DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Naruto"
Chapter 35: Pain
The bitter taste of iron filled Sasuke's mouth as he clenched his tongue between his teeth in an attempt to stop his anguished cry. A clawing groan escaped his aching jaw as the trocar in his thigh cut deeper into the muscle. Warm blood oozed past the thin shaft and out of his leg. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose as a cold sweat formed like dew upon his skin.
He hated the Council right now.
He was chained to a table, wrists and ankles bound, with the chakra inhibitor still sapping his strength. There was a bright light hanging over his head and two shinobi leaning over him. Both wore masks. The third shinobi in the room was Morino Ibiki, his interrogator. He had yet to see the man—not that he'd be able to through his tear-blurred eyes—but he remembered the voice well enough.
"Still biting your tongue," Ibiki said gruffly.
He sounded disappointed, but Sasuke couldn't imagine why. Wasn't this what he loved to do, torture people?
One of the torture specialists looked up for a moment before turning back to Sasuke and taking a hold of the trocar's handle, making him jerk. He screamed when the blade hit bone and was turned to scrape along the femur's surface. His bone-chilling scream left him gasping for air, a red mist spraying his face as he breathed. His eyes clenched shut and tears streamed freely down his face, into his ears.
He didn't know how much he could handle. He had seen Orochimaru's experiments, Kabuto's torture subjects, and was appalled. Being on that table beneath the blinding light as his body was dissected made his stomach churn.
He felt the cold hatred for Konoha's Council slowly returning. He hated that the Elders were so much like Orochimaru, using and destroying people to prolong their petty, corrupt lives.
White-hot pain erupted in the knee of his other leg. Sasuke choked back a yell as he felt the new utensil dig beneath the kneecap. The cords in his arms stood out in sharp relief as he balled his fists against the pain. His stomach curdled with sickness and his mouth—despite the wet blood lining his teeth—felt parched. He was desperately hoping that he would black out soon—though he knew it was unlikely. These were torture specialists. They were very good at their jobs, knowing exactly how much pain a subject could handle. They knew that Sasuke could handle a lot. According to known records, he'd lived through Tsukuyomi twice. Yes, he could handle pain.
A blurred figure neared the table and Sasuke knew it was Ibiki.
"Had enough?"
"I made it clear in court that Madara didn't say anything to me." Sasuke said through his teeth, blood reddening his mouth as he spoke.
He heard the sneer in Ibiki's voice. "I suppose I haven't made it clear enough that I think you're lying."
Both shafts in his legs twisted and he flinched, letting out a groan. Ibiki took slow steps toward the head of the table and peered over Sasuke. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the shadow looming over him.
"What do you want from me?"
"The truth," Ibiki replied calmly. "We both know that Madara will come looking for you. I want to know why. What is it that makes you so valuable?"
"Maybe it's the fact that we're the last of the Uchiha."
Ibiki chuckled. "Perhaps." There was silence for a moment before Ibiki spoke again. "But I don't think that's the only reason. The Uchiha clan is extraordinary, no doubt about it. However, the world has never been kind to them. Maybe you know why."
"I don't," Sasuke bit out.
If his eyes weren't so blurry with stinging salt-water, he would have been able to see the clamp-like utensil being revealed. His right bicep was pierced through on each side and the bone crunched. His body shook with a spasm as he cried out in agony.
"You're nothing special," Ibiki said coldly. "It's only by chance you weren't killed with the rest of your clan in the massacre."
Rage filled Sasuke's heart. He wanted to kill Ibiki where he stood. He knew nothing. Gasping, Sasuke replied hoarsely. "That's not true."
Ibiki stood ramrod straight. "Really?" He bent forward again. "Do you have something to say?"
Sasuke clenched his teeth in blatant defiance.
Ibiki's eyes flicked toward the other shinobi in the room. "Leave."
"But, sir—"
"Don't argue."
When the shutting door signaled the others' retreat, Ibiki crouched so he could speak softly. "The Elders want you to suffer. They're the ones who ordered this little session. Tsunade-sama figured we could use it to our advantage and find out what they're so worried about."
