- XXVIII -

Promises

"Promise me, Naruto…promise me you'll be free."

Naruto heard the voice of his mother come to him from the greatest depths of his mind as he drifted between the dark and the light, deciding whether or not to hold on any longer. It felt like days, months, or even years that he lay in that pile of rubble; but throughout that whole time, he was only conscious of three separate moments.

The first was when the rain stopped. At first, Naruto couldn't even feel it on his skin, but the incessant beating of the drops soon came to comfort him, to let him know that he was still alive; and though he was hardly awake enough to know how long it rained for, the mere presence of it was enough to keep him going. Eventually, it went away, and the clouds soon began to part above. The warm colours of the sunset shone over Konoha. Naruto still heard the sounds of battle, but they was dying off. The heat of the fires, though, only seemed warmer—but perhaps it was only the sunlight.

The second was when Shikamaru appeared. At the time Naruto didn't remember that Sakura and Kiba were supposed to be with him; he didn't even notice that Shikamaru was holding his shoulder in place. All he saw was the dark-haired boy standing over him for a moment and looking at him with painful eyes. It wasn't long before he left, and then shortly returned. This time, there was something in his hand. Naruto wasn't conscious enough to realize that it was a fox mask from the Order; but he felt it placed over his face, and he heard Shikamaru's voice afterwards.

"Get out of here…this is our fight…"

The third and final thing happened just before the sun dipped below the horizon. All of a sudden, Naruto was lifted up. Someone was carrying him, and they were moving—quickly. Before he knew it, he saw through the eye holes of the mask that they were leaving Konoha for the forest of the Land of Fire.

The last thing he saw before he truly fell asleep was a white tag with some strange characters on it, plastered to a tree. He thought of his father's kunai.

- XXVIII -

The next time he woke, his eyes fluttered open, as if to return him gently to the world and the sage green ceiling that hung above him.

The first thing he though of was the words that had come back to him:

"Promise you'll be free."

Naruto didn't know when they were from, and he certainly didn't understand their meaning, but he was certain it was his mother's voice that spoke them.

The question was: why?

It took a moment for his other senses to kick in, but when they did, he was made sharply aware of a few more things: the sunlight and the slight breeze that came in through an open window, carrying a birdsong to his ears; the smell of rubbing alcohol that lingered in the air and left a small burning sensation in his nostrils; the metallic taste in his dry mouth that desperately needed water.

And of course, the pain that ran through his body.

It didn't take long for Naruto to realize that he was alive, and that he was no longer in Konoha; it didn't take long for a sinking feeling to arrive at his stomach; it didn't take long for Pain's face to pop into his head, or his parents', or Itachi's, or Ino's; and it didn't take him very long at all to realize that his promises—all of them—were broken.

He failed.

"So," a calm voice said from beside him. "You are alive, after all…"

Naruto's eyes widened. Gingerly he began to lift himself to his butt, and though the sharp pangs of pain made him wince, he was soon sitting up against the wall. When his eyes decided to focus again, he saw a man in a green vest sitting on a stool beside him. His hair was brown and straight, and fell to just above his shoulders from underneath a dark blue bandana that wrapped around his head, the fabric tied into a knot in front. A toothpick came out from between his lips as he bit on it.

Naruto's voice was hoarse, but as soon as the man's name returned to his mind, it fell out of his mouth.

"G-Genma…"

Genma smiled that same peaceful smile as always. "Hi, Naruto."

"What…" Naruto, truthfully, had no idea where to begin. "W-what are you doing here…? Where are we?"

A small laugh escaped the ninja. "That's not a very nice thing to say to someone who saved your life."

Naruto wanted to laugh, too, but there was too much pain circling in his body—and his mind.

"As for where we are," Genma continued, "I brought you to a friend. She's the one who healed you up. We're in a town not too far from Konoha. It's only about half a day away, so…" Though he did not let his face fall into a frown, his calm brown eyes turned sad.

"They'll be coming soon."

Naruto wasn't shaken by the words. In a way, he had expected them.

"The Order…?" he asked softly.

Genma shook his head. "The Akatsuki."

Surprise finally lit up Naruto's face as he recalled the black cloaks that Pain and the purple-haired woman wore.

