Disclaimer: if i owned Naruto Itachi would have a much bigger role in life... unfortunately i don't own Naruto
A/N: you have my deepest apologies that i haven't updated in an usually long time (seeing as i usually update once or twice a week) but shit has been hitting the fan around my humble abode and i had to set this story aside for a little while to take care of it... things have calmed down now and i should be able to update more regularly again (grin) well you know how this works...
Katearah - i think that your review is truly the best review i have ever read... i started work on this chapter right after reading it, deciding that it was well over time that i kept people like you waiting to see what happens next... this chapter is for you
thanky thanky to everyone else who reviewed!
"speech"
'thoughts'
Last Time on RYRM:
The smooth tones of another person reached his ears next and Sasuke held his breath, hoping to either catch anything a snippet of conversation or a gender. He didn't know if knocking on the door was a good idea if she was truly in trouble, but if she wasn't barging in would just get something whipped at his head or other, more sensitive, body parts. Just the thought made him shudder. Gathering the courage needed he threw the door open and held his katana low to the side.
What he saw there made his blood run cold.
Remember You Remember Me
Chapter 6: Reactions and Realizations
By: trailsofblood666 aka Wizard
Sasuke felt his blood freeze in his veins as the Hokage and her 'visitor' turned their heads towards him. The visitors eyes locked with his own and the air around him seemed thicken, warm, and press down on him heavily trying to bring him to his knees. Putting a hand on the door frame to steady himself, Sasuke fought down a wave of vertigo and let his eyes slid shut. After a few moments the feeling passed and his eyes slid open again just as the man was turning back to Tsunade.
The scene made Sasuke nervous even though Tsunade seemed to be relaxed and not threatened. Standing not ten feet away was the man who had mysteriously appeared and whisked the unconscious Sakura away from Konoha, and here he was again with a crumpled Sakura at his feet in the Hokage's office. Something was so off with this picture you just had to take a step back and admire the idiocy of it all. He stole her away just to return her again? Sasuke snapped his attention to the matter at hand when the guy began to speak.
"As i was saying, it is my place to ensure Sakura-sama's safety, to protect her life. When she gets into a potentially dangerous situation it is my job to bail her out. At the time of her capture and interrogation here in Konoha you were the danger, that danger has now taken the forms of Itachi, Kisame, and the rest of the Akatsuki. I may be mistaken, but this seemed like the best place to bring her to insure that safety that i am bound to protect."
Tsunade shifted her eyes to Sasuke and made a motion for him to step inside and close the door. He was so completely lost it hurt his brain. So this guy was Sakura's protector? Itachi and Kisame did something to her that threatened her life? Sasuke had to mentally smirk at that one. 'Surprise, surprise.' Now he was bring her back to the place he had just rescued her from in order to protect her. 'Raise your hand if this all sounds a little fishy to you.'
"How do i know that this isn't some elaborate plan of the Akatsuki? How am I to know that you aren't exactly what you're saying you're protecting her from?" Tsunade spoke, resting her chin on her hands. Darkness smirked.
"You can check my body for any markings if you wish, you can pry into my consciousness, you can do whatever you want with me but in the end i am just a sword. How can an inanimate object work for an underground organization?"
"You look human to me. If you're just a sword how is it that you are so human looking?"
"A long story Hokage-sama."
Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "I have time. Sasuke have a seat, nothing that is being said here leaves this room am i understood?"
Nodding his affirmative Sasuke pulled a chair just off to the left side of the door and sat as it's guard. Relaxed but alert, he watched the human/sword from his post, waiting to here the explanation for this one.
Darkness sighed and sat himself down in one of the chairs in front of the Hokage's desk but turned it so he could keep an eye on Sasuke. "If you insist Hokage-sama. It was a long time again, 100 years, perhaps more, that it all began. That sword that you see strapped to Sakura-sama belonged to me at that time. I was just a child, no older than 13, when i had that katana made. Magnificent sword, perfectly crafted to just the right shade so that it wouldn't refract light, and reinforced with chakra so it would never dull. At the time it was the perfect weapon and served me well throughout my travels as a villageless ninja. It took thousands of lives but saved many more.
"Eventually the life of a traveler grew tedious and i wanted nothing more than to find a place to permanently rest my weary body. It took nearly a year but i found it, a peaceful village nestled in a narrow green valley. Beautiful beyond words; the people, the houses, the location, everything about it seemed as if it was made just for me. At 18 I became the sole protector of the village and it's inhabitants. I fell in love and all that great junk but it was rather short lived.
"Just after my 20th birthday disaster struck in the form of a band of ninja. They were villageless, like myself, and seeking a place to start their own hidden village. Unfortunately for us they had no use for non-ninja humans and the killing began. I tried to stop them, and i alone killed half of their number, but in the end it was a done deal. The village died and the remaining ninja fled after losing so many of their kin, deciding that even though only a handful were left alive it wasn't worth it any longer. As the woman i was set to marry died in my arms i made a promise to myself, and that promise was this: For all eternity i will never allow another in my care to die at the hands of men, whether they deserved it or not.
