced at Naruto to see him scattering his kage bunshin across the field where the defence had weakened. Kakashi sighed exhaustedly, "Does he ever run out of chakra?"
The jonin looked to the west with narrowed eye. Soon the sun would set and the fight would cease, providing them with the rest they needed. He doubted that even though the enemies were artificially created clones, Madara would continue the fight during the night time as well. The Copy nin noticed a fellow shinobi being dragged away from the battlefield by a short female pink-haired medic and the silver-haired jonin had to blink rapidly for a few seconds to distort the illusion his mind had created and notice that the medic was actually a pretty tall brunette. At time like this… he couldn't afford distractions of this nature.
Kakashi rushed once more in the middle of the battlefield and joined his comrades. There was no time for him to rest. Not when everybody else was giving up their lives to protect the village.
"I heard you forbade the verification of the reports.", Tsunade stared the tall man standing before her. The captain's face was straight without a hint of emotion.
"Yes, Hokage-sama.", his voice was deep and even.
"Why?"
"I couldn't waste even more people on tasks such as this."
"Waste? I'm sure you know that the verification process is as crucial as receiving the reposts itself.", Tsunade narrowed her caramel eyes, there was something strange about her subordinate.
"I apologize. I'll immediately send someone.", he bowed and prepared to leave.
"Wait a second. Why don't you ask Ton Ton to help you?", Tsunade smiled brightly.
The captain nodded and bowed, "I'll ask him, Hokage-sama.", he turned around and headed to the exit.
The Slug Princess clenched her hand and flashed after him, plunging her chakra-enhanced fist into his back, snapping the spine in two. The dead body smashed against the wall, forming a small radial crater around itself. Slowly its look began distorting and shifting until it took the shape of a white Zetsu clone, "Ton Ton's a pig, you freak! And she's female…", Tsunade murmured and turned around glancing at Shikaku who was standing still next to the spread tactical map, prepared to intervene any moment if needed, "Send team Guy to investigate what happened at the gates. And inform everybody that the enemy has invaded Konoha and somehow manages to take the form of any Leaf shinobi. The guards here must be questioned personally by me, so guide them in one by one inside – first will be Yamato. If Zetsu managed to clone a captain it won't be a surprise if the incursion had spread all the way to the high ranked positions such as Special jonin and ANBU."
"Wouldn't it be better to set up a password?", suddenly a voice sounded from the window and Tsunade turned around to see Jiraiya, leisurely supporting himself on the wall. The Hokage rushed at him and gripped him for the throat, "Now, now, sweetheart. It's me."
"Prove it."
"106 centimetres.", Jiraiya grinned.
The Hokage clenched her fingers around his throat tighter, barely blushed, "Something else."
"Well, I guess I could always tell you about that time in the hospital supply room where you…"
"Ok, I get it. It's you.", Tsunade interrupted him, turning around only to meet the inquiring look of Shikaku nailed at her. She cleared her throat, "Why are you here?"
Jiraiya grinned foolishly and pushed from the wall, "Do I need a specific reason?"
"You should be out there fighting."
"No, I shouldn't be. I'm not officially a Konoha shinobi anymore, Tsunade. I'm here only because of you.", the white-haired Sannin smiled and sat on one of the chairs next to the tactical map, "So tell me. What do we have here?"
Kakashi sat on the tiny camp-chair with two empty cups of instant ramen on the ground next to him. The strategic meeting had ended an hour ago and most of the shinobi were sent off to their tents to replenish their energy and chakra while the rest were on guard duty. As suspected, the clones ceased their attack once the sun went down that gave the medics an opportunity to treat the wounded and revaccinate the soldiers. The vaccine made from the antidote was effective for six to eight hours, depending on the degree of toxins in the system and the structure of the body as a whole.
The Copy nin stretched his body and stared at the spacious tent. Usually the regular troops were sharing a tent with their comrades but since Kakashi was appointed as the Commander of First division, he had his own tent similar to the ones of the other Commanders – Shizune, Guy, Ibiki and Yamato.
When it became clear that Jiraiya would stay with Tsunade, Tenzo was sent immediately to the front lines and now his kohai was turning the camp upside down, searching for Ino. The Copy nin paid a little thought about the missing kunoichi. During such battles it wasn't unusual to encounter a missing person or two. Some were simply killed, other were just laying low for a while dealing with their own issues and third were hiding. He knew Ino. She didn't strike him as a coward, nor as such weak minded girl. But he also knew her father – Yamanaka Inoichi. He was overly protective and he would do anything to keep his daughter safe. It won't surprise him to find out that he had locked his own daughter away from any harm's way.
