Chapter 4 - Vendetta: The Path of Pride -PART 2
"This…place. This exact same place." he whispered as his eyes unconsciously scanned through his surroundings.
He came to a sudden realization.
"I've already been here."
It seemed as if nothing had changed at all since the last time Sasuke had set foot here: he could clearly remember that black and white tiled floor, that cheap and uncomfortable waiting bench, those dinky little $20 paintings that were hung awkwardly side by side…Even those cracks he had made on the wall, near the exit, were still there. Now, the sight would have left anyone else indifferent: but to this Jounin, whom had been unconsciously avoiding the place for the last 8 years, it was more than enough to make his own heart skip a beat.
Since the lights had already been turned off at this time of day, to him it almost seemed as if the scenery and settings had been purposely conserved in this way, patiently waiting for the moment when he would visit again. The Uchiha melancholically turned his head and noticed that he was right in front of the emergency room: after the completion of Hinata's earlier operation, its signal was now deactivated, at rest. There were no other emergencies tonight, and all was well.
Chuckling softly, Sasuke quickened his pace, passed rapidly through the hall and proceeded into exiting from the building without another second of hesitation.
There were no pleasant memories left for him in this dump.
The halls were quiet and deserted: only a negligible fraction of the medical personnel stayed on call this late into the night, and without the lights turned on, the white walls in front of Naruto looked nothing short of gloomy.
"Kuso."
This really hadn't been his night: just now, when the group had rushed into the hospital, there was absolutely no one to turn to for help. Naruto knew perfectly well that the medical situation in Konoha Village was terrible, but for God's sake, this was just ridiculous! Not even one damn nurse on call!.? Thinking about it, maybe it was simply because there weren't enough qualified medical-nins in the village, and that the existing ones couldn't always be on duty. Or maybe everyone was too busy with their own self-centered lives, leaving only Tsunade-obasan in cases of emergency like this.
The young man spat: there was probably SOMEONE to blame.
Yes, he was perfectly aware that it wasn't the time for trivial matters such as pointing fingers, but he wanted someone to hate so badly right now: everything seemed to get so much easier whenever he got furious. It was irresponsibly running away, but at least in those situations when anger clouded his mind he didn't have to think at all. Actually, right now, he would have probably given anything to blank out completely…but he felt too weak and helpless to even brush his own despair aside. He, the relentless Demon Fox Child, was feeling too tired to do anything else than sit there on the bench, in a haze: it was almost unreal.
You see, as far as Naruto was concerned, he had now officially lost EVERYTHING: from old friendships and past efforts to any remaining hopes and dreams…It had all either gone to waste or simply become completely devoid of meaning. Even more importantly, no matter how much he tried, he wasn't able to get her glare out of his mind: she had actually GLARED at him, with eyes full of anguish and resentment…
She had never looked at him that way before tonight.
"Damn you, Sasuke…" he continually mumbled under his breath. "Why did you have to exist…?"
He looked into his own hands in pure disgust and anger.
"And you…why are you so weak!"
The light over the ER's doorway stopped blinking red: strangely, that detail gave Naruto enough energy to rise to his feet. Sure, he thought. Nothing would ever be the same from now on, and since they BOTH hated him now he probably could stop caring, too. But he at least wanted to see this to the very end: as the loser, it was the only noble ending he could think for himself.
The knob turned, the door opened and someone came out of the room…but this definitively wasn't whom he wanted to see. Anyone but HIM.
Sasuke walked out of the ER, and noticing the other boy's presence, indifferently stared at him…
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sasuke snapped out from his thoughts and instinctively stopped in his tracks at the mention of his name: he had just walked half a block away from the hospital when he had heard that familiar voice call for him. Looking to his right, he noticed his wife running in his direction, dragging along their sleepy young daughter by the hand: but what REALLY caught his eye and surprised him was what else she was carrying with her In her other hand, Ino was holding unto two neatly-sheathed blades: a large, sturdy European-like broad sword and a slender, slightly curved Japanese katana.
"I've got your swords." Ino simply said when she was close enough to him.
"Ino…I gave up those on the day that I married you."
"Now YOU listen here, mister! I know perfectly well you're on your way to a fight to the death against Naruto! Look at it as you may, but the fact remains that he's already become a legend in most of the countries he's passed through! He's a friggin' MONSTER, for God's sake! W…why do I even have to tell you this? Of all people, YOU should know what you're going up against! Do you really think you can defeat him as you are right now?"
The Jounin looked away, but Ino grabbed his arm and forced him to listen.
"Sasuke-kun, you are NOT a Taijutsu expert: you're a swordsman. And you know what's going to happen if you don't take up your swords and at least fight him at your very best? You won't survive at all: he's going to KILL you. He's going to SLAUGHTER you and RIP off every single one of your limbs."
Sasuke smiled sadly.
"Then maybe that would be for the best."
"Even your private parts, so that you'll end up like your brother." Ino scoffed.
Sasuke shuddered uncontrollably at the mention of his one and only fear: she just HAD to bring that up, now didn't she?
"Okay, so that might NOT be for the best…However, I don't think Uzumaki…"
"EVERYONE knows about the Uchihas' sole weakness, Sasuke-kun."
"…Oh. Crap." Great, just what he needed to hear: that icy feeling in his pants just got more uncomfortable now.
The little girl just stood there yawning and blinking, completely oblivious to the whole situation.
"Mommy, what are you and daddy talking about?"
"It's nothing, honey. Just…adult conversation. You're an Uchiha, you'll understand too one day…if you don't grow pretty enough."
"Oh…okay!"
And the sweet and innocent thing could still smile by then, since she still wasn't in the age to understand the subject at hand. I don't know about you, but I feel for the kid: with sick clan rules like that, it was a real wonder how she still had virgin ears.
Sasuke recovered his cool and shook his head.
"Ino, this is my fight: I strictly forbid you to butt into it. There are a lot of things Uzumaki and I haven't come to terms yet, and mano-a-mano is the only way we'll ever solve everything. It's not just a question of principle, so there's no use trying to talk me out of it. Now that everything's boiled down to this, I have to…No, it's my DUTY to face him."
He crossed his arms and stared intently into her eyes, showing how dead serious he was: but just as he was half-expecting her to run off again, Ino violently rammed both of the swords hilt-first into his stomach, knocking the air out of him.
