She stepped into the jonin lounge to pick up a uniform, and the next thing she knew she was at a bar, surrounded by noisy ninjas.
"She's the person who brought those Uchiha in!" Anko announced triumphantly as if divulging some scandalous secret.
In front of her were familiar faces: Asuma, Kurenai, Guy, and Kakashi. They were all sensei in the past but Sakura realised that they were her peers now. That was a disconcerting thought. She had never seen them in this kind of a setting before, so young and jovial.
"I'm Hanari."
Thankfully, this was a group of dysfunctional ninja and the only one who seemed actually coherent was Kurenai. Asuma was already sloshed, talking animatedly about some mission he had in Kiri to Guy. Kakashi was slouched in the corner, looking like he would rather be anywhere else.
Guy stood up suddenly with his thumbs outstretched. "Welcome to the bright springtime of Konoha! I hope we can enjoy your youth together!" The bright smile was as blinding as ever.
The other's introductions were less flashy, Asuma's being a little slurred.
"Kakashi, you must introduce yourself to this beautiful flower!"
Sakura gave a polite wave. "We're already introduced. Don't worry." She pointedly didn't look at the copy nin, knowing that just the sight of him was enough to irritate her.
Anko slid her the cup of sake which Sakura took willingly, pouring it down with one swift move. The alcohol burned its way down her throat until it turned her belly warm.
"You won't believe how many revisions of the Bingo Book you caused," Asuma said, voice booming. "Five S-nins in half a year? We gotta spar tomorrow."
"Of course, I'd be honoured to spar a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja," Sakura responded while pouring more sake into his empty saucer.
"Surely you won't exclude me from this youthful activity?"
A finger slipped through her hair and Sakura could feel Anko's breath against her cheeks. "She's a feisty one, I'll give you that. What do you think, Kakashi?"
Sakura maintained a pleasant smile on her face, her gaze finally at him. Even though she knew better, the lazed posture and the half-lidded eye made him harmless. It was a stark contrast to Hound, from the very lethargic aura that he was sending out.
"I've only helped her find her house." He said slowly.
Kurenai rolled her eyes. "C'mon, we're not genin here. She's the fastest probational turnaround in the history of Konoha. There must be a reason."
"Oh, she's a loyal ninja of Konoha, alright," Anko was coy in the response, her hand only slightly grazing Sakura's collarbone right above her seal. "And she's fun."
Asuma blanched at that statement and notably moved slightly away. "We don't need any more batshit crazies around here."
"I assure you that I'm only just moderately crazy," Sakura said while downing another drink.
"A-ho! A competitor worthy of my opponent!" Guy exclaimed. He quickly matched her movement and drank. "A Konoha-nin never backs away from a drinking battle!"
Her years of apprenticeship under Tsunade flickered in her mind as Sakura quickly poured both of them another. "A Konoha-nin never backs away from a drinking battle." She repeated after him, amused.
Kurenai subtly tapped her foot in the universal language of don't. Sakura gave her a cheeky smile. "Didn't you hear? I'm a Konoha-nin. I can't back down."
Asuma mumbled something that sounded like suicide and swayed in his seat. He rested his head on Kurenai's shoulder suddenly turning pale, and the curly-haired ninja lifted him up. "He's gonna throw up- I'll be back." With ease, she lifted his shoulder and carried him outside as if Asuma wasn't a good head taller than her.
"Hanari-san! Another glass!" Guy said, raising his saucer up. Sakura was no coward and she complied, clinking them together.
The alcohol didn't burn down her throat, only leaving the trail of sweetness on her tongue. "We're drinking buddies now, call me Hanari."
"And only I can call her Hana-chan." Anko interjected smoothly, "Isn't that right, Kaka-chan?" She cooed at the silver-haired man.
Sakura let herself be taken by Guy's chatter. She had never really interacted with the man outside of the missions and it's only now, after his death, that she saw why Lee was so enamoured with him.
Guy was strange, yes, but he was charismatic and kind. He never once interrupted her words and listened quietly when needed. He wasn't too invasive in his questions, only asking about her battles and prowess. He had his ways to make her feel like a normal person just talking to an acquaintance.
Like Sakura didn't spend the last ten years blinking lives away with her fists.
Sakura felt herself become more relaxed, the light ambience of the bar settling in. It was acutely prominent that Kakashi never once spoke, but Guy continued on nonplussed. She had to acknowledge that although people regarded him as socially abrasive, there was something about him that made this potential disaster of a meeting comfortable.
"Another drink for the youth of Konoha!" Guy said, waving his hand to the waiter. He turned to face Kakashi. "My rival! You have barely touched your drink! I challenge you to join our battle!"
Sakura half expected Kakashi to snap up and leave, but instead, he sagged in his seat as if to make himself look smaller. The situation was far superior to Kakashi's side. Guy and Sakura were on their third bottle now, while Kakashi was on his third cup. But then, Guy didn't even look remotely affected.