Kakashi scratched the back of his head and stood up, walking mindlessly in circles in the tent. His body ached from the strain he put it under and cursed as he realized that the medics' treatment didn't help much with his muscle pain. He couldn't remember how long had it been since someone else than Sakura had treated his battle wounds. Except that one time when Tsunade broke his ankle on purpose in order to keep him from leaving Konoha but that didn't count.
Exactly as he feared, Sakura's healing had spoilt him tremendously. The cuts on his arms were clearly visible, some of the deeper ones were still slowly bleeding and the painful burning in his sharingan hadn't eased even a bit. Sakura no matter how busy, no matter how chakra depleted she was, she'd always treat her team with affection, paying a special attention to every one small cut and bruise. Her chakra was cool and slightly a bit more powerful than the average medical nin. The time it took her to fully heal a bone-deep cut was noticeably faster than the speed of those medics. Kakashi hadn't any new scars every since Sakura had completed her medical training and now when he looked at the ugly cuts the Copy nin frowned displeased. Yeah. He was definitely spoilt.
The silver-haired shinobi finally lay down on the sleeping bag and stared at the ceiling of the tent. It was for the best that Sakura wasn't here now. At least he could fight with his life on the line without worrying that later there would be a half an hour long lecture about the illogicality of throwing your life away and the importance of considering other people's feelings and how would they be affected by your own actions. He hated her for this. She would always make him feel guilty about endangering his own life. Hell, even now in his mind, the thought of sacrificing your life for nothing sounded ridiculous. Damn that girl. She had brainwashed him without him noticing.
The Copy nin sighed, removing the headband and closed his eyes. The exhaustion in his body quickly took over his senses and he fell asleep.
The entrance of the tent opened a little as a small pub entered quietly. Its fur was wet from the sweat emanating from his little body and there was foam coming out of his mouth. Pakkun dragged his feet to his master and sniffed him cautiously. He seemed Ok. The tiny dog pushed him gently with his nuzzle and then pressed a paw against his arm. He shouldn't sleep like this. He'd catch a cold. Pakkun growled annoyed. As if running through snowy mountains wasn't enough, he just had to babysit Kakashi as well. The pub bit the folded blanket near the Copy nin and dragged it over his body, spreading it cautiously. When the silver-haired jonin was fully covered, the dog barked mutedly, obviously pleased with himself.
Pakkun raised his paw with silent gesture which passed by unnoticed by the sleeping shinobi and disappeared in poof of smoke.
The morning came too early, that's what the Copy nin realized as he felt his whole body aching. He didn't remember covering himself with blanket but probably Tenzo came inside some time during the night and threw it over. He should probably thank him. A loud irritating ring echoed across the camp which announced that the sensor squad had caught a hold of the Zetsu's movements. Kakashi quickly jumped on his feet, tying his headband and grabbed the weapon pouch and vest, putting them on. He paused for a second as he stared at the ANBU ninjatō, leaning on the supporting spike of the tent. He had brought it last night from his apartment. Kakashi didn't want to admit but using it was quite helpful and somehow when he wrapped his hand around the handle he felt at ease. Quickly the Copy nin grabbed it and attached it at his lower back, a little above the belt, holding his pouch.
Once he went outside there was already an organized commotion taking place. The medics were revaccinating the shinobi and were finishing off the treatment of the few who were severely injured the previous day. The silver-haired jonin looked around and then whistled loudly, hundreds of heads turning in his direction, "First division, to the gates. We mustn't let them take over yesterday's positions!", a loud Hai was heard and Kakashi gave them an eye crease, "Of course only whoever's done vaccinating. Throwing your life away won't be considered heroic act nor will it be praised. You have 5 minutes." The Jonin observed the silent nods and nodded in return as well, before heading to Shizune's tent.
The Commander of the medical division was flinging her arms about angrily and yelling something at two young women in white gowns. "Is there any problem?", Kakashi asked as he drew closer.
"They're acting inadequately.", the brunette growled, "I cannot deal with this much longer! I need to supervise their work here at the camp but at the same time I need to be in the front line as a field medic. These two things are inconsistent. Only if Sakura was…", Shizune paused noticing the look in Kakashi's eye, "I'm sorry."
