Story: Melancholia, Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

I'd like to thank my friends for helping me on this one. uwu

FINALLY REACHING REAL PLOT IN THIS CHAPTER SORTA? IT MAY FEEL LIKE I'M RUSHING THINGS BUT I HAD TO DO THIS BECAUSE I HAVE PLANS AND BECAUSE AGAIN SASUKE'S STORY LINE IS GONNA BE VASTLY DIFFERENT FOR THIS STORY SAKE WHILE STILL KEEPING THE HEART OF HIS CHARACTER THE SAME!

Note: So some of y'all have been wondering what pairing I've been planning for Sasuke, and the answer to that is honestly up to y'all. I currently have a poll on my profile asking where you can vote. If you have any suggestions I haven't considered yet, I can add that too.

The pairings I'm certain on at this point is NarutoxSakura, KibaxHinata, NejixTenten, TsunadexJiraiya, SuigetsuxKarin if I go into that(because 1. I'm not really a fan of SK for one(no hate to the shippers), but also this is a canon divergent story and therefore the storyline is going to be vastly different, but 2. I just think SuiKarin could be super cute, so yeah.), and ShikamaruxTemari.

As for Sasuke, the suggestions I've received is Ino, Tamaki and some random civilian girl.

I could still go with SaiXIno but I still think SasuIno could be kinda cute. But I'm also not really focused much on pairings with Sasuke at the moment, cuz he has a lot of other things he needs to work out currently, so yeah. I'm more or less gonna wait this one out and hear y'all's thoughts on it.

Because even if he doesn't end up with anybody, I do have other plans that could work out too(although they might leave some people feeling very sad, but hey that's the joys of fanfiction, right?)

Nextly, Replies to Reviews:

GunBlade2020 chapter 18 . 21h ago

Hi there

It seems that Team 7 have to go through so much just to be free from their pain it seems...

Keep up the great writing and stay safe!

Yes, Team 7 is suffering way too much right now, but things will get better, eventually, and thank you! I'm glad you like it!

bruins35 chapter 18 . Dec 30

Although you say it's NaruSaku, the moment at the end made it seem way more SasuSaku then NaruSaku. That's just my opinion though. Great chapter though!

So for the sake of this story, I'm actually wanting to develop Sakura and Sasuke's bond into more of a sister-brother type thing. It's not something I see much in fanfictions, but I think it'd be really interesting to explore since Naruto likewise was meant to be favor a brother figure to Sasuke, and it will also play into later scenes I have planned and some things I've already shown. Sakura will always be kind of like that soft spot for Sasuke and as I was writing the last chapter, I was actually thinking a bit of that scene where the other Uchiha members accused Itachi of killing Shisui, and before things got out of hand, it was Sasuke who cried for Itachi to stop and Itachi caved, apologizing. So yeah, while it might have SEEMED like SasuSaku, that wasn't the intentions behind it.

I just wanted to show that Sasuke is slowly starting to open himself up more, and show the clear obstacles he's having to face, especially since this story isn't just NaruSaku but focuses on the entirety of Team 7 as well. But, that aside, I do understand why you got that impression.

DankSodaCan chapter 18 . Dec 30

Good.

I'm glad you liked it!

Camryn Kissel chapter 18 . 43m ago

This is a great chapter. SASUKE is the best friend for Both Sarkua and Nautro. Kakashi is the father to all of them. I wonder how Katooni will react when he learns that SASUKE is not sleeping? when is Shikamaru going to appear?

I'm really glad you liked it! And yes, I've had so much enjoyment in writing Sasuke being a good friend to Sakura and Naruto. He's cold sometimes, but he also has a very vulnerable side to him! I'm kind of confused with your fourth sentence, so I'm not entirely sure how to answer that ;w;

But as for Shikamaru, I'll be bringing him back in again, hopefully in the next few chapters.

...

ONTO THE STORY~

As the nurses were working on getting the glass shards out of Sasuke's hand, nobody said anything. Both Sakura and Sasuke were avoiding eye-contact as Kakashi waited patiently for Sasuke to explain himself. As he should have expected, the boy stayed stubbornly silent, until she was gone and his arm was bandaged up.

Some time after that, he spoke, breaking the suffocating silence.

"...Sorry..., Sakura..." Yet again, he found himself apologizing, hating that she had had to see him like that.

Just like the week before, Sakura didn't know what to think, but moved to stop him as he started to get up.

"...You're damn right you should be apologizing, Shannaro yo..." She lightly scolded him. Normally, she wouldn't have, but the fact that he had shattered their window and damaged his arm like that, even going as far as to threaten somebody's life... It was just too much. "What in the world were you even thinking back there? It's like you completely snapped."

