.
.
Covenant
.
.
Synopsis: Four years into the Fourth Ninja War, Orochimaru offers to turn.
He all but requests Sakura by name to be the contact.
It is, quite clearly, a trap—least of all because he's supposed to be dead.
But what is a losing side to do except take the hand that's offered?
.
.
14. The Insurance
.
.
INO WAS to remain permanently stationed in Iwa for the foreseeable future.
Not because of the contract, Tsunade claimed. Only because Iwa Division had no central intelligence structure in place for large-scale battles. Konoha could utilize other Yamanaka clan members, but Ino could handle an army-wide link independently. Her transfer allowed Konoha to lose only one shinobi while providing Iwa what essentially amounted to an entire intelligence unit.
The move was a considerable loss on Konoha Division's part. Tsunade insisted it wasn't, though, since the Allies were moving forward as a single body without formal divisions at all. And since the armies were integrating, lots of skill was to be shuffled around between bases.
Sakura was to go to Kumo. C was going to Iwa. Shikamaru was moving back to Konoha. Even Temari had orders for Kiri. The list of top-ranking shinobi to switch bases in the next two weeks was nearly seven pages long.
For the second time, Tsunade had insisted that separation contracts had nothing to do with it. Nothing at all; even though almost every name listed in the transfers was subject to at least one.
The policy had that kind of unintended effect. The higher ranked one was, the more one's emotional attachments could jeopardize the army. It made sense that most highly-skilled shinobi were forced to sign a contract at some point. And reshuffling talent meant abiding by those contracts that had already re-based many people. So, for instance, Iwa wanted Sakura to stay and help with their medical—to her great surprise. But Sakura couldn't remain where Ino was, so C would have to move there instead. However, a Kumo fighter separated from C was transferred to Iwa a year ago; thus, the fighter was ordered to Suna.
It was a pile of confusion and bitterness for all those involved. The Kage, sans the Kazekage, insisted it was all for the greater good.
But as long as the battle base remained, Ino and Sakura were permitted to stay together.
After the debrief, Sakura housed herself in medical again, maintaining consciousness with soldier pills. Ino stayed with her and helped with healing where she could.
Shikamaru moved into Temari's tent. They were forced to carve time out together on battle bases, too.
The two weren't formally separated, but they were careful not to push their luck. Shikamaru never asked to be reassigned to Suna Division and never stayed there longer than his assignment called for. Temari, for her part, worked tirelessly on behalf of the Kazekage. Gaara had the power to keep the policy off himself and his sister, but he wouldn't be able to stop it from happening to the couple if the Hokage brought forth the action.
Tsunade explained that it was Gaara's idea to start the integration in the first place. It was also Gaara's idea to begin daily training within the bases. Suna had already enacted the training regimen two weeks ago, she said. Medics were free to join the training sessions if they wished.
Sakura was just glad that Gaara had done as she asked.
And Iwa was moving their entire base closer to the borders of Fire and Wind Countries. Kumo was considering moving their base further inland, as well.
The army was energized from the win and mobilizing many pieces at once.
Sakura downed soldier pills and maintained.
Anytime her thoughts wandered two inches too far, she shut them off. If any of her patients asked about the glowing Katsuyus, she walked away. Any dismemberment was dealt with by Shizune. She kept her mind flighty and barren so it wouldn't crack.
There were people to heal and supplies to restock, and nothing else in the world mattered.
But every now and then, as her rounds grew quiet at dusk and the sun sent warm orange through the empty spaces of the base, Sakura would see her. In the shinobi she was healing or in the corner of the room. In the feathery, watercolor clouds. In the scrolls of sealed weapons the fighters toted around. Reflected in the water basin she washed her hands in. Bloodied and smiling and only half of herself.
Sometimes, though, Tenten wasn't bloody. Sometimes she was whole. Sometimes she was holding two dango skewers and laughing behind the closing flap of a tent. Sometimes she was next to Sakura, her finger pointed towards the sunset, her eyes ablaze with joy.
Sometimes she was right in front of her, smiling and saying Thank you.
The Tenten that haunted her never grabbed onto her to wrestle her into the ground. She never gazed at her with accusation or anger. Even when the woman multiplied into thousands, so numerous and dense she filled the entire field, her blood spilling onto every clean space, she only ever smiled.
And it was somehow worse than being trapped on that gruesome battlefield. So much worse.
Three days after the debrief, as she made her rounds through the medical field, nodding along to the story Tenten was telling about her genin days, Tsunade came to her. The Hokage walked right through Tenten, who wisped away like smoke. Sakura blinked and held back an angry shout about Tsunade's rudeness.
They were on the edge of the temporary medical field, where the moderately injured were placed. The limited tent space was reserved for the seriously injured. A small clan from Iwa had a jutsu that could force grass to grow, and three clansmen spawned a field of soft flora for the shinobi here, so they wouldn't have to lie on stone. The warm green pasture against the endless flat, dull brown sea of earth was an odd sight. The unnatural grass gave off an oddly fragrant scent as if it'd just been cut. The sky was overcast with a mid-morning white mist.