Her left side felt cold and she realised Anko was long gone, chasing after poor suna-nin with a devious smile on her face. Although she knew Anko had probably taken the hint, she was glad that the purple-haired woman made sure Sakura was aware of it by going with a guy in front of her. The fling had been a one time thing.
Kakashi turned around to lower his mask and pour the sake in his throat. "I'm so very drunk. I must be heading home." He deadpanned whilst setting the cup down and standing up to walk out with the elegance that a drunk person could not possess.
Guy opened his mouth to protest but Sakura was faster. "Perhaps he doesn't see you as a rival anymore, Guy. His other rival is now back after all."
Sakura would never know why those words spilled out of her mouth. The alcohol was an easy target to blame but she had never once said something out of turn even when blacked out. This was something that had been nestling in her heart for a while, just seeing that arrogant face.
Kakashi stopped in his tracks, turning his back oh so slowly. The one half-lidded eye stared at her but the guise of laziness dropped. The eye was piercing black with irritation.
"My other rival?" The tone was low.
Sakura's lips formed a sharp smile. "I did drag him back to Konoha. I thought you would be grateful."
That was it. Sakura knew that Sensei had mourned for the death of his teammate and imagined that it would bring happiness to him. Sakura had thrown away everything dead to her life. Her friends had thrown away their lives to fix everything, but only Kakashi stood. More broken than before.
It was infuriating.
"I am…" Kakashi paused. "Grateful." He elongated the word as if the very existence of it hurt him.
Now Sakura was spiralling, her mouth moving before she could think. "Is that why you don't visit him? He might as well be under that cave still if that's the case."
And Hatake Kakashi, the jonin of Konoha turned into Hound, the ANBU Commander. It was the flicker in his limbs as chakra pumped through it, the narrowing of his eyes, and the most obvious, the killing intent that was rolling off of him in waves.
Her skin felt prickly against him, the sheer hatred in the intent was considerably more than what she felt when she had defied him in the ANBU Exams in front of everyone. This was his weakness.
Sakura stepped forward just like he did before in that empty arena. She stepped into his personal space until she could smell the liquor on his breath and the forest that surrounded him.
She lifted her fingers up to his face until it touched the soft fabric of the hitate. The metal rustled as she pulled it up, revealing the blazing red underneath. It spun terribly fast- the blood red drawing her in. Such an innocuous looking thing with terrible power. It sent electrical tingles down her spine being this close.
"Also shouldn't you return that IOU?"
A hand raised toward her and Sakura let it be, only fixing her green eyes to the red. His fingers pressed on her left temple, harder and harder until the fingernail broke the skin.
"Advice from one thief to another," Sakura could feel the exhale of his breath, moving her hair. "Do not provoke me, shinobi."
That was it. Sakura floored her murderous intent to flood his, anger coursing through her thick like honey. Sakura's fingers were dropping to his chest to shove him back to the next dimension
- but a steely hand grabbed her wrist.
She flexed her grip but realised that it didn't even budge. The green wearing ninja pulled her by her forearms, disengaging her staring match.
Horrifically, Sakura felt the urge to snarl and kick right there, at that friendly ninja who had been drinking with her only seconds ago.
"I forfeit my battle, my delightful opponent. But I'm afraid you need to help me home." Guys dramatically swung side to side, as if anyone was fooled by the gesture.
A deep breath in, Sakura swallowed. Her mouth felt dry as her actions settled around her in a cloak of rationality, trickling an unnamable exhilarating emotion. There was something about him that made her be fuelled with emotion in the blink of an eye, where her hands were already halfway through a punch before her brain caught up.
Kakashi cocked his head. She hoped he pounced so she could kick him but soon he lifted his fingers away from her now bruised temple. The killing intent, as quickly as it had appeared, was gone as the man was as well.
The intangible weight pressing down on her lifted. "Sorry for causing a scene." She muttered to Guy.
The green jumpsuit ninja looked at her no differently than before. "Do not worry, I am well acquainted with Kakashi's lack of youth."
An unlady snort escaped Sakura's mouth as she untangled herself from Guy's grasp- gosh he was strong. "I know it was an excuse but still, I'll walk you home."
At his surprised look, Sakura mused that no one had probably ever offered to walk Guy home since he never got drunk. That was why despite his protests, Sakura insisted - a cheeky comment about how no one could possibly hurt the fastest probational turnaround - and walked with him towards the streets.
"You seem familiar with the youthful Obito."
"I have dinner at the Uchiha's sometimes."
It was weird to think that Guy, and all of the sensei knew Obito. Of course, she knew they were close friends from a young age, saw each other grow up but it was something else entirely to actually witness.
"Obito's death was hard on him," Guy said evenly.
Yes, Sakura knew. That's why she brought the bloody man back so Kakashi could finally snap out of his wallowing. She had seen the way he glanced at the memorial stones with longing. The origin of his eye was written plainly in his medical document, it was clear what had happened.
Sakura sighed. "I brought him back. Hardly anything to complain about."
"Youthful flames in the past are bigger in memory."
