A/n: Buying plot bunnies!

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.

Prologue:

The night was strangely calm, the Yondaime lies still on his back at the top of the Hokage mountain watching the stars. A ghost of a smile tugged his lips when he felt the presence of another. The clickety-clack of the wooden slippers gave away his visitor's identity.

"I've always told you that if you aren't careful your head's going to get bigger. See here, I was right."

The blond snorted and waved his hand lazily, "Yeah, yeah, whatever sensei. I like my head big and as far as I remember Sandaime isn't complaining about it either." He pats the space beside him and gave an amused smile. "You can sit on my head if you want."

The older man chuckled. "Think you can carry my weight brat?" blue irises lit up in mischief as the blond answered. "I think I could handle that. Besides, I think my head is big enough." The older man threw a careless grin before moving beside him but not sitting. "It's coming pretty fast."

The blonde sighed morosely. "Yeah, I know."

"…"

"…….."

"… I knew I should have brought some sake." The older man grumbled while the younger moaned. "And have us all drunk when it attacks? You know much better than that Jiraiya-sensei." Jiraiya gave him one of those looks, which he ignored. Seconds tick by in silence while tension begins to form in the air. It was broken by the young hokage. "Ne sensei, when it's over could you-"

Loud piercing shrieks cut him before he could continue bringing him to his feet. It was starting, the demon fox had broken the village walls. He shook his head and tossed a leather bound book to the older man. "Give this to him!" He shouted through the chaos to be heard. "Don't follow me and give this to him! Promise me."

"But…"

"Promise me!" there was hesitance before affirmation. Yondaime gave a relieve sigh and gifted his mentor a small sad smile before jumping off the mountain making seals in mid air. "Kochiose no jutsu!"

Jiraiya watched for a moment as his student rode the giant frog before turning away leaving.

Naruto stared blankly at the gore in front him. Looking…staring….It was morbidly fascinating. Why? He could not hear their voices. He neither could feel the arms wrapped around his torso, or the wetness at his nape nor could he comprehend the chanting words."Look away Naruto, look away Naruto."

They're dead…He thought dimly.

He didn't know that tremors ran through his body, he could not acknowledge how the arms tightened what should be almost painful.

They're dead… but why?

"Sakura … They're…." He began but was droned out by her continuing chant. "Look away Naruto. Look away."

Why is it that I…

"Look away Naruto. Please look away." Sakura continued, "Please, please, please, please…." Her tears seeping through his clothing chilling his skin.

Why is it that I don't feel anything?

He turned and fixed his blank stare at the woman before him. "They're dead." His words sounds odd, his tone sounds odd to his ears. With his trembling hands he cupped her face and brushed away the tears that rolled down her dirty cheeks.

Why is it that I'm not crying?

"Sakura. Don't cry." Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. I don't know what to do when you cry. He wiped each tear as it rolls down.

What is wrong with me!

And then his world turns black and he knew no more.

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"He has gone to shock. Physically he's fine but…" Sakura closed the door quietly and made her way to the still form garbed in white staring out the window. "Naruto…" She called out softly as she sat down at the bed. "Naruto," She coaxed as if calling out to a small child. Blank blue irises met hers and she smiled kindly, soothingly. "Come here Naruto." She held out her arms as he moved slowly away from the window to her reach. She smiled softly as she wrapped her arms around him. She breathed a pleasured sigh as she traced his name to his back with her finger, N- A –R –

His lids fell shut as he settled down comfortably at her chest, listening to her heartbeat.

-U –T- O a brief pause.

"They're dead." He whispered. She hummed, her eyes peering down on him almost adoringly. U-Z-U-

"Yes, Yes they are." She rests her head atop the golden mop. -M-A-K-I

He gave a shuddering sigh and broke.

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Two days has passed. Curious blue eyes peered on her, she merely smiled lightly before returning to the deck of cards before her. "Sakura, why aren't you helping them?" blunt and straightforward as always, Naruto never did learn to talk with more finesse. She didn't look up from her game as she answered, "Why aren't you fighting?" Naruto leaned back to the hospital bed's headboard. "There's no one to be fought." Sakura gathered the cards and shuffled. "And there's no one needed to be healed."

"There are the villagers." He said softly, listening to the cards flap. "Like I said, no one." She put the deck back to the bedside table and sat down beside him once more wrapping herself to him. "No one that is worth to be healed." Naruto's fingers skimmed the leather covering of the book at his lap as if a caress. "You've changed."

"So did you." She shot back without bite. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Have I?" He turned his gaze away back down to the book, opening it to where he has last read. He felt weight on his shoulder as she rests her head atop of it. "What is that?" she asked. A parody of smile touched his lips as he continued to read on. "A gift. Ero-sennin…Jiraiya-sensei gave it to me."

She read a few lines, "A journal?" Naruto made a sound of affirmation at the back of his throat. "Yondaime's. Everything asides from his statistics has been erased right? Now I'll know what kind of guy he really is. Maybe he even has jutsus written here." He turned towards her with a gleam of excitement shining through his eyes before it dimmed. She nuzzled his neck and looked away, much as she wants to read the journal with him, it isn't her place to.

"We can share Sakura." He turned back to his book and read on. "Besides, I've got no one else to share it with."