It was a pleasant day if one ignored the smell of decay and desperation in the wind. Tsunade stood before her at the junction of the tent base and the field.
Sakura bowed. "Hello, Hokage."
Tsunade eyed her with discontent. "How long do you plan on behaving like this?"
"What do you mean?"
Tsunade's face darkened. She motioned across Sakura at attention with her hands locked behind her back.
"Don't play dense. You know what I mean. You're acting like an ANBU."
Sakura knew some might call her behavior childish or petty. But she wasn't sure how else to handle Tsunade since the contract. The forced pleasantry of status difference provided an appropriate alternative to the quiet fury that would otherwise come out or the silence that threatened to settle between them forever. Even now, a week later, Sakura could barely look her mentor in the eye.
"Forget it," Tsunade spat when it was clear Sakura had no intention of answering. Her fingers pressed into the bridge of her nose as she scanned her student's face. The Hokage took a long breath. "...How are you?"
"Fine."
Tsunade shut her eyes. "I don't like things being this way, Sakura."
"I'm sorry," was all Sakura could offer.
Sakura turned slightly to look across base medical. For the scale of the battle, there were very few seriously injured. It was almost a miracle. What if the war turned out this way from the beginning? If the Allies had won so conclusively from the start, could this fighting have ended years ago?
Could it have ended after that first battle?
What if Sasuke joined the Allies at the beginning instead of four years later? Could he and Naruto stop Tobi before Madara was summoned? Could they kill Madara before he was ported to safety?
...Did it even matter?
Sakura emptied the hopeful scenarios from her head. It didn't happen that way, so why bother fantasizing about it? They were still here, four and a half years later, fighting for nothing and dying more every day.
It was time for her to face reality and stop pining for change.
"I want to talk about the battle. About your seal and Katsuyu," Tsunade said, drawing her from the brooding.
She hadn't been forced to confront that yet. People tiptoed around her since the battle ended and allowed her to turn away from any reminders. To think about it made her lungs ache with a scream that begged for release. Made her mind fissure with the mania she'd barely reigned in on field medical.
There is Tenten saying goodbye.
Sakura left the thought with a nod. It was an inevitable conversation, and no amount of time would make it easier to have.
"Okay." Her hands wrung themselves at her back.
"You know that Hundred Healings sacrifices your life force with every use."
"Yes."
"You'll die early if you use it too frequently."
I'll die early from the war anyway, she thought, her eyes tracing the horizon.
But she said, "I know."
"And it takes huge amounts of your chakra reserve." Tsunade paused. "How much do you have left now?"
Sakura mentally probed her seal. "Less than half of what I had before the battle."
It was a huge loss. Over three times more than the most she'd ever lost in any previous fight.
"Listen... Kakashi said it because he thought it might help at the moment, but what he said wasn't wrong. Katsuyu is necessary to our army, and your proficiency with her is beyond mine. We need you, and the only close alternative is Naruto."
Was Tsunade encouraging her or threatening her? It was impossible to tell these days. Regardless, explicitly or implicitly, the Hokage knew that Naruto's safety kept Sakura on a leash. It should anger her, but Sakura couldn't find it in herself to feel anything but indifference.
She could feel nothing or she could let the hysteria take her. There was no middle ground left between her bones.
"It won't happen again," Sakura assured.
"Do you have enough reserve for upcoming battles?"
"Yes."
"How many battles?"
"It would depend on how closely I can monitor the jutsu. Maybe three, maybe thirty."
Tsunade studied her. Something was...different about her student. The green of her irises gleamed a little less. The corner of her lip turned down. Her answers held no inflection.
Tsunade laid her hand on Sakura's head. "You did well."
It seemed to be the Hokage's new favorite action. Perhaps she was attempting to rebuild their trust through Sakura's need for physical contact. Or maybe she was just feeling nostalgic. Sakura let Tsunade's warmth flow down her skull for several moments before she stepped out of it.
She wasn't ready to mend that bridge. Maybe she never would be.
Tsunade's shoulders tensed. "...The combination of those techniques, it's not something I've ever thought possible. I'm not sure I could do it."
"Mm," Sakura said noncommittally.
"Do you know that even the portions of Katsuyu I summoned in Suna shone with your chakra?" Tsunade peered at her with veiled admiration. "You instantly healed the entire battlefield. Everyone, even those mortally wounded."
"Not everyone." Sakura trained her stare at a space over Tsunade's shoulder.
Not Tenten.
Tsunade smiled sadly. "But thousands, still. So many people are indebted to you. I'm indebted to you. And not just for this battle, but for the entire war."
Sakura stayed quiet. Indebted to her for what? Thousands more were dead than were alive after four years. Thousands more would surely die in fights she'd be responsible for. Her nails dug into her palms. Indebted to her for losing so many?
