Mixed feeling raged within him as he continued to put one foot in front of the other. Self-doubt shouting in the back of his mind if he was truly making the right decision tonight. Naruto was getting stronger every day, yet Sasuke felt like he was at a stalemate. Maybe the village would make him strong enough one day, strong enough to take on Itachi, but Sasuke felt as if he was running out of time. He didn't have years to waste. He needed to get stronger now.
To be able to avenge his family.
These bonds were just holding him back. His teammates made him weak because they made him care about stupid frivolous things. How many hours had he wasted trying to see what their sensei's face looked like? Why hadn't he spent those hours training? Why did he have to be paired with the loudest big mouth possible who didn't understand what needed to be done? How had Naruto been able to progress so quickly? It seemed as if his strength had doubled over night.
Then there was Sakura.
Why had she stood between him and Gaara? She could have been killed. She would have been killed if it hadn't been for Naruto. He had been to weak to protect. It was Naruto that saved her from the water on their last mission. Naruto already had her on his back and was running to the shore by the time Sasuke was able to surface. Sakura couldn't rely on him to protect her. Sasuke knew he wasn't strong enough to protect her, not yet.
These people were causing to much noise. They were distracting him form what was important. He needed to focus on the matter at hand. Orochimaru promised to give him strength. To give her clarity and guidance to complete his goal. If the village couldn't stop the snake sasin then surely, he was stronger than anyone within the village. If anyone could help defeat Itachi it would be that man, he just had to make it out of the village first.
Sasuke was almost to the outer gate when he felt her charka signature. For a moment he contemplated going a different direction but knew she would follow him. He didn't want to raise suspicion. So instead of running away he continued down the street, his speed remaining the same even space as before.
When she stepped out from the tree line, she didn't speak a single word. Her eyes just grew wide as she stared at the backpack he was carrying. Sasuke felt a wave of frustration grow within him. Of course, he wouldn't be able to leave in peace, one of his teammates once again making things more difficult than they needed to be, simply because they didn't understand.
"It's the middle of the night, what are you hanging around here for?"
"This is the only road out of the village" she answered barely above a whisper. Only a few feet separated the two teammates as they stared at one another.
"You should go to bed." He stated evenly as he began to walk around her, hoping she would leave it at that.
"Why Sasuke?" She asked once he made it a couple yards. He didn't need to turn around to know there were tears now running down her face. A small part of him twisted and it only grew the self-doubt. "Why won't you ever tell me anything?" She called to him as he continued to walk away. "Why is it always silence with you? You've never shared a single thing-"
"Why should I have to tell you anything?" He yelled coming to a stop. "Just keep your nose out of my business. It's none of your concern." He warned.
"I know you hate me. Even in the beginning you could never stand me. Remember back when we made genin and we were assigned to our three-man squads. We were alone together for the very first time, right here on this very spot. You got so mad at me that day."
"I don't remember." Sasuke could hear her tears hitting the pavement.
"Yeah, sure it was so long ago right" she tried to recover even through her tears. "But still that's the day where it all began, the start of you and me. And Naruto and Kakashi-sensei. All of us started going on missions. It was rough back then, everyday was such a challenge. More than anything it was so much fun. I know about your clan Sasuke. I do. But seeking revenge that won't bring anyone happiness, nobody at all. Not you. And not me."
"I need it. I'm not the same as you. I'm traveling a path the rest of you can't follow. I know that the four of us have worked together and for a while I thought I could take that road instead. But, in the end I've decided on revenge. That's always been my reason for living. I'll never be like you and Naruto."
"Don't do this Sasuke!" She shouted, pleading. "You don't have to be alone. You told me that day how painful solitude can be. I understand that pain now. I have family and friends but if you were gone Sasuke it would be the same thing for me as being all alone" she choked out in-between sobs.
"This is a new beginning, each of us has a new path lined before us." He heard her take a step forward.
"Sasuke I'm so in love with you I can't even stand it! If you would only be with me, I promise I'll never let you regret it. Everyday will be a joy. I can give you happiness. I'll do anything for you Sasuke. So please I'm begging you don't look away! I'll even help get your revenge. I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen I swear! Stay here with me. And if you can't take me with you!" The tears rolled down her face, the moonlight reflecting in the streaks it left on her face.
Sasuke finally turns and looks at her, a small smile on his face. "You haven't changed. You're still annoying." Her eyes widen at the use of that name but he simple turns to walk away.
"Don't leave me!" She screams beginning to run after him. "If you go, I will scream and-" She stops talking, Sasuke disappearing from in front of her only to reappear behind her. His body so close to hers she can feel his warmth.