"Do you honestly think I've come all this way just to hold you back, because I'm one of those crystal-like maidens in distress who can't stand seeing her love getting into danger? Huh!.? News flash for you, bud: I too am a Konoha shinobi! I too am bound by laws of honor and pride! And the reason why I'm letting you go alone right now isn't because you can just order me around: it's because I also happen to know what took place between you and Naruto, years ago! Don't you see? I UNDERSTAND you better than anyone, Sasuke-kun! Geez, at least give me that much credit as your WIFE!"
Maybe it was the burning killer fire in her eyes. Or maybe just the fact that there were too many exclamation marks to handle in a single dialog bubble. Whatever. Our Jounin was left completely shocked and speechless face to this shameless butchering of the English language.
"………"
"GO! Since you feel like dying so badly, just take your stupid swords with you already and go fight!"
She angrily threw both of the sword sheaths right into his face, and Sasuke managed to catch them before getting seriously injured: so surviving that infamous shuriken-catching class DID pay off, he thought. Nevertheless, at this point, both Uchiha father and daughter were getting a bit scared: not only because Ino's face slap had grown quite lethal over the years, but also because neither of them were used to this kind of familial discord.
As unlikely as it sounded, the Uchihas rarely argued and usually got along quite well. You see, since their marriage, both Sasuke and Ino simply happened to evolve into the kind of responsible individuals capable of taking on this sort of commitment. Over the years, they kinda dulled each other's immaturity out, actually: just as Sasuke eventually became less obsessed with fighting and getting stronger, Ino would become less obsessed with Sasuke being obsessed with fighting and getting stronger. A strange bond born in strange ways, one could say. Anyway, although it was overall one big complicated mess of concessions and tradeoffs, their union nevertheless held together quite firmly. Oh, the couple sometimes did have their arguments, though...mostly due to the fact that Sasuke plain sucked at housework. But who could blame him for that, really? As the best ninja of the Leaf, the Uchiha warrior already had to memorize over dozens of thousands of advanced jutsus: what, was he supposed to go now and Sharinganize basic and ninja-irrelevent stuff, like how to wash dishes? Fat chance! He kept on insisting that his Sharingan was reserved for complicated stuff only, even though that kind of stubborness ended up costing Ino quite a nerve-raking sumo buttload of broken ceramic. And as if the dishwashing issue wasn't enough, Sasuke also had a problem with accidently setting himself on fire, especially when he attempted grilling stuff on their diesel-powered barbecue: that was mostly due to the fact that he strictly refused to wear the only apron they had, a cute flowery one. For some odd reason, the Uchiha had a serious issue against wearing ANYTHING flowery, be it an apron or a cloak. Anyway, as you imagine, it was bad enough to just let the house rot by itself, but it was even worse to actually ask Sasuke for help: at that point in time, Ino honestly hated her life.
You might argue that seeing her savoir-faire challenged husband, Ino could have probably cutted him some slack by also covering for his part of the chores: but unfortunately you see, she already had her hands full taking care of the kid. So how did the couple finally work out the issue without having to resort to violence, or at least violence between themselves? The answer is simple: by getting someone ELSE to do it for them, of course! What happened was that eventually, Ino came to a forced 'agreement' with her Anbu captain friend, Nara Shikamaru: you can all remember how this guy dealed with HIS housework, right? So what Ino asked of him that day could somewhat be resumed to this: 'On weekends, have the troops sent over to the Uchiha residence and have them work the magic. OR ELSE.' Threatened at point blank range with a kitchen knife, Shikamaru quickly calculated that the smart option would be to accept: by now, you'd think the guy would know the blond woman well enough to determine if it was an idle threat or not. And besides, the Nara DID manage to get a fairly decent Shougi partner out of the deal, since the Sharingan-equipped Sasuke could certainly entertain him for a while on each visit. So all in all, Shikamaru didn't mind too much, or at least not as badly as his team of slaves did. And as for Sasuke himself...well, he frankly just didn't care all that much anymore. Either vegetating in front of a Shougi board or in front of the TV, watching ninja football...heck, it was all the same to him, just as long as he didn't have those troublesome but yet simplistic house tasks forced upon him anymore. And up to this day, he's still the kind of guy who can't heat oatmeal without having the microwave oven implode for some reason.
So what did we learn? Well, it just goes to show that sometimes, you could depend on old friends to save your marriage simply by threatening them repeatedly with sharp objects. Yup. And that's probably also THE worst lesson about responsability we could potentially pull out from this anecdote: since this is purely an amoral fic, I don't know why I even bothered to mention the R word in the first place. But just between us, by ninja standards, a household system that kept everyone happy and un-stabbed was still a pretty good one: so even if our Uchihas had strange ways of dealing with their problems, they were still doing rather well as a family. Well, at least better than the Hyuugas, whom simply shot everyone annoying before sunrise...Or the Naras, for that matter, since they just slept everything off. BUT maybe not as well as the Akimichis, whom dealt in pagan god offerings: since these guys always had something to eat REGARDLESS of if their goat sacrifices solved their problems or not, it was always a win-win situation at Chouji's place. Yes, he was one happy bastard.
Sooooo as I was saying, Ino was yelling at Sasuke, in what by the way seemed like aeons ago because of all this drivelling. Eh, come on now! It's not easy to make smooth transitions with this kind of story! But anyway, although Sasuke wasn't someone whose habit was to tolerate this tone of voice from anyone NOR anything, right now he didn't do a damn thing: which was quite strange, considering that usually coming this close to openly provoking/annoying him was simply asking for an instant trip six feet under. But there was a very good reason why Sasuke was sucking it in for Ino right now, and that was because she was his WIFE, and thus the real boss in the house. Tough luck for him, but in the Uchiha household hierarchy pyramid, the wife was always at the top: it was enough to make him re-think just why the hell he decided to get married.