Guy's face was in a half smile of friendliness but a sagely looked passed him. She felt this when talking to Ibiki too, whereas although now she was at the same age and experience, they all had this thing where she didn't. It felt something akin to mind reading but she knew exactly what it was. Iruka-sensei infamously had this.
Mental Stability.
"He needs to stop living in his past and live in the present." Her voice sounded bitter even to her ears.
They arrived at the base of his apartment. "Wise words to live by." And with thanks, Guy disappeared into the wide doors.
Sakura roof hopped to the red light district looking down below trying to erase the interaction that she had with Gai. Thinking about his words made her think of her past youthful flames and that wasn't something she could do. Compared to the main streets, this place was much more lively with music and girls smoking on the sidewalks. The chatter was a lot rougher than what she heard in the bar, with brothel girls trying to invite people over. Was it bad that this felt more comfortable than the bar?
When she arrived home, Sakura now ate her cheeky words - no one could possibly hurt the fastest probational turn around - that she had uttered to Guy. The door creaked open with an ominous crack.
On her couch sat Sharingan no Kakashi. That man just never let her fucking be for a second.
"Making a habit of breaking and entering?"
He was still in his jonin gear, same as from the bar. The two eyes were narrowed at her, the scar on his one paler in the dark light. Long hands were firmly clasped on the arm of the couch and his hair lit up in the amber glow of his eyes. It was unmistakable- the man in front of her was wicked.
"It occurred to me that I didn't make myself clear. You're a foreign nin. If your presence in Konoha hints at an ounce of danger, my concern lies with Konoha, not with your well-being."
It was plainly a threat - for all she had done for her village, she was getting death threats in her own home, questioning her loyalty. The irony of the whole situation was not lost on her.
And that irony morphed into astonishment, then into anger. "I have a seal seared into me. I will protect Konoha- what more could you possibly want?"
"Protect is an ambiguous word. You think Konoha would fall for that tomfoolery?" Kakashi scoffed. "Your stupidity will get you killed by an enemy or by me."
One arched eyebrow was all it took. "You think you can kill me? I'll like to see you try."
Unresolved tension between them like a kettle kept over a hot stove exploded. It wasn't clear who attacked first, both lunging with a mask of impassiveness like it was just another fight, two Sharingan staring down at each other.
In that moment, Sakura was brutally reminded that this was a man who once made Hokage. This mad man attacking her without a second thought with a sidekick was the same person who paved roads in her beloved village because, at that time, he was capable of such a feat. Yet the haggard killer in front of her was a ruthless assassin with sadness, anger, and violence written into his bones.
She had gone back in time to fix everything but she had failed. For everyone that was counting on her, Sakura had failed.
Perhaps that was what made her so angry and desperate, her enhanced hands grappling with no care if his punches connected with her. She couldn't feel a thing except for the numb terror that settled down inside her.
What more did she overlook? Kaguya was gone. Zetsu was no more. Everyone was alive but Kakashi was a better man dead compared to this. She had given everything back to the man but he was still broken and it was her fault. Except it couldn't be. She just had to punch some sense into him so he could realise what was just given back to his life.
Taijutsu and strength was her bread and butter but speed was his. Strength only mattered if she landed a hit that he didn't manage to roll away from. Deathly accurate attacks were his advantages but it didn't matter if Sakura healed them instantaneously.
Kakashi made a grab for her waist, and Sakura feinted to the side with a flip, retaliating with an elbow jab. Before it even connected, his palms slapped across her shoulder, dislocating with its ferocity. But Kakashi didn't know that she could pop her shoulders back in faster than he could follow up with his kick to her shins. Kakashi didn't know that she had practised fixing a shoulder by dislocating her own and this pain was nothing but a remembrance of her strength. She grabbed his shins with her now healed arm, jerking it upwards.
The satisfying snap was what she was waiting for but with incredible bouts of flexibility, the man let himself absorb the impact and arched back, landing on her countertop. The marble cracked underneath.
They both tensed, shoulders hunched in the mirror image of each other.
"You are daft if you think that I came this far being stupid." Sakura hissed. She would beat this man's face into her kitchen until the wooden chips buried themselves into him.
Kakashi gave her a calculating look. "You like this, don't you?" He accused.
She'd rather this man kill her than to ask that question. "Don't play interrogator with me, taicho." She spat out with as much sting as possible.
But he continued. "You like this. The pain. The bloodthirst. The fight." His face was still cold, but his eyes radiated with victor's glee. "You came into Konoha but the war's still a part of you."
The smug gaze filled Sakura with loathing, crushing the feeling of self-hatred that followed hot on heels. "Is this time for self-introductions, hypocrite?"
Even the blind would be able to see that the man was at war with himself so clearly that it broke him inside, tearing him to pieces. The glance at every exit, the persona of a laid back ninja only to hide the monster inside of him. It was so easy to spot because-
It reminded Sakura of herself.
Kakashi read her like a book and Sakura read him right back.
