I Do Not Own Naruto

Chapter 38

Sasuke stared out at the desert, he stared at the world around him and wondered how it was that he had missed this. Missed the world.

It was sunrise, it was beautiful, it was… it was annoyingly that shade of pink, but it was breathtaking as his Sharingan took it all in. he just watched it carefully and he relaxed as the cool winds danced over him and through his hair. the black cloak around him ruffled, then there was a shrill cry in the air which had him pulling away from the sunrise to look up as the hawk swooped in to land on his shoulder.

Slowly reached up to touch the bird's head, his fingers sliding over the silky feathers of the predator as it chirped and nipped his fingers. Briefly Sasuke contemplated sending a message to Konoha, he had been gone for about two months at this point, and he wanted to try to keep his friends. But there was something in him which said no.

It was for the better if he did not write them; did not get into some stupid competition with Naruto, and didn't work to beat the dobe at something he couldn't. Sasuke looked back at the sunrise, it was fading; the pink; and he wished it wouldn't go. The bird nipped his ear, he smirked and looked at the brown beast before letting it leap off him, tearing the cloak (to his annoyance), and ripping his skin with it's talons as the hawk took to the sky.

It was a majestic sight, one he found himself enjoying for the first time in his life.

Strange, he had seen it a thousand times, but it was as if he had never seen it, ever, and now he was, it was beautiful. Had the world always been this beautiful? Or was it just reemerging after the war? Sasuke didn't know, but he didn't care as he continued towards where he and Itachi had left Kabuto to collect him.

It was time to keep up with his missions, to get his life, his mind, his sense of self, and his view of reality on the right track again.

He had to do it, for his honor, for his pride, for… for his friends. And he had to do this for himself.

Sasuke knew that as he continued to walk over the cooled dunes of loose sand. The blood slid over his chest and down his stump but he couldn't find it in him to care. The wind ruffled his hair again and he closed his eyes to inhale the crisp air.

There had been a nightmare for him; last night, but now, in his waking moments of moving, he couldn't for the life of him remember what it was that he had dreamt about. Just that it had been bloody.

A sound had Sasuke's ear twitching as he glance back over his shoulder and looked back at where he had come from.

Rogues, he could see their chakras.

Sakura slowly prepared herself for the Rinne Festival, it wasn't that she wasn't looking forward to it, but she was so damn tired. Women went into labor all the time, and they all wanted you there; for the whole thing; Sakura hadn't slept in twenty-six hours and she was so fucking exhausted. Thankfully it was her day off; and then the day after was Tenten's surgery for the baby.

Stifling a yawn Sakura decided to braid her hair, noticing it's growing length, then decided this was as good as she was likely to get. Stretching her hands over her head she felt every vertebra in her spine pop, then she cracked her neck; alright, she was good to go.

There was a knock on her door and she smiled as she walked over and opened it.

"Hey Naruto, ready to go?" she asked as she stepped out of the apartment and shut her door, locking it and then walked with Naruto.

"Oh yeah! I got this night planned!" he declared enthusiastically.

"That's wonderful," she yawned; she didn't think she was up to interrogate Sai's girl tonight, perhaps she'd arrange a meet up with Asami and Sai for lunch or something on her next day off; tomorrow was reserved for sleeping.

"What about you Sakura!? Excited for the festival!?" he waggled his eye brows and she shrugged.

"I don't know, I'm looking forward to kicking your ass at the strength game though," she replied nonchantly. He balked.

"You're not going to beat me!" he shrieked.

"Wanna bet?" she demanded as she pointed to her seal with her thumb.

"Yeah! Loser has to kiss the winner!" Naruto decided.

"Uh-uh," she shook her head. "Loser owes the winner a favor; more reasonable," she decided.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes.

Sakura chuckled. After her crushing him at the strength test; because face it, she was going to win; her plans were to ditch Naruto the moment Hinata joined him and hope that they got together before the end of the night. It was a juvenial plan, but Sakura was sticking to it and she was going home for her date with her bed and pillow.

Oh, how she wanted to sleep, she was so exhausted! Seriously, she was going to need to talk to Tsunade about her schedule, but until then she would endure. Then again, having all her work made her… made her forget, just forget that she was alone, that Sasuke was gone; and she would not hurt so badly when she was busy.

Sakura sighed, she would have to decide what to do about this sooner or later. Because even she knew she couldn't keep doing this to herself, and she would have to deal with her emotions with Sasuke sooner or later. And picking the cowards way out; later, wasn't going to solve her problems.

She blinked when she noticed where she and Naruto had arrived.

"Yeah, don't cry if I win," Naruto grinned arrogantly as he handed her the mallet and he hefted his own over his shoulder.

"Ah, are you going to cry if I win?" she asked in a pouty tone.