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…2 weeks back…

­Naruto caught the scroll, laughing as he continued to run. He turned to a corner and almost crashed to a group of bodies. "Whoops." He flipped to the air avoiding the collision and twisting one guy's neck at the same time. He landed lightly to his feet and grinned behind his mask. "That was a close one. Try again!" He laughed loudly as once more he ran away, making it a game to be caught and escape by many enemy ninjas as possible. Which was a lot considering he's on enemy territory.

He led them to a large clearing where he suddenly stopped. "Well, I guess time is up. See ya!" He mocked saluted before exploding in a cloud of smoke…

Not far away a pair of two masked ninjas rushed away snickering as they heard the loud multiple cries of outrage. When they've put in a suitable distance they stopped, one was still laughing and the other giggling. "Naruto. You baka!" Sakura removed her mask before she hit him at the back of his head lightly which means that it hurts… a lot considering her strength.

"Hehe...Itai! What was that for!" He removed his mask revealing his pout all the while rubbing the sore spot. "You could have been captured you idiot. I would have left you behind." Her reprimanding tone wavered slightly when he made a good imitation of a kicked puppy.

"Aww. Sakura stop being so mean. I know you won't do that. You would miss me too much." She rolled her eyes at that. Naruto suddenly smirked, "besides, don't tell me you didn't enjoy it. Especially when the one with that pansy assed lord got…"

"Naruto!" She bopped him in the head once more, sporting a cute shade of red at her cheeks. Much as though she denies it, having seen the young snob but really good looking lord flap his arms like a chicken

as he ran with fire licking his robes amuses her to no end. The fact when the clothes burned before finally getting aided leaving him nude was an added bonus. Her flushed deepened.

"You're drooling Sakura-chan!" Naruto's eyes narrowed to happy arcs, his grin widening making a good impression of a cat caught the canary. "I took a picture of him you know." He whispered loudly which was not a whisper at all. Scandalized, she made a movement to punch him in which he evaded chuckling. "Oh, shut up Naruto! Let's just go back already. We have a lot of way to cover you know."

"Hai, hai!" He chirped, adding an extra bounce at his stride. She squelched down the urge to roll her eyes. It had been a long mission. It wasn't hard but it demanded a lot of attention, caution and patience. Three of the qualities that Naruto has hard time learning, it wasn't surprising that he would be happy that it's done. The said person flashed her one of his infectious goofy grins causing her to do one of her own. "Give it to me when you have it developed." She said as she passed him causing the blond to miss a step. She giggled as he went back to pace. "You're a sly woman Sakura, a sly horrible perverted gambling woman." He said in a bland tone as one would when stating a common fact. His eyes laughing she answered back with equally bland tone, "And you my dear Naruto, are a mischievous fox, a mischievous two faced fox." He merely laughed.

…………..

…A day away from Konohagakure…

"Haaahh…" Sakura collapsed to the ground. The sun shining to her face, she smiled contently. By gods, she's tired. Her smile immediately turned to a small scowl when a face loomed over her. "Get away from my sun Naruto."

"But Sakuraaaa….." He fidgeted, already his bottom lip starts to stick out. "I wanna go hoooommmmeeee.." he whined. She gritted her teeth, her hands clenching and unclenching, she forced herself to be calm. "We're still a day away Naruto. I'm tired, I'm cold and I want to sleep so shove it." He pouted before blinking; a smile blossomed from his lips. "I know! I could just carry you back."

"Naruto," Her tone warned her patience about to snap. "No way in hell are you going to carry me back. And no, I'm not getting up from here so you either sit down or shut up or go do something that doesn't involve me moving." He bounced and pouted, "But I'm homesiiiiiicckkkk…." She snorted before rolling to her side. "You big baby." She could hear him plop down beside her turned back, the few minutes of rest were spent in companionable silence. She returned her back to the ground, her vision catching the last trails of the dying sun in the distance.

"Ne, Sakura…" He broke, "Do you remember when we were little, the time when we first met kakashi-sensei at the academy?" She smiled a little in remembrance as he continued. "He asked us what our dreams were. Do you remember what you said back then?"

She nodded absentmindedly, amusement dawning on her features. "Yeah, back then I was too preoccupied thinking about Sasuke to really think about anything else."

"Now you aren't?" Naruto asked wide eyed as if truly bewildered. Sakura pinched him at his thigh ignoring his short gasp of pain. She turned her gaze to him, "Come to think of it, you never really gave a straight answer of what you wanted and what you hated Naruto." The blond's smile fell before dawning on a black face. The kind of face that always makes Sakura cautious.

"Don't you know yet Sakura?" A small serene smile split upon his lips, "I want nothing. Ramen, weapons, houses, power…" He waved his hand, "All of them could be bought by money, all of those are superficial. Wanting them in some degree but not deep enough for me to really need them. I could live without. As such as I want nothing I hate nothing." He curled his legs and rests his chin on his knees while his arms pulled them towards his chest. "Nothing and everything Sakura. All what the world could offer," His eyes burned from the dying sunlight. "I would always love and hate."

…………………

"Wh…what happened?" Sakura fell on her knees to what had been the village gate. Naruto stood beside her frozen. Her trembling hands picked up a head protector, her grasp tightening as she noticed the insignia, Stone. At the far off from one of the many corpses she spotted another this time from the sound. The metal on her hand bent and damaged from the tightness of her clasp, dimly she was aware the blood starts dripping from her flesh.

My family, everyone else… they're gone. They're gone!

At that knowledge she shattered into million pieces like glass. She crumpled to the sweat and blood soaked ground looking up to meet blue hallow irises.