"You'll never fit into Konoha; this village is one made with hope."
"Then you're the naive one to think that a hidden village is built with nothing besides bodies."
The copy nin paused, and the next words out of his mouth were when she knew that she had scored a point. "You never said your last name."
Sakura practically preened at this question, heart strumming in an oddly familiar beat. It was comfort, she realised. "Hanari Uzumaki."
They started all over again.
In a blur, he was zig-zagging towards her with a quickness that she didn't think was possible but Sakura met with the hardness she had. She defended herself with a tight frame, narrowly avoiding, the brunt of his force barely deflecting. That was all she could manage against the barrage of attacks without doing something that would escalate this into an actual battle.
"You dare to lie?" He snarled an animalistic sound that abandoned his previous impassiveness.
She had given ground but she had failed to read his reaction to the statement. Sensei had never given this much hostility to Naruto before who was a sworn and through Uzumaki; never had shown any inkling of emotions towards that clan. This is not Sensei, Sakura reminded herself again and again.
But that accusation, doubting the title Naruto had bestowed her with such conviction was doubting Naruto and that, she simply couldn't forgive.
"He was my family, he was my everything -" Sakura was yelling now through her attacks.
"An Uzumaki does not have pink hair."
Are you fucking kidding me, Naruto was an Uzumaki with blond hair - his short blond hair ruffling in the wind, the sunny smile that always made her smile back - and apparently pink hair was where he drew the line?
Sakura's lips curled in ugly sorrow. "Uzumaki runs through my veins."
Naruto was etched into her bones, his sacrifice running through her as evidence of his love toward her. His faith that she would fix everything in this one chance they had engraved into her soul in a way that made her an Uzumaki in all but heritage. His one last burst of chakra to push her to the space-time continuum jumbled the existence of her with him. Naruto was a part of her as much as Sasuke was with his Sharingan.
"Liar," Kakashi said with a tone. Sakura didn't know it was possible to make an indictment sound commanding.
"You're just blind, refusing to believe like the fool you are." Sakura mocked, sliding to avoid a hook that would've knocked her out otherwise. Instead, it connected with a sliver of flesh, her cheek cutting into the side of her mouth and spilling out blood inside.
Kakashi firmly ignored her, choosing to launch himself careening through the air with an impossible rush that Sakura had to throw herself to the floor, diving just to get out of his way.
"Even Obito believed me."
The copy nin was a river until then, one punch to another, but now he was a dam. The man halted midstep and shook to his core.
His voice was haunting. "Obito knew?"
Sakura took this opportunity to position herself behind her dining table, ready to use it as a weapon. Maybe chuck it to his knees and make his kneecap pop like a balloon. "Unlike you, he actually listened, and he was the mind washed fucker when I met him. But you would've known this if you actually talked to your goddamn teammate, you imbecile"
Kakashi didn't react to her calling him an imbecile and she knew that for the first time, she had won. She had lost all the previous battles, her weakness of his chidori too obvious. But now, with a satisfying glow, she had won.
What was it for? Right, to make sure Kakashi got his head straight. It wasn't because of her inherent need for conflict that was lacking in the past week she lived in Konoha, or the fact that she thrived on blows and fights. No of course not, she told herself. (Who was she trying to convince? She wasn't even fooling herself.)
The shinobi gave her a bitter look because he knew that he had lost. This had been a clash of ideology, the dog of Konoha fighting for his loyalty and her proving that she was the same. She wasn't just a naive ninja believing in the better good, she would devour him if he stood in the way even if it was by her teeth. And she proved it.
"You're a menace, Kakashi. Get out of my house before I punch you out."
They both knew that it was only a half-empty threat, it would take her considerable effort to do so. But the slow footsteps that echoed as he walked away proved that in the ninja world, hand-to-hand combat was only half of the battle.
Their first mission came with no fanfare. It was a heinous one, a simple red scroll with a village name and no explanation. She had only heard of such things but never thought that it would be in her hands: an eradication order.
"This should be easy- we have two eradication experts on our team," Sakura said, not even bothering to keep the steel out of her voice.
Itachi stiffened but Obito laughed, was there anything she could say to rattle this man, giving her a cheeky smile. "A normal team wouldn't have even one. Consider yourself lucky, Bird."
Was it luck? Sakura was a glorified explosion tag in this mission, landing punches where others pointed. She had stacks of kill counts under her belt, had the experience of a veteran but still couldn't compete against these two powerhouses.
They broke through Ishigakure's borders in haste.
Itachi was terribly efficient. Trapping the whole squad of Ishinin in a mass genjutsu and ending them with quick flicks of a kunai. The sound of bodies dropping on the floor was the only thing that resonated in the valley.
Obito was creative, crushing enemies as if they were flies while his barrier jutsu was a big fly swatter. It was bordering on comical to watch the last expression of surprise marking the faces of the ninja as they burst into flailing guts and entrails.