…Or maybe indebted to her for taking over what should've been Tsunade's responsibility to bear.
Sakura immediately wanted the conversation to end.
Tsunade took the opportunity to press on.
"You'll be needed in battle much more frequently with this integration. But if you need some time to...process this last battle and replenish your chakra reserves, the Kage have all agreed that—"
"I said I'm fine." Sakura cut in. She bowed. "Excuse my rudeness, Hokage, but I've got rounds to finish."
Tsunade's mouth opened, then closed.
Then, after a moment, the Hokage nodded. "Okay. Just... well, I'm proud of you."
The sentiment twisted her stomach in repulsion.
Sakura turned from her mentor and moved to lose herself in the tent city as fast as she could do so without causing a scene.
Proud? PROUD? She still felt how motionless Tenten's chest had been against her cheek. Could draw the exact curve of Tenten's lashes, clumped in sweat and filth. Smelled the acrid tinge of Tenten's blood on her fingertips. How the woman's weak grip on her wrist commanded Sakura to let her die. Her throat still burned slightly metallic days later.
And Tsunade was proud of her?
.
.
A thought formed over the next day of healing, of going through the motions of being a normal, functioning human.
Could soldier pills replenish her chakra reserves?
It was an idea that hadn't crossed her mind in all four years. Surely other shinobi had considered it? Then again, very few jutsu stored chakra the same way the byakugou seal did. Possibly only she and Tsunade would even ponder such a theory. And Tsunade didn't fight to drain herself anymore, so the Hokage had no reason to concern herself with maintaining her seal.
But if Sakura used soldier pills to replenish her active chakra, what stopped her from storing all that pill chakra into her seal? Wouldn't that make her seal's jutsu infinite?
Sakura slowly rolled a pill between her thumb and index finger, weighing the possibility. It could potentially make her, and by extension the army, extraordinarily powerful. But simply having the chakra to maintain Hundred Healings forever didn't mean she had the infinite life force the jutsu would require as a sacrifice.
Her fingers paused. It was an easy decision, really. Be it tomorrow or in eighty years, she would die one day. Maybe this way, she could die without having to see any more of her loved ones die before her.
And maybe the sooner it happened, the better.
She popped the soldier pill in her mouth.
They weren't the soldier pills she'd grown accustomed to in genin days. These were made with a special formula she created early in the war. They replenished chakra and boosted energy, but at a lower dosage than the older soldier pills. This allowed a shinobi to take more in a single day without many adverse side effects.
They were ideal for battle.
Although using them continuously for over a week, as she'd done, was not their intended purpose. It would certainly come back to bite her as soon as she stopped shoveling them into her system.
Her active chakra pool swelled as the pill disintegrated in her stomach. The caffeine shot through her bloodstream. She circulated the fresh chakra through her channels twice, warmed it, then moved it into the funnel pathways of her seal.
And it worked.
The chakra started flowing unhurriedly into her reserves. Not as smooth as her natural chakra deposited, nor as efficient. She was losing significantly more chakra in the transfer than she would typically.
But the pill chakra dripped auspiciously into the ocean of her seal. So it mattered little whether she lost half or three-quarters of it during the transition; there were hundreds of soldier pills accessible to her. Hundreds more that she could make should those run out.
An infinite supply of chakra to replenish her reserves whenever she needed it.
By the time Kakashi came to see her later that day, she'd already funneled over 200 pills into her seal. Her stomach was queasy, and her fingers twitched with the caffeine she hadn't yet burned from her system—but her reserve had regained nearly all of what it'd lost the last battle. She'd be fully restocked to pre-war levels with another couple hundred.
The discomfort of using so many pills in such a short timeframe mattered little to Sakura. The likely but unknown consequences of it mattered even less.
He walked into her battle base tent when she was trying to eat dinner with Ino that night. Her stomach turned at the smell of the soup the base served, the pills not allowing her to attempt even half a bite.
The tents were little more than seven by seven-foot spaces. A sleeping mat lay on the far corner; in Sakura's case, a stone desk and stone chair stood opposite. The desk and chair were unmoveable and attached to the ground, conjured by a nice Iwa shinobi she'd flagged down a few days ago. A soft light hung in the center of the tent, a fire jutsu that never burned too hot, trapped in a glass bottle suspended by a twine string.
She sat on her mat, letting Ino have the desk.
Ino hadn't commented on Sakura poking at her soup. But Sakura worried that Kakashi might dig deeper if he saw her pushing food around. She could probably pass it off as a loss of hunger from the battle—but it had been six days, so the excuse might make him fret over whether Sakura hadn't eaten in almost a week.
Her not-entirely-proper use of the soldier pills wasn't exactly something she considered a secret, but it wasn't something she necessarily wanted others to know about. Least of all one with a higher position than her. She didn't want to be ordered to stop, at least.
Sakura nodded at Kakashi as he straightened himself in the tent, placing the uneaten bowl of food on the ground behind her where she could block its view.