Sasuke stared at the shape beside him with disdain. They were all aiming for the knowledge locked in his head…but he didn't know who he could trust. Was Ibiki really on Tsunade's side, or was he acting by the Council's orders?
"So I'll ask again, Uchiha. What do you know that has Madara after you and the Council wanting you dead?"
"I don't know."
"If you're not going to cooperate, I'll send you to Inoichi," Ibiki said. "We could get this over with right now. We know the Uchiha planned a coup. What we don't know is why…" Ibiki stopped short, his eyes growing distant.
Sasuke watched him wearily. Suddenly, Ibiki stood up and knocked on the door.
"Call for the medic. We're done here."
"Yes, sir."
One of the torture specialists returned to the room and set to work on removing the five utensils from Sasuke's body. The first to be removed was the long trocar in his thigh. It came slowly with a strange squishing sound and the feeling of ice moving through his thigh. He hissed as it came free of his punctured skin and a torturer staunched the flow of blood with a warm cloth. The removal of the utensil jammed under his kneecap came much more painfully as it was difficult to move without scraping the bone. Sasuke twitched as it was quickly pulled out. His knee was quickly wrapped in gauze. The clamp on his arm was removed and the bones reset, making Sasuke wince and groan.
As the remaining utensils were carefully removed, Sasuke began to feel himself slipping into unconsciousness. Pain was flooding through him and he couldn't stop the feeling of lightheadedness that came with it. His vision was sliding around, the edges turning dark and the already-blurred images became skewed. He wanted to feel anger, he wanted to feel hate…but instead he was losing to sheer pain. He was losing to the welcoming darkness.
The sound of the metal door opening was a muffled squeal. There were voices, words said, but he didn't understand. After what seemed a millennia, a strange sensation enveloped his injuries. It felt like cold water was being forced into his open wounds. His entire body began to feel numb as the unfamiliar sensation moved through him and he became vaguely aware that he was being healed. The chakra felt weird, so different from Sakura's. Instead of the warm pulsing, it was cold and intrusive. It felt foreign and unnatural. He hazily wondered if the difference was due to the fact that he loved Sakura. His distracted thought process came to an abrupt halt when feeling suddenly returned to his body. He groaned as the dull pain in all his healed wounds reappeared. The medic attending to his wounds approached the head of the table and said something, but it was still just muffled sounds to his ears.
His binds were removed and the medic helped him sit up, but the moment he did, his vision sparked and his stomach flipped with nausea. He bent forward and vomited on the floor. A firm hand bounced against his back as he retched and it made him feel uncomfortably like a child. Gulping air, it took a minute before Sasuke felt balanced enough to stand. Moving carefully, he straightened up and put a foot down to the floor. The concrete was like ice against his bare feet. As soon as he put his weight on his legs, he nearly fell from the soreness in them—he would have fallen if not for the medic who held tight to his arm.
"You're going to be sore for a few hours," the medic said and Sasuke was relieved to hear the words clearly, albeit a high pitched ringing accompanied them.
He groaned as they made their way slowly and painfully back to his cell. Once there, Sasuke immediately went to his cot and closed his eyes, desperate for sleep. It came in seconds to his exhausted body. It was the second day of torture and interrogation and he still had the rest of the week to look forward to. He was used to battle and wounds, but this was different. It took so much out of him to be physically unable to fight back. How he longed to fight back. His body yearned to protect itself, to avoid such torment.
How he hated the Council.
~.~.~
"We have a problem, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade glanced up from the mountainous pile of paperwork on her desk. There were bags under her eyes and her usually sleek ponytails were frizzy. She looked as though she hadn't left the office since the trial.
"Really? What is it now?" she asked snappishly. "He won't speak?"
Ibiki frowned slightly. "Actually, he said something I thought was strange."
"And that would be?"
"I was goading him, telling him that it was only by chance that he wasn't killed in the massacre. He said that wasn't true."