For those interested, our Jounin was usually placed dead last in that pyramid, just under the dog...that they USED to have. You see, as a wedding gift, Kiba had actually given the Uchihas a cute little puppy, which their daughter simply adored and lovingly named Kikumaru. Ah, how the girl just LOVED that puppy, talking to it, playing with it day and night...that is, until it eventually vanished under mysterious circumstances. Considering just how 'safe' your average Konoha ninja was behind the steering wheel, everyone then simply assumed that Kikumaru had fallen victim to one of the many daily roadkills. Well, everyone except for Ino, that is: she actually had reason to believe that Sasuke had something to do with it, since he seemed simply TOO happy about reclaiming his respected 3rd rank in the Uchiha house. And for starters, he always had been a cat-person: she even remembered hearing him say he didn't even LIKE dogs...unless stir-fried. Come to think of it, Sasuke DID hold a very suspicious barbecue, later on that evening, but all she could now remember was him tripping and accidently setting half the house on fire. The Kikumaru mystery case was pretty much forgotten after that, and would probably forever remain unsolved.
ANYWAY. Seriously speaking, though, Sasuke wasn't the kind of guy who would snap back at Ino even when he was really pissed. And pissed was probably the LAST thing he was at the moment, since, well...as strong as her tone was and as angry as she looked, tears were nevertheless uncontrollably streaming down her face. It looked as if Ino's eyes had a mind of their own, but he knew better.
"Ino…"
"You may think that you have nothing left to lose, but I do! Sakura-chan does!"
At the mention of that name, Sasuke suddenly froze: Ino knew perfectly well this was one of his only sensible cords, and she played on it. When mentioning Itachi wasn't enough, she always had that as backup.
"Take up your swords again, Sasuke-kun."
"…So you're asking me to kill Uzumaki? Is this justifiable?"
"I'm selfish enough," Ino answered, "to rather have my own husband kill than be killed."
There was a short silence, as the Jounin pondered on her words.
"It's hard to tell…but against Uzumaki, even if I fight at my very best, there's still a good chance I might not make it."
"I don't need you to promise me that you'll come back alive…What I DO want you to promise me is that you'll hold absolutely nothing back, and try your very hardest to win. And if promising it to me is meaningless to you, then promise it to your own daughter."
She pushed the little girl forward for the dramatic effect: when the latter refused to move, Ino went for comedy instead and energetically kicked her in the ass, making the young princess awkwardly fly a few steps towards her father.
"Ittaaa! Daddy…I don't know what's going on, but…please don't make Mommy sad anymore…"
She was a fragile little creature, and every time he looked at her Sasuke felt both pride and sadness swell his being: it was probably because she looked so strikingly similar to her mother, on those younger days when he had first met her. His daughter had the emerald eyes and the pink hair, and even the large forehead: she possessed from the annoying mannerism up to the very same squeaky voice. In every thing she did and said, Sasuke couldn't help but feel his heart cringe as fond and yet painful memories flooded his mind.
Her name was Uchiha Sakura, daughter of the now departed Haruno Sakura: this girl was at the same time the light in his life and the ball and chains to his past. A gift to his existence, and yet a curse…You know, like the X-men's mutant powers, except that you didn't have to go around saving people. Eh, that comparison was probably so out of place, it just screwed up everything even more! Man, I suck at building dramatic tension. Sorry.
Let's just say that there wasn't a doubt in the world just how much the little tyke represented to Sasuke: at least he knew that for sure.
"Sakura-chan…Leaving you again will have killed me twice..." he whispered, and gently pressed his lips against her forehead.
She shivered a bit at the contact, unused to open gestures of affection from the part of her father, but she didn't say a word: Sakura-chan then moved back to her mother's side, whom bent down and wrapped the little girl in her arms. Upon seeing this touching image of his wife and daughter side-by-side, it suddenly dawned upon Sasuke that he wasn't just a lonely warrior who could throw his life away at any time anymore: he was a husband and father. Perhaps not examplary ones, but there were nevetheless still many many things left for him to do, even after this fight against Naruto: as the last Uchiha patriarch, he had to first see through the resurrection of his clan, and then he had to see Sakura-chan at least into adulthood. And maybe get her a kitten, this time around...
You see, just as Fate had taken away that young pink-haired woman in the spring of his life, It had given Sasuke both the healing he needed to close his past scars and the strength to take a new and stronger step forward. Both Ino and the young Sakura had been blessings of Time, and the house they now filled with life was the sanctuary where he could always go back to whenever he lost confidence, or needed to reinspire himself. There were not many ways to describe it: they were simply...HIS family. He belonged at their side, and if there was now one thing which was asked of him, it was to simply be there and protect them. He was granted far too many new responsibilities to die here.
"I'll definitely…do my best."
Ino stood speechless as she watched her husband familiarly slide both his sheaths through his belt and secure them into place: the weapons looked so at home by his side that she had a hard time deciding if this was more like a dream or a nightmare. In a flash, both swords had been masterfully drawn out, and Sasuke whirled them around at blinding speed, in controlled and extremely precise maneuvers: standing so very close to him, the scared young Sakura hid behind her mother for protection, but Ino herself showed no sign of fear as the naked blades whizzed by her, sometimes by a hair's width. Now this wasn't normal, you see: in the anime universe, usually the LAST thing you ever wanted was to get cut by something sharp. Why is that? Well, since japanese standards seem to imply that human beings can biologically contain a whopping 15 gallons of blood each, under HIGH pressure, you can probably imagine just how gratuitously it could also piss out from everywhere during sword fights. No really, even at the smallest, tiniest and insignificant scratches! Everyone here who's watched some samurai movies in the past should know what I'm talking about, and you KNOW it's true. For God's sake, even Asuma's fighting style clearly demonstrates he already understood that principle a long time ago! But don't you think that it's just really disturbing seeing someone die looking like a human water sprinkler? I mean, come on, it's sick! Well, although I gotta ADMIT that at least it's flashy enough to be memorable: but still, does anyone here find movies like Kill Bill Vol.1 so cartoonishly violent that they're funny? Urgh. Anyway, let's cut short my obscure references that no one gets and get back to the chase. Back on track, everyone!
So why in her current predicament wasn't Ino moving out of harm's way NOR soiling herself out of trauma? It's simple, really.
Because she had known THIS swordsman long enough to know that the chances of him mishandling his weapons... were simply nonexistent.