"Ladies," he said with a grand bow. "What's being served tonight? I haven't been able to get to the dining tent."
"Vegetable stew and bread...again," Ino answered with a scowl, lifting a small spoonful to her lips.
"It only seems to get better each night, hm?" Kakashi was clearly smiling beneath his mask.
"Mhm, right. Better."
Kakashi's eyes flitted to her. "And how are you, Sakura?"
"Fine. You?"
Kakashi looked her over, his gaze disbelieving. Then he sighed and sat on the ground, back resting against a tent pole, right knee pulled to his chest.
"Doing well, thank you. I came because I want to apologize to the two of you." He paused, and Ino turned to face him. "If I had known it would push the Hokage toward the policy, I never would've allowed that Suna trip. The battle came before I could say this sooner."
"It's not your fault Tsunade's a bitch," Ino quipped.
Sakura shut her eyes. "Stop it."
"Yeah, whatever."
"Regardless—" Kakashi continued, ignoring the insult. "—Tsunade intends for me to be the next Hokage. I could've stepped in to stop it, but I didn't. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. It doesn't matter," said Sakura, resigned. "Was probably going to happen either way."
Ino glared at her. "Really? What does that mean?"
"It means that you care about each other. Nothing's wrong with that, but the Kage won't tolerate it forever," Kakashi answered in her stead. And then, not so smoothly, he changed the subject. "I also wanted to say I'm proud of you both." He looked at Ino. "Asuma would've been too. The efficiency you two have in battle is immeasurable. We only won because you kept the army in position and alive."
There was that word again. Proud. Neither Sakura nor Ino made a sound. Ino turned back to her soup.
"We need you two," Kakashi said after the pregnant pause.
Sakura scrutinized her teacher. She felt like he was trying to tell them something without saying it, but she couldn't connect the hints in his demeanor.
"Strange way for the Kage to treat people they claim to need," Ino snided at her bowl. "Forcing us away from the people we love. Making us do their job and suffer their consequences. Makes you wonder how they treat the people they don't need."
Ino smiled bitterly at Sakura, then stood and walked towards the tent opening.
"Leaving so soon?" Kakashi asked, pulling his other leg to him so she needn't step over it to exit.
"I've gotta see my clan members before they leave for Konoha base. See ya. I'll be back to help with medical when I'm done, Sakura."
"Alright," Sakura nodded. "See you."
The tent closed silently, and the quiet sank between Sakura and Kakashi. It was not the comfortable atmosphere she typically enjoyed with her teacher. He regarded her like a hundred things wanted to fly from his mouth but none could cross the threshold of his lips.
She stared back, not thinking too hard about anything. That was the easiest way to avoid materializing the ghouls at the edge of her vision. Instead, she focused on his silver hair. His grey eyebrow. His dark eye. The black fabric that covered the bottom half of his face. The things she'd seen thousands of times. Things that simply were, that didn't need to be understood to know. She focused on these parts and shunned the emotions he was failing to hide behind that mask.
"What are your plans for after the war, Sakura?" He finally asked.
Her brow quirked. That was unexpected. She'd anticipated more apologies or explanations. Maybe more interrogation about what she'd done with Hundred Healings.
But...plans for after the war? Did she have any?
She racked her brain.
It was full of plans for medical rounds in the morning. What supplies were running low. Some different treatments she wanted to try on a couple complex injuries. And if she pressed too far, it was full of plans that could no longer be. Spending time with Tenten. Taijutsu training with Lee. Barbeque with Choji. Walks through the forest with Kiba and Akamaru. Reprimanding Neji for neglecting his health.
Missions with Team Seven.
But there were no plans for after the war.
Maybe she had made plans at one point—maybe near the beginning. Three or four years ago, perhaps she had thought about life after fighting. But there was only the battlefield now, and she would never leave it. So there was no reason for planning.
"I can't think that far ahead. I'm barely holding on as it is," she muttered.
It was the first time she'd admitted it to someone else. It felt freeing, almost. She observed Kakashi carefully for any sign of recoil at her confession; she released a breath when she saw none.
"It's no secret, so I'm sure you know," he started slowly, "but Tsunade left the village for many years after the second war."
"I know."
"They say she was a completely different person when it ended. And... I guess I'm trying to say it saddens me to watch her push all of Konoha's brightest into the same corner. Seeing her do it to you, especially."
Sakura blinked at him. Kakashi seldom spoke against the Hokage so directly, if at all.
"War is war," she said bluntly. "Everyone will eventually lose someone. It's not Tsunade's fault. None of us asked for this." The words felt thick in her throat. She knew she'd heard them somewhere, but her mind reminded her that she didn't want to remember where.
He shrugged. "Perhaps. Still, you'd think she would've learned from her own experience. It's hard enough losing loved ones, but forcing them apart..."
She shut her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Please, Kakashi. Leave it. I—I don't want to talk about it."