Tsunade's brows furrowed. "He knows something about the massacre."
"It occurred to me that the probability of the coup d'état, the Uchiha massacre, and the Council being connected is very high".
Tsunade bit her lip as she stared at the man before her. She had placed Ibiki and Inoichi on the team investigating the Elders in hopes that they would be able to draw information out of Sasuke. This bit of news was bad.
"We'll have to do some more digging to confirm your theory," Tsunade said. She sighed. "Does he know Madara's current whereabouts?"
"He doesn't."
Tsunade let an angry hiss escape her nostrils. "What has Inoichi learned from the captive Jiraiya brought back?"
"Not much. His mind is full of genjutsu blocks, which we've assumed were placed by Pein."
"Anything else I should know about?"
Her question went unanswered when a thunderous boom echoed through Konoha and dust sprinkled from the ceiling. Tsunade shot up from her chair and turned to look out the window, Ibiki by her side. Rising from the streets of Konoha were billowing pillars of smoke. Tsunade stared out at her village in pure horror. The Akatsuki had finally arrived. She was Hokage and she had a job to do.
"They're here," she growled.
Ibiki's face grew grim. "The question is who they're after. Naruto or Sasuke?"
Tsunade crossed her arms. Fukasaku's words came to mind when she thought of Naruto. Jiraiya had entrusted everything to the foolish boy, so they could only hope that he truly was the Child of Prophesy. His sage training would have to be cut short.
A shinobi appeared and Tsunade's head tilted in his direction to indicate he had her attention.
"Barrier Corps. An intruder entered Konoha through our air space. Our sensors picked up a single target, but shortly after detection, several attacks were confirmed."
Just as his words were spoken, an ANBU operative appeared. "Analysis Corps. The enemy strength is estimated to be three battalions in size."
"Sound the emergency alarm." She turned around and her eyes were sharp. "And call Naruto back."
The two shinobi nodded and then disappeared. Tsunade turned to Ibiki. He immediately left the office, knowing that he, too, was needed elsewhere. The Hokage looked out the window and watched as Konoha turned into chaos. She turned on her heel and started toward the top of the building. As she briskly walked through the hall, she was joined by four ANBU.
When the outside air touched her skin, she instantly felt dirty—there was blood in the air, she could smell it. Suppressing the urge to cringe, Tsunade knelt down and bit her thumb, dragging her bloodied fingers across the stone beneath her. Finishing the seal, she summoned Katsuyu. The giant slug summon look down on the Hokage.
"Attach yourself to all the shinobi and civilians in the village!" Tsunade ordered. "Take my chakra and heal their wounds."
"Looks like the village is in a mess…" Katsuyu commented softly.
"Just go."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
Katsuyu twitched as her body broke into thousands of horse-sized slugs. They raced through the streets to find and protect the people of Konoha.
Tsunade scrunched her eyes shut and breathed in deep. "I will protect the village, no matter what. I swear by the name of Hokage!"
~.~.~
Sakura started at the sound of a nearby explosion. She ran to the nearest window and peered out. The sight that met her eyes made her heart freeze over with fear. Ash fell from the sky as buildings were decimated by giant centipedes. As far as she could tell, there were multiple areas that had been hit by the unknown enemy.
"No," she whispered.
"Sakura, what's happening?" Shikamaru asked as he leaned out the window beside her.
"Konoha's being attacked!"
She jumped from the second-story window and regretted not donning her ninja gear that morning. Shikamaru landed next to her and they exchanged a knowing look before running in different directions. He went off toward the heart of the village while she headed to the Hokage tower.
Before she was able to reach her destination, she was stopped in her tracks when she saw one of the centipedes smash into a nearby building. There were two civilians in the vicinity, an elderly woman and a child. Her eyes widened and she forced chakra into her heels as she sprinted for them. She jumped in front of the child and pumped chakra into her fist—letting out a fierce cry—just as the centipede came crashing down with killing intent. There was never a chance for the monstrosity, as her fist cracked right through the exoskeleton and into the insect's gooey head. She snarled as she pulled her arm out and wiped the gunk off onto her skirt.
