Ruka Haruno loved her cousin more than anything or anyone. She looked up to her as a way to get stronger so that she can stand on equal ground with her. She believed her onee-chan was unbeatable, that she was the strongest ninja alive that no one would touch her or even come close to it, but now her beliefs in all that is changing as she stared at the hospital bed her onee-chan was occupying right now. Ruka remembers the times when her onee-chan would always smile at her gently and tell her how much she loved her and would protect her that no harm would ever come toward her. Still, now she was drifting away from her and the clan she never saw her anymore, and when she did, she was always seen with Layla and no one else. Ruka reached out and held her onee-chans hand, trying to feel closer toward her as she laid unmoving in the bed.
"Onee-chan."
"Sorry, Ruka, next time? Promise."
"You said that last time!"
Sakura raised her hand and brought it towards Ruka and flicked her in the forehead, causing the younger girl to grunt and rub her forehead that had a red mark now.
Ruka stared at her cousin's pale face wishing that she'll open her eyes and look at her, but she didn't. She was still unresponsive to them all. "Okaa-san, when will onee-chan wake up?" Ruka looked over at her mother, seeing that she was staring out the window, a faraway look on her face as she was lost in thought. "Okaa-san?" she called out again, watching as her mother turned her face towards her, showing the sad eyes that she usually hides from being shown openly now as she looks from her daughter to her niece. "We have to wait for Tsunade-sama once she shows up. Saku-chan will be fine," Saki said, smiling softly at her daughter as she watched her look back at Sakura with worried eyes.
"When will that be?"
"Any day now."
"She needs to hurry."
Saki stared at her daughter, seeing the sad look on her face as she continued to stare at her older cousin that she adores more than anything in the world 'Oh Ruka-chan.' Saki walked away from the window, getting closer to the bed. 'Suki, if only you were alive to see this.' Saki stopped right next to Ruka. 'This relationship they both have with each other is much needed for the clan they were born into.' Saki placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, causing her to look up at her, confused.
"She'll be okay. She's a Haruno. We're strong." Rukas eyes widened as she stared at her mother, seeing that her eyes hardened as she said those words, "Especially , she's one of the strongest in the clan, and I know for a fact her parents will be proud of her." Saki smiled at her daughter reassuringly, trying to ease the worry she has.
"Onee-Chan never talks about them."
Saki's smile fell off her face as she thought of her deceased sister and brother-in-law.
"Saku-chans parents are a sore subject for her that she doesn't want to be reminded off Ruka-Chan."
"What were they like?"
Saki looked into her daughter's eyes, seeing the curiosity in them wanting to find out more about her older cousin.
"Suki Haruno, my sister, and your aunt was a proud ninja of the clan." Saki remembered the happier times when her sister was alive "She was a force to be reckoned with. If you saw her mad, you ran the other way." Saki chuckled, remembering all the times her sister got angry. "She was everything the clan looked for in a clan leader strong, smart, fearless, beautiful, strong-willed." Saki frowned as she clenched her fist, picturing her sister in her mind with a cocky smile on her face, her hands on her hips as she looked upon her little sister. "She never backed down from a challenge no matter if the stakes were against her. She faced it with a grin and her fist with no hesitation." Saki felt tears come to her eyes. She hasn't talked about Suki in years. "She was a proud anbu ninja." Rukas eyes widened as she stared at her mother, absorbing the information her mother was giving her on her cousins' mother.
"What happened to her?"
Suki looked into her daughter's eyes, seeing the wonder in them, and sighed.
"She didn't make it back from a mission."
'You can't know.'
"What about uncle?"
Saki froze and looked at her and then at Sakura and back at her again.