Sakura tore through with a smile on her face, for those who dared to stand were left only with a gaping hole. Her knuckle solidity connected with a rock hard abdomen but she was far stronger, ripping through it like paper. Torrents of red flew all around her and she was a hurricane, decimating those who dared to defy.
Clear, she signed to her captain.
They scaled the walls of Ishigakure, masking their presence on the way. The Hidden Rock Village embodied its name, situated between the valleys of two craning cliffs with the waterfall as their landmark. It was easy to see why this was once dubbed as one of the New Great Nations, impenetrable in its design.
The Main Street ran through the big crevasse, sounds of life bubbling even to the heights they were at. The market stalls were shabby with ragged cloths as roofs, the buildings mostly carved stones making it a dull sight. Unlike green and modern Konoha, the atmosphere here was more muted and had a more archaic building style.
This would be an easy mission- in, kill, and out.
Of course, Sakura tempted fate by thinking of such blasphemy.
A small, shrill sound was the only warning they got before the night sky was littered with brilliant light. Fireworks burst above, searing their brilliance over the whole entire village. The vivacious red pattern was soon followed by the thunderous boom that came afterward. Somehow, they had been caught while breaking in and now there was a warning across the entire village.
No Sharingan. Kakashi signed. They had no idea how the information got out after killing all witnesses and even with their confidence to wipe out this village, the Sharingan would be a dead giveaway of the culprit, making the use of ANBU a moot point.
They were quiet, all chakra signatures compressed to a single spark but still, somehow, there was a team in front of them standing up the walls.
"Identify yourself!" It was a young female voice, stern with authority. Behind her stood three more ninjas all wearing the Ishi headbands. The tight stance told her that they were at least jonin level.
Engage.
Sakura rushed in aiming for the ankle of the nin who had spoken. Her light green hair fluttered as the woman leaned back, trying to create distance. It was a clear opening for anyone to take, to grab the unbalanced nin except-
Itachi was ducking to avoid a backhand to his temple, Obito was throwing explosion tags, and Kakashi was busy throwing up a mud wall to block the incoming attacks from above.
Right.
The opponent landed with a thud and rose to the ground just below her, swinging the sword in a quick jab straight to her heart. The metal hissed right next to her ear as she feint to the left for just a second, twirling to deliver a kick.
Her leg were met with a stone wall instead of flesh, but Sakura has had the strength to kick through stones since she was sixteen. Her shin guards groaned as her leg went through, ready to shatter the enemy's clavicle. Only a second faster, Sakura would have succeeded- but the enemy had given Sakura a weary look and sunk straight to the ground.
Sakura was brutally reminded that a Hidden Village of Stones, elemental manipulation of said material and fast doton was their signature. They moved in these rocky walls like how Konoha nin weaved through trees. It didn't help the fact they were fighting on the side of a cliff, literally the home ground of the adversaries.
The sound of a distinctive fireball whooshing- Kakashi was doing very fine by himself- and Sakura melted herself into the ground, revelling in the chase. There were not many things more satisfying than capturing someone who let their guard down for a second, hidden inside their element.
"Jump!" Obito called out and Sakura immediately complied, shooting herself out as the ground underneath her turned into mush. Obito's hand was still holding the swamp release and his opponent was falling into it, the area affected even reaching her. Sizing the situation, Sakura leaned forwards midway, fully intending to headbutt the trapped man and split his head wide open.
But Itachi was faster, an explosion tag already hurled in impressive bouts of speed as it hit the man straight to his cheeks, burying itself in it, tag fluttering against his face.
Shit shit shit shit- Sakura raised her arms up to cover herself, bracing for the inevitable blow. Her eyes met with the half-buried nin and even with the kunai sticking through his mouth, that man had the audacity to give her a smile.
Boom.
The force of it hurled her backgrounds, shattering her arm against her ribs and breaking them while the flames licked up her forearms. Her skin stung with the pain of a thousand bees, the red-orange snapping at her smooth muscle leaving only a trail of bubbled blisters behind. Her face was starting to feel numb with a sharp pain as his bones had exploded like shrapnel that penetrated through her mask, digging themselves into her skin. Sloppy grey liquid dripped from her face which the medic inside of her recognised as parts of a brain.
It really hurt.
Sakura barely managed to land as Obito released his jutsu allowing it to be a solid ground again. They were a terrible team, too strong and confident in their own competency to match each other. Especially with deactivated Sharingans, it was nearly impossible to read the other's movement. But even with the deactivate Sharingan, surely Itachi wouldn't be so stupid to think she couldn't kill a man incapacitated directly in front of her? Was it truly an accident?
"I told you that this team-" could it be called a team when they were already tearing themselves apart? "Is a terrible fucking idea." She snarled at Kakashi while pulling the bones out of herself to heal. Healing her face, arm, ribs, along with the damaged intestines was going to take a bit of time. The explosion tag had gone off right in front of her, making her take the full impact.