Sakura became aware of the sniffles behind her and she turned to see that the little girl was bleeding. She kneeled down and examined the wound on the girl's knee, luckily it wasn't too deep and she was able to heal it in seconds. The girl watched Sakura's glowing hands, mesmerized.
"All finished," she said with a gentle smile. She looked up at the woman and her smile strained. "You should head to the tunnels."
"Hai." The woman, though shaken, took her granddaughter's hand and led her away.
Sakura looked at the fallen centipede and her face darkened. The sound of battle lifted to the sky, echoing desperation throughout Konoha. The screams of confused civilians sounded like a shrill violin compared to the deep bass tones of the frequent explosions. In the distance, she could see shinobi of all ranks and ages running toward the sources of attack.
Closing her eyes, Sakura focused on locating the largest source of enemy chakra. When she found it, fear shot through her veins like potent venom. The chakra was massive and dark with ill intent. Gritting her teeth, she headed for the main enemy.
As she ran, Sakura saw many of her friends locked in battle with members of the Akatsuki. However, it wasn't the black and red cloaks that stuck out, but the fact that all the enemies had orange hair, odd facial piercings, and the same purple eyes. She thought of the body brought back by Jiraiya and knew that the large mass of chakra she was moving toward was Pein. Her legs instantly stopped.
What was she thinking? Pein killed Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sanin. What chance did she stand against such sheer power?
An image of Konohamaru fighting a foe nearly triple his size came to the front of Sakura's mind. She had passed him, hadn't she? Hadn't he been winning? He was only a genin and yet…and yet he was fighting for all he was worth.
Her fists clenched. Don't be such a coward, Sakura.
She looked up, fierce determination in her eyes, and dug her heels into the earth. She pushed forward, chakra fueling her speed. Her brow creased as she mentally prepared herself for the battle ahead. She knew this man was far more powerful than Akasuna no Sasori and it terrified her. This could very well be the battle of her life.
In mere moments, Sakura came upon a broken battlefield. At one end, stood two men—one was tall while the other was stocky with six arms and four faces. The shorter man had a sort of razor tale protruding from his back, poised over his body like a scorpion's stinger.
Sakura came to an abrupt stop when she saw her silver-haired sensei. He was watching the two with a wary look in his eyes. The tall man lifted one arm and suddenly Kakashi was flying toward the two Akatsuki against his will. He was on a direct path for the razor tale of the six-armed man.
"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Sakura shrieked.
With a speed almost too fast for Sakura to see, her sensei threw out a chain that latched around a broken pillar. The chain pulled taut and Kakashi was anchored against the invisible pull of Pein. Sakura gasped a strangled scream when Kakashi lost his grip and was skewered against the razor. Her terror turned to utter relief when her sensei's body crackled into bright electricity around the six-armed man. She found her breath and denied the plea of her shaking knees, ignored the enticing pull of the earth's gravity, as she stood firm.
Kakashi was alive—he'd used a raiton kage bunshin.
Taking no time to think about her actions, Sakura jumped into the air and channeled chakra into her heel. When she fell back to earth, her foot crashed against the head of the six-armed man. She felt his skull give way beneath her heel as they collided with the ground. A new crater formed around her and rocks rained down. Freeing herself from the mess of broken body and rock, Sakura forced herself to ignore the blood sticking to her boot and ran toward Kakashi as he crawled out from beneath some debris.
"You scared me, Kakashi-sensei," she said breathlessly.
"That wasn't my intention," he replied. His red, Sharingan eye watched her wearily.
Sakura helped him stand. "Are you okay? Do I need to heal anything?"
"No, I'm fine."
They stood side-by-side and faced their remaining opponent just as more allies arrived. She could see Pein clearly now. There were three studs along each side of the bridge of his nose, multiple piercings in his ears, and snake bite piercings in his lower lip. His purple Rinnegan eyes stared at them coldly.
"How are your chakra reserves?" Sakura asked.