But if the Order was gone…and the Akatsuki were in Konoha, then…

"Genma…how long have I been out?"

The ninja's brown eyes did not look at Naruto as he spoke.

"Two days."

Naruto's heart skipped a beat. Two days? Two full days? No…it couldn't be…

But the warm, dull, empty feeling that began to seep into his chest made him realize that Genma was telling the truth.

Itachi…

Ino…

Suddenly, he turned excited. "I have to go! I have to—Gah!" But as he pulled the sheets off and tried to get up out of the bed, a searing hot pain filled his abdomen, stopping him from moving any further.

"Easy, Naruto," Genma said, getting out of the stool and helping him back into bed. "You were hurt pretty bad…"

It took a minute for Naruto's heart to calm itself as the realization set in that he was useless for the time being. As the two of them settled back into their seats, his mind yelled at him to find out the answers he was looking for. There was only one question that needed to be asked.

"What happened…?"

Genma had a firm look on his face as he studied Naruto for a moment; finally, he sat back and sighed, and his calm voice began to flow out.

"Before I grabbed you and ran, we managed to hold off those orange cloak bastards—the Order of Kurama, or whatever they called themselves. We thought it was over…until we saw that Danzo had gone from the top of the mountain. Me and a few others went up to see what happened…"

Suddenly Genma's eyes widened as he recalled a memory that he still didn't seem to believe. He spoke in awe of the scene in his mind. "It was a bloodbath…Danzo…the leader of the Order…both of them were dead."

A chill ran down Naruto's spine. Danzo and Hidan? The two shadows that had been hanging over him, gone? Just like that?

"How…?"

But as the word came out of his mouth, even before Genma answered, the pit forming in Naruto's stomach told him what the jonin was going to say. Genma chose his words carefully.

"There…there was a man there…he had orange hair, and this long black cloak with red clouds on it, and…those eyes…"

Genma swallowed hard. His calm demeanor carried through even now, but it didn't do much to hide the fact that it was a terrifying memory he was describing.

"I've never seen anything like them before…they were this light lavender colour…and they had the dark rings in them. I don't know why, but…they felt heavy when you looked at them, and…it was almost as if they gave off some sort of glow…"

Naruto did his best not to recall the sight of those eyes as they looked into his own—it was nearly too much.

Genma shook the memory away and continued. "Well…he said that Konoha belonged to him now…that he was the one who killed Danzo and the other one. He said the Akatsuki were coming, and that he was their leader, and he called himself—"

"Pain."

Genma turned to Naruto, shocked that the boy knew the man's name. Naruto did not lift his eyes from the bedsheets, but before Genma could question him, he explained.

"I fought him. I…I almost died…" Naruto's shoulders shook with the pain, physical and emotional. He felt the need to cry, but no tears came to his eyes. "But…he's the one…he's the who destroyed my home…"

A look of confusion appeared on Genma's face. "Your home?"

It took Naruto a second to realize what he had said, and who he had said it to, and the memories of his first time in Konoha came back to him as he looked at Genma now.

"Yeah…Uzushio. Uzushiogakure. The—"

"The Village Hidden in the Eddies," Genma said, seriously. His eyes focused tightly on Naruto. "But that place…" Suddenly, the boy's words made sense. "I see…so it was him. I'm sorry…"

Naruto said nothing, but Genma looked at him for a moment in wonder. Where had the boy been for the past five years?

"Well," he continued, "we tried to fight him, too. It didn't take long until we were all blown off the mountain by his powers. All he did was lift a hand and all of us went flying. It was unbelievable…and then…it wasn't long after that that the Akatsuki showed up. I ran into Shikamaru, who told me where you were, and somehow in the commotion I managed to get you through the gates."

Naruto's head lifted at the mention of the dark-haired boy's name.

"Shikamaru…they're all still fighting back there?"

Genma shook his head somberly. "It's been two days. And…well…" He slowly reached behind himself and into a pouch that hung around his waist, pulling out a small scroll. "This came this morning…"

He handed it to Naruto, who accepted it gingerly, as if that would allow the contents of the scroll to not be as bad as he feared they were; as he opened it, he realized it didn't make a difference. His heart dropped as he read:

We're retreating.

Konoha has fallen.

All he could do for a moment was stare in shock.