"What for?", he gave her an eye crease, "I know you'll do your best. Just don't overstrain yourself."
"Roger that."
"Any problems with the identity check up last night?", Kakashi narrowed his eye.
"Nope. We received the passwords", Shizune said sighing.
"Can you tell me what is it then?", Kakashi gave her an eye crease.
"Seriously, Kakashi? You doubt me?"
"You're responsible for the whole medical division. I cannot cut any corners.", Kakashi stared at her seriously.
Shizune bit her lower lip and averted her eyes away from Kakashi's face, "It's bigger than I thought…". The kunoichi blushed heavily and averted her gaze, trying to chase away the red colour. "Damn you, Tsunade-sama! Why does it have to be a quote from Jiraiya-sama's book?!"
Kakashi cleared his throat, "Shizune, you made it sound dirtier than it actually is.", the Copy nin's eye creased in a smile and replied, "Oops, the chair creaked…" The silver-haired jonin scratched his neck at the sight of the heavily blushing medic. It wasn't something extremely dirty; there were a lot more embarrassing lines in Icha Icha Tactics.
"Hatake-taicho! The division is vaccinated and ready to depart.", a voice was heard behind the two Commanders.
The Copy nin waved at the flushed Shizune and ran to lead his troops. It was going to be a long day.
"What's taking you so long?!", the hoarse voice of Baki spread in the open space around the camp and the shinobi quickly began packaging their belongings. The jonin from the Suna advisory council wasn't known for his patience and the Suna shinobi hurried to finish the preparations for their departure before something unpleasant took place. "What are you? Turtles? Quit logging your asses and let's head to Konoha before the Kazekage loses his patience!"
The Suna shinobi doubted Gaara-sama would react half as harshly as the Commander did but they made anything possible to leave faster. The troops had covered two thirds of the distance in a day and if they continued the pace they'd arrive worn out and unable to fight. The only thing keeping them together was the look on their Kazekage's face when he announced their mission to assist Konoha. Most of the Sand shinobi witnessed Naruto helping Baa-sama to revive their Kazekage and they were greatly grateful to the Leaf hero. The general unsaid truth behind their motivation to reach Konoha was hiding behind that exact event. That war they saw as an opportunity to repay their "debt".
The shinobi saw Gaara emerging from his tent and raising in the air on his floating sand. Smiles reached their faces as their leader lifted his hand in the air towards Konoha, "When we betrayed them and indirectly caused the death of the Third Hokage, Konoha didn't turn its back on us but instead they forgave us and accepted our Peace treaty. When I was kidnapped by Akatsuki and my Bijuu was taken away by those villains, Uzumaki Naruto, despite being Jinchuuriki and thus Akatsuki's target himself, fought for my sake, to avenge my death. He gave away a part of his own life to help Baa-sama to revive me. Me! The shinobi, who attacked his team-mates and nearly killed them. He who accepted me as a friend despite everything I've caused him and his comrades. That same friend now is trying to protect his home, just like I gave away everything to protect ours. Let for once Suna come to aid Konoha and prove worthy of their friendship!" Gaara finished his speech and the sand shinobi burst in exclamations. At the sign of their leader the troops headed, running, to Konoha.
"A little bit. Wait just a little bit, Naruto, and I'll come.", Gaara stared blankly at the trees in front of him with a smile lingering on his lips.
Naruto ran the Rasengan through the chest of the clone and jumped aside as another one sent a rain of prickles at him. Being immune to the poison was one thing but being stabbed another – it still hurt like hell. The Jinchuuriki had enough chakra reserves to last a day if it wasn't that damn poison. The moment it entered his body, the kyuubi chakra took over his regular one and thus disrupted his chakra flow. Not that he was complaining that he couldn't be poisoned it was just distracting and his jutsu cost him more chakra than usual. His overall strength and abilities may be on par with Kakashi but with regard to evasion and agility the Copy nin was still far better than him.
The Jinchuuriki sensed Hinata's chakra burst and immediately turned around in its direction. His girlfriend was spinning, deflecting a bunch of prickles. She looked gracious and elegant with dark hair locks flowing from her movements. Naruto grinned foolishly and then cursed as he noticed with his peripheral vision a clone attacking him from the side. The blond rolled over and released his breath. That was close. Distractions of such nature on the battlefield were indeed deadly. He remembered reading a chapter of Jiraiya's Icha Icha Tactics where similar event cost the life of one of the supporting characters.