"The lightning clone used up about half of my chakra," Kakashi answered. "Frankly, fighting this type of opponent for an extended time will be difficult. However, I think I've figured out his ability."
Pein suddenly moved and everyone went on the defense. Sakura rushed forward, and threw her fist, but Pein easily evaded her, grabbing her arm and flinging her away as if she were a ragdoll. As her body landed roughly against the ground, she felt something snap and she grunted. Shakily getting to her feet, she inspected her side and found that her floating rib was broken. She pressed a glowing hand to her wound and began to heal it, but was interrupted when something exploded just feet from her. She flung herself to the ground and covered her head as she was pelted with falling shrapnel. When the heat lifted, she slowly looked up to see that Pein was unscathed.
"How did he do that?" one of the shinobi asked.
"He can deflect any attack," Kakashi replied grimly. "He has the ability to push and pull things from his center, as if he can control gravity and repulsion forces."
Sakura got to her feet and sprinted back toward her comrades.
"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked as Sakura reached them.
She clutched at her side. "I will be."
Kakashi nodded. He looked back at those around him. "Tendou Pein doesn't seem able to use his ability in quick succession. There are intervals in between each use."
"If he can deflect everything, how can we beat him?" Sakura asked. "The intervals are too short to allow enough time to get close to him."
"But we have to aim for that," Kakashi replied. He looked out at the enemy. "I have an idea. Can I count on you?"
"Hai, Sensei."
A moment later, Kakashi was bursting from the ground beneath Pein's feet. As he reached for his leg, he was crushed beneath the weight of Pein's push and he yelled out. Kakashi lay sprawled on the ground and Pein neared, looming over him.
"You move well and you possess an array of jutsu." Pein's deep voice resonated as he spoke. "Failing to kill you would only bring me trouble in the long run."
Without a moment's hesitation, Sakura's fist went flying toward Pein's head, but he chuckled as his hand shot up toward her and the push sent her somersaulting through the air. She never did get to see the plan fall into place because she was knocked out the moment she hit the ground. When she did finally come to, her head was pounding and her eyes were light sensitive. Ringing filled her head and she slowly pushed herself upward.
"…can't move."
The ringing began to fade as a dark voice appeared.
"Seems like you're not a bunshin. Now I'll have you die."
The voice sounded vaguely familiar. Sakura rubbed her head with chakra-laced hands.
"This is your end."
A high pitched squealing followed the low voice and it was all too loud for her oversensitive ears.
"Know pain."
Sakura's eyes shot wide open. She jumped to her feet and raced forward just to watch as a screw flew straight into Kakashi's forehead.
"NO!" she screamed.
She ran toward him on shaking legs. She stumbled in her dizzied shock, but continued forward. A moment later, she tripped and fell to the ground. Tears streamed from her eyes and she pounded the ground.
"Don't cry…Sakura…"
Her head shot upward to stare into the hazy eyes of her sensei.
"Ka-Kakashi-sensei!" She got to her feet and began pulling the rubble way from Kakashi's body.
"If…you can move…tell Tsunade…about Pein's powers. You have to figure out a way to stop him."
"Sensei," Sakura choked back a sob as her hand flickered with green chakra.
"Survive…Sakura. Konoha can't afford…to lose someone with your…abilities."
"I can help you!" She screamed.
"No, Sakura. You have to tell Tsunade about Pein."
"Don't make me leave you, Sensei," Sakura whispered pleadingly.
"There are others who need you more."
Sasuke.
Sakura looked into his eyes and there was an understanding between them—something that she didn't want to acknowledge, but knew was the truth—that this would be the last time they saw each other. Even examining his body with her medical jutsu, she could see that there was nothing she could do. The tears flowed freely down her face as her heart clenched behind her constricting ribs. Kakashi-sensei was going to die. It was up to her to make sure his death wasn't in vain.
"Run, Sakura."
Fighting back the need to hug him, she turned in the opposite direction and ran for her life. Ran away from the fear taking a firm hold of her mind. Ran away from the sensei that had helped her grow up.
"Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei," she whispered.
~.~.~
Deep in the underbelly of Konoha, Root gathered. A withered man with bandages over his face and an arm tucked away in his robes stood at the front of the gathered ANBU members. He spoke in a voice hoarse from yelling.
"Fortunately, this commotion has allowed me to escape Tsunade's surveillance. The Akatsuki are good for something after all. Tsunade's rule is now at an end."
He looked at the masked faces before him. All were stoic and revealed no hint as to what his followers might be thinking at his bold proclamation. If it weren't for the safety of the shinobi, he would do away with the masks.
"However, we cannot allow the Akatsuki to gain the Kyuubi. So, I've removed that possibility. We'll wait here until things calm down up above."
"Shouldn't we fight, too?" an ANBU member asked. "It'll be meaningless if you're in charge, but the village and citizens are destroyed."
"Tsunade-hime is Hokage, she won't allow Konoha to be destroyed," Danzo replied. "With Katsuyu's techniques, she'll be able to prevent total annihilation. There will be necessary sacrifices of course...in order for me to become Hokage." His eyes darkened. "Now, we just need to arrange for the Uchiha's death. Not even he can stop me now."
~.~.~
"Where is Uzumaki Naruto?"
Sakura stopped in her tracks when she heard her teammate's name. Wiping the salty tear tracks from her cheeks, she looked to the source of her distraction. There before her was another Akatsuki, but this one didn't have the same characteristics of the Six Paths of Pain. She was different. She was a beautiful woman with blue hair, orange eyes, and a single stud beneath her lower lip. Wings of paper sprouted from her back and she floated. Sakura noticed that there was a wall made of paper and encased in it were a few shinobi. A strangled cry escaped one of the men.
"Where is the Kyuubi?"
A small smile formed on the shinobi's lips. "Forget you," he replied.
The Akatsuki woman frowned. She moved her wrist ever so slightly and the paper surrounding the man began to crush him. The sounds of his screams muffled and Sakura couldn't stand by and allow it to happen.
"Stop!" she yelled.
The woman turned to look at her, but the paper cocoon continued to crush her victims. Sakura rushed the woman and threw an arching right hook, but the woman's body shattered into a thousand sheets of paper. The sheets floated around until they were picked up in a gust of wind and began to reassemble into the woman, folding together like some origami creation. Sakura watched with widened eyes.
"Sakura."
She turned and saw Shino along with other members of the Aburame clan.
"We can handle her," Shino said. "You should go to the hospital. There are a lot of people who need healing."
Sakura nodded briefly before continuing her run to the Hokage Tower. She needed to see Tsunade first and then she'd head to the hospital. She had the message of her sensei to deliver.
Running, she was able to focus on breathing and ignore the pain engulfing her body. She could focus on staying alive and ignore those who were dead. Her eyes were trained ahead and she wouldn't look back. The wind on her face felt hard and dirty, it made her eyes sting and water—but she figured her eyes would water even if she stood still. She could fight the sorrow with all her might, but it wouldn't stop her from crying for Kakashi.
Finally, the Tower came into view and she sprinted her way to the top where she could see a stream of chakra lifting into the sky. Tsunade sat in the center of the building in the midst of a seal, four ANBU surrounding her, as her chakra floated around her, and streamed into the village. Sakura approached her shishou and bowed. Tsunade's golden eyes opened and focused on her.
"Sakura."
"Shishou…" Sakura looked away and felt a lump growing in the base of her throat. She swallowed thickly, but was unable to find her voice again.
"Is this…about Kakashi?" Tsunade asked sadly.
Sakura nodded.
"I see." The Hokage's eyes closed and she let out a sigh.
Sakura took in a deep breath and studied her feet. "We figured out one of Pein's abilities."
"Tell me."
"Tendou Pein is male, about twenty-five years old. He has six nose piercings and seven in his ears, along with snake bite piercings in his lip. He is able to manipulate the forces of attraction and repulsion." Sakura looked up to meet the Godaime's eyes. "He can pull anything toward him and repel any attack."