"Sakura thank you for everything." Are his finally words before hitting her on the back of the neck. He catches, picking her up and holding her tightly against his chest.
There is a tiny part of him still screaming at him to stay. To give the girl in his arms a chance to make all those promises she just made a possibility. To stay and have a life his mother would have wanted him to have. To be in the village where he wouldn't have to face these problems alone. Sakura had already proven she was willing to risk her life to protect his. Kakashi had given warnings that the road he was about to take wouldn't give him the happiness he thought he wanted.
But as her tears soaked into his shirt he began to question if he was strong enough to protect her. What would happen if Itachi or Orochimaru went after her in order to get to him? She had no chance at fighting against them. Could he live with himself if she was killed because of him?
No. No he couldn't.
With his resolve finally set he hugged her close against his body once more before laying her gently across the bench. His lips gently presses against hers, as his last selfish act as a leaf shinobi. He wanted to know what the girl who promised him her heart felt like, at least once.
Time seemed to standstill. He couldn't tell how much time had passed. Couldn't tell who had joined the clearing or if there was any danger near. His body just continued to grow numb the longer he sat there clenching onto her, unwilling to let her go. The tears continued to flow down his checks, soaking his mask. The imagine of her imprinting in his mind. Her bloody and broken body just made his heart shatter into a million unfixable pieces.
He had been too late.
He had let another precious person die because he hadn't been strong enough to stop it.
How…how could he return to the village and walk through those gates? Kakashi had grown to associate Sakura with home. Her smile, laugh, smell, all of it screamed of home. But there was no smile on her lips. Her laugh forever silenced. The signature cherry blossom perfume she always wore now replaced with the smell of blood, sweat and dirt.
Inside Kakashi was paralyzed. Unable to move. Unable to think. Unable to do anything but sit there and feel his whole world come crashing down around him.
The others in the clearing weren't fairing much better. Ino was still in Shikamaru's arms sobbing, calling out to her friend, though she had stopped trying to break out of his hold. Shikamaru's own tears hadn't dried but Ino grounded him. Ino gave him a purpose to hold on a little longer. He knew she wouldn't be able to cope with seeing the state Sakura was in. Genma and Shizune were now standing next to Kakashi. Shizune was trying desperately to wipe Sakura's blood of her hands onto her pants. Genma just kept staring at her body. His eyes unfocused with tear streaks cascading down his face.
Naruto hadn't been able to look up. His forehead remind on the ground. His tears falling and mixing with the grass beneath him. Sai remained at Naruto's side. His hand rubbing circles up and down his back. Sai had been surprised when he began feeling wetness on his own face. Yamato focus was locked on Kakashi, his heart breaking not only for the loss of Sakura but for what his senpai was having to go through. Radio and Shino were silent as they watched those around them.
Neji was the first to move. Through his first steps hadn't been toward Sakura. Sasuke remained unmoving, even as Neji stood in front of him, a bandage in his hand. "Your eyes are bleeding" he stated as he reached toward Sasuke's face. Sasuke didn't even blink as Neji gently wiped away the blood. To stunned by the action and the whole situation to comment. "If you do not shut off your blood limit you are going to damage your eyes."
"It doesn't matter." Sasuke bite out. His eyes leaving Neji and refocusing on Sakura.
Neji stationed himself more firmly in front of Sasuke, cutting off his view of Sakura. "Turn them off. She wouldn't want you hurt." Neji said as he moved to the other eye. Even with Sakura's long and complicated history with Sasuke, Neji knew she still cared for him. She wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want him damaging himself or exposing a secret she had worked to protect. Neji would deal with his emotions later. But he had promised to keep an eye on her team. "Take a breath. Naruto is going to need you."
The sound of his other teammate's name had Sasuke closing his eyes. Sasuke knew something had changed about his sharingan. Even with his eyes closed they still stung, and a new wave of blood threaten to spill.
Neji moving to Sasuke had broken Radio out of his shock. He quickly pulled a scroll from his backpack and bit his thumb, producing a black traveling cloak. Radio hesitated only few seconds before he began walking toward Kakashi. The cloak gripped tightly in his hands as he fought his own tears from falling. He felt his stomach twist painfully as he got a closer look at her back. How could someone do something so horrible to someone like her?
Radio kneeled in front of Kakashi and Sakura but when he reached for her, Kakashi jerked backwards with Sakura still in his arms. "Do not touch her" he growled his mismatched eyes locking onto Radio.