Naruto sensed a familiar flickering chakra and frowned, recognising Kakashi's Chidori. Things must be getting pretty serious over there. How long has this fight been going? Seven, eight hours? He couldn't tell. The sun was starting to warm up the air and the boy could no longer see the steam coming out of his breathing. Probably it was noon. March in Konoha was very tricky month. The mornings were almost as chilly as the ones during the winter and in the middle of the day the temperatures reached 20 - 25°C. The amplitudes were deadly.
He was worried about Hinata as well. She wasn't feeling well these days and the Jinchuuriki hoped she wouldn't be injured or worse. She had told him it was simply the spring fatigue taking its toll on her body but he knew there was something else she wasn't telling him. Naruto jumped back few meters to regulate his breathing and heart beat. His chakra might be almost full but the tiredness was piling on his body and soon there would be a real danger of his limbs falling asleep. The other shinobi were taking shifts to vaccinate themselves and thus managing to steal two or three minutes of rest but as there was no apparent reason for medics to give him the antidote, Naruto hadn't taken a break since this morning when the fight started.
He wondered if Sakura had found out about the war outbreak. Even if she did it'd take her three full days to arrive. Probably it was for the best that she wasn't here. The Jinchuuriki wondered if she'd be able to fight with those clones, not after what Zetsu did to her. She was a kunoichi, yes, but she was a girl as well. A sudden rush of hatred burst out of him and he sent the clone in front of him flying backwards, sweeping few other Zetsus along the way. That fucking bastard! Who knew what else he did to her while she was held captive in their hideout. The Kyuubi inside of him growled pleased of the sudden increased amount of hate and rage inside Naruto's soul.
"Patience, boy. Patience. The major perpetrator hasn't arrived yet."
Naruto heard Kurama's voice deep inside him and replied, "I'll raze him to the ground."
"And I'll make sure to help you."
"Good.", the Jinchuuriki smiled viciously and attacked the nearest enemy.
Kakashi sensed a sudden disruption of the chakra field around the place where Naruto was fighting with the clones. Immediately he turned around at its direction. A small black twirling whole had begun appearing in the air. It was disturbingly similar to his Kamui. The Copy nin cursed loudly and rushed to Naruto's position. "You finally decided to show yourself, Madara." The jonin sliced away the clones that were in his way without averting his locked eyes from the dimension hole in the air.
Kakashi noticed second black hole appearing in his former student's blind spot, "Naruto! Step back!", he yelled ignoring the stinging feeling that this scream left on his vocal chords. Madara wasn't alone. He brought someone along and tried to summon him in different location than his, that's why it took him longer to appear. The Copy nin saw the Jinchuuriki running toward him and sighed relieved, "Watch your back. He can appear wherever he wants."
His former student nodded silently. It would have become ugly if Kakashi hadn't warned him. The Jinchuuriki summoned a shadow clone and formed a Rasengan on his palm. Emerging from the hole, finally, a hooded figure appeared on the battlefield. Naruto rushed at him without any warning, but the moment when his Rasengan should have collided with the body, the attack just passed through the enemy. The blonde shinobi cursed and stumble in his steps. A sudden burst of chakra indicated that Kakashi had attacked the second hooded person that appeared from the dimension hole as well. The Kyuubi inside Naruto growled as he felt a strangely familiar chakra. "Switch with Kakashi. I have some unfinished business with that bastard.", Kurama said in low growling voice deep inside the boy's soul.
The Jinchuuriki jumped back making a looping in the air and landed gently on his feet, pressing his back to his former teacher's, "Let's change, Kakashi-sensei." The two shinobi slowly circled around and now the Copy nin was facing the dimensional shinobi.
There was something strangely familiar to his chakra. Kakashi was almost certain that he knew its signature but at the same time it felt different, similar to Tenzo's. The silver-haired shinobi pulled out his ninjatō and took a defensive stance, "You decided to bring a friend, Madara."
A mocking chuckle behind him sent chills down the spines of the two shinobi, "You're a bit mistaken, son of the White fang. He's not Madara.", the hooded guy facing the Jinchuuriki, uncovered his face and both Naruto and Kakashi narrowed their eyes. The features of the man were wrinkled and the skin was dark – almost brown – his face reminded them of a tree bark. The only things distinguishing him from a wooden sculpture were the bright red sharingan eyes, glowing in the shadow of his long black hair.
