Chapter 36: The Means to an End

A/N: OMG I can believe I'm finally ending this… but not with this chapter of course. Please Read and Review till the end.

Sakura's Dream

"What do you want from me!" a man with orange hair and eyes shouted as he struggled from being dragged into a strange room by two hooded figures. "KYO-NIISAN!" Sakura shouted but in seems that she is again but an audience to the show.

"Ah the last of the Shinguuji clan," a male voice said as Kyo was being chained to the wall. "The only living survivor of the clan that can take away memories in an instant," this time a female voice said as she approached their battered prisoner.

"You can live you know. All you have to do is lend us your technique for a while…" "Like hell I would!" the prisoner tried to grab the woman's neck but was restrained by the chains.

"Well, if you're going to be like that then…" a scream of pure pain filled the entire room as Sumire plunged her katana into Kyo's chest. "NO!" Sakura screamed but it couldn't reach them at all. She felt a terrible ache in her chest as if she was also stabbed. "Oi, oi we need him you know," a man with long braided hair grabbed her hand that's wielding the sword.

"He's still alive anyway," she withdrew her blade and licked its blood stained tip. "Proceed with the plan," she sheathed her katana then smirked at the bleeding prisoner. "Very soon you'll be begging us to end your life," she pulled his short hair so that Kyo would look at her then she smirked. "It's such a shame a good-looking guy like you will have to suffer. I can get you out if you'll…" "Keep dreaming bitch!" Kyo said with all the strength he had left. Sumire raised her eyebrow then pushed her palm on his stab wound making him cry out in pain then she walked away.

What happened next? Sakura couldn't handle. The four people including a certain silver haired man inserted plastic tubes into his body. On the eyes, nose, mouth, ears… she failed to take notice on the other places the tubes were inserted. All she knew was Kyo was suffering… and each time a tube was inserted through his body he begged them to end his life.

Sakura felt her stomach turn and her body turned into jelly. Though, she wasn't looking anymore, she can hear his cries, his pleads to end his torment. When she heard they were done, she turned around to see the image of the man she when Sumire and Kamui had brought her inside a huge room.

It was Kyo's body filled with chakra coated tubes. Her breathing became difficult as she observed that the orange haired man was still breathing. "Do it!" a female voice commanded. Her emerald green eyes widened in horror as she saw something being sucked out of him. It flowed from the tube to the empty container at the end. Though, she was already panting she felt herself losing air. Kyo was dying in front of her and she can do nothing but watch.

His mouth though a tube was inserted through it tried to speak, Sakura could barely understand the words so she read his lips. Kyo said "I'm Shinguuji, Kyo," she couldn't read the words that came next because her vision became blurry with tears. He remembered… he remembered. Kyo extended a hand in front of him as if seeing an invisible Sakura.

Sakura found the strength to stand up. Extending her hand, she tried to grab Kyo's but then… his hand fell lifeless to his side as the tubes stopped sucking from him.

"That's the end I guess," Sumire concluded as she grabbed the bottle filled with the thing that was sucked out of Kyo. "This is it huh… the technique only the Shinguuji clan can perform," without hesitation, she drank it.

Kamui watched as Sumire was surrounded by a different aura then it dissipated. "Now… all I need is 'her' blood to know the answers we seek," with that Sakura's eyes flew open.

He was advised to leave Sakura alone to rest but then something in him told him to stay so he did. He watched her as she slept. Sometimes he would tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear while all the while his other hand never released hers.

When her eyes opened and she suddenly sat up, he was planning on leaving thinking that maybe she would turn into a spitfire again. But when Sakura turned to look at him, he saw her eyes with tears demanding to be shed. All thoughts of leaving left him; he held her hand tighter and uttered "Sakura,"

She immediately wound her arms around the sand master. Gaara was so surprised by her action that he couldn't react then he heard her say "Genjutsu or not… please… let me stay like this… even for a while longer…" she pleaded with her broken voice. His emerald eyes widened then he returned her embrace with all the emotions he had bottled up.

Upon feeling his arms around her, she can't help but let her tears fall. It had been long enough since the last time she cried. After all the things she had gone through, she held back her tears but now… she was crying openly in his arms. This time she did not held back at all… she cried with all the hurt… all the loss… and all the hatred she feels.

Naruto and the others were about to enter Sakura's room but when they heard her cry and Gaara saying "I'm here," they had to leave them alone.

