Hey guys! I know this chapter isn't much to look at, but it's a good way to lead into the sequel of this story. I hope this has made quite a few of you happy : ) Happy reading!
Epilogue: Akatsuki Angel
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
The man that lay before her was handsome in his own way. He had orange hair and piercings, which would make him roguishly handsome. She knew instantly why her student had fallen for him.
Pein, the leader of the Akatsuki, was dead, and his body lay before her. She had thought that the death of this man would bring her closure, but it did not. Tsunade was not one to stay bitter forever, but the pain in her heart still did not go away. That was because of her student, and because her beloved student was still not with her.
The restoration of Konoha was going well: the ninja from both Sand and Leaf were doing an excellent job in repairing the buildings in the town. The only thing that was missing was the person she had to thank most. Tsunade knew Sakura was the reason Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai were still alive. Kakashi had talked about the short alliance between Akatsuki and the four Konoha shinobi; she was sure that Sakura was the one who kept the Akatsuki honest about the exchange.
It was unfair. She didn't want the man before her, she wanted her student. And there was only one way Tsunade was going to be able to get her student back. She had thought, and tried to come up with alternatives, but she didn't know any.
When Kakashi had brought back Pein's dead body, and Zetsu's still breathing body, he had also brought back something incredibly important from the Akatsuki base. It wasn't any information on their hideouts, but it was something more important in her eyes. Kakashi had brought back Sakura's kunai pouch.
After spending days just looking at the pouch, Tsunade felt it was the right time to open it. Going through the small pockets, Tsunade was near tears when she found the necklace team seven had given Sakura for her birthday. She had wanted to stop then, but something told her to press on. After a few more minutes of searching, Tsunade found a scroll.
The concept was so easy, and Tsunade knew instantly that this was the reason most of the Akatsuki had been resurrected. She knew Sakura was capable of this, and was actually proud of her protégé for resurrecting so many men. It was impressive, especially because the men were S-Class nin. After reading more over the scroll, and after hearing Kakashi's report, Tsunade became convinced that Sakura would not be able to resurrect another person anytime soon.
Kakashi had reported Sakura's inability to resurrect Kakuzu. After discovering this, she knew her student would not be able to resurrect another person; especially the orange haired man before her.
And she hadn't killed Zetsu yet; Kakashi was still in the process of interrogating him. She would kill the man in due time, and some of Sakura's lifeforce would be returned to her. Tsunade just didn't want her student to do something stupid.
Tsunade had one option, and as she bit her thumb, and brought blood to each of her fingers, she knew she wouldn't regret her decision.