"Then who are you?", Kakashi's voice was low almost like growling as his eyes scanned his opponent.
"Why don't you find out by yourself?", the enemy took off his hood and revealed an orange twirling mask with a single hole, revealing a right sharingan eye.
"This must be the other Uchiha that Sakura-chan told us about.", Naruto whispered refocusing his look at his own opponent.
Kakashi frowned. Madara should have been dead long time ago as well as the rest of the Uchiha clan except Sasuke. When Sakura sent them the information about the possible other Uchiha involved in this, the Copy nin never considered it to be true. The silver-haired jonin shot the masked shinobi a hateful glare, "Why are you attacking Konoha, Uchiha?"
"Really, Kakashi? You don't know?", the man chuckled bitterly, "It's all your fault!", he yelled suddenly changing his tone. The masked man stormed towards the Copy nin with a kunai in his hand. Their weapons collided with a clang and in the next instant Kakashi had passed right through his enemy and thus revealing his back wide open and unguarded. A deep slash tore his jonin vest and the silver-haired jonin gasped for air as he felt the metal tearing the skin under the layers of clothes. "It's your fault that I'm here killing off your friends. If it wasn't for you I might still be the delusional idiot I once was." Kakashi panted and stood up slowly as he felt his tank top began soaking with blood when the cut widened from his movement.
"Kakashi-sensei! You alright?", Naruto rushed to his side to help him stand up but the Copy nin raised his arms in protest. Suddenly the jonin pushed Naruto, sending him flying to the side and deflected the attack Madara sent at them.
"Stay focused, Naruto.", the Copy nin growled and followed with his coal eye how the masked shinobi disappeared in one of his holes only to emerge next to Madara in a matter of seconds. They would fight together. As expected. They were both Uchihas. But why did the voice of the masked one sound so familiar? The way he talked and the way his own name rolled on his tongue, it was like a déjà vu.
Suddenly, Madara's sharingan twirled and only in few seconds his body was wrapped in a purplish-red cloak, slowly taking the form of a giant. The Susano'o formed an arrow and shot it at the two Leaf shinobi. The bolt of chakra would have been fatal if Naruto hadn't activated the Bijuu mode and blocked the attack with a Rasen-Shuriken. The two jutsu collided in mid-air and the explosion sent the Konoha shinobi flying backwards as well as the dozen Zetsu clones which were moving toward the two Konoha shinobi. Kakashi coughed from the dirt and the smoke lingering in the air. The cut on his back widened from the hard fall and the Copy nin could swear that there was a dull snap that he heard coming out of his wound. His eyes fell on Naruto. The boy was panting and wiping the blood coming out of the corner of his mouth. The strain this jutsu put on his body was just too much. Kakashi knew that it was the first time he tried Rasen-Shuriken while using Kyuubi's power. Usually the Sage chakra prevented the damage done to the body by the technique but obviously the Kyuubi chakra was just nullifying the pain Naruto felt, at least until he released the Bijuu mode.
The Copy nin noticed a sudden movement in direction to their enemies and his head turned around just in time to see Madara's Susano'o forming another bolt. There was no time for him to activate Kamui and Naruto was still regenerating after the previous attack. The range of the explosion was just too big to escape from. Kakashi made the seals of a Doton jutsu. A high stone wall rose from the ground. This wouldn't be enough. The silver-haired jonin made a second wall right behind the first one then he rushed and gripped Naruto's arm pulling him further away from the bolt. The amount of blood pouring out of his wound increased significantly and he felt pumping in his ears. With his peripheral vision Kakashi saw the arrow piercing through his walls. Its power was vastly lower now but still not enough for him to stop it fully. Naruto stumbled in his steps and slipped from Kakashi's grip. The Copy nin looked at him and out of instinct pulled the boy's body behind his. They both stumbled and fell on the hard ground. The fall caused another dull crack on the back of the silver-haired jonin and he coughed from the piercing pain, spitting blood on the ground.