"It's over," Genma finally said. "The Akatsuki have taken Konoha."

The words wouldn't process in Naruto's mind. Though he was quite far removed from considering the place a home, he undoubtedly had a connection to it; and it was where his father was from…

Fear, anger, and sadness all began to swell and blend inside of him. Once again, his heart began to race as he recalled the people he left behind.

This time, though, his body remained still; as he turned to Genma, it was only his eyes and his voice that shook.

"I have to go back…I have to…I have to find Ino, and Itachi, and—"

"Itachi?" Genma's face dropped. "You mean…Itachi Uchiha…?"

Naruto slowly came to understand the confusion on Genma's face. It had been five years since Itachi had helped him escape Konoha. Five years that the two of them had been together. Five years in which he had learned that his friend was in no way the mass murderer his village thought he was.

"Yeah. Itachi Uchiha."

Genma took a second to let the words process, and to recall a memory. "How…how do you know him…?"

Naruto spoke confidently. "He's the one who got me out of Konoha. He's…he's my friend, and I have to go—"

This time he stopped on his own as the toothpick fell out of Genma's open mouth. A look of horror appeared on the jonin's face.

"Naruto…Itachi is dead."

Time froze. Naruto's heart stopped for what felt like too long. The sound and the colour of the world fell away, and all that was left was his sinking gut and the words ringing in his ears.

"What…?"

Genma's open mouth closed, his lips pursed as his brown eyes turned sad. "I'm sorry."

But that wasn't enough.

"What…what do you mean 'dead'? He…no…he can't…"

Naruto felt nausea coming and going as his mouth dried instantly. Something took him over and allowed him to rise out of the bed without feeling any pain. He made his way quickly to Genma and grabbed the jonin by the collar of the vest.

"You're lying…you're lying! He wouldn't just…he wouldn't just die like that! He can't be dead! He can't be! He can't—!"

"Naruto!"

Naruto froze at Genma's raised voice as the jonin grabbed his shoulders. Slowly, he stilled, though the beating of his heart only seemed to get louder.

"It's true," Genma said solemnly. He rose to his feet and stood above Naruto, his brown eyes not once moving. He continued slowly. "I saw him…on the mountain…his brother, Sasuke, was there…holding his body." Finally, Genma had to avert his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Tears came to Naruto quickly, but he was soon disturbed by the nausea that came roaring back. Nearly on instinct he found the trash can in the room and ran to it, spilling his vomit into it.

"Naruto!" Genma ran to him and held him as he threw up. When it was over, the jonin carefully led him back to the bed, where he reluctantly returned to his place beneath the sheets. A moment later the two of them were in their original positions again, but it took a while for Genma to speak.

"I…I'm sorry…I didn't know you were friends."

Naruto recalled the last words Itachi spoke to him:

"I'll see you later."

Itachi Uchiha, the one who had taken care of him for the past five years; Itachi Uchiha, the one who had taught him how to be a ninja, who had taught him how to live; Itachi Uchiha, the one who ran across the world with him to help him find the truth…

Itachi Uchiha, he one who he could do nothing for in the end.

Could he really be gone…?

Naruto felt a sense of disbelief at the thought. It was simply impossible for his friend to leave him like this…

And yet there were two things that allowed him to take Genma's words as truth. Firstly, the jonin had never lied to him before; and secondly, it seemed lately that the world seemed to be destroying him every chance it could get.

Perhaps God really was his enemy…

Finally, the tears flowed freely down Naruto's cheeks as he raised his hands to cover his eyes. "No…Itachi…"

Genma could only watch in silence as the young boy who appeared on Konoha's doorstep five years ago cried in front of him. For the jonin, nothing had changed since then; there was still nothing he could do for Naruto.

"Naruto, I—"

"Please," the blonde said through his tears. "Please…leave me alone…"

A frown appeared on Genma's lips. He let out a breath from his nose and slowly rose off of the stool.

"Take your time. If you need anything, I'm outside." The only reply was more tears, and Genma was gone, the door clicking closed behind him.

The sun was bright, the breeze was sweet, the birdsong was beautiful, and the room was warm.

But now more than ever, Naruto was alone.