Everyone in the clearing held their breath as his killing intent filled the area. Radio didn't move. He had never seen his friend like this before. He didn't know what Kakashi would do. Radio looked up at Genma looking for guidance on what to do. Genma looked at the material in Radio's hands and knew what he had been trying to do.
They needed to leave this area. Quickly.
There was no telling what enemy could be lying in wait, or if the enemy had headed back to the village for another attack. They had no way of knowing if Sakura had spilled any secrets or if they had gained any information on their own.
Either way it didn't matter. She was gone. Staying in the field surrounded by flowers was not going to change that. So Genma motioned for Radio to hand him the cloak. Once Genma had the soft material in his hands he turned to Shizune. "Take the rest of the group back to the start of the trees. Have Sai send a messenger bird to Tsunade explaining the situation and the coordinates of the other bodies and the house." Genma spoke emotionless. Already disassociating what was happening, what he was feeling. Because it was so much easier to pretend that this was just another faceless leaf jounin. So much easier to pretend it had been some stranger they hadn't rescued. Because if he didn't, he was going to truly lose it.
"Genma-" Shizune started, not wanting to leave her. Not wanting to leave the man she loved to bare all the pain alone.
"See if Sai could create enough birds so we can fly home. The sooner back in the Leaf the better." Genma left no room for arguments and both Radio and Shizune began to walk toward the others. Genma could still hear Ino crying, begging for this to just be some sick nightmare she was going to wake up from. He could hear Yamato's and Sai's soft words to Naruto as they help him stand. He could hear Sasuke's protest of not going anywhere, and Neji telling him they need to leave. Then he heard nothing, blocking out all the noise as he focused on his childhood friend and his jounin partner.
Kakashi wasn't screaming, not yet, but he was close to it. Silent sobs shock his frame, as he continued to press Sakura as close to his chest as possible. He just kept repeating apologizes to her. When Genma took another step toward him, his eyes shot up and locked with Genma, just as he had done with Radio. But he remained still as Genma crouched in front of them. Genma's features where twisted in pain, Kakashi could easily see the hurt in his eyes.
So, when Genma gently placed his free hand on Kakashi's arm, he didn't fight back. "She wouldn't want them to see her like this." Genma stated barely able to say those words without a sob ripping through him. Kakashi nodded, and loosened his hold around her, just enough for Genma to wrap the cloak around her. Covering everything but her face. Genma softly wiped away Kakashi's teardrops that had landed on her face. "I'm so sorry Sakura-chan." He apologized lightly stroking her cheek. "I'm so so sorry."
The two males stayed like that for several minutes before Genma was able to talk Kakashi into leaving. As they walked away, leaving the bloodstained flowers behind, Kakashi felt apart of himself die with her.
The copycat ninja would never be the same again.
When the pain died down, anger would replace it, and he would be being willing to burn the whole world down if it meant he was able to kill the people responsible for this.
Jiraiya found Tsunade twenty minutes after the message came.
She had gone to their old training ground and had completely destroyed it.
Massive craters littered the filed. Trees were uprooted and scattered all over.
Then there was Tsunade sitting on the ground, her head buried in her knees. Her normal green robe torn in several places. She gave no acknowledgment to his presence, but he knew she knew he was there. He said nothing as he walked toward her, feeling her charka dangerously coil around her as her emotions got the better on her. He said nothing as he sat behind her and wrapped his body around hers. Protectively. Trying to shield her from the pain she was feeling.
Jiraiya had been there when Nawaki had died, and then with Dan. He had been with her the night Orochimaru deserted the village. Jiraiya had seen her off when she left. He would be here this time to. He wasn't going anywhere. No matter what he had learned, no matter if one day Tsunade would understand if she ever learned the truth, he would be there for her. Sakura died protecting the village, protecting his godson and his love. He wasn't going to waste the sacrifice she made. No one was going to lay one finger on his family.
"I'm sorry" was the only words he could find to say. Tsunade said nothing, just continued to cry. Jiraiya knew there was no real comfort he could bring her. When Minato had passed it had almost destroyed him. It had left him so broken he had abandoned his godson when Naruto needed Jiraiya the most. But Jiraiya couldn't look at Naruto and not burst into tears. So, he simply didn't, fleeing the village, trying to run away from the pain.
They sat in silence for a couple hours. Away from prying eyes, allowing Tsunade a moment to grieve her loss before she had to face her people. All eyes would be looking at her and she had no idea what she was going to do. The anbu had turned up nothing. Sakura's mission history showed nothing of interest. No village had claimed any responsibility. No group claiming victory.