A long while later, Tsunade together with the gang entered the room. "Glad to see you fine Sakura," her sensei said upon seeing her talking with the sand master. Sakura made a slight nod then "I'm sorry for what had happened Tsunade-sama," she looked at her blond teacher apologetically.

"What are you saying Sakura? You defeated me that's your fair win," the lady hokage winked at her apprentice. "Besides you only made me unconscious… you're still soft." "Sakura-chan only made you unconscious! That's one way of dodging an embarrassing defeat!" the noisy whiskered ninja interrupted garnering a huge bump on the head.

"Though I had that figured out, I was really wondering how you made me unconscious. Mind telling me Sakura?" Tsunade settled herself on the couch. "I used my hair…" she grinned at her dumb folded teacher and friends. "HAIR!" They exclaimed in unison. "Well, in the middle of the battle I kept stroking my hair right? The truth behind that is… I was really leaving strands of my hair in different places on the battle field and every time Tsunade-sama attacks me. I would used my chakra to make the strands of hair be as hard as needles then using chakra threads I would inject it to her. The feeling of being pricked by the needle is minimal plus the fact that I would heal the puncture would right away after injection of the poison," she smiled at them as they all formed "o" with their mouths.

A small tiger cub climbed to her bed. "Azrael! Its been a while since I last saw you," she stroked her white fur as the cub's brilliant blue eyes looked at her with happiness. "She's been with Temari for a while but I she followed me here," the sand master explained as he looked at the cub now preparing to sleep in Sakura's lap.

"By the way… in your battle with Tsunade you summoned a tiger beast named Byakko. How did you know how… the summoning ritual was long forgotten?" the other sanin asked. "It's just a portion of Byakko's power. What you've seen is nothing compared to the 'real thing'" she kept on stroking Azrael's back until it finally fell asleep.

"So Sakura-chan how were you able to be back to your normal self?" Naruto asked tactlessly. Upon hearing this, Sakura bowed her head.

Sasuke smacked his head again. "I was engaged in a genjutsu that was impossible to break. It was the 'tainted sun'. The kind of genjutsu wherein the victim experience a living hell by combining reality with illusions." She gripped the blanket. Gaara saw this gesture but he wanted to hear more so he controlled himself.

"As expected from Sakura-chan, you break out from the 'tainted sun' easily didn't you?" the blond grinned widely as he placed his hands behind his head. Sakura smirked "No… I didn't break out of it Naruto. In truth, I still feel I am under it. I don't even know if you guys are really here or if you're just another figment of the genjutsu. I just… took the risk… of… hoping," she felt Gaara's hand hold hers. "How will you be able to get out of it then?" the Uchiha protégé asked intellectually. "I don't know…" she lied. Sakura knew what to do… she just didn't have the courage to tell them. To break this genjutsu… I must be able to kill the one who orchestrated this illusion.

Then an intolerable pain screamed from her shoulder, she gripped it tightly as she groaned in pain. "Sakura!" they all exclaimed. "What is this?" her sensei asked upon seeing the wound in her shoulder turning black. "It is a wound from the cursed blade, Hellscream, it would rot my living flesh till I die," she said in between her panting. "How are we going to heal it?" Gaara questioned her seriously.

Judging from his eyes, he knew Sakura was lying about not knowing how to break the genjutsu and if she lied about the wound he would notice it as well. "The blade must be broken," she said as her eyes gave way and her body fell forward.

"She needs to rest and so do you guys." Tsunade explained and ordered them all to rest. Leaving the sand master beside her apprentice, she closed the door.

That night, Gaara watched as her eyes opened. Sakura sat up and wound her arms around him as she said "Finally… I understand what's underneath the underneath," she muttered in his chest. He tipped her chin so he can look into her eyes. Gaara drew forward as Sakura closed her eyes. They shared a kiss of both longing and love as the moon bore witness to what happened next…

The sand master stirred then awoke to find himself alone in bed. His heart started beating quickly as he felt Sakura's chakra absent from the entire village.

Five figures sat in the dark as they wait. A hooded figure emerged from the corner then knelt in front of them. Removing her hood, her short blue hair played with the wind. "Sakura has left her village three days ago. Not one is informed of her destination," she reported. "Hmm it seems she's on her way to find us then…" a male voice said to the others.