"Sato Haruno, a distant family member, and Suki were engaged at a young age, but they loved each other," Saki recalled the announcement of their arranged marriage. She expected outrage from her sister, but instead, she was level-headed and showed joy when the announcement happened "He was just as strong as Suki was when the two fought together. It was a force to be reckoned with." Saki smiled as she remembered it all. "He was just as strong, smart, and fearless as Suki. They made the perfect match." Saki bit her lip, trying not to cry. "They both loved each other so much that they had two beautiful children, Haru Haruno and Sakura Haruno." Saki turned her head away and wiped at her eyes.
"Onee-Chan has a big brother?"
"N-not anymore, Ruka-Chan. He didn't make it back from a mission."
"U-uncle?"
"The same as him." Saki eyed her daughter seeing her shocked face at the information that was given to her that Sakura kept from her. "That's why she trains as hard as she does, Ruka-Chan." Her daughter looked at her, confused at what she meant. "Sakura trains as hard as she does so that you don't suffer the same fate she did. She doesn't want that for you." Saki watched as Ruka looked back at Sakura, noting the new perspective she had of her now. "That's why she disagrees with what your father has planned for you. It's why they always argue when in the same room." Ruka continued to stare at her cousin.
"She doesn't need to worry."
"It's her job too."
Outside the door stood Layla as she listened to their conversation as she waited for them to finish it so she could come in and sit with Sakura until Tsunade arrived to heal her mental state. "You know you can come in and see her." Layla looked over at the other person that stood near the door fighting with themselves if they should go in or not. "She would be happy if you do go in. You're her teammate, after all, Sasuke-San," Layla stated as she eyed him, seeing that he was staring straight ahead at the door, not looking at her, having a haunted look on his face as his hands were made into a fist.
"I did this."
Layla shook her head at his words.
"No, you didn't. Itachi did, he is the one to blame for putting her in here, and he will get what's coming to him for hurting her."
Sasuke looked at her and saw that she had jet blue eyes that held strength and wisdom. As her eyes never broke contact with his own, she had silver hair that was past her shoulders, laying freely on her back. She wore a simple short-sleeved red shirt with a white circle on the back and black baggy pants. She had bandages wrapped around her knuckles.
"Who are you?"
Layla raised an eyebrow at his question, not expecting it. "Sakura never mentioned me?" Sasuke shook his head at her question, causing a sigh to come from her. "Of course she didn't. I'm Layla Haruno, her older cousin." She watched as Sasuke's eyes widen at her.
"Aniki, can you play with me?"
"I can't, Sasuke. I have to go meet up with Shisui and Layla another time. Promise"
"You-you were on the same team as him!" Sasuke snarled as he glared at her, his eyes bleeding red in anger at the thought of his brother.
"Calm yourself, Sasuke! We're in a hospital and outside my cousin's room. If you're going to act like this, then go." Sasuke turned away from her and stomped away as Layla stared at his back. "That boy is going down a dark path like his brother. I suspect he's going to do something foolish too while he's at it." Layla slid the door to the room open and walked in the room, heading straight for Sakura's side.
"Layla." Saki nodded to her as she watched the anbu captain stop beside Sakura, looking down at her with a soft look on her face that was only reserved for her and no one else in the clan. "It's good to see you," Saki told her as she smiled slightly at her.
"Same to you."
"Layla-nee!"
Layla looked over at Ruka, who called out to her to see that she looked at her with anxious eyes.
"She'll be fine, Ruka."
Ruka bit her lip and nodded without saying another word.
{+}
Ruka held on to her mother's hand while they walked back to the compound from the hospital, leaving Layla alone with Sakura to watch over as they all wait for Tsunade to arrive.
Saki kept a straight face as she walked past the compound gates while holding her daughter's hand in hers as they made their way to their home "Saki-sama!" She froze as she looked back to see who called her and recognized them. "Daisuke-sama and the elders wish to speak with you." She stared at the two blankly as she processed their words and nods, getting ready to continue walking home. "Now." Saki grits her teeth as she looks at the two "Without Ruka." Saki looked down at her daughter, seeing her stare at the two with curiosity.
"Ruka-Chan, you're going to go with Karu and Kato, and they will bring you home. I want you to wait there for your father or me, do you understand?"