Everything began moving in slow motion. Just when the arrow was only meters away a purplish bolt collided with the red one, shooting it up in the sky. The blast burst in the atmosphere and spread ominous chakra in the air, causing the oxygen to weigh down. Kakashi panted in agony as he fully realized the condition his body was. The adrenaline and the fear he felt few moments ago gave him a boost of strength to try and protect his former student and now the Copy nin felt the consequences of his actions. A strong male hand grabbed him and helped him to lie on his side. When Kakashi's vision cleared from the aching in his back, his eye widened in shock.
"Sasuke."
"Kakashi.", the young Uchiha growled grinning. "You're quite messed up."
The Copy nin gritted his teeth and tried standing up, supporting himself on his arms. But nothing happened. A feel of despair ran through his face, "I can't feel my legs.", his voice was barely a whisper but loud enough for Sasuke to hear it.
The young rogue shinobi's grin disappeared and he quickly turned around, showing his back to his former teacher, "Naruto, take him to the medical unit."
For the first time since Sasuke's appearance, Kakashi remembered that Naruto was with them too. His eyes travelled to the boy's position. The blond was staring at him worried with torn clothes covered with blood and dust; the dilemma was written all over his face. The Copy nin knew the Jinchuuriki didn't want to leave Sasuke alone while facing those two monstrously strong shinobi, nor he wanted to abandon his sensei. Kakashi felt the shame and frustration invading his body.
"Is she here?", the silver-haired jonin whispered glaring at Sasuke's back.
His former student looked over his shoulder silently with only a hint of irritation, "What do you think?"
A sudden burst of chakra grabbed the attention of the three Leaf shinobi. Their eyes immediately refocused on the enemy. But there was none. Madara and the other Uchiha had disappeared.
"Fuck!", Naruto cursed and sat on the ground, panting heavily. The exhaustion his body felt finally kicked in and the boy eased his back, lying on the dirt.
Sasuke turned around to face the Copy nin, "The slash might have cut a vertebra. You need a medical attention immediately or you might remain paralyzed permanently. "
Kakashi tried to reply but he choked on the blood in his mouth. The coughing caused the wound to spread open even more. The pain was clouding his vision and the blood loss made his ears ring. "I'm losing it…", he murmured before his conscious blackened completely and he collapsed fully on the ground.
The Uchiha frowned and kneeled next to the silver-haired jonin. "Naruto, put him on my back. Let's take him to the camp."
The Jinchuuriki obeyed and as he was adjusting the body of his sensei on Sasuke's back, Naruto asked, "Is Sakura really here?"
The dark-haired shinobi nodded, "Yeah."
Sasuke dropped the cup full of hot coffee and cursed startled a Pakkun appeared suddenly on the small table in their living room, "What the hell?"
Sakura calmly raised an eyebrow, "How did you get here, Pakkun?", the kunoichi poured some of her hot tea in the plate under her cup and offered it to the panting dog.
"I set up a teleportation seal here and half the way to Konoha.", the pub licked his nuzzle with his pinkish tongue to warm it up faster, "Too bad there are distance limitations."
"What do you want? I bet Kakashi sent you to check on us again.", Sasuke murmured displeased, brushing the coffee stain from his trousers.
"No. Sakura, you need to come back to Konoha immediately."
"Why?"
"The war broke out."
Everyone in the camp was silent with paled faces as if they had seen a ghost. The kunoichi that stood in the centre of the Medical Division HQ tent should have died almost a year ago. But now there she was alive and kicking, before them.
The pinkette was smiling, as she recognized some of the faced. Her eyes searched for Shizune and when the emerald orbs met with brown ones, Sakura felt tears welling up but she forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat. The Medical division commander made a step forward.
"Is that really you, Sakura?", she asked with mixed hope and caution.
"Is that really you, Shizune-neesan?", the kunoichi replied with smile on her face.
"She must be one of Zetsu clones! Haruno Sakura died the day before the end of the Tournament.", a voice from the crowd echoed in the tent.
"You might be as well…", the young kunoichi turned slowly her head to the girl who said the last line and replied still smiling, "I don't remember seeing your face before in the hospital.", Sakura made a step forward to the suspicious kunoichi. When she stood before the brunette, the pink-haired kunoichi reached and placed a hand on her cheek. The girl before her shrieked in fear, "Why so scared? I won't hurt you if you're really you."
"Enough.", Shizune said and stepped closer, forcing the pinkette to face her, "Tell me. What did Tsunade-sama tell you when you first became her kohai?"