"Dodge better." Kakashi merely replied. His shuriken was halfway through the neck of an Ishinin, pushing the body away as it slumped against him. As if any could dodge against the deadly accuracy of Itachi. This wasn't fair. Kakashi and Itachi were once on the same ANBU team, Obito and Kakashi were once teammates. She didn't know how to read their attacks or to even predict their styles. Maybe she would've had a better chance if Kakashi had pulled his head out of his ass to actually work on their teamwork.
There were reinforcements now, nine foreign ninja all running towards them.
Sakura stood back, putting her organs in order. What was the point of fighting if they were just going to get in each other's way?
Itachi and Kakashi moved as one, throwing an arsenal of shurikens at the oncoming attackers. The younger Uchiha trapped them in a genjutsu while Kakashi worked his way around, opting for a quick stab. Three bodies had already fallen when the rest broke out of the genjutsu, but it was too late. Obito was upon them with the shurikens the size of his torso, flinging all six of them straight to the dazed nins.
A tingle of danger and Sakura threw herself forward, halfway through healing herself. Where she was standing, a hand broke out grasping the air. A slender frame emerged from the ground with fluidity, the long green hair messily tied behind her back, sword poised in a kata.
They both rushed forward. Ishinin's sword swung in an arc as Sakura jumped to the side, using her left leg as a pivot and throwing her momentum on the roundhouse kick, disturbing the seal the enemy was making with the other hand. Sakura's arm still throbbed with pain, blood slowly leaking out. The blade danced across her arm but Sakura didn't lean back to dodge, instead choosing to lean in, giving her the strike. Sakura took that moment to fumble a kunai out from her pouch, this was difficult with mangled limbs, throwing it upwards in the air.
Her enemy glided away, attempting to avoid the slash of her kunai. The place where the sword sliced in her arm was now a piece of meat, kept together by only the barest strip of skin. It flapped against her appendage, the tissue a bloody mess underneath. It only took her the smallest touch to close it but not to heal it all the way, the piece would be in the way with it being so mobile but took too much time to do a thorough healing.
Sakura retaliated by driving her knee forward to her side, the unexpected angle which took the green haired ninja by surprise. It only met the slight square just under the ribs but it was enough to send her knocked to the ground.
She channelled her chakra to her feet, curling her head to her stomach and flipped in mid air. The kunai which she had thrown to the air a second ago was now falling, connecting with her heels and it flew down, straight into the enemy's neck.
It drove through, tearing her carotid artery, dousing her feet with blood.
Turning around, Sakura saw Obito's hands drive through the last opponent's heart.
Her arms were still bleeding but Sakura couldn't care less. She stomped toward Itachi. "What the fuck are you doing? I could've handled it." Fierce anger was blinding the pain.
The man bowed his head down until it almost reached her height. "I'm very sorry, Bird." He said with a sombre tone.
"If you doubt me one more time and interrupt my attack," Sakura gave him a hateful glance. "My attacks will not be toward you but to your brother." His doubt had injured her more than any foreign nin could have done.
Now Itachi's body tensed, the kunai slowly swirling in his hands. This was how their team was ending, imploding from the very inside.
"Later." Kakashi interrupted. His killing intent was still in the air but now directed toward her. It was a clear command.
Sakura actively considered dropping down to strike the man. They had never gone after each other full force, always keeping their surroundings checked. This would be the ample opportunity to drag his corpse up just to taste the satisfaction. Mission be damned, she would watch this man bleed.
With great difficulty, Sakura turned around, focusing on healing the rest of herself. The poorly patched up arm was bloated, the blood expanding from the inside. She stabbed herself to let the excess fluid flow to the ground, then stitched the tissue back into place.
"Don't worry, Bird. I'll beat this lone wolf syndrome right out of him." Obito said, slinging his arm on her shoulder.
That's when she decided the whole team was filled with hypocrites. Obito was the most lone wolf out of them all. If she had to draw a ranking board of who got "lost in the road of life" Obito would be up there equal first with her Sasuke. These fucking Uchihas were a bunch of drama queens and maybe she should've left them six feet under the ground.
Kakashi pointed to the round roofed building with the seal of Ishigakure prominent on its windows. "They have their evacuation centre under there. Make sure to gather any intel."
Sakura exhaled slowly, letting the emotions flow out. No matter how great the temptation of slaughter was, the mission came first.
They made their way to the building and a few more people came to stop them. Sakura healed the three men one by one as the other two defended the formation. She hated this, being reduced to a backline medic. The whole reason why she studied under Tsunade and developed her taijutsu was precisely to avoid this situation. She had grown stronger only to come back to watching her teammate's backs. Nothing changed.
The streets were almost empty now, already evacuated like a ghost town. The previous lively town was silent as only the sound of waterfall serenely rang through these valleys.
The seal of Ishigakure on the window was basically a big target sign, so they broke through the glass landing in the Ishikage's Office. It was empty, with traces of burnt paper and smoke filling the room. The smell of scorch permeated the room, ashes in the air like a fog. Everything was already discarded, no doubt by a quick fire doton.
Check with Sharingan. Quick. Kakashi signed to Obito. The fog was thick enough to hide it for now.
