Chapter 13.
Kakashi, the liar
Sasuke Uchiha has come to a daring, and startling conclusion in the wake of his talk with Naruto. It sounds insane what he is thinking, the logical part of his brain knows this. He just can't shake the feeling he is right though. He keeps his conclusion to himself for the moment, lest the village be tempted to institutionalize him. He wonders humorously if the task of putting a straight jacket on him would fall to Naruto or Kakashi. Maybe it would take them both he decides.
Sasuke is no stranger to insanity. For a time he concludes, he had been insane. Back when he sought revenge at any cost, and when he even tried to kill his teammates. Now he fears, perhaps he was teetering back on the edge of insanity.
His conclusion is this: Sakura Haruno is not dead not really and, not anymore, but he doesn't know what that makes her now.
Sasuke can't explain it. He knew she had died. He had seen the autopsy photos. He read the entire manilla envelope Kakashi had given him. Sasuke believed every word of it. Sasuke also knew that the night he had seen those green eyes, and the hand reaching out of the closet there was no mistaking it. It had been her. It had been Sakura. A ghost? Had he seen Sakura's ghost?
Or was she alive again? How was Sakura alive? Sasuke knew there were dark jutsu's out in the world. His own master Orochimaru had been king among the darker ninja arts. Could it be some kind of resurrection?
So Sasuke has boiled it down to 2 theories. Sakura is either a ghost, or somehow she had been brought back to life.
Sasuke has had time to stew over it all. Now as it is, he is convinced he had only really seen her the night in the closet. The other times were simply visions, his imagination had run away with him, and his lack of sleep hadn't helped.
Even though he has a preference for resurrection rather than her being a spirit, Sasuke can't help but be confused by everything that happened the night he saw the glowing green eyes.
Why had she disappeared so suddenly? Was she afraid to be seen? If her hand was in any way an indicator, her body could be in the same shape it had been when she died. Had Naruto's presence frightened her? She had only said Sasuke's name after-all, perhaps she wasn't ready to face Naruto. Perhaps she wanted to talk to Sasuke alone. That could be it. It made sense to Sasuke in a messed up way. Naruto might be harder for her to face in her bodies current condition.
Then something occurs to Sasuke. It clicks on like a light.
Idiot. Sasuke curses himself. Of course Kakashi has been hiding something from them. Construction and moving graves, in the cemetery conveniently right after Sakura is buried? Sasuke is not a believer of coincidences. Kakashi had not wanted Sasuke or Naruto to go into the graveyard when they saw him on their run. Sasuke is sure of it, Kakashi is a liar.
Why on earth would the Hokage himself be bothered with the affairs of a graveyard...unless. That takes Sasuke into an entirely new train of thought, his head feels like the spinning of a top.
Yes! That was it.
"Get up, loser." Sasuke kicks Naruto awake, and is not sorry. "Come on we're going for a run."
Sasuke isn't going to let Naruto know what he thinks is going on, not until he sees it for himself, not until he has proof. Naruto has been drilling it into Sasuke for days, that what he'd seen was a nightmare. No doubt without any proof, Naruto will once again push his belief.
"It's like 3 in the damn morning," Naruto grumbles. "you go without me, and while you are out running do us both a favor, and stop at the hospital."
"For what?" Sasuke forces himself to remain patient.
"Pills, cough medicine, tranquilizers. Anything to make you sleep like a normal person." Naruto yawns and rolls back over. "Don't go to Ino though."
"Why?"
"Cause if she thinks you're crazy, she might not let you take her out." Sasuke can make out the smirk on Naruto's face even with his back turned.
His joke kills any patience Sasuke tried to have with him. Naruto is wriggling around the couch trying to find a more comfortable position.
Sasuke lets his chakra pulse into a tiny Chidori, just enough for Naruto to take notice.
"Yeah, sure and after the hospital maybe i'll run by Ichiraku." Naruto goes entirely still.
"You wouldn't dare."
"Accidents happen." Sasuke lets the chidori grow slightly larger.
"Fine, fine! Okay." Naruto shoves his blanket off angrily. "I'm up, no need to get your panties in a twist. Leave my ramen alone, allright!"
In minutes they are darting through the streets of Konoha. Naruto is trying to race him, and Sasuke lets him think that is the goal of this excursion. Sasuke is still faster as he leads them. Sasuke does take note that Naruto isn't nearly as winded now as he had been on their last run. Even if it is slow, at least Naruto is healing. Maybe by the time Tsunade shows up there won't be much for her to do.