Everyone probably pieced this together already, but if Sasuke was pretty good in in his early teens, his adult self was now a total BADASS. His skill, however, had a somewhat tragic side to it: you see, Sasuke's main motive in life, heck, his ONLY motive in life used to be training in order to get revenge for his clan. What basically made him strive for perfection were deep feelings of anger, which pushed him to his very limits for extended periods of time: so understandably, even though he had ultimately put out all hatred in his heart, the results of all those years of hard work still followed him around like some sort of malediction. In other words, by the time Sasuke realized he didn't care all that much to hunt down his brother anymore, he had already become one of the greatest ninjas in the world: there was even talk about him becoming the next Konoha Hokage, something which he never even considered. But it was undeniable: it was this same incredible dexterity and honed swordsmanship in demonstration that had given Uchiha Sasuke the incontestable title of #1 Jounin in Konoha Village. Sure, Uzumaki Naruto might have become the wandering Byako, self-styled with one of the most destructive Taijutsus in existence...but Uchiha Sasuke was the Tenken (Heavenly Blade) of the Leaf, master of all its 127 patented sword styles. During his days of glory, he was known as someone whom had nothing to envy from anyone, nor would lose TO anyone: he simply was the best.
But neither to him nor to his wife did that reputation even matter, really.
To Sasuke, whom had only been training to kill Itachi, this strength was now simply a remnant of his tainted past as an avenger, nothing more and nothing less. What happened was that several years after Naruto's disappearance from the Village, Sasuke decided to settle down and just quit being a ninja, so that he would have more time to raise the daughter he was entrusted with: without hesitating, he had casted aside those proud swords of his as nothing more but a burden of ill memories. But why the sudden change of heart? Well, that's just the kind of man Sasuke turned out to be, after long pondering on what he had learned of his mentor Hatake Kakashi's experiences: a lifetime of hate and revenge just wasn't what he wanted anymore. And we gotta agree with the guy: between hunting and trying to kill someone or just staying at home reading Come Come Paradise, the latter's a lot sweeter. And besides, Itachi's gender crisis was punishment enough for the poor sap: there was no need to seek further justice.
As for Ino, the Sasuke she learned to love was the one whom had come to terms with his own parents' deaths, and exchanged his weapons for an uneventful and peaceful life with her. She didn't CARE that he used to be a hero or even a legend in Konoha Village, or even if he could become the next Hokage: to her he was simply a good father, whom had given up everything to watch over his own daughter as she would grow up. Bad, clumsy and unhelpful husband, okay, but one good and dedicated father. And the last thing she needed right now was for him to get in touch with his bad self, which didn't simply mean going into a funky disco hall to get his groove on.
It was a lot worse, actually: the Tenken of the Leaf was known to be a cold, calculating man, just cruel enough to be an completely ruthless assassin. One of those cliché shady and antisocial bastards, actually. Although looking at the current mild-mannered Sasuke, it was actually kinda hard to imagine that he had once even WENT through that phase: it was something Ino was well determined not to let happen again, too, for his own sake and hers. But unfortunately there were also many things which were beyond even her power to capture and control: events following each other, she just knew one day her husband would simply have to pick up his weapons again. An Uchiha's destiny was to fight, now and probably forever. Everything in the world working by equal trades, this was probably just the drawback of having the Leaf's most talented and sexiest ninja as a husband: it sucked for Ino, but things had to be balanced out somehow.
Sasuke was finally done verifying that his swords had been maintained to his satisfaction and he sheathed them back in to rest, without breaking a sweat: both his own edge and his swords' hadn't dulled even a bit.
"Arigatou. I'll go, now." Sasuke said, while turning back.
"Sasuke-kun, once this is all over…you'll always have a family and a home to come back to, if you wish. I'll wait for you. We'll wait for you."
He had already taken a few steps when he stopped, thinking about what she said: the odds were that he probably wasn't even going to be GIVEN the chance to decide whether to come back or not. It was simple, really: if Naruto didn't get him first, then the Hyuugas would catch him and have him executed for high treason. He was actually cornered either way.
"You know, Ino…you're a good woman, and living with you has actually been quite pleasant. I really appreciate everything you've been willing to put through, even though I…."
"It's okay, Sasuke-kun: I've already understood, on that day you've given that ring to me. Despite the fact that all you ever wanted from me was to ensure the continuity of your clan, the choice to marry you was something I decided on my own. True, it was Haruno's last request, and part of me also did hope that one day my feelings toward you would become completely reciprocal…But none of that matters anymore. Even if there are still many things about you which I can't accept yet…Now at least I can understand them. I have no regrets."
Ino felt a gentle tug on her sleeve.
"Mommy, why are you and Daddy speaking so seriously with each other…?"
Sasuke sighed: this was going to be harder than he thought. But although all seemed lost, he didn't want his family to give up hope just yet. He was saying goodbye, but just in case.
"…Ino, if anything happens to me, I'll entrust everything to you. Live strongly, and raise my daughter to become an honest and righteous woman. As for you, Sakura-chan, be good to your mother, okay?"
"Daddy...Are you going someplace far away? I don't want you to leave..."
The raven-haired Jounin crouched and gave the little girl a tight hug before getting up and securing the sheaths by his side for the last time. He then briefly glanced back at his wife.
"Go in peace...Sasuke-kun. Sayonara." she managed to say in a broken voice. Not another second passed before Sasuke began dashing rapidly into the night: that was probably all he wanted to hear.
Ino delicately wiped her own eyes: Uchiha Sasuke was an incarnation of the sword and sentimentalism simply wasn't his bag. Letting him off the hook this way was probably for the better. It only took the master ninja several seconds before blending into the shadows and completely vanishing from sight…
Ino could still somewhat pinpoint her husband's location when she heard Tenten yelp in pain as he unconsciously stepped on her, though. Apparently, the poor sap hadn't moved even an inch since Shino ran her over with his van. Ino's gentle nature wondered for a moment if she should go help the other woman, but then decided to just bring Sakura-chan home since it was way past bedtime for her: whatever happened in Shikamaru's unit was his own problem.
"You're still here?"
"Sakura-chan? How is she?" Naruto asked back, frowning. Sasuke simply shook his head.
"There's nothing left…to see."
That was the only answer the Anbu would dignify the stunned Naruto with, before pushing him aside and slowly making his way towards the exit. Naruto didn't like that one bit: as discourteous as his ex-teammate often was, something was definitely wrong…He began analyzing the Anbu's words, and just as he understood what could have been implied, the air began stinking up of death. Panic took hold of Naruto's body, and he made a mad rush into the emergency room, literally kicking the door open.
He arrived just in time to see Tsunade throwing a blanket over a body.
"Obasan! What happened? What happened to Sakura-chan!"