"Very well. My apologies again." He stood and brushed himself off, taking a quick look around her sterile tent again. "But I want you to know, when this is over, I'm praying more than anything that you remain loyal to Konoha. To me."
She opened her eyes to peer at him. "I'll always be loyal to you, sensei." And she meant it.
He smiled at her from behind the mask. "And Konoha?"
She didn't have an answer for that. Not anymore. The realization made her chest constrict. Sakura looked away from him.
"...What if the war never ends?" she asked instead.
His smile dropped from his face at her non-answer. "One day it will. That's what we must strive towards. And Konoha and I will need you more than ever when it does. There'll be many things to rebuild. Lives to restart. Tsunade will probably step down, and I'll need your help."
Her chest tightened until breathing was painful. "I may not have anything left to give by then, Kakashi."
She held her breath against the ache. Her seal hummed, Breathe.
A tautness seized the air. Kakashi's whole frame froze, almost as if he forced his body not to go to her. Like he wanted to wrap her up and beg her not to go anywhere, but wouldn't. Like he was afraid if he moved, she'd disappear.
He sighed, and the moment passed. He didn't move to keep her, and the pressure against her heart receded. She raggedly inhaled.
"If it comes to that, Sakura, then know this. When I become Hokage, you'll have my blessing if you leave. You'll never be marked missing. And if you decide to stay, though it might be more than you feel Konoha deserves... I'll forever be grateful. But, you'll be free to do whatever you choose. You deserve that."
She kept her eyes on the ground at his feet and didn't bother thanking him. It was a nice sentiment, yes.
Nice and empty. And Kakashi probably knew it, too. Even as he offered it to her.
Because this war was never going to end for either one of them. The fighting might end, and the Allies might even win. But the war would continue until she was dead, or he was dead, and then their battle would simply live on in everyone left alive who cared about them. Their ghosts would haunt Naruto until he died, and he would haunt Hinata until she died, and she might haunt Mirai until her death. The war would last far beyond the last battle.
And even if the fighting did end, Sakura doubted she'd be alive to see it.
.
.
Sakura learned that the coordinate teams dispatched by Kiri and Kumo during the battle had been successful.
There were five coordinates left. Two in Wind Country, two in Earth, and one more in Fire.
The orders came the next day. Shino was given a mission to a coordinate in Wind Country, and Shikamaru was given one in Earth Country. Neither would be team leads, to Shikamaru's surprise.
They were both returning to Konoha base when their missions finished.
The battle base was officially shutting down.
The two men, Sakura, and Ino met for the last time in Shino's tent that evening. By morning, they'd be off on their missions, Sakura would be on her way to Kumo, and Ino would be left alone to resettle at Iwa's new home base.
The hushed anguish between them was tangible. Shino lay on his mat, staring at the tent ceiling. Shikamaru sat backward on a chair beside a desk, a cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth. Sakura sat cross-legged on the floor across from the bed, and Ino lay on the ground with her head in Sakura's lap.
Shino and Shikamaru managed to keep a conversation going for the four of them, for the most part. The two women were largely lost in their own thoughts.
"I'm glad Hinata's away... I hope she never comes back. Doesn't that sound awful?" Shino asked the room
"No," said Sakura, the statement rousing her from silence. "I feel the same about Naruto. I want him to stay away forever."
Shikamaru itched inside his ear. "I shouldn't say this, so keep it to yourselves. But the Kage are starting to talk about fighting in the battles again. I...overheard it when they called me about the coordinates."
"You mean you were listening in," said Shino.
"Anyway," Shikamaru stated more loudly, "I also heard the Raikage say he wanted to bring the jinchuriki back to end things."
"The Raikage shouldn't get ahead of himself." Ino's face turned sour. "We were losing for four years. A few decent battles don't mean we can suddenly take on Madara."
"Well, it is strange that Madara hasn't shown himself in so long," Shino pointed out.
"I shouldn't say this either...but I learned from Orochimaru that Madara's body isn't well," Sakura said. She twisted Ino's hair around her index finger. "It's rejecting itself, potentially because of the reanimation."
Three sets of curious eyes landed on her. And although it was against its Classed rules, Sakura shared what she'd gathered from Orochimaru in his lab. The Sakura from just last month probably wouldn't have broken policy, but day by day, she felt less and less attached to the Kage and their orders. She explained the fatty-like mass he'd meticulously cut into sections. The composition of Madara's returned body. The stockpiles. How Orochimaru "fixed" the rejected pieces for reattachment.
Ino sat up excitedly when she finished. "It was white with blue veins, you said?"
"Yes."
"Exactly like the tree in the room my team destroyed," said Ino, staring at her with wide eyes and a growing grin.
Sakura's mind stuttered—how had she missed that when Tenten recounted—
And then Tenten was sitting next to her, smiling. She'd avoided the woman all day. Sakura stilled her breath and body; tried not to look over at the specter. Ino's gaze turned worried as she examined Sakura's ashen face.
"Could the rooms be where he's housing Hashirama's cells?" Shikamaru asked, following Ino's train of thought.