Sasuke seemed to tense a bit a hearing that, but after another moment of silence, he spoke again, not giving her much of an answer at all, keeping his feelings to himself. "...It's nothing."

Kakashi sighed at his reluctance to talk(typical Sasuke), deciding to take initiative. "...That didn't look like nothing to me. Now why don't you tell us what really happened...?"

"...I said it's not important." Sasuke clenched his fists.

"So you're Sasuke-kun, right? The younger brother of Uchiha Itachi..." The boy mused, meeting his eyes. "You sure do favor him, I'll give you that much."

"What do you want?" Sasuke immediately glared at him. "And who are you?"

"I'm glad you asked. You can just call me Senko." The boy smirked. One thing was for certain right off the bat. Sasuke didn't like this guy, at all. "I wanted to talk with you about Itachi."

"I'm not interested." Sasuke immediately shot him down. He had no interest in having a conversation about his brother whatsoever.

"Oh, so the rumors are true then. Bring up Itachi, and you completely lose it. Interesting." Senko seemed to be enjoying this, much to Sasuke's annoyance. "I can't really say I blame you. After losing everything in a single night like that? Who wouldn't be angry? But haven't you ever wondered, just once, if your feelings were misplaced or if there was more to the situation than met the eye?"

"Just what are you implying?" Sasuke questioned, dangerously.

"Oh, nothing much. Just that maybe you don't really know your brother as well as you think you do." Senko shrugged.

"Bullshit. You're the one who doesn't know anything about him...! I saw the true Itachi with my own two eyes when that psychopath murdered our entire clan...!" Sasuke growled, feeling his blood boiling and his fingers twitching.

"Oh, scary." Senko smirked, as if he wasn't phased by his threats at all. "But answer me this. If Itachi was truly as evil and callous as everybody says he is, then why are you, his precious little brother, still alive...?"

Sasuke's eyes widened in response, as the realization sunk in.

"Come to think of it... Wasn't Itachi working for the Anbu at the time?" Senko pointed out and it was there that Sasuke's blood went cold. How did he know that? "On top of that, there's also this rumor going around amongst the higher brass that he was a double agent, acting as the village's pipeline. Or in other words, what you might call a spy."

"Wait, a spy?" Sasuke quickly turned to face him, completely caught off guard by that. "That's impossible...!"

"...Is it though?" Senko rose an eyebrow. "Can you really tell me that with absolute certainty...?"

"I...!" Sasuke started to argue back but was suddenly at a loss for words.

Suddenly, memories flashed back into his head of how Itachi had quickly began acting weirder than ever within months of joining the Anbu, more withdrawn, always leaving; Always telling him the same old "maybe next time" excuse when he asked him to help him with his training. Somehow or another, Itachi had changed, and everybody who knew him saw it.

Not only that, but Itachi never spoke of the details of his "missions" with Fugaku, and the majority of his life outside of the clan had become one giant question mark for Sasuke himself and many others.

Rumors at the time had even began to spread that Itachi was conspiring against them, which was exactly why he had been the suspect in Shisui's supposed suicide.

But there was no way it could have had anything to do with the massacre...!

Sasuke immediately wanted to throw up when he realized he was even questioning it.

"Well, I do admit it's only a rumor, so alas, I can't say for sure if it's true or not. But let's say it was..." Senko smiled, placing a finger on his lip. "Don't you think it's possible that they had something to do with it? Maybe he was somehow coerced into it... Just maybe... it wasn't even his idea to begin with... Who's to say...?"

That was where Sasuke finally snapped, letting emotions get the better of him.

Just who the hell was that boy and how did he know so much? What was even his gain in telling him all that? Questions, one after another, flooded into his head.

It was then that he realized it. It wasn't just sheer ignorance. No, Sasuke was absolutely certain the boy had been testing him, just trying to get a reaction out of him.

And to even suggest the Anbu had something to do with the massacre was just beyond preposterous.

Itachi was a criminal. A murderer. A traitor to Konoha. Nothing more, nothing less.

Above all else, he was the person who took everything from him, the one who killed everybody he loved.

The person he had devoted his entire life to killing. Because if not for that, then why was he even still alive? What was the purpose in living if not for revenge?

Outside of that, what did he even have left?

The boy was clearly just out of his mind.

"Sasuke, you need to breathe. You're having a panic attack." Kakashi's voice called out to him, but he ignored it.

A thousand different voices were echoing in his head at the moment, ranging from Itachi's to Orochimaru's to Kakashi's to Naruto's and Sakura's to the screaming voices of his clan members and then even Tsunade's and others, and all he could see was red, his mother and father lying on the floor dead in front of him.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" He found himself gasping for air, utterly refusing to cooperate with anybody.

He heard voices but they were muffled, his vision was becoming dark and fuzzy.

He just wanted everything to stop.