"I'm sorry, Naruto…I did my best. But her body was simply too young to handle the birthing process…Even though the baby is fine, the mother didn't make it. I'm terribly sorry, Naruto." The elderly woman explained to him, sadness overwhelming her traits.
"I did what I could."
Naruto couldn't even hear the bawling of the newborn as a part of his mind shut itself down: all he could do right now was to helplessly watch every inch of the way as his Hokage placed the mortuary blanket slowly over his friend's face, covering her eyes, her forehead, and finally her long pink hair. Then, just as the Uchiha had told him, nothing would be left for him to see: that was the last time he'd ever be allowed to lay eyes on Haruno Sakura.
She was gone. There were no miracles, and he had been a fool to believe in them.
Sasuke was thoughtfully fiddling with something in his hand when he took the massive flying kick in the back of the head: the shock sent him plunging forward and he dropped what he was holding, the small object clanking twice on the ground before coming to a stop. Had Sasuke been in his normal state of mind, he probably would have seen that coming from a mile away: but he was too disturbed right now to focus. Although a bit stunned by the attack, the experienced Anbu nevertheless brushed his dizziness aside and instinctively rolled to his feet, assuming a Taijutsu stance. Looking back, he saw Naruto standing in the middle of the hallway, an accusing finger pointed in his direction. He was...crying.
"Sasuke...why...? Why?"
The blonde boy then completely exploded, anger deforming his facial traits into a hideous mask of hate.
"YOU BASTARD! YOU KILLED SAKURA-CHAN! YOU KILLED HER!"
Sasuke frowned and steadied himself as the other boy dashed in his direction…
"Oi, Uchiha. So you came alone?"
Sasuke was almost taken aback at how acute Naruto's senses were: even though he had moved silently to the extent of his abilities and that his rival had his back turned, nothing seemed to escape the ears of the demon fox.
"Even if that must mean that they'll hate me, not bringing anyone here with me is my own way to protect them: I've already long decided that this issue would be resolved uniquely between you and me." Sasuke said, stepping out from the shadows.
Naruto chuckled, but nodded: he was glad the other man felt that same way too. He then took a deep breath and built up all the courage that he could muster.
"…How is Hinata-chan?"
The Uchiha wondered for a moment what to answer to that: this probably wasn't the best of times to get a nervous breakdown. He opted for a safe and delicate answer.
"She'll live…probably. The unlucky one was actually her father: when they found him, he looked like one big piece of lasagna verdi."
"Oh." said Naruto, his appetite killed instantly.
The blond man paused at the news for a moment, then exhaled as if a huge burden had been taken off his shoulders. Apparently, nobody else but the Hyuugas themselves cared about the old dude: it was a sad fact that nevertheless saved a lot of guilt trips.
"Well…It's cruel, but…I'm quite relieved to hear that at least she's okay."
"We don't have time, Uzumaki. The Hyuuga are coming after you: Nara can only buy us up to one hour."
Naruto grimaced and scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, I figured something like that would happen. And what are YOU doing here, Uchiha? You've come to kill me before they do?"
"I've come to honor my word to you. Can't you show any more gratitude?"
Naruto laughed sadly at his former partner's comment.
"Thanks, I guess. How did you find me, though?"
"Where else would you be? I knew I'd find you here, Uzumaki."
"True…I shouldn't have expected anything less from you. But before we start, could we…?"
"Yes, let us pay our respects."
"Arigatou."
Sasuke stepped beside Naruto and they both took some time to meditate in silence.
It was under the shade of these tall trees that the two men, for the first time, stood together in front of Haruno Sakura's grave. Team 7 had finally been reunited.
8 years ago, the pink-haired woman asked to be buried right here, in Konoha Garden: this was her favorite place in the world after all, and probably where she felt she would be most at peace. So, after the ritual satanic Konoha funeral, her flaming remains had then been placed to rest at the edge of Konoha's impressive opium plantation: you know, a bit like the one in front of the Emerald City, in the Wizard of Oz. Okay, so by now you're probably thinking something along the range of either "WTF!" or "Dude, that's a lot of dope!", but there are certain things you must also understand. You see, from a dying kunoichi's perspective, the idea of being surrounded by poppies -even OPIUM poppies- for all eternity still looked pretty appealing, considering your other options were to be 'recycled' or sent to the lab for jutsu testing. Or simply thrown off a cliff, if no one cared enough for you during your lifetime...because you SUCKED, for instance. Notice the huge hint and insinuation, just back there. Anyway, in a ninja village, there probably was only ONE thing harder than getting a decent burial, and that was to actually die a dignified death: all odds considered, the latter was so impossible you probably had a better chance at drowning a fish or eating a can of beans and farting your way to the moon. Seriously, just look at Orochimaru and those 4X4 jeep marks all over his body. It's so very sad.
There were probably a million of thoughts going through the two men's heads at the moment.
For Naruto, coming back here in Konoha Garden was giving him mixed feelings: he couldn't recall having ever liked the place when he was younger, and he sure as hell didn't now. And the damn airborne pollen was making him woozy...But he also felt somewhat at peace, if not melancholic: it was one strange sensation, but for a traveler to finally feel like he's reached his home. And also, for some odd reason he couldn't place his finger on, he felt like growing a beard. RIGHT NOW.
As for Sasuke, he simply stood silent and reminisced: 8 years, and he still felt the same, each and every time...And by that I meant non drug-induced feelings: actually, with the frequency of his visits, Sasuke had built up some sort of rudimentary immunity to opium. He just didn't think about random stuff he didn't need to. Besides, this kind of joke is already just wrong to start with.
"So, how did it feel like to be an avenger?" Sasuke finally asked.
Hearing his rival's voice probably got Naruto back to his senses.He stared at his own hand for a while, and noisily cracked the joints by simply tensing up his fingers: that desire for revenge had made him so much stronger...and yet he didn't feel any better than when he was nothing but a weakling.
"Terrible, Uchiha. No one should ever be placed through this kind of trial."
The two Jounins again stood side-by-side in silence, neither of them daring to break the ice: in reality, there was this one question that had been bothering the both of them for many years. Each on their side, they had been looking for their own answers, but now that it came to it, they were simply too afraid to find out if they were wrong all this time. Or that somehow, they were right.
Just WHOSE fault it was, that Sakura died.