Tenten nodded and then drifted away like fog. Sakura's body uncoiled slowly.
The four of them discussed what that could mean for the Allies if they were right. How Sakura should bring it up to the Hokage, even though Sakura was sure Kakashi had already put two and two together. They ran through scenarios of what might happen if Madara lost all his stockpiles and couldn't continue remaking his body.
But none of their revelations impacted them in the short term. Whether Madara was or wasn't easier to beat in some theoretical fight didn't change the fact that they only had a few more hours together. They were still being separated in the morning—shipped off to be alone. Beating Madara two months or two years in the future wouldn't change their tomorrow.
The room fell mute when they exhausted the topic. Ino laid back in Sakura's lap, and it almost felt like they were back in Konoha for a second. It almost felt like the Konoha 11 meeting days. Only, it was just a quarter of them here, now. And they were in a dingy, cramped battle base tent in Earth Country licking incurable war wounds, not beneath a blooming tree under their hometown's peaceful, sunny blue sky.
She thought about Kakashi's reserved question to her yesterday.
"What will you all do when the war ends?" Sakura asked quietly.
"Hadn't thought about it," Shikamaru admitted.
"Feels like it'll never end," said Ino.
"Just...assume that it does. Do you guys have...plans?"
"I'll take over as head of my clan," Shino answered after a moment. "Maybe I'll teach at the academy. I've always wanted to."
"I guess I'd become an advisor. Assume my father's position. Help Naruto become Hokage or something," Shikamaru said.
"Will people accept Naruto as Hokage?" asked Shino. "I mean, I will, don't take that the wrong way. I only mean that he hasn't been fighting with us, so…"
It was a question that Sakura hadn't ever considered. A good question.
"Of course," Shikamaru replied smoothly like he'd already considered and tossed the thought away long ago. "In fact, it might be better that he isn't in the battles. People might accept his leadership more easily like this."
Sakura's brow knitted. "What do you mean?"
"For one, he won't be as fucked up as the rest of us. He'll probably still have his optimistic streak and Konoha's gonna need that after the war. Mostly, though, no one will hold any negative connotations between him and anyone they lost in the war. It won't be his fault a friend or family died in these battles."
Like how people will think it's our fault, remained unsaid in the air. Sakura looked away from the pained look on Shikamaru's face.
"What about you, Ino?" Shino attempted, steering the conversation past the tension.
Ino's eyes blinked open like she hadn't been listening at all. "What?"
"What will you do when the war ends?"
Ino hummed so low only Sakura could hear it. Her face scrunched in thought.
"Reopen the flower shop," she finally answered. "And get married to a nice guy who's really hot."
Shikamaru puffed a cloud of smoke into the air. "What nice guy is gonna marry you?"
Sakura, Shino, and the shadows of the dead Konoha 11 laughed as Ino jumped from the ground and stalked toward Shikamaru with a raised fist. Sometimes there were still these warm moments, even in the darkest of days. Sakura smiled as Shikamaru fended Ino's assault off half-heartedly. Choji was next to them, cheering Ino on. Kiba rolled on the ground in silent hysterics.
Sometimes their resurrection wasn't painful at all. Sometimes Neji would smirk as he turned and walked away from her, and Sakura almost followed him. Sometimes she barely kept herself from falling into their world when Lee offered her flowers she couldn't hold. Sometimes their sham presence was the only thing in the whole universe she longed for.
Maybe, if she made it out of this war alive, they would be the death of her instead.
.
.
Three hours before she was scheduled to leave for Kumo, a bird flew into her sleeping tent and pecked the back of her head at four in the morning. She closed the book she was reading, sent word to Kakashi that she would report to Kumo when finished, and ported to Orochimaru's base in her transformation.
"Ah, Sakura Haruno. Welcome," came a voice as soon as the lab materialized.
"Rei," she said calmly, taking in her surroundings. Orochimaru sat at his desk over a book, his back to her. The lab smelled of fresh citrus. The metal operating table was empty and clean.
"Hmm?"
"Call me Rei if you must call me something," Sakura clarified. She'd decided on using the secretary's name when she was making soldier pills for the Iwa battle.
"Very well, Rei." A smile laced his words. "Sasuke will return shortly. You only just missed him. Do make yourself comfortable."
Sakura turned and sat on the single chair in the corner, sinking into its cushions and closing her eyes. It was a strange evolution that she felt relaxed enough to take a nap in a room with Orochimaru, but here she was. Ready to sleep a mere twenty feet away from the man until Sasuke returned.
"Congratulations on the battle," he said after a moment, startling her from rest. "Madara is quite upset about the loss."
"What's there to congratulate?" She threw back. "People still died."
"Everyone dies eventually, Sakura Haruno."
"Rei."
"Ah, yes. Rei."
Sakura closed her eyes again. It had been days since she'd really slept. The offer to do so was too tempting to deny now.