"Repel?" an ANBU asked. "Anything?"
"Yes, but there's a five second interval after he uses his ability before he is able to use it again," Sakura answered.
"Only five seconds…that's so little time," the ANBU commented.
"Thank you, Sakura. Our casualties will go down now." Tsunade turned to the ANBU and gave them orders to tell everyone else using Katsuyu. They dispersed quickly and she turned back to her student.
"A team provided backup for Kakashi…but I…I'm not sure what happened to them…" Sakura wiped tears from her eyes. "I think I'm the only one…who survived."
Tsunade's eyes fluttered shut as she sighed. "I'm sorry, Sakura."
Sakura's hand went to her mouth to muffle a sob as her shoulders began to shake. It felt like she was experiencing the horror and pain afresh as her adrenaline began to wane. She tried so hard to hide her tears from her shishou, but it was evident she could not when Tsunade's firm arm wrapped around her shoulders.
"Sakura, I know it hurts, but right now, you need to stay focused. The enemy still has the upper hand and there are a lot of scared people out there." Tsunade lifted Sakura's chin and stared into her glassy green eyes. "You need to be strong for them. We all need to be strong. There will be time to mourn later."
Sakura nodded and blinked away the tears remaining in her eyes.
"Now, tell me. Were you able to find out who they're after?"
"Who?" Sakura's brow furrowed. She thought it would have been obvious that they were after Naruto, the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Unless…unless Madara had come for Sasuke. She stiffened with the realization. "Tsunade-shishou, there was a woman asking for Naruto. But is there a possibility that—"
"Well done, Sakura." Tsunade turned away from her. "Now, go report to the hospital."
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Hai."
~.~.~
The lights continued to flicker. It was rather annoying. The sound of groaning, screaming, and coughing filled the air along with the constant buzzing of the flickering lights. He couldn't tell how many people had died, but knew that almost everyone was trapped. He was trapped.
Everything had started shortly after his interrogation, and he had a gut feeling that it wasn't a coincidence. He knew that Madara would come looking for him. Not an hour after the torture session, sounds of explosions and screaming could be heard from outside. Someone had attacked Konoha. Still was, from what he could tell. Whatever was happening outside had affected them, too. Of course, he could've been over-thinking everything. A natural disaster could have happened, an earthquake maybe. Unlikely. Outside sang with the sounds of battle.
He wheezed as he tried to clear the dust from his lungs, though it was a futile act since the air was thick with it. Pinpricks started tickling his leg as it began to go numb. The debris that had him pinned was too heavy for him to lift. He frowned. It was quite possible he would die there…after all, who was going to be concerned about the prisoners? It was just his luck, too, that all of his chains were broken, but the chakra inhibitor had received absolutely no damage during the whole incident. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed.
So many thoughts tangled in his weary mind during the long hours trapped underground. Regret over how he had spent his last few years. Disappointment that he might not get the chance to redeem himself. A crisp cutting pain from not telling Sakura that he loves her. A paralyzing fear that she might be hurt…or worse. The last time he could remember feeling so much fear was that night. With only time to wait, he was tormented by his own thoughts.
There was a loud crash down the hallway and someone shrieking. He looked up from his hands and listened intently as rumbling and scraping ensued. Accompanying hurried footsteps was heavy panting and the occasional angry grunt. The lights were dying now. The darkness seemed to be winning…but he didn't need to see her to know that Sakura had come. He could feel her and it brought pure relief flowing through his entire body.
Sakura was alive. He could breathe again.
The light flickered briefly and he was able to see her grab the bars of his cell firmly. With a grunt, the muscles in her arms flexed and the bars were yanked clear off the wall. She ran in and lifted the debris from his leg. The moment he stood, he was pulled into an embrace. Her arms were wrapped desperately around him, he could feel every finger as she gripped his shoulders, and every tear as she cried against his chest. His arms wrapped firmly around her in response.
"Sa-Sasuke-kun…you're alive. Sasuke-kun."