But maybe that was one of the only things they had in common, other the fact that they were both ex-avengers: almost on every other level, these two had lived completely different lives. Sasuke was now an affiliated Jounin while Naruto was an aimless wanderer: the first was a married parent while the latter still a single, certified player. Also, as far as their fighting prowess went, they had both employed diverging but yet valid paths in order to become stronger: it was hard to tell which of them right now had the upper-hand.
Naruto, whom trained under Jiraiya, had eventually ended up by teaching himself out of fighting experience: he now made up in brute strength and endurance what he lacked in technique and versatility. As for Sasuke, whom had trained under the supervision of the most prominent Konoha Jounins, he had finalized his own study of ninjutsu by browsing through Konoha's extensive scroll library: what he lacked in stamina and hitting power, he more than made it up in finesse and quickness.
Their styles and approaches had been the complete inverse of one another, and thus, they had lived as destined rivals. Even more, they were naturally-born enemies.
And yet...at one point in their lives...
"Eh, do you think that if Sakura never existed, we could have been best buddies?"
"I don't know, Uzumaki. In another lifetime, maybe: in ours, she did exist."
"Feh…Sakura-chan…You know, I used to think that she was so beautiful that she just had to be the incarnation of some kind of flower."
"That thought...also crossed my mind." Sasuke admitted.
"She always kept talking about blooming flowers and all that stuff...But why is it that she had to die, Uchiha? Is the way of flowers the same as the world's?"
"There are reasons for everything, Uzumaki. But sometimes, it's useless trying to explain it to ourselves, since we lack the wisdom to find rational answers. Just as we find many friends along our lives, many of them will eventually find their own paths: similarly, just as many lives are born, others are lost. The cycle of life isn't something that should be broken or grasped by mere mortals such as ourselves."
"So you're saying that there was nothing we could have done...other than to watch her fade away and then return her to the earth?"
The Uchiha sighed.
"I've long pondered on that...I now believe there truly was nothing more we could have done for her at that point. Even the act of burying her had been more for our own sakes than hers, since the purpose of doing such a thing has simply been to fill our own voids with the comforting thought that maybe she would be able to reach a better place."
"..."
"There is something we can do, however, and that is to simply watch over the bulbs that the rose has left: experience has shown me peace can't be found anywhere else, be it by seeking revenge or…simply mourning forever. Time won't stand still, Uzumaki: not for you, not for me, not for anyone. Just like objects, feelings will erode as years fly by, taking along with them all hatred as all love. This is the conclusion I've come to."
Naruto nodded silently and chuckled, making the other man rise an eyebrow.
"You know, now that you mention it, between you and me…You might very well be the good guy, Uchiha."
"How is that?"
"Time…You know, us changing…Back there, when first I swore revenge on you, I really thought I'd never live it down, and that I'd hate you forever. But seriously, on those days when I traveled around the world with the perverted Sennin, Sakura was probably the LAST person on my mind. I'm telling you this 'cuz you're a pal, but I've had my share of girls in these several past years: I don't believe I even took the time to look back on Sakura's death, not even once. True, living on the edge might have been an excuse for it, but frankly, it's also because all that had happened just didn't seem real to me anymore. I was only called back in for a reality check when I had to bury the old guy myself: after that, death again seemed so very real and close to me. I was then that I remembered that I had to kill you."
"...Do you still want to?" Sasuke inquired.
But Naruto laughed and shook his head.
"For what I did, I probably should hate myself even more. While I was out living out a life of debauchery, I've seen you taking care of a woman and a kid. Seeing them so happy by your side, it kinda made me re-think of the feelings with which you've always done everything you've done. Just why I hated you, and why things happened the way they did. And if Sakura truly went without any regrets in her life."
"Hmmf."
"Anyway, Uchiha? Sigh...I'll be honest with you: I'm not sure I hate you enough to go through with this anymore."
Again, an uncomfortable silence took its toll as they both paused.
"So what do you suggest we do now? That we call it all off so you can go surrender yourself?"
"Would that make you feel any more satisfied?" Naruto smirked.
"No." Sasuke honestly answered.
"If we're found here together, we'll be both lynched by the Hyuuga Main House, you know. Go, it's not too late for you to go back to your family. Oh, and you'll make a fine Hokage, Uchiha."
Sasuke never thought he'd ever witness the other man concede that title: Naruto used to be so stubborn about one day becoming Hokage that hearing him talk right now was almost painful. Sure, the odds, being what they were, Sasuke was indeed headed for the Hokage seat...but unfortunately for everyone in Konoha Village, HE also had plans. There was just no way he would ever want to live unsatisfied and right now, if he turned back, he wouldn't get another chance at this.
"Thanks, but no thanks, Uzumaki. Quite frankly, if one of us has to die here, then I'd rather just find out right here and now just who, between the two of us, is the fittest for that title."
Upon hearing this, the blond man first looked up, very surprised. A moment then passed before he genuinely laughed out and powerfully slapped the Uchiha on the back in a friendly manner. And almost made the slightly frailer man stumble forward.
"Now that's more like it! You're right, I don't think I'd be able to go to Hell peacefully either, if we never figured that one out! We're running out of time, so let's do it!"
Naruto started excitedly punching into the air, and then dragged Sasuke into a clearing. For the first time since the blond man had passed the Konoha gates, it seemed to the Uchiha that his past friend was finally himself again: that same big and loud idiot that used to be on his team.
He could have said 'welcome back' at that point, but he simply smiled.
"By the way, Uchiha...She looks so much like her mother. What did you name your brat anyway?"
"Sakura."
Naruto gave his friend a surprised yet amused look.
"Sakura? You just took her mother's name?"
"Yeah. Sakura. Uchiha Sakura." Sasuke simply said, but not without an hint of pride.
"…Figures, it's a beautiful name. It's probably perfect for her."
They laughed together, lost in a brief moment of nostalgy as they revived a bit of their childhood connection. And then it was time to get serious.
Sasuke was the first to stop laughing, and his rival soon followed. They frowned.
"Let's start."
The process was simple: the 2 men would each walk back a few steps and then basically start off again from where they had left off. But this time around, neither of them would wear their Konoha headbands, since this wasn't about being ninjas anymore. It was about pride and everything the word macho stood for.