He couldn't think.

He needed to think.

Even after a doctor's needle was stuck into his arm and he was sent into unconsciousness, he still refused to believe what the boy had suggested.

...

Kakashi sighed as he looked down at the sleeping form of his student. He wasn't normally the type to approve of such drastic measures, but the way Sasuke had been acting just now, even lashing out at the doctors who were trying to help him. He couldn't very well let it slide.

If it wasn't one problem, it was the next...

"Any idea how long he'll be passed out? I'd really like to ask him some questions when I can." He asked one of the nurses.

"Well, the effects of the sedative could last up to an hour. My suggestion is to wait it out a bit."

"I see. Thank you." Kakashi said. "Oh, that reminds me. Sakura, wasn't there something you wanted to talk with me and Tsunade-sama about?"

"Oh, yeah! That's right...!" Sakura looked up at him, alarmed. "It was something about the villagers..."

...

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Come in."

Sakura had insisted that the matter couldn't wait, so Kakashi brought her back to the Hokage's office to let her speak, since Tsunade probably wouldn't have been able to make it out to the hospital until at least nightfall.

Shizune was standing by Tsunade's side at her desk, helping her sort through some documents.

"Oh, it's you two. What's going on?" Tsunade looked up from the overwhelming stack of papers in front of her.

"Well, it's about Naruto again... Sakura here said she needed to speak with you..." Kakashi told her.

"I see. Shizune, can you take those into the storage room and sort them there?" Tsunade asked.

"Huh? Tsunade-sama, you can't expect me to do all of this by myself, can you?" Shizune dared to ask.

"That's exactly what I'm expecting you to do!" Tsunade scolded her, causing her to jump. "Now get to it!"

Shizune immediately shrieked and jumped into action, wondering just what in the world had been up with Tsunade today. It wasn't like she wasn't normally a slave driver, but ever since Team 7 returned from their mission, Naruto had been sent to the hospital and something was really off with Tsunade's mood. Just what in the world was going on...? Shizune decided against questioning it for the time being, figuring whatever it was must be serious, and instead left, doing as Tsunade had asked her to.

"Sorry about that." Tsunade sighed. "Now, Sakura, can you tell me what it is that you wanted to talk about? Is there something you haven't told us?"

"...Um..." Sakura hesitated, once again questioning if this was the right choice, but when Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder and uttered the words "It's okay...", she remembered what Ino had told her, forcing herself to regain her composure. This was for Naruto. "Remember how we mentioned that Juro was selling girls and women for sexual labor? Well..., Naruto... He was acting really strange that day, so after we boarded that ship, I actually tried to ask him if something was bothering him, and..."

"So what did he say...?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura reached up to clutch her arm with uncertainty. "Well, um... He didn't say a lot, but he mentioned the villagers... He implied that sometimes they..."

After a moment, Tsunade felt her entire being go freeze when the implication struck her.

No. God no.

He was just a child, for God's sake. A twelve year old child.

How the hell could anybody think to-?

Within seconds, numerous terrifying images plagued her mind and just barely she fought back the urge to smash out her window.

Kakashi, meanwhile, was beside himself. He couldn't even speak at first.

"Sexual abuse? Do you really think that's possible...?" Tsunade bit her lip, dreadfully taking the liberties for him. Numerous probabilities had come to mind, when considering what Naruto could have been hiding, but none of them wanted to believe it was something like this.

To think they would stood so low as to do something like that to a child, it was just

unbelievable

And yet, so obvious.

A grim expression settled on Kakashi's face as all the pieces fell into place. Suddenly, he felt nauseated.

This must be what he'd been so afraid to talk about, why he had hesitated earlier. And as much as he would rather deny it, something like that would be a perfectly understandable motivator for self-harming. To begin with, a child Naruto's age wouldn't know how to cope with such an experience as that, but secondly, they would try to hide it, whether it be out of shame or out of fear.

"...Maa... I'm afraid so..." He said dismally. "Earlier, in the hospital, the doctor actually asked Naruto if he was sexually active... I can only assume that's why he hesitated to say no..."

The fact that he'd failed to notice such a thing was happening to him filled him with a certain level of guilt, but his overwhelming desire to hurt the person responsible for even daring to lay a hand on his student was threatening to get the better of him and he had no idea how much longer he could keep himself in tact.

Nightmares, self-harm, excessive diets and now this? He wanted more than anything to just help his team, and to take their suffering away, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to, when he was on the verge of collapse himself.

Kakashi was no doubt exceptional at making out like everything was fine on the outside, but Tsunade herself had known him long enough to see that he was not in the state of mind to deal with this at the moment. She could see the rings under his eyes from having no sleep, she could see that he was trying his best to remain strong, but in reality he was falling apart.