"And the seal," he interrupted again. "Have you asked Tsunade about it?"
She sighed deeply. Clearly, she had misunderstood what Orochimaru meant by 'make yourself comfortable.'
"...Why did you place it on us?" she grumbled loudly.
"Now, now. I posed my question first."
Through her short interactions with the man, she'd learned that playing his games was easier than fighting them. Most of the time, if she played nice, she got good information from it anyway.
"Yes, I asked."
"And did she know what it was?"
"She did." Sakura opened one eye to watch what he'd do with that answer.
Orochimaru turned to look at her with a smirk. "What did my former teammate advise you to do?"
Sakura entertained making up a story or not telling him anything at all. But, she'd also learned it was more beneficial to let Orochimaru win some of the battles he cared about.
"Seduce him," she droned.
Orochimaru laughed, deep from his belly, but he didn't look the least bit surprised.
"I knew it. You see, dear Rei, teammates may be separated for many years," he turned back to his book, flipping a page, "but teammates will always be teammates."
Sakura rested her head on the back of the chair. It was clear the man was pleased with Tsunade's order. But he constantly spoke in roundabout ways, forcing her to think more than she wanted. And to think too deeply about anything was dangerous for her.
The battlefield was too deadly. The faces were too familiar. Her mind couldn't handle it right now. There was no advantage in over-estimating one's strength in war, and at the moment, her psyche was like a china cup on a shrinking shelf. Any thought at length shrunk it further.
"Alright, snake. I've answered, now it's your turn."
"You want to know why I did it and not how to undo it?"
"I'd like to know both, but I think you'll only tell me one." Orochimaru chuckled at her words. "And I'd rather know why."
"Clever girl. But how clever?" He paused. "What do you think Sasuke's plan is after the war?"
It was a strangely coincidental question. As if Orochimaru had ears on the battle base. Like he'd been right in Shino's tent with her friends.
"How should I know?" she asked tiredly.
"Not so clever, then."
Sakura tapped her finger on the armrest. "Well, I don't know. Maybe he'll rebuild his clan." It was the first thought that came to her, and she barely believed it herself. But he'd have to want to do that at some point, right? He wouldn't just...let the Uchiha clan die out.
...Right?
"And where would he do that?"
Again, how would she know? Like herself and everyone else, Sasuke would probably be dead before the war ended. The thought didn't hurt like it should, since she'd probably die before him anyway.
These questions were meaningless, so she opted for the first thought again:
"Konoha." Nevermind that Konoha didn't exist anymore—dead like everything else.
Orochimaru hummed. "You think the Hokage will allow him to return?"
"Well." She hesitated, scraping her nails against the fabric of the chair. "Assuming the war ends in our favor, yeah. Tsunade accepted the terms to clear his record. That means he'll be permitted to return...you as well."
Orochimaru laughed again. "You think far too highly of the Kage."
Sakura let the annoyance flow through her for a second, then tamped down on it. The seal at her neck pulsed like a question mark, and she tapped it with her chakra in response. Its heat washed across her chest. It calmed her and gave her something to focus on.
"I'd rather sit in silence than play word games with you," she said. "I don't care about this." And even though it was a conversation about Sasuke, she really didn't. The seal's warmth bathed her in a lake of indifference. "Say what you're getting at or let me rest."
"You think the Kage intend to set Sasuke free after the war?"
"That's what they agreed to."
"They may have agreed, but he's a dead man if the Allies win this war. Sasuke's smart enough to know that."
Sakura of four years ago would've disagreed with him immediately. Sixteen-year-old Sakura thought the Kage were slightly problematic but otherwise just and honest. War Sakura had learned that the Kage were merely powerful shinobi with huge egos and conflicting loyalties. They were headstrong and shifty—and she could pretend they'd keep their word, but she knew Orochimaru painted a possibility.
If the Allies won this war soon, it would be largely thanks to Sasuke. A significant percentage of their losses would also be because of Sasuke. Could the Kage allow such an indomitable non-enemy, not-quite-ally to live?
"If you two didn't trust us, why turn in the first place? Help Madara win and stay alive."
"Sasuke's motives are his own to share. As for mine, I gave you that seal as an insurance policy."
"Insurance for what?"
"Did you know that I rewrote the contact specifications?" he asked, ignoring her question again. She wondered briefly if this man had imparted the habit on Sasuke, or if the two men had always been similar-natured.
She nodded. "I deduced as much."
"I was hoping they'd send you," Orochimaru said carefully.
"I got that too." There was information to gather if she could force herself to care a little. She'd prefer the conversation to end and sleep to take her, but... "Why?"
"The Hokage and the next Hokage favor you. You've got significant power within the army so the other Kage will listen to you. If it were you speaking on Sasuke's behalf, perhaps he'll keep his life."
"You think I wouldn't stick up for Sasuke anyway? That Naruto wouldn't?" She shifted to curl her legs beneath her. She didn't mention that she probably had less power in the army than he thought because of this agreement he'd cornered her into.