In a single foreign handseal, Naruto released the first level of his seal: it didn't last very long, but the air surrounding the blond man momentary seemed to crackle with energy. Even from his distance, Sasuke could feel the neat change in atmospheric pressure: Naruto's chakra reserve, even at first level, was frankly enormous. The Uchiha whistled, visibly impressed, and Naruto smugly smiled back.
This was definitely the Naruto he had known when he was younger, in both personnality and chakra signature, Sasuke thought. Naruto Uzumaki, the Demon Fox: his only true rival.
"No holding back, then." he managed to say with a smirk.
Sasuke didn't need any of that flashiness: he simply blinked, and one second his eyes were black, the next they had taken on a familiar red glow. The Sharingan had become like a second nature to him.
Naruto started hopping on his feet: soon enough after he got into it, he swung out his arms and broke into a loose and moving stance. Sasuke didn't miss that his rival had already tensed up his hands into claw-like forms: this was the constantly evolving fighting style that Naruto had developed and the Uchiha knew perfectly well just how much a single instant of inattention could cost him. Naruto rose his arm and waved the tip of his fingers, motioning to his opponent to make the first move.
"I'll let you hit first. Don't disappoint me, all right?…Sasuke!"
The Uchiha responded to the taunt with a grin: it had been a long time since he had a good match and he was definitely going to enjoy this. Even with the obvious disadvantage in range, the Byako's self-confidence was unaffected and his eyes did not even show a fraction of hesitation : unarmed, he was still more than a worthy opponent for the Tenken. Sasuke tightened his grip excitedly on the hilt of his katana,Kusanagi, and lowered himself into a drawing stance.
"Don't underestimate me. Ikuzo…Naruto!"
It wasn't only because of the airborne opium surrounding them: no, that was a mere 50 of the reason. Leave some blame to the warrior's adrenaline rush and public high schools.
But for 2 people with only death awaiting for them, they were actually feeling pretty good.
You simply didn't mess around with an Uchiha: that was like an unspoken rule, unless you were masochistic enough to enjoy the feeling of being used as a floor-moping tool. Trust me, it's something unpleasant enough to make even wedgies seem blissful in comparison. Whatever. The point is that, in his blind rage, Naruto had completely forgotten about it: with a yell, he had already tackled Sasuke at mid-level and was now running insanely towards a wall, intent on slamming his opponent's spine into it.
Tsk-tsk. Bad move.
All the while Naruto was crying, Sasuke wasn't quite sure of the course of action to take: he wasn't used to that sort of situation. But the moment the fox-boy had initiated an attack, this had become nothing more than a familiar brawl to the Uchiha, and he reacted swiftly by grappling his opponent: letting himself fall on his back, the Anbu then slammed his heel into Naruto's body and performed a back throw, propelling his opponent down the hall. Naruto fell hard on one shoulder, but he was nevertheless experienced enough to roll after the initial impact and recover on one of his knees: the maneuver only took him long enough to realize that Sasuke had already gracefully hopped back to his feet.
"Give it up: at your level, there's nothing you can do against me. Just how many beatings are you looking for today?"
"Shut up! SHUT UP!"
The fox-boy charged again, but this time around Sasuke was ready: he wouldn't only use Naruto's inferior power against himself this time. Dodging Naruto's reckless haymaker with a simple sidestep, he immediately countered the Fox-boy with low side piercing kick to the gut. During the short momentum as Naruto found himself both stunned and bent in two by the unexpected blow, Sasuke immediately followed with a rising kick to the chin so powerful that it literally jerked his opponent's head back and lifted them both off the ground. The aerial onslaught continued, and before Naruto could even recover enough breath to scream, he had already been sent crashing into the wall by a flying roundhouse. There was absolutely no contest: when the Uchiha got serious, it was no use trying to even compare their difference in levels. The dizzy Naruto began vomiting blood, and soon afterwards felt his clothes being nailed to the wall by a barrage of kunais: he had been completely overpowered and was now just as immobilized.
"Cough! D...Damn you, Sasuke! Abusing the weak, just because you're stronger…! Do you even CARE what happened to Sakura-chan!"
"Shut up, punk. How would you know how I feel?"
Naruto spat in his direction, but Sasuke ignored him and walked towards the small metallic object he had previously dropped. Picking it up, he then squatted and held it right in front of the struggling boy's face.
"Now, look at this, and tell me what it is. Sakura returned it to me, and her last request was for me to give it to her best friend. How would you know how I feel right now?"
Naruto blinked a few times, and finally realized what he had under his nose was a golden ring with a small diamond.
"Just how the hell…would you know…?" The Uchiha repeated, this time weakness a bit more detectable in his voice.
But even this couldn't shake off the fox-boy's bitterness.
"You killed Sakura-chan."
"I did. It was my fault. I killed her."
Those words enraged the blond boy: with a roar, he tore his arms free from the Uchiha's kunais, ripping his own jacket and slightly cutting himself in the process. He then grabbed one of the short projectile weapons and angrily stroke towards Sasuke's throat with the blade…
The kunai's edge had already slightly penetrated into the Anbu's neck, drawing a bit of blood, when Naruto stopped his movement. Sasuke HAD seen that coming: why didn't he even react?
"...You deserve to die, Sasuke."
"Then kill me."
"You won't resist? I'm not kidding around." Naruto said, as he jammed the sharp instrument a little deeper into the other boy's flesh: the look in Sasuke's eyes didn't waver.
"Kill me, and be done."
Naruto could have complied and done it right there and then: Sasuke's life was completely at his mercy. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to: the Anbu's eyes were simply too…aggravating.
"Sasuke, you damn coward…YOU'RE RUNNING AWAY?.?"
The Uchiha's eyes widened at the other boy's unexpected outburst: he was too surprised to even try and regain balance as he was suddenly kicked back from where he was standing, awkwardly falling on his butt. Naruto jumped back to his feet and towered menacingly over Sasuke: in an instant, the roles had been inverted.
"Sakura's last wish…Uchiha, you're just going to run away from it?"
By now, Naruto's tone had turned glacial: no matter how deep he looked into memory, Sasuke couldn't remember ever hearing the blond boy call him by his last name.
"You've got a baby in there, too…Tsunade-occhan told me it was a girl. You have a daughter now…Who's going to take care of her if you're going to die here? You're a sad, despicable man…"
Naruto loosened his own grip, the kunai clanking loudly on the tiled floor at his rival's feet.