She was no closer to finding who had done this than the night Sakura was taken. Only her note saying not to trust anyone had been found. Leading Tsunade to believe someone inside the village had betrayed the Leaf. What was she going to tell her people? How was she going to keep it together giving orders? What if her emotions caused an error and their defense was weakened or the village appeared to be weak? What if the anbu team she sent out to search the surrounding area of where she was found, finds nothing? Then what?
"We will find who is responsible for this Tsunade" Jiraiya commented feeling the shift in her charka. "Who ever was responsible for this, there will be nothing left of them." He said squeezing her tighter. "But for now, don't focus on that. Grieve the loss of your daughter. Everything else can wait."
Tsunade didn't need to be hold twice as she finally turned and buried her face into his chest.
Sai had managed to produce enough birds to safety transport them back to the village. Since this time, they were no longer trying to find a trail or track anything, they were able to take the most direct route, making the trip about twelve hours. When they were about three hours from the village, they were notified that a team was waiting for them a mile into the tree lines from the main gate. The Hokage did not want anyone to see the state Sakura had been left in. There would be a retrieval team waiting with equipment to bring her back into the village.
The closer they got to the village the more and more Kakashi's heart twisted in pain. He had refused to put her down. Kakashi had continued to hold onto her, even after Genma and Neji both offered. How could he? Once she was no longer in his arms, he would never be able to touch her again. He would never see her face or feel her soft skin against him. The damn idiot should have acted on his feeling's months ago. He had wasted so much time.
What would have happened if he had been open about his feeling for her? Would Sakura have opened up and told him what was going on? Would she have trusted him enough to share who was after her or why? Would she had gone off into battle thinking that was the only way to protect the village?
Kakashi had been so lost in thought, he hadn't even realized the birds were landing until they were already on the forest floor. The sun was still hidden behind the clouds, the air still cool from the night before. His internal clock telling him it was around four in the morning, yet he could feel the buzz radiating off the village. His sandals hit the ground and a wave of nausea hits him at full force. He feels like he is going to throw up. Like he is going to start hyperventilating. He wants nothing more than to run, to flee, to get as far away from everyone as he can. But he can't. He won't. She still needed him.
"Hokage-sama" Kakashi acknowledges as Tsunade walks toward him. Her eyes glazing over as she looks at the girl in his arms. "Sh-she was already gone when we found her," he says, his voice only wavering once.
"She's home" was her only answer before she motioned for the others behind her to begin.
Two senior medics begin laying out the black body bag that is customary for these types of things. Ibiki steps out of the shadows and makes his way toward them. He could hear Naruto begin to cry but he doesn't dare turn to look at him. Team seven was broken. If Kakashi couldn't hold it together himself, what help could he be to his team? How had Minato ever looked us in the eyes after what happened to Obito? A hand falls on his shoulder and gives him a reassuring squeeze.
"Kakashi its time" Jiraiya says softly.
Ibiki stands in front of them, his eyes soft. His standard glare, gone. His shoulders were limp, his posture imperfect. The once unmovable man seemed remarkably human in this moment. With a gentleness no one had ever seen from this man, he gently shifted Sakura out of Kakashi's arms and into his. His eyes closing for a brief moment, as if he was saying a silent prayer before he turned and walked to the bag on the stretcher. Sakura is in his arms less than a minute before she is placed on the stretcher and covered. A lack sheet with the leaf symbol painted in red covers her. Ibiki stands and looks at the group, searching for the four that would carry her one last time into the village.
Shikamaru and Neji quickly step forward, then Genma. The rest in the clearing turn to Kakashi, but he can't breathe, let alone talk. His eyes seek Naruto's, giving a silent permission for the blonde to take his place. Kakashi had been the last one in their group to touch her, it was only fair Naruto had the chance to have sort of connection to her as well. Naruto takes a minute to try and dry his eyes before he takes his position behind Genma.
With Sakura no longer in his arms he suddenly felt very cold, as if any moment of heat or drop energy he had vanished. His knees threatened to bulk as they took their first step toward the village. Yamato was quick to his side, allowing Kakashi to be sandwich between two old friends.
"Just shut up for once! What the hell do you know about it?! It's not like you ever had a family in the first place! You were on your own right from the beginning, what makes you think you know anything about that? Huh?! I'm suffering now because I had those ties! How on earth could you possibly understand what it feels like to lose all that?!"
Maybe Sasuke had been right about breaking his bonds with people, because right now it hurt, it hurt so fucking bad.