"You might, you might not. But the seal ensures it. With it, you're more likely to protect him than without it. When the time comes, you won't be able to stand by and watch him get executed. It increases the likelihood that he'll see the other side of this war."
This sentiment reminded her of Orochimaru's earlier words. Teammates will always be teammates. Because hadn't Tsunade spoken near-identical words to her before the last battle?
The two remaining Sannin were so strange. How did they speak mirrored thoughts weeks and miles apart when they hadn't had any familial contact in over twenty years? What exactly had they gone through that tied them together so closely?
"Why do you care if he lives?" she asked. "Weren't you trying to murder him from the start?"
"It's true that I sought to claim his body initially."
She watched from behind as his head cocked to the side. She could almost see his mind whirling over the question.
"Do you know what Izanami is, dear Rei?"
Again with the non-answer. "No."
"It's a very powerful genjutsu without any way out but through." Her eyes were closed again, but she heard him turn a page of his book. "Unlike anything you've ever encountered before."
"Amazing," she intoned.
"Do you know its only known user?"
"If I don't even know what it is, obviously not."
He tsked at her snark. "Itachi Uchiha."
Sakura's breath caught. She hadn't heard that name in years. Last she heard, Itachi Uchiha died before the war. Or rather, he'd been killed before the war.
A fit of abrupt anger washed through her.
"I don't want or need to talk about Sasuke's brother," she spat.
Mostly because she didn't want to think about a dead man when there were no wraiths clouding her vision for the first time in days. And slightly because she thought Sasuke might not like her and Orochimaru chatting about Itachi behind his back.
"Alright." There was a smirk in Orochimaru's voice again.
Sakura slumped lower in the chair, wrapping her arms around her torso for warmth. She felt Orochimaru's gaze on her but said nothing of it. Kept her eyes shut. What she really wanted was for him to leave her alone so she could nap.
"Your chakra is muddled," he observed after some minutes, just as she had started to drift.
"...Mm."
"Especially around the mind."
"Everyone's is. We're in a war."
"Speaking of war, I heard a curious rumor about the last battle. About a feat even Tsunade couldn't achieve. I wonder..." Another page turned. "Have you damaged yourself, Sakura Haruno?"
"I gave you a name to use." Her eyes flicked open to shoot him a glare. "Don't make me repeat myself a fourth time. Where is Sasuke? I'm tired of your prattling."
"Have I mentioned before how similar you two are?" He chuckled. "…Ah, well, he's meeting with Madara." He turned back to the desk with a shrug. "He called for you because you weren't sleeping, so go ahead and rest now."
Don't think too far into that, she told herself immediately.
"I don't find your jokes funny," she told Orochimaru after.
"What joke?"
"He summoned me for information."
"Did he?" Orochimaru tutted. "But I'm unaware of any new information. He summoned you, ordered me to wait here and tell you that you can rest until he's back, and then went away to his meeting."
"And where in there means he called me because I wasn't sleeping?"
"He's been very irritated and jittery. You've been taking too many soldier pills, correct? Their caffeine would affect the seal."
She didn't answer. It was only a good guess since most medics would be drowning in soldier pills after a battle to keep up with base medical. And wasn't Sasuke always irritated?
"He'll be back in under a day. Just rest there until he comes."
"I don't have a day," she said with annoyance, even as she closed her eyes again.
"What do you have to do?"
"Report to Kumo."
"Kumo will be there in a day. I daresay it'll even be there in two."
She really couldn't stand Orochimaru.
"What if there's another battle and they need me?" she asked, only halfway rhetorical. The chair felt so comfortable, and her body felt so heavy.
"I've no reports about an upcoming attack. And, dear Rei, have you ever considered your army is overly dependent on you?"
"Mhm…"
"Of course they are since you allow them to be."
"Mhm…" His words bounced around her brain twice before their meaning sank in. "Wait, what?"
"The Allies would be more efficient if you weren't there to sweep up after them. If they couldn't rely on your healing, they'd be forced to perform better in battle."
She really couldn't stand that he made sense. She kept her eyes shut and prodded her seal again for the warmth that helped her sleep. When it pooled and burst across her chakra channels, she fell into it with a pleased exhale.
"You're now labeled into a position I know well, Sakura Haruno. A Sannin." His voice held contempt, and she was so tired she didn't bother with the name. "As an old Sannin to a new one, I'll give you some advice. One of the worst quandaries of being powerful is that those around you start to believe they don't need their own power."
Sleep was taking her quickly now that she welcomed it. She hadn't taken any soldier pills in hours after consuming over four hundred in the past couple of days. Her body was shutting down.
"That's not advice," she mumbled.
"My advice is to let them fail." His sharp voice drifted into her fading consciousness like music. "Everyone will be better for it."
Thanks for the kind reviews, as always :) They always bring a smile to my face
when I get the email notification!
I'm glad no one flamed me for the death...yet, lol
And...have a great weekend and a great week 3