"...This is bad." Tsunade sighed before looking back at Sakura, who had started clutching her shoulder after hearing what Kakashi said last. "Sakura, I need to know, did Naruto say anything else to you or mention the names of those villagers?"

"No, ma'am..." Sakura shook her head regretfully. "He wouldn't tell me anything beyond that. He hardly even spoke about it at all to begin with..."

"I should have figured as much..." Tsunade sighed, before she briefly bit down on her thumb nail, trying to decide where to go from there.

"Unfortunately, Naruto isn't the type to lash back at somebody as weak as a civilian, even if they are hurting him..." Kakashi said grimly. "They probably saw that kindness in him and took advantage of it..."

Why...? Why is it always Naruto and Sasuke-kun going through these things...? Sakura clenched her fists at the thought, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "Hokage-sama... You have the power to stop this from happening to him, don't you...? You have to do something for him... Please, I'm begging you..."

After hearing the girl's plea, Tsunade felt her heart break, and steadied her breathing the best she could, telling herself that she had to focus on what was right in front of her, not on what had happened in the past. This was about Naruto alone, nothing and nobody else. She was the Fifth Hokage now, one of the Legendary Sannin, damn it! She had to just suck it up.

"Don't worry, we will. I'm going out to the hospital later to speak with Iruka and Naruto to just see if I can get some answers from him, but I'm certain this will still take time, so I'm not expecting anything right away. In the mean time, I want the both of you to go home and get some rest. Both of you. Do I make myself clear?" Tsunade asked. As soon as she got her hands on the names of the people who even dared to such a thing to him, there was going to be hell to pay, and she'd personally see to it herself that they never saw the light of day again. Whether that be through death or behind bars, she didn't know yet, but she wasn't about let them get away with this. Despite that, she knew she needed to calm down, remembering something else.

"And Sakura?" Tsunade looked down at the young Kunoichi in front of her who met her gaze. "I want you here at 3 PM sharp tomorrow."

"Huh? What for?" Sakura asked, confused for a moment.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten." Tsunade said, smirking a bit, catching Kakashi's attention. "We're going to start your training."

"Wait, you mean already?!" Sakura's jaw dropped a bit, nervously.

"You don't have a problem with it, do you?" Tsunade asked.

"N-no! Of course not!" Sakura insisted. "I just... I mean, you're the Hokage, right? I didn't think you would be free so soon, is all."

"Nonsense." Tsunade smiled. "It's really no problem at all."

She said that every single time when it came to them.

Sakura was starting to question if it was really just out of generosity or because she wanted any excuse to avoid work. Maybe it was both.

"Um... if I may..." Kakashi spoke up, awkward scratching the back of his head. "When was this apprenticeship arranged...? I'm not really upset. I just wasn't expecting this..."

"Oh, that's right...! I guess I didn't tell you about it..." Sakura realized apologetically. "Earlier, before I left, I asked Hokage-sama to make me her apprentice, and she agreed to it. And before you say it, I'm already aware that this isn't going to be easy, Kakashi-sensei, but, even so... I have to get stronger. I don't want to have to be protected anymore. Lee-san too, and everybody else, I just want to be able to help them the best I can, the same way they've helped me."

Kakashi was silent for a moment as considered her words. "Well, I was going to give you a lecture, but since you put it that way, I'd be a fool to say no, now wouldn't I...? I'm proud of you, Sakura. Just... Don't push yourself too far, alright...?"

It wasn't like he didn't have faith in Sakura, but he knew just how powerful the Sannin were, and how tough training under them could be. Despite that, he believed in her. She was not only smart, but persistent. She'd shown more affinity for perfect chakra control than either of her teammates from the beginning, and if anybody had what it took to become a medical ninja, it was Sakura.

Not only that, but Tsunade was a doctor and could help keep Sakura in check regarding her diet. In fact, he wouldn't even be surprised if she'd already noticed something was off.

"Right." Sakura said, smiling. "Thank you so much, Kakashi-sensei."

"Don't mention it." Kakashi gently stroked her on the head.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit disappointed by the fact that two of his students had been taken by the legendary Sannin now, but he figured it was probably for the best this way.

Well, as long as Sasuke didn't try to seek out Orochimaru or something, then everything would be absolutely fine.

It was after this that Tsunade dismissed them.

...

Lol um wow that was wow. I hope you all liked it...

I really hope y'all didn't mind the thing with Sasuke. I'm definitely not gonna have everything revealed at once, because Sasuke's arc is something that will probably end up taking years which will likely require a time skip same as the manga had, but I wanted to kick start SOMETHING for my Canon Divergence to truly work.

Anyway, I'll finally be able to start focusing a bit on Sasuke more now that I have something to work with. I hope y'all don't hate me for what I did lmfaoooo ;w;