His heart jumped against his ribcage as the familiar suffix tumbled from her lips. "I'm fine," he mumbled against her hair.
"I was so worried." Her voice was muffled against the fabric of his shirt. "Ka…Kakashi-sensei is dead."
Sasuke stiffened. "What?"
She pulled away from him and looked into his dark eyes. "Pein of the Akatsuki killed him…killed a lot of people."
Sasuke stared at her blankly. He couldn't believe that Kakashi had been killed…it was impossible.
"Come on, we gotta get out of here."
Sakura wiped at her cheeks and he saw just how red and swollen they were. She busied herself in removing all the manacles from his wrists and ankles and then broke the chakra inhibitor clean in half. She grabbed his hand and she pulled him out of the cell. He was free…but suddenly he realized that it was at a great cost.
They made their way through the labyrinth that the prison had become and finally came out into the streets of Konoha. He was able to see just how much damage the town had already taken. His insides shrank at the sight. Is this…is this what he'd been plotting? It made him feel guilty. It made him feel sick. He continued to stare until his arm was nearly yanked from its socket. He followed the pull as Sakura continued to run through the destroyed streets. Something in the sky caught his eye and he looked up. His jaw slackened as he saw a man floating in midair.
"Sakura."
"Hmm?"
"Sakura, look."
She sighed. "I know, I've seen it. I was here when it started."
He dug his heels into the ground to force a stop and he pulled her to him. "No, Sakura. Look up!"
At his urging, her eyes turned to the sky and she gasped.
"What's he doing?" she whispered.
Suddenly, there was a boom and a thunderous echo. And, in the distance coming straight for them incredibly fast, was a wall of smoke and flying debris. Sasuke immediately pulled Sakura toward his body and turned in an attempt to shield her. Just as the avalanche of rubble impacted them, he yelled to her that he loved her…but he knew she hadn't heard. Just as he knew that she would never know.
What seemed hours later, Sasuke pushed his way through the gelatinous gunk he was trapped in, firmly pulling Sakura along with him. Finally free of the goo, he fell to his knees, Sakura at his side. She panted for air and he brushed a few strands of her pink hair away from her mouth. What had happened…he wasn't sure. All he knew was that they were alive.
~.~.~
Sakura felt the hard ground connect with her knees and she gasped for air. When her vision finally cleared, she wished that it hadn't. She wished that, through everything she had endured, her sight would have been taken because what met her eyes was far worse than blindness. A giant crater existed where Konoha had once been. On the outskirts of the crater were the remains of the village along with villagers who had been saved just as she and Sasuke had been, by Katsuyu.
"Wha…?"
Fresh tears tumbled down her cheeks and she wanted nothing else but that they would obscure her sight so she couldn't see the disaster. She felt Sasuke's hand on her wrist tighten and she looked over at him. His face was paler than usual and his eyes wide. His darkened eyes met hers and he seemed at a loss for words.
"Sakura…I…" He looked back at the man in the center of the crater. "Sorry."
Sakura pounded her free hand against the ground.
"He's dead," Sasuke growled before his presence next to her was replaced by a gust of wind.
She reached out in hopes to catch him before it was too late…but she wasn't quick enough.
"NO! SASUKE!"
A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update. Life hit me in the face hard this month. I had some serious work issues that needed to be worked out. Hopefully, everything is alright now...but things still need to cool down. Also, it seems like every Saturday night I had off, I was at a gig. Goodness, my band is getting popular. So I've been super busy with music. And, to be completely honest, this chapter had me floored. I was super intimidated by the subject. I just didn't know how to approach "Pein's Invasion," so I procrastinated hard core. I had to get rid of some stress before I was confident enough to start writing it. Hopefully I've done well and the chapter makes up for my lateness.
Thanks as always to the ever wonderful Sakura's Unicorn. You are awesome and I'm so grateful you are my beta.
And as always, thank you to my many reviewers! I love you all. You brighten my day and make me smile.
I hate to leave so soon, but I'll get writing the next chapter pronto.
Until next time. Peace!