"Yes, okaa-san."
Saki let go of her hand and leveled the twins with a glare promising pain if anything happens to her daughter, and swiftly turned and walked in a different direction in the compound.
"Well, chibi-Chan seems like you're stuck with us for a while." Kato declared, grinning at her as Karu rolled his eyes at his brother, "let's head to your home." Ruka nods timidly as she follows after the two. "How's Sakura-sama?" Kato asked, glancing down at Ruka, seeing her look at him now from asking that.
"On-"
"What do you think?" Karu snorted as he put his hands in his pockets. "She's not just going to jump back from this, Kato." Karu stated to his brother, seeing that the grin vanished from his brother's face as he stared at him, "She went face to face with the Itachi Uchiha, the heir and prodigy of the Uchiha clan." Karu shook his head. "I'll be shocked if she's the same after she wakes up. God knows what the Uchiha showed her while she was trapped in his world." Karu spat as he glared at the ground. "Damn, Uchiha thinking they are better than us," Karu mumbled as he picked up his pace, walking ahead of the two as Kato sighed at his brother's attitude.
"Sorry, chibi-chan, you had to see that."
"It's okay."
Kato smiled at her as he grabbed her hand and picked her up, causing her to gasp as he walked faster to keep up with Karu.
"Karu, wait for us! We have to watch chibi-Chan!"
Ruka looked between the two to see how the two had different personalities, Karu having the more serious one while Kato had the cheerful, laid-back personality polar opposites the two were.
"Chibi-Chan don't mind what Karu says. He's just a stick in the mud and doesn't know how to have fun like me," Kato stated, sticking his tongue out at Karu, causing him to scoff at his brother's childish actions.
{+}
Saki sat beside her husband in front of the elders of their clan, the tension in the air making it hard to breathe in as they all eyed each other silently in a glare, waiting to see who would speak first since none were breaking the silence until finally, Daisuke broke it.
"You wished to speak to both of us. What is this about?" Daisuke kept the venom from going into his voice as he addressed the elders, just wanting to get the conversation over with. He took a quick glance over at his wife to see that she had a blank expression on her face as she also wanted to get this over with.
"Judoka and I are growing tired of this stalling on our plan for Konoha. It is time to take action!" Daisuke grit his teeth as he controlled his anger at their words, "You have lost control of our heiress! You are supposed to keep her in line, but you are not!" Daisuke clenched his fist as he listened to their words growing angrier at every word that came out of their mouth "You both are supposed to be examples to the clan how to lead and take control when the time calls for it, but you are not and are making us look like fools!"
"What do you expect!? We control Sakura!?" Saki yelled in anger, no longer keeping quiet, "She's her own person! We will not control her or force her to do anything against her will as you want!" Saki glared at them.
"Maybe we should make Ruka our clan heiress since Sakura already keeps disappointing us as it is." Judoka said as she eyed the two in front of her seeing that they both looked at each other, "She's already unconscious in the hospital, proving how weak she is compared to the Uchiha." She spat as she narrowed her eyes.
"You are not making my daughter the heiress!"
"Don't you use that tone with us, Saki!" Saki bit her tongue from saying more as she glared at them in hatred. "Ruka is next in line to become heiress if anything happens to Sakura as it is so making her the heiress now since she's so young she's Impressionable." Judoka stated to them as she eyed them both, "We can tell her our ideas and how we feel about Konoha and how they treat us." She smirked as she looked at her partner. "Hisato agrees with me on this as well."
"My mother would be so disappointed in her sister right now if she were alive."
Saki was filled with rage as she stood up, her eyes showing the anger in them. "My daughter will not be a tool for you to control at all! I will not allow it!" She declared to them, "I won't let you use Sakura as well!" Saki turned to look at her husband to see him still in the same place, his eyes focused on the ground. "Daisuke, say something! They can't do this to our daughter or niece! Suki wouldn't want this for her daughter!" She begged as she stared at her husband pleadingly, but all he continued to do was stare at the ground, not meeting her eyes, shattering her heart as she looked back at the elders.