"I'll beat you, you bastard. Believe it!" Naruto huffs between his breaths.
Right as they come up on the cemetery entrance Sasuke stops on a dime. Naruto is still propelling forward and has to skid on the asphalt to stop himself when he sees Sasuke.
The caution tape is still up, warding people away. Sasuke rips through it and steps onto the path.
"Sasuke what are you-"
"Shut up. For once just keep your mouth shut and follow me, will you?"
Naruto crosses his arms over his chest, unsure. Naruto always had harder time defying their sensei's orders.
"You always were a big scaredy-cat."
The taunt is childish, but effective.
"Am not!" Naruto sticks his tongue out at him. Naruto starts following after him albeit, uneasily.
They tread together in silence at a slow pace, and their path is lit by lanterns on poles. Sasuke can hear the thundering in his own chest as they get closer, he wonders if Naruto can to.
The moon is visible tonight, in fact it's hard not to notice it. The glowing space orb above shines a deep blood-red hue that's almost translucent somehow. A blood moon. If the myths of the Uchiha clan have any merit, blood moons are very bad omens. Blood moons are said to foretell, of coming evils.
Sasuke takes in the area, as he treads through it. He has only been here the 1 other time, the day they put Sakura in the ground. This cemetery is for leaf shinobi, Sasuke had no reason to ever visit it before. His family are all in the Uchiha burial grounds. If it even still existed.
The dirt is soft under his shoes, it stinks of rot, and Sasuke tries to ignore his senses. They are a distracting him.
There are stone faced children who pray and angels with unfurled wings atop grave markers. So many grave markers Sasuke loses count. Bouquets of dried, dead flowers are dispersed around. In shades of pale yellow, sickly orange, and brown.
"It should be somewhere-" Sasuke says, scanning across the various rows of graves, and mausoleums. "there!" Sasuke says when he spots the area they buried Sakura.
It looks almost like it had last he saw it last, but now the area around is littered with caution tape.
Naruto falls behind in shock at the sight of the caution tape, but Sasuke darts forward. This is it. Sasuke would have his answer. He was either crazy, or he was right.
"Sasuke, wait!" Naruto calls out. "Kakashi won't want us to-"
Sasuke feels a rush of blood in his ears, and the sight before him is so strong it brings him to his knees.
Naruto has stopped moving, taking in the scene in silence. His face seems stunned, and his mouth paralyzed.
Sasuke isn't cold, but a chill runs through his spine. He begins to tremble.
There is an 'X' across the grave marker before them made from the caution tape. 'Sakura Haruno' is written in pink lettering. The headstone is white, and granite. The color of the headstone matches the coffin she was buried in. Anyone would be able to know that, even if they hadn't attended the funeral. Because now standing above her open grave Sasuke sees that same gleaming white coffin. The same one he had laid a red headband on top of. He doesn't see a headband now. Sakura's coffin is disturbed and broken open. The body buried with it is gone. There is soil, and mud smears on the inside of the coffin, in the shape of handprints.
Sasuke concentrates on the feel of the the grass beneath his fingers, and inhales the smell of dirt and decay deeply. Sasuke lets his senses overtake him, and distract him. He had been right, he isn't crazy afterall. He is relieved, and so happy for a single fleeting moment.
"She's alive." Sasuke says forgetting Naruto.
Sasuke's happiness is short lived, because when he looks up to gauge his best friend's reaction to the happy news Sasuke is crushed.
Naruto is looking at him with a mix of horror and pity.
They had come to very different conclusions, beside the empty grave.
Sasuke had taken it as a sign Sakura was alive. Naruto explains to Sasuke as they walk towards the Hokage's office that it was impossible.
"Someone took her body, Sasuke, Sakura is dead."
Sasuke nods to confirm he hears him, but in his head Sasuke knows Naruto is wrong. He can only seem to focus on the same thought on repeat.
'She's alive. She's alive.' It is his mantra recited over and over as he now follows Naruto.
Author's note/ Hello and welcome back to another installment of Sasuke's story. My song of choice Rosa linn- Snap. Heads up the next chapter is Sakura's POV. It is the only 1 we will get from her POV. Her chapter was painful to write. It is my favorite chapter, and my least favorite chapter. Also i am living for your theories, and comments. Let me know your reactions, and what your thoughts are now. I will have Sakura's POV up sometime late tonight. Hugs and kisses, and as always happy reading!