"I'm not such a nice guy that I'd kill you when you're so willing to die: if you're not going to offer any resistance now, I'll come back later, when you'll actually have something to lose. We'll see if you'll feel the same way then."
"Naruto…you…"
Sasuke was silenced by the fox-boy's sandal as it was ruthlessly driven into his face. Naruto was now shaking uncontrollably, doing all he could to contain his own anger: this wasn't a moment where you wanted to contradict him.
"Listen and listen good, Uchiha. As planned, I'm going to leave with old Jiraiya tonight, but mark my words: I'll come back for you someday, and don't you DARE run away when that time comes. I swear…that I'll avenge Sakura-chan."
Naruto stomped away. It was Sasuke's turn to blink in disbelief a few times.
"WELL, UCHIHA?.? WILL YOU FIGHT ME THEN?.?"
The Uchiha wiped the little blood there was on his lips and rose. He sadly closed his eyes and nodded to the other boy, whom had his back to him.
"...You have my word as a swordsman…Uzumaki."
Meanwhile, things weren't so hot for Shikamaru, Neiji and Shino. They had somehow managed to drag the idiotic Hyuugas far away from Konoha Garden by resourcefully using their lawnmowers, but after losing them somewhere very deep into the forest of Doom, the Hyuugas finally remembered they WERE Hyuugas and activated their Byakugan: this made any further stalling almost impossible without our friends getting detected. Shino intelligently commented on the situation.
"We're truly fucked."
"Indeed." Neiji nodded. "And this place is giving me the creeps…I didn't think we'd ever step back in here after that survival training with the butter knives."
This caused the three men to go into a deep reflection: thinking about it, the only reason why they had actually survived that crazy training was because Shikamaru had been the knife wielder for their group…and more importantly, they had been lucky enough to have the annoying Konohamaru assigned with them. Lucky, YES, but not in the way that you might think: you see, what happened was that Shikamaru came up with the ingenious plan to kill Konohamaru and feed parts of him to any wild animals that would attack the group, in order to tame them. Yes, it was incredibly disgusting and cruel, but since NO ONE cared about the snotty little kid, heck, the guys didn't even hesitate a second before putting the plan into action: ultimately, thanks to that, all 4 passable members of the team survived the grueling survival training with the 'sacrifice' of a single useless one. And that's not all folks: since this had also ridded everyone forever of the late Sandaime's grandson, it earned our boys a major thumbs-up from Tsunade-sama, whom then propelled them into Anbu level for their invaluable service to the village. Look it as you may, but it had been a pretty sweet deal: no one ever questioned Shikamaru's command after that.
Coming back to our present story though, Neiji was shaking his head.
"I sometimes REALLY wonder if my monthly paycheck is worth all this…So, what do we do now, Nara?" Neiji asked Shikamaru, while keeping watch of their surroundings with his own Byakugan.
For him, taking on his own clan was giving away mixed feelings: sure, it was exhilarating to rebel against the Main House, but if he got caught he would be in for the greatest curse seal spanking of his lifetime.
"I'll admit to you guys, I DID hope they'd forget about their own Byakugans for a bit longer. They seem to be particularly smart today."
"Can't we, like, knock them out with some bugs or simply capture them all with the Kagemane no Jutsu? We're in a dark forest and there are both plenty of bugs and shadows around here…"
Shikamaru shook his head.
"Shino's bugs aren't ordinary insects: they each carry a certain amount of his own chakra, making them all the more detectable by something like the Byakugan. As for my Kagemane, it is chakra-based, so it can also be seen coming from a mile away. The Hyuugas' Heavenly Spin leave no openings to these forms of attacks."
"How about capturing the WHOLE forest, so that there's nowhere left to run?"
Shikamaru spat.
"Baka, my stamina's not what it used to be. And I doubt that even in its prime my technique could have had that sort of range."
"Okay then. There must be SOMETHING left we can do with the lawnmowers…?"
"Eh, these things are all-purpose tools, not miracle machines."
"So technically, you're saying we're done for." Shino stated matter-of-factly, readjusting the wig on his head.
He just loved that afro: whereas most Aburames disgusted females because they had millions of bugs inhabiting their bodies, Shino lately got more ladies than he could handle. When combining together the looks of his new afro and the Aburame shades, he was simply OOZING of major sexiness: understandably, that wig had hardly ever even left his head since the completion of the aforementioned mission.
"Not quite, I always have a backup plan." Shikamaru said, snapping his fingers.
"Care to explain?" Neiji asked, a bit incredulous.
"The Hyuuga bloodline's ability is the Byakugan, which technically is 360 degrees vision, right? But from what I've seen of you, Neiji, there's actually a blind spot at the very back of your head. So, we could say the Byakugan is more like 350 degrees vision."
"Um…I think I'm PERFECTLY aware of that." Neiji said, rolling his eyes.
"So the point is this: if somehow we can direct your clan's attention to somewhere at the very opposite side of Konoha Garden, their blind spots will point exactly TOWARDS Konoha Garden. And thus, they won't be able to detect Sasuke or Naruto's chakra signatures, which is the purpose of this mission."
"Technically, yes."
"And if we pull them away from said Garden, that blind spot will also become wider and wider as the distance grows larger. I calculate that from where we are right now, these blind spots should be at least as large as Konoha Garden."
Neiji slapped his fist into his free hand in realization.
"I see! That's a great idea! But just how are we supposed to draw their attention long enou…?"
"And finally, you do realize that 96 percent of our village is gay and that thus, that percentage also applies to your clan, right?" Shikamaru continued.
"…What the fuck has that got to do with anything?"
"Basically, just as long as you guys keep your heads wrapped up in something, no one'll never find out your identities. Trust me, it's gonna work."
"…Hey, now just a damn minute! I THINK I see where you're going…This is your plan?.? Oh my God, it REEKS! Is this really the best you can think of ?.?"
"Yes." Said Shikamaru, very seriously. "And let me remind you that I am your commanding officer: I won't TOLERATE insubordination.
Now both of you strip naked and start running."
Author's notes: Yes, the plotholes in this story are larger than a gay pornstar's asshole. Seriously, as the author, I already knew that.
Many thanks nevertheless to all of you who took time to review! Writing this stuff isn't easy!
Guns n' Roses - Don't Cry