"It seems Daisuke here agrees with us as well." Hisato stated, smirking in victory, believing that they won the argument, "It is decided then Ruka will be the heiress of our clan and Sakura will not be anymore since she is too weak." Saki could only stare at them as Hisato spoke.
"Sakura is the heiress she always will be! You can't just take that away from her like you did her parents! My sister and brother-in-law!"
"Tell us, Saki, if you could save one of them, who would you save Sakura, your niece, or Ruka, your only daughter?" Sakis' eyes widened as she already knew the answer. Deep down, she knew who she would save even though she felt guilt eating at her as she pictured her sister in her head with Sakura by her side. Saki looked down, not meeting their eyes already telling them who she would save just by her reaction. "You would save Ruka over Sakura in an instant, don't deny it, Saki, we can tell." Judoka stated as she leaned forward in her seat, "If you truly don't want Ruka to become our heiress, then no more stalling in our conquest." She declared, ``eyes hard as steel. "Once Sakura awakens, we begin." Judoka looked between the two seeing the defeated look on Saki's face and the emotionless mask on Daisuke, "Dismissed." She waved them off, watching as they left the room, sliding the door shut behind them.
Suki stared at her husband's back as they stood in the hallway. "Does being clan head means more than your own family? Your own daughter?" Saki asked as Daisuke turned to face her, still not showing any emotion towards her, breaking her heart more than it already was.
"Saki- "
Saki held her hand up, cutting him off. "Don't I can tell where we stand." She whispered close to tears as she walked by him, her heartbreaking into tiny pieces with each step she took from her husband, "I don't recognize the man I married anymore." Tears gathered in her eyes, but she refused to cry as she continued to walk away, leaving Daisuke behind only to stare at the retreating back of his wife.
{+}
Sasuke grits his teeth in anger as his fist connect with the training dummy repeatedly as he continued to think about the encounter with his brother and how weak he was to stop it that caused Sakura to end up in the hospital in a comatose state for protecting him when it should have been the other way "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" He grits his teeth as his knuckles start to bleed from how hard he was punching the training dummy as his mind was focused on the altercation with his brother.
"Foolish otouto, you're too weak to fight me. You'll always be weak because you lack hatred."
Itachi's words replayed in his mind as he remembered his hand that was wrapped around his throat until Sakura interfered and saved him. Sasuke spun, and roundhouse kicked the dummy rage fueled his attacks as they got more aggressive as he thought about his team and what has happened to them because of his brother. He refused to let Itachi take any more people away from him.
"Well, look at this. The Uchiha really is an angry one." Sasuke looked to where he heard the voice to see four figures standing by the forest looking at him. "No wonder why Orochimaru-sama wants him." The one with two heads said as he crossed his arms, staring at Sasuke intently.
"Who the hell are you?" He watched as the one with two heads stepped forward. The four looked at each other then back at Sasuke, seeing that he was glaring at them with anger in his eyes as he clenched his bloody fist.
"We are known as the sound four Orochimaru-sama sent us here to speak to you Sasuke. My name is Sakon, and my brother is Ukon." He pointed to the red-haired "That is Tayuya." He pointed to the one with four arms now, "That is Kidōmaru, and finally the last one is Jirōbō." Sakon watched as Sasuke eyed them warily. "You need power, don't you? To kill your older brother Itachi Uchiha am I correct?" Sakon asked as he watched the raw anger come back to Sasuke's face as his eyes bled red, Sharingan spinning to life.
"Don't you say that man's name!"
"Ohhh, touchy are we?" Kidōmaru teased as he grinned as Sasuke's eyes went to him, and he took a step forward, reaching for his kunai pouch.