"Shizuka-san…one thing I've always been curious about… just between us girls… why are you betraying your own village?" Sumire asked. "Because 'he' ignored my existence… all because of 'HER'," Shizuka said while clenching her fist. "Hell had no fury like a woman scorned eh?" one teased. "Thank you… your work is done," a male voice commanded. Shizuka turned to leave but… "You can die now," he continued… she turned around only to get slashed by a katana. "You selfish bitch… did you even think we would trust anyone other than those of our bloodline?" the female killer wiped her stained blade with the hem of Shizuka's clothes.

A kunoichi gripped her neck as it started bleeding while she was traveling into an unknown destination. They got my blood which means they already know about the secrets of the seal. But then they still don't know what I learned from the halls of knowledge. Clenching her fist, she continued with her journey until she stopped in front of a massive gate.

The engraftments had dents just like what Furion said. She fingered each dent as she stared long and hard at the mythical beasts engraved on the gate. "You're finally here," a voice behind her welcomed. Turning around, she saw the five figures as expected. "You're more beautiful when you're not wasted like the last time…" Sumire said as she approached Sakura. "I'm really relieved that you finally gave up running around and fighting us. Not that I'm bragging but… it was really… utterly… useless. You see… we the Templars… heal in an instant. In short… we cannot die," She cut herself with a dagger then showed it to her how her wound quickly mended.

"But… my beauty is another story…" she bragged. "Here she goes again," one man whispered to the other. "You see this is a blood line limit… I had to suck it out of the bitch to get it," she caressed her cheeks. Sakura cringed upon hearing this. "Oh I'm sorry did I offend you?" Sumire sarcastically asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Not at all," Sakura managed to reply.

Kamui looked at Sakura's every action with his golden eyes. "Shall we proceed then?" he suggested the two. "Wait we don't have the dragon's soul stone," another man interrupted. "I have it," the pink haired kunoichi held up a heart shaped pendant that was given to her by Kyo.

The clouds blocked the moon as the ceremony began. Sakura and Kamui stood in front of the sealed gate as the others stand back. Kamui held out a pendant that's shaped like unicorn's horn. It started to glow then it rose from his hand and was enveloped with a white like aura. The same happened with Sakura's phoenix and heart shaped pendant.

Within minutes, something separated from the pendants. At the aura disappeared, a white, blue and red orb materialized. Glancing at each other, they simultaneously placed each orbs into its designated dent. The white in the unicorn, the blue in the dragon and the red in the phoenix.

The wind blew, the waters on the nearby lake crashed and the fire emerged from the ground. A loud roaring of a dragon echoed through out the entire land followed by the thundering of a horse' hoofs then the flapping of a huge bird's wings.

The clouds finally cleared to reveal a blood red moon. Before them stood three towering creatures, the blue winged dragon, the unicorn with golden mane and the red phoenix.

All of them knelt in front of the legendary beasts… all except Sakura and Kamui. The two stood proudly looking at each beast without fear.

Back in Konoha…

There was quite a commotion after hearing the roaring in the wind, hooves striking the earth also the flapping of wings. This doesn't feel right. The sand master said to himself as he looked at the crimson moon.

He dashed towards the gate. "Gaara, where are you going?" the noisy blond inquired as the others followed him in approaching the sand master. "To Ashenvale, I feel I might find something there," "We're coming with you," Sasuke informed as he led the way not waiting for Gaara's reply. "Suit yourself," he said in slight annoyance.

"You who dare to summon the gatekeepers… what is it that you wish?" the dragon's eye illuminated in a fierce shade of dark blue. "We seek to open the gate," Sumire arrogantly answered. "You are not to speak unless spoken to HUMAN!" the phoenix created a wind gust with just a flap of its gargantuan wing as its eye lit into a dangerous shade of crimson. "Answer the question!" the unicorn stumped it's hoof on the ground in impatience, making the earth shake.

"We seek to open the gate," Kamui answered politely. "Show us the proof that your worthy to behold what's beyond this gate. Let us see the witness of past, present and future…" the three said in unison.

Sakura stepped forward and slit her wrist. As her blood was soaked by the earth, it started shaking. "Very well then…" the three bowed as the gate started to open.

This will be my means to an end… she stood there in front of the gate as smoke emerged from the opening…

A/N: Alright… time for your part… Read and Review…