A dark shadow passed through Sakura's face, "Looking at someone's back doesn't always mean you're weak. It also means that they trust you enough not to worry about being attacked from behind… Strength is defined only by your own perspective... Being weak and being useless are two completely different things... As a medical nin your purpose is not to fight the enemies, your objective is to keep your comrades alive...", she said nostalgically.
Shizune yelped and pulled the kunoichi in her embrace, "It's really you!"
Sakura pulled out gently of the grip of her friend, "We've got a work to do, right? The tearful reunions can wait."
Tsunade's assistant nodded firmly and fixed her jonin vest, "Let me brief you on the recent events."
A commotion outside the tent grabbed Sakura's attention. Only seconds after Naruto barged in with Kakashi, unconscious, on his back. The Jinchuuriki's clothes were soaked wet with blood. The kunoichi's eyes widened and she rushed to her two team-mates. Her sight laid on Kakashi's back. "Oh my God.", a lump formed in her throat.
"Madara and the other Uchiha appeared.", Naruto placed gently the Copy nin on the operating-table, "Kakashi-sensei said he couldn't feel his legs."
Sakura ran fingers through her pink locks. The kunai had scratched a vertebra and thus pressing the nerve near it. The kunoichi looked at Shizune and the other medic nodded.
"Make a room. We have an emergency!", Tsunade's assistant yelled and gave out the needed orders.
The pinkette took a deep breath and rolled up the sleeves of her woollen blouse. She grabbed a pair of scissors and cut Kakashi's vest and tank top, revealing the bare back. The wound itself wasn't deep but the damage done to the spine was severe. She was glad she had returned. If such wound was to be treated by some inexperienced medic, it might cause Kakashi permanent disability. The kunoichi braided her hair and her hands glowed green as she began the treatment. He was going to be OK. She would fix him. She had trained her ass off in order to be able to protect herself and her friends. Such wound wasn't close enough to making her worry.
Her lips were sealed tightly and tears were welling up in her green eyes, "There's no need to worry. He's gonna be fine."
Naruto observed the kunoichi from the corner of the room. He sensed the slight disruption of her chakra flow. It was normal for her to fear for Kakashi. And no matter how well she tried to convince herself and the rest that she did not, Naruto knew better. The Jinchuuriki smiled slightly and walked out of the room, to leave Sakura and the other medics to work undisturbed over his sensei.
The blond shinobi looked to the left as he walked out of the tent. Sasuke was probably taking out some of the Zetsu clones on the outskirts of the battlefield were there weren't many shinobi. When they drew closer to the camp, Sasuke had given Kakashi to him and went back to help others. Naruto knew that he shouldn't show his face in the camp and a dull pain ran through his chest. The Uchiha wasn't a bad person, he just had a little bit more demons from the past hunting him down. Too bad Sasuke had made so many wrong choices over the years.
Naruto sighed and rushed to Tsunade's hideout. He needed to report the Madara's appearance.
"I gave it a lot of thought, Sasuke, and I think you shouldn't come back with me in Konoha.", Sakura said as they ran through the snowy mountain. "If somebody recognizes you, you'd be in a lot of trouble. Even though we're at war, they'd capture you or ..."
"I recall making a promise to you, Sakura.", Sasuke jumped over a barely visible concealed bear trap, interrupting the kunoichi, "You're in such position because of me, that's the least I could do."
"Pakkun said that Tsunade had come up with a cover story for my fake death incident.", Sakura said quietly, "I would most likely be forgiven for my actions but, Sasuke, the same doesn't apply to you."
"I'm aware of that, Sakura. But I've been a rogue shinobi for a long time. I know how to take care of myself."
"I just don't want to see you get caught that's all.", Sakura whispered.
"I'm flattered that you care so much for me.", Sasuke smiled and hurried forward, not wanting Sakura to see his face. If it was up to him, he'd leave Konoha to rot. That corrupted village needed to be razed to the ground and rebuild again in order to banish the evil that had taken shelter among the Leaves for so many years.
"Sasuke, can I ask you something?", Sakura stopped in her steps.
The Uchiha stopped as well and turned around, "What?"
"Why didn't you take me with you when you left Konoha? Was it because I was too weak and I'd be in your way or was it something else?"