"Enough! We aren't here to fight Sasuke. We just came to talk." Sakon said as he glared at kidōmaru for antagonizing Sasuke by saying his brother's name, "Orochimaru-sama can give you the power you want Sasuke all you need to do is give in to the curse mark on your neck the power it wields is strong." Sakon watched as Sasuke's hand went up to the curse mark hiding it from view as he looked down at the grass. "It may be sealed now, but just think of how powerful you'll be once it's unsealed. You'll be stronger and have more power." The four could see Sasuke pondering it as he looked back up at them. "Just imagine what else Orochimaru-Sama has planned for you. The more power he could give you, the faster you can avenge your clan." Red faded away, letting coal-black in its place as Sasuke continued to stare at them, processing his words to him
"What do I need to do?"
Sakon smirked.
"Leave this village in a week and a half. We'll be waiting for you to take you to Orochimaru-sama."
Sasuke nods to them, sealing his fate.
{+}
Saki slid the door open to her home, entering it slowly as she was still reeling from the meeting with the elders and her husband and what came of it "Okaa-san!" Arms wrapped around her legs, making her stumble back slightly, not noticing the presence until too late as they hugged her making her look down numbly to see her daughter smiling up at her with an innocent look, not aware of what is happening in the clan "I missed you!" Saki bent down and hugged her daughter tightly as she petted her daughter's hair shaking. "Okaa-san?" Came the innocent voice of Ruka, confused at what is happening.
'I'm a failure as a mother.' As tears fell, 'Sakura's right,' Saki thought, 'Suki would be disappointed in me if she were alive. I could never live up to her image.' Saki shook with sobs as she continued to hug her daughter, afraid that if she let her go, something would happen to her.
"Saki-sama?"
She looked up to see the twins staring at her, shocked and confused at her display, causing her to let Ruka go and stand up, wiping her eyes and plastering a fake smile on her face. "Thank you both for watching Ruka while I was away. I am home now, so you can leave." She dismissed them as she picked up Ruka, walking past them as Ruka waved them goodbye. "I didn't mean to be gone so long, Ruka-chan," Saki said as she placed her down in the dining room to get ready for dinner.
"It's okay, okaa-san! I know you and otou-sama are busy!" Ruka smiled at her carefree, causing whatever was left of Sakis' heart to break at the look. "I hope when onee-chan is head that she isn't as busy!" She pouted as she crossed her arms. "She really won't have any time for me! Not that she does now." She whined, causing a small smile to appear on her mother's face as she bent down and ruffled her daughter's hair.
"It may seem like she has no time for you, Ruka, but you are her most precious person in the world. She will always be there for you no matter what." Saki stated, seeing the shocked expression on her face as Saki pulled away from her, seeing Ruka look away, pouting still.
"It doesn't seem like it, though!"
Saki sighed as she smiled softly at her daughter, "Ruka, Sakura trains so much just to protect you from the world." Saki shook her head as she recalled memories. "She forgets that she is still a kid herself, but because she is the clan heiress, she doesn't get the luxury of being one since she is the heiress she has a role to play, and that means she has too many responsibilities." Saki turned to the counter to get ready to make supper. "On top of all that, she doesn't give up no matter what. She fights for what is right in this world, and for that, I'm proud of her for standing up for what she believes in. On top of everything else, she looks out for you, Ruka. She will drop everything if it means to keep you safe. That's what matters to her the most." Saki looked out the window in the dining room."So don't ever think she does what she does on purpose." she said to her, letting her words process in Ruka's head.
"I'm home."
"Otou-sama!"
Saki froze as she heard her husband's voice travel through the room as he took his spot at the dining table. She could feel his eyes on her back, making her clench her fist as the meeting earlier replayed in her mind where Daisuke did nothing to defend them "Saki." He greeted, his eyes still on her back, making her blood boil at his tone, believing everything was fine with them when it wasn't, but if he wanted to act like it, then fine, she will too. She turned around to look at Daisuke, seeing him stare at her intently, and smiled at him like a loving wife would.
"Welcome home, dear."