Sakura Haruno had started off as a crush. Only later to become his teammate then one of his first friends. Even becoming one of his best friends. Somewhere along the way she had become a sister to him. He had never had a family, but family didn't just mean by blood. Sakura had taken multiple hits for him. She cooked for him when he didn't feel good. She took his temperature and got him medication when he was sick. Sakura healed him after fights. She was always there to knock since into him when needed and was a buffer between Tsunade and him. They had always joke when she became in charge of the hospital and he was Hokage, there would be no stopping Konohagakure.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
She wasn't supposed to be killed…not like that. Sakura had always seemed indestructible. Her medical abilities were known throughout the seven nations. No hit was deadly when she was around. Sasori stabbed her through the chest and she was able to heal the wound with the sword still in her body. Naruto had heard enough stories about Sakura being able to bring back the dead. Shinobi who should have died, and some who even did on her table, still carried out missions in the name of the leaf. Even if Naruto did sometimes forget what a remarkable medic Sakura was, her other skills didn't make her an easy target. Her monster strength and inhuman ability to control her charka put her legends above others in her own age group.
Then there was the fact Sakura had them. Team Seven. There shouldn't have been a force on this Earth that was able to touch her if they were around. Yet the original members of team seven had been present on the training field when she was taken. They had pushed to be apart of the rescue team. But they had been unable to protect her…
Fresh tears were already forming when he heard Genma gasp. Naruto's head quickly shot up and the tears he had been fighting back poured down his face. They had reached the front gates, but Naruto hadn't expected the sight before him. Naruto turned his head to Tsunade walking behind them. "Granny what's going on?" Shikamaru, Neji and Genma turned to her as well looking for instructions.
"Just continue to walk slowly to the hospital. This is something the villagers wanted to do." She explained, giving no further instructions.
At the opening of the gate there stood the rest of the Konoha 13, each of them holding a white rose in their hands. Kiba had a hand around Hinata who was crying as her eyes meet Neji's then his own. Rock Lee's eyes were bloodshot and stood silent as his eyes remained on the stretcher as they neared. TennTenn stood next to him, her own eyes downcast. Choji stood next to his own father, desperately trying to keep it together, but the second he saw Ino he lost it.
As they walked through the gates, their friends stepped forward and place their flowers on top of her. Naruto had to keep his focused glued to Genma's back. His grip around the handle tightening as he tried to gain composure. Naruto had never seen something like this. He could see a line of people, shinobi and civilian, formed in a line on either side of the street.
The next group of people Naruto recognized where the clan heads standing together. The Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Hyuga, and Aburame clan leaders were present. As they passed them, they lowered their heads in prayer. All of their team senseis had gathered. Konohamaru was clenching onto Asuma's pant leg as they passed. Naruto recognized several of the Tokubestu jounin present as well. Chunin and genin were mixed among the civilians.
Time seemed to speed up and slow down all at once. Naruto could no longer tell one face from the next. Some many people had come out see her brought home. Many he recognized, many he didn't. How involved in the village had Sakura been? The trip from the gates to the hospital was only ten minutes at most. Yet it seemed as if it happened in seconds. When they finally arrived in front of the hospital time stilled. Every available doctor, nurse, intern, really anyone who had been inside the hospital now all stood in front of it.
As a medical team of four stepped forward. Genma must have known what they were meant to do because he stops walking, causing the others to do the same. "They are here to take her" Genma says quietly as he allows one of the men to take his place. One by one each boy is replaced by the doctors. Naruto is frozen in his spot, his eyes just glued to the white flowers.
The team walks forward and everyone before them bends to a bow.
They remain that way until they disappear behind the doors. Only then do they straighter and begin filing back inside.
"Shizune are you up-" Tsunade begins to ask her apprentice only to be cut off.
"Of course," Shizune answers and starts making her way toward the hospital doors not bothering to wait for clarification. Genma shoots passed Naruto, and quickly matches pace with Shizune. Naruto can do nothing as they disappear inside the hospital.
"I know how difficult this mission was and what you all have been through, but unfortunately this is a time sensitive matter. I need the team leaders in my office now for a basic debrief. The rest of you, go home. I expect your reports by tomorrow at four." Tsunade said nothing else, just disappeared in a cloud of smoke, along with Jiraiya and Ibiki.
Naruto felt so lost in that moment. What were they supposed to do now?
Author's note: I'm sorry this update has taken two months. I lost my grandmother halfway through April. I needed time before I could return to this story and write this.
I know this chapter is short and slow. There is one more slow chapter, necessary for character development and story set up. I promise after the next chapter it really starts to pick up.
Thank you to everyone who has left reviews. I really do enjoy reading them. It really helps me keep writing.
Everyone stay safe.