Obito's onyx eye turned red as he peered around the room.
There. He pointed at a tile on the floor, quickly deactivating his eyes. Wind underneath.
Sakura nodded, placing her palms on the seemingly pristine floor. She pressed lightly, and it cracked underneath her. It certainly felt like a normal floor, no hollow sounds echoing.
More down. Obito insisted.
A sharp inhale, and Sakura brought her hands down with reasonable ferocity.
From her fist, the earth began to crumble and the whole floor turned into unstable chunks of rocks. The rubble quivered from the impact as Sakura slammed her fists once again to unearth the ground even more.
Then the rubble started to sink until a big gaping hole took its place. The floor lit up with chakra lines underneath their feet, a final bright resistance, then faded away. There was a seal protecting this place, a telltale sign of secrecy.
A threatening black hole that could be a trap. Excitement rushed through her as she thought of what this could hold inside. A sacred scroll? A secret hidden technique?
A puff of smoke and Kakashi's shadow clone was heading down.
She heard a roar, sounds of metal hitting each other with terrified yells.
Can use Sharingan. Go in, He signed.
Obito was already gone, the dojutsu blaring to life. Sakura jumped in as well.
It was far from what she expected. Kakashi could have warned them, but of course, that man was an asshole to his bones.
It was a large area, a whole underground facility. It made sense that in a Village that was so in tune with the rocks, they would build a bunker in their foundations. What she didn't expect were a hundred pairs of eyes, staring at her with fear. This was indeed the evacuation chamber and everyone of Ishigakure was here.
The women were covering their children, holding them tightly in their chests, whispering words of comfort. The men were standing with various weaponry: a hoe, an axe, and even a frying pan. In front of them, it was clear that every ninja in this village was waiting.
Some were barely of age, skinned knees and chubby cheeks. It reminded her of when she had just graduated from the academy. Her team was filling the entire facility with the intent to kill, clear genins frozen in place. It may be their first time facing real danger. And they would never see it again.
They moved separately, each covering different areas. Sakura was the left flank, her blows being the last thing that the enemy saw as they fell. The walls around her moved to grab her, the enemy controlling them, but they could never amount to her strength. She didn't activate her Sharingan, saving that chakra for the absolutely necessary.
The Uchihas did not need to follow her reservations as Obito used his Sharingan to read attacks and to move around the targets, oh how she hated that when she fought him, using a fire doton to clear lines of bodies. The room echoed with wails from frightened villagers, screams of pain, and -
"Please, just don't kill my sister."
"Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Please just leave the civilians."
"You must have a family too! That's my family there, and I'll protect them even in my dying breath."
Begging. Everyone knew that they were entirely outclassed yet they stood their grounds against the annihilation. No one ran away, meeting their death with a desperate plea. The words rattled inside her brain and her heart was twisting at the very sinews, aching with every attack. She glanced at Itachi, pacifist- Sasuke insisted, but he stood with an impassive face, alighting a man with fire.
The walls reflected blue, a spark of lightning as Kakashi was now moving through with his kunai tipped with electricity. It wasn't a chidori yet which meant that it was safe. It was okay. Everyone was still safe.
The last one to fall was a small girl with bright red hair. Her face only had horror as the village fell around her. Her genjutsu flickered with such unadulterated hatred, but there was no use using genjutsu against Sharingan. She knew, yet she tried.
As Sakura flicked the dead body away from her, she felt the last tears of the girl hit her face.
The villagers were huddled even more together, everyone was shaking as they knew their fate. She could taste the trepidation in the air, her feet on top of a dead man.
They were done and finished. Itachi's hands formed in front of his mouth to blow one final jutsu, taking in a deep breath.
"Stop," Kakashi said, and Sakura dropped her fists. Her heart was full and hollow at the same time, something inside her was filled yet it was wrung out. She had felt this way before, a long time ago.
"It's okay girl. You had to make a choice."
Sakura hiccuped, tears streaming down with no hints of stopping. "I just wish I could've saved them both, Shisho. Noriko-san has two daughters counting on him and I f-failed them."
The blond woman picked her up with ease, pulling her into a hug. "What matters now is that you saved lshiru. You saved a life. We can't always save everyone."
"Where's your Kage?" Kakashi asked.
The civilians, for all their loyalty, were not masters of deception and their eyes told everything even if their mouths were shut. The few looked at the small door just to the left.
When they arrived at the doorstep, Kakashi's shadow clone was already there, dispelling itself with smoke. It was clear why he cleared them for the Sharingan, the source of the information leak was staring back at them.
He was a well-built man, shoulders broad as the boulder behind him. His scarred torso was the only thing visible, the bottom half encased in rocks. It was twisted around him, almost like a half-built throne. From his fingertips, brown chakra pulsed through the rocks, spreading to the whole entire area. The entire wall was scribbled with brown crusted seals, written in blood. It smelled damp and sharp with the metallic tang.