- XXVIII -

The forest of the Land of Fire was thick. There was a road that ran from Konoha to the nearest town, but the trees surrounding the village were packed tightly together. Even if you wanted to follow the slow-moving Konoha River to its end, you would have to stay close to the riverbank the entire time, or risk getting lost in the all-encompassing, directionless bush that surrounded it on either side. The ninja of Konoha knew this well—it was easy to see and stop invaders used the river; and because they had their backs to the village, it was even easier to pick off runaways.

Sakura and Kiba tried their luck anyway.

It wasn't their first choice, or even their second; but with the gash on Kiba's leg badly hampering him and constantly threatening infection, Sakura's miniscule amount of medical knowledge told her that they had to stay near water. Chancing it through the forest as many of the others had done would not work for them.

At a regular ninja's pace, it only took half a day at most to get clear the forest; but with Kiba hanging off of her shoulder, grimacing with every step, they were still a ways away even after 24 hours of moving. Both of them knew that the Akatsuki could be coming at any moment, and that if that happened, they'd both be dead on the spot. Sakura began to not so much fear the moment as to wait for it to arrive.

"Gah!"

A cry of pain escaped Kiba, and he nearly fell off of her arm. Sakura stabilized him for a second, but as his breaths began to heave and the sweat began to bead on his face, even his gritted teeth and the fire in his eyes could not convince her to keep going.

"Let's stop for a minute," she said. Kiba wanted to protest, but even he knew he needed a break.

After sitting him up against the trunk of a tree, Sakura felt above his eyes for a temperature; hotter than last time. She pulled off her left arm guard and sleeve and brought the fabric over to the river to soak it. As she figured it was cold enough, she wrung it out over the water and returned to Kiba, placing it on his forehead.

He sighed, almost peacefully. Through half-closed eyes he looked at her. "Thanks…but I'm good. Let's keep going."

Sakura thought for a moment that might have been the best option; but what was the point of rushing to the edge of the forest if Kiba wouldn't get there alive?

"Rest for a bit. We're almost there." Judging from how far they had already travelled, she thought she might have been correct—but the only way to know was to keep going, and they'd have to wait for that.

Sakura took a walk back over to the riverbank and splashed some water on her face as she finally allowed herself a moment to rest. At Kiba's insistence, she had slept for an hour the night before, but that energy was quickly fading. The only thing, really, that kept her going, was the promise of who she might see when they got out.

The battle against the Akatsuki was such a disaster, the retreat such a whirlpool of chaos that she barely remembered until after she took Kiba and ran that she hadn't seen Sasuke once since the attack began. At first, the thought filled her with fear—she was no fool, after all; Sasuke very easily could have been dead.

But if she let herself think like that, it may have been better just to jump in the river and drown.

He had to be alive.

He had to be.

And with the belief entrenched into her heart that Sasuke had escaped, and she would soon find him, her mind had wandered to other things, like who the hell Akatsuki even were, and what the deal was with that man with the black rings in his eyes.

It wasn't very far down that train of thought that she remembered Naruto. The first question was whether he was alive or not; she was far less certain about his well-being than Sasuke's. The orange-haired man, the one who looked to be the leader of the Akatsuki, had surely fought him, after all. Would he really have let him live…?

But even beyond that, Sakura found herself curious about who the strange boy named Naruto really was. Counting by days, he had only been around in her life for a little over a week; going by impact, he was impossible to escape. To this day, people remembered that his arrival coincided with the attack five years ago. The village took it as undisputed proof that he was responsible; and there were times when Sakura almost let herself be convinced…

Almost.

Every time she came close to believing, the sound of Ino's sobs began to ring in her ear, the warmth of her best friend's tears on her shoulder as she prayed and prayed that he was still alive somewhere, as she wished more than anything for him to come back.

And though Ino's decision not to become a ninja let them drift apart over the years, those memories remained.

And she would not betray them.

The sound of the rolling water brought her back to the present. Had she drifted off…? Maybe a bit. Time to go, then. Time to move. Time to get Kiba and—

As Sakura rose to her feet, she caught a gleam of sunlight through the corner of her eye; it was as if it had reflected off of something.

Turning her head back towards the glint, Sakura was sure of it: it was a piece of metal that the light bounced off of.

She moved closer, and as she did, thought that it may have been a weapon…

Or two.

Thanks for reading! Next chapter is out right now.