"Never!" he shouted playfully as he walked up and took a stand. Sakura scowled when he used Kurama to create his second arm by using one of the Nine-Tail's tails. But she was impressed with his ingenuity of the use. Heaving it up he swung hard, it the weight sored up to hit the bell and Sakura smirked.

"Not bad, not bad," she applauded. "Now step aside and let a real master show you how to do it," she said playfully as she skipped up.

There was a crowd of snickering civilians; but shinobi knew better. Despite her small size, and her pink appearance, Haruno Sakura packed a punch which made Tsunade's worst punch look tame. Pulling her mallet over her head she fused a minimal amount of chakra to into her arms as she slammed the mallet down, the weight went soaring, hitting the bell and blowing it off as the weight continued.

"That's how it's done Naruto," she chided.

"Damn shinobi, every damn year," the owner grumbled, Sakura pulled out the needed money to fix the stand when someone screamed incoming as the weight hit the ground making a small crater.

"You know, that's not fair," he grumbled.

"Perhaps not, but all is fair in winning," she chided at him as she claimed a fan for a prize and walked with him.

"So, Sakura, how are you… how is everything going?" Naruto asked.

"Huh? Oh, good, the research for your arm is solid, Tsunade feels that she will be able to give you a functioning prototype this January so you can get used to it, and she'll have the cell fusing figured out in February," Sakura admitted.

"That's good," Naruto grinned as they walked.

"I thought it was great, and my clinic is fully approved, I have been staffing it, the research looks…" she was cut off when a set of lips were pressed to hers'.

Her heart stuttered as she froze and stared when Naruto pulled away. There was a resounding, stabbing pain in her heart as the only other kiss she had ever had flashed through her memory. In that kiss there had been heat, passion, life, possibility and everything, but what Naruto had just done…

Aside from it being wrong, she had felt… nothing.

"I've been… I've been wanting to do that Sakura…" he started seeming flustered. Sakura stared numbly at nothing with her head bowed.

She had to get away, she had to flee, she… she needed to go. Before… before Naruto made this worse, she needed to leave, she needed to hide, she needed to get away.

The moisture forming in her eyes froze and hurt, and it reminded her, as she followed the advice of the voice in her head 'Run!' it said.

And run she did as she bolted away.

"Sakura!"

Sasuke leapt into the air, he pulled away as he formed the signs for chidori and grabbed his sword. he landed in the ranks of the rogues, the first made their moves as he spun around, twisting as he slashed them down. It was fast, he was merciless, and he was furious as he tripped one, evisorating the rogue in half as he spun low slashing the knees of another as he came up to slice his head from his neck and kicked the body down.

Shuriken were thrown, Sasuke formed Susanoo then as he turned, his eye whirling with his Sharingan as the rogues backed up.

"S-Sh-Sharingan! Uchiha-sama we didn't mean!" they started, but Sasuke was no longer listening as he leapt towards them, he sword sheathed, his chidori singing as he plunged his head through the man's heart. Gripping the dead's spine internally Sasuke spun to keep the body as a shield as he heard the shuriken and kunai be thrown. They hit the dead, he threw the man aside, then his arm prickled with the energy of chidori as he stared at the last two.

"Leave," Sasuke said as he turned away.

"Huh?"

"Leave now, turn yourselves in, or join your commrades in the afterlife," he growled.

"Y-You're l-letting us g-go?" one stammered.

"Or I'll hunt you down later and rip your hearts from your chests, leave," Sasuke snapped gain as he opened his Rinnegan; there was no time like the present to test it out.

Especially when he felt all that energy whirling around in his eye.

There was a tear in the fabric of their reality and he willed it to grow, it did and Sasuke walked through the portal then. He was startled by the weightlessness as he dove through nothing but saw the ground below him.

Summoning Susanoo again he landed then slowly descended to the ground, stumbling a bit in exhaustion he slumped back against a rock as his chest heaved and he closed his eyes. That took a lot more energy when he was awake than when he accidentally did it in his sleep. Chest heaving he looked up as he shut his Rinnegan again and stared at the purple sky.

Odd coloring, but he found it… Befitting, somehow.

Groaning in a bit of pain as he felt his arm cramping he rested his brow on his knee and sighed.

He really wished now that someone told him just what the hell the Rinnegan was capable of and what he could and couldn't do with it. Using it in the heat of battle was different than just using it.

Sighing he leant back again with his eyes shut.

He wondered if Itachi had had these problems with his eyes, or if Obito or Madara had. Hell; he'd even settle with talking to his father about the power of the Uchiha eyes. Not that his father was very proud of him.

Green and pink flashed in his mind and again he scowled as he stripped off his cloak to take care of the talon lashes that his hawk had given him.

This was not going to be easy he decided when he recognized he was down an arm.

That's all for now folks!

Enjoy Until the Day I Die! =)