"I didn't take you with me because I wanted power more than anything in this world. If I had taken you with me, you'd become my weakness. Not because I'd have to protect you but because I'd still have one more bond that I hadn't torn. My brother's words he told me that night were so deep engraved in my mind that I actually never thought that they might be wrong.", Sasuke frowned, ""Friends are liabilities, bonds make you dependable and weak. You cannot kill me if you're weak, Sasuke. Hate is the only true, never failing source of power." – that's what he told me."
Sakura bit her lower lip and her eyes fell, "I'm sorry.", she murmured.
"What for? Konoha's at fault, not you."
"But I'm Konoha's shinobi.", Sakura looked cautiously at the Uchiha.
"Even after everything I told you, you still…", Sasuke didn't finish his thought he just shook his head unbelievingly and continued.
"Sasuke, listen to me! Even if I think what happened is wrong I cannot do anything. I can't change the past. I can only believe that it was a one-time mistake, the Elders of the village won't do again. I can only hope that when Naruto becomes Hokage, he'd change the village for better. Because, yes, he's going to be the next Hokage. I believe it with my whole heart. And I'll give my all to make sure it happens.", Sakura yelled after the boy who just continued walking away from her, "I cannot execute revenge on the village without hurting the people living in it just because a group of old idiots did something stupid. Do you hear me, Sasuke?!"
The Uchiha froze in his steps, "Something stupid? Thinking that you can balance an ice cream waffle cone on top of your head is stupid! Ordering a shinobi to murder their own clan is not stupid, it's cruel and monstrous. And then blaming the whole thing on Itachi? Because he wanted to test his limits? Really? He had to fucking kill our own MOTHER!", Sasuke screamed and then turned his back to the kunoichi. "Don't get me wrong, Sakura. I owe you. That's all. When this fucking story is over, I'll personally make Konoha pay for its sins. Mark my words."
…
Sasuke sliced the throat of the nearest Zetsu clone. Since they reached Konoha's outskirts, the Uchiha had taken a different route than Sakura. He had sensed a weird chakra resonance in the atmosphere and guessed that probably Madara had shown himself. Knowing Naruto, Sasuke was almost sure that the Jinchuuriki was there. He had been right. When the Uchiha saw the Susano'o's bolt flying towards Naruto and Kakashi, he felt a sudden clench in the lower part of his stomach.
The former leaf shinobi drove his katana through the chest of the clone that tried to attack him from behind. He hoped that Sakura reached the medical division safe. Sasuke wasn't tormented with remorse about the way he talked to her back in the mountain. During the whole time they lived together in the hut, they never really talked about this stuff. The problem was left unsolved and they both probably felt that it would be quite a hassle if one of them ever tried to bring it up. The kunoichi was strong but he doubted that she had overcome what happened with Zetsu. If she was ever to be confronted with one of his clones alone, it would probably force the suppressed memories to resurface.
Sasuke cursed. He should have escorted her to the infirmary, instead he had just silently taken off to his own destination and now his mind couldn't focus on the enemies in front of him. "Damn!" the shinobi yelled loudly as he kicked the nearest enemy. The Uchiha felt a chill running on his spine. Someone was behind him. The rogue shinobi tightened the grip around his katana and span, attempting to slice through his opponent. But the person behind him wasn't an ordinary shinobi. The man was as tall as him with raven black hair and pale skin. He was holding a short ninjatō similar to the one the ANBU used.
They clashed their weapons and sparks came out. Sasuke frowned. This fighting style wasn't commonly used in Konoha. It was a mixture between ANBU and secret sword technique, used in the temples ages ago. He never really thought he'd meet someone who had mastered it to such degree. The expression on the raven-haired boy was as blank as the beginning of their confrontation which puzzled him because he rarely faced an opponent who was in full control of his emotions.
"Who are you?", Sasuke's voice was low and threatening.
The other shinobi deflected the Uchiha's attack and jumped back. He pulled out a scroll and a painting brush from his back and quickly drew something. Suddenly an ink tiger animated from the blank page and attack Sasuke.
"There's no need for you to know such thing, S-class rogue shinobi and former member of Team 7, Uchiha Sasuke.", the voice of the shinobi was indifferent and calm.
Sasuke grinned viciously, "Too bad, you seem to know a lot about me."
"Of course. After all, I'm your replacement. Now I'm a part of Team 7. Not you."
The Uchiha's brow twitched annoyed, "Nobody can replace me!", Sasuke growled and stormed at his opponent. "Nobody!"
Sai's brow barely flinched and a sly grin appeared on his face, "We'll see."
TBC