The man was a sensor, feeling them through the very rocks he was encased in. That was how even after hiding their chakra, Ishigakure knew of the attack. She didn't even know this was possible, yet the deformed man was proving her otherwise.
"Ishimasut." Obito called out the name of the Hokage.
"The Professor found out, didn't he?" The man said harshly. His voice was grainy, sounded akin to two rocks rubbing against each other. "We were so close you know, almost finished with the seal to steal that demon."
The word demon caught her attention. She knew that she should hold her tongue and let the situation flow, but the words were already out of her mouth. "The demon?"
He laughed, the sound of a man knowing that this may be his very last words. "You think that you could hide him when he looks so much like the Yellow Fla-"
Kakashi's hand was already through his heart before he could finish the sentence. He didn't even muster a chidori, only a kunai to finish the job. Kakashi didn't have strength like hers, driving a kunai that quickly would have dug into his palms, maybe dislocating his thumbs as well.
But Sakura could barely think because that man had planned to take Naruto away. The begging words rattling around her brain all melted away because if it was to protect Naruto, it was worth every single life.
Blood trickled out of the man's mouth, drooping down.
Thud.
The door behind them shut, the shockwave of its force sending her to her knees.
The brown seals started to flare with red, high pitch screeching as the seal started to activate. The whole entire room lit up with the criss-cross of life ink, the air trembling with the sheer amount of chakra.
Sakura punched the wall, only to find that it absorbed her chakra at the very point of contact. It stole her green, turning it into brown. She saw Itachi touch the ground to perform an earth release, but raise his hand up shaking his head. It absorbed his chakra too.
If that wasn't bad, the wall began to creak.
It took a second for her to notice because she normally didn't think of rooms becoming smaller as a possibility. Slowly at first but now gaining momentum, the walls were closing in on them. This was a suicide jutsu, only activated by the user's death. She didn't think he would be so crazy as to morph the shape of his walls when his people were still there. Naive.
It would hurt to punch this wall without chakra, Sakura knew. It would shatter her arm again, she would have to do it repeatedly until the seal was broken. Sakura simply did not have the chakra to heal for all the times in between. Pain was an old familiar friend but it didn't mean that she didn't feel it.
With a grimace, Sakura raised her hands, wincing for the incoming pain-
Then she was pulled away and pulled back out. It was the sensation she had felt when she was kicked back into time, her molecules folding themselves into her navel and disassembling themselves. Pure terror rose inside of her because where the fuck was she going? But three chakra signatures were next to her.
Obito's red eye gleamed.
Kamui.
They were now on the grassy knolls looking at the once Hidden Village of Ishigakure.
The two cliffs were moving in a way that disobeyed the laws of nature, enclosing the crevasse inside. It came together like two zippers until the waterfall splashed to the top, making it into a river. She never thought that this village was artificially made, just a nice selection of location, but seeing it like this, it was clear that someone had split the earth open when making this village.
Itachi's back was terribly tense, staring intently at the scene.
There was no doubt about what happened to the rest of the civilians inside.
Eradication of a village. It was terrifyingly easy.
Sakura let herself fall to the ground, sitting down on the grass. The adrenaline was still rushing through her, fire hot in her heart. Her brain knew it was over but her body thought differently.
It was over, everyone was safe.
Then a calm voice. "Don't be alarmed."
That immediately alarmed her as she stood up, bracing for anything that came next.
Itachi turned back to face them and his eyes were so red with the shuriken shaped tomoe. It was the Mangekyo Sharingan but why was he…?
"Don't look." She yelled. It was too late for Sakura, but maybe she could save Kakashi.
But that stupid man was already entrapped.
Was it because she had threatened Sasuke? Or was she a fool for believing that Itachi would magically come back to Konoha and play family? Did Itachi plan this from the very start? Did he try to kill me with an explosion tag or was that an accident? Her thoughts couldn't catch up with the very sight that was unfolding in front of her.
The eradication of a village had hardly been a threat, their biggest threat was each other. She did not need that reminder every fucking second.
The Sharingan was spinning and spinning, drawing her in- no it wasn't her, it was drawing in Kakashi. The silver-haired man was standing still, just there. For all she hated the man, he was her captain.
The jutsu she used was silly, an academy one that was ingrained into every ninja.
The smallest rush of chakra was all it needed and she felt herself being pulled towards him, her heart strangely light as she moved to where he had been. Substitution. Instead of Kakashi, she stared straight into that damned Sharingan, and the red spun and spun.
The green grass underneath her turned black and the dark night sky started to bleed into the stricken red. The unrelenting monochrome red was covering everything now, too late to stop it from happening. The half-moon transformed itself into a red full moon.
Although she had never been under it personally, she had heard what it was like. She knew exactly where she was.
She was under Itachi's Tsukuyomi.
This was going to be the last 72 hours of her life.
Thank you for the reviews!
I agree that Sakura is OOC and I'll make sure to add that to the story description. Thanks for pointing it out!
I get the fic is for very specific people haha I just didn't realise.
Thank you for the positive feedback, it means a lot!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!