"To seal my promise of eternity i walked out into the blood covered streets of the my one true dream and imbedded my katana into my chest. I poured myself into that sword. First my memories so i would remember why i did this, then my chakra so i would have the strength to fight, then a small piece of my soul to tie it all together and finally sealed it off with what little chakra i had remaining. What you see sitting before you now is he product of all that work.
"The first person to pick me up after my sealing became my first ward and i protected him until he died of old age. Eventually i was stored away and forgotten in some rich mans treasury and remained there well past his death, then Sakura-sama came along. What exactly she was doing in some lords treasure room i have no idea considering her job was to kill the owner and get out as quick as possible but as soon as she picked me up she became my ward since my old one had died. At first she was a little freaked out and skeptical but eventually she got use to always having me inside her head and welcomed my presence. I have bailed her out of countless situations over the last few years and i have a feeling that i will have to continue doing so for a very long time. She's a sweet girl but seems to attract trouble where ever she goes.
"So, you see, i was once a human and this is what i looked like. This form is nothing more than an jutsu where i dispelled everything from the katana except the a bit of chakra and the piece of my soul i detached. All this form is, is condensed chakra and memories used for the convenience of saving Sakura-sama's life. As soon as my chakra regenerates enough i can return to my holding place once again. So now i ask you, do you truly believe that i could be working for the Akatsuki?"
The room was deathly quiet for a few moments as Tsunade and Sasuke let the story sink in and went over it mentally. It was quite a story, man gave his life to protect those around him, something straight out of a super-hero comic. In the end it was Sasuke who spoke first.
"That was an interesting story and all but it still doesn't give us a reason to trust you. Sakura was part of the Akatsuki, once you're one of them there is no turning back, this could just be part of a plan. Pretend Sakura is in danger and carry her off back to Konoha where she had her trusty sword infiltrate from the inside while the other members sit back and wait for the perfect time to attack."
Darkness studied the young Uchiha. He was smart, but stupid at the same time. Wouldn't sending Sakura in to the lions den be putting her life in danger, something that he was bound by oath to prevent? If she was found out she would be dead before he could do anything to stop it so why take that risk in the first place. Running a hand over his face he mentally banged his head against the wall. Could swords get headaches, because he sure as hell felt a major one coming on.
"That would completely destroy my role wouldn't it? I won't, and can't, put Sakura-sama's life in danger like that. I don't know what all happened her to make her leave in the first place but i do know that once she wakes up she is going to bit my head off for bringing her here. I can't give you any proof that she no longer works for the Akatsuki except the simple fact that she is here when i know that she would rather be anywhere else in the world. In the end it boils down to the simple and over-used phrase: 'You're just going to have to trust me.'"
"Why shou--" Sasuke began, but was rudely interrupted by Tsunade.
"Sasuke that's enough." The Hokage had her eyes trained on Darkness even as she spoke to Sasuke but it was obvious that she had already made up her mind. "We've been looking for a way to get Sakura back since she left and this is the opportunity. From here on out Sakura is under my protection, if anyone has anything to say about it they can come straight to me with their complaints. Sasuke i want you to go spread the word of her return and that if anyone messes with her, even looks at her wrong, they will have to come deal with me."
Sasuke really didn't like the tone of voice she used when making the threats. It was tone that promised a lifetime of pain and suffering for those who disobeyed her. Even though the warning was clear enough Sasuke just couldn't keep his mouth shut, he just had to put in his 2 cents worth.
"Hokage-sama, i don't think this is wise. Not only did he stop us from keeping Sakura in our custody before but he attacked Kakashi and Neji."
"Had i left the Hyuuga and the Copy Nin to their own devices would they have allowed us to take Sakura-sama away without incident? I didn't think so. If i had wanted to kill them it would have been very easy but instead i used a genjutsu to put them into a temporary coma, once they collapsed it would have been easy as killing an infant. Also, i left you and the Kyuubi vessel unharmed during our confrontation."
Tsunade smirked. "I think that answers that, now Sasuke please go inform the others. You can be certain that precautions will be taken, but the rest of the arrangements will be left to me, now go."
Nodding Sasuke stood and exited the room, leaving the two to discuss whatever it is people like that discussed. He had a feeling that people were going to be about as receptive of this news as he was. It wasn't that they didn't love Sakura and miss her dearly but they just didn't trust her anymore. She had broke their trust time after time, he didn't think anyone had it left in themselves to trust her again.
Through it all team 7 had been hit the hardest. First with Sasuke abandoning them, then with Naruto going away to train for an extended period of time and finally with Sakura bailing out on them so suddenly. He knew how much it all saddened and angered him, he could only guess what Kakashi had gone through with it all. It didn't only effect team 7 though, it was hard on all the Rookie Nine. They all cared about each other in their own strange, twisted, ways. Now who to tell first?
Sasuke figured his best bet would be with the other two members of team 7. They were the closest Sakura had to a real family and it was their right as her former teammates to know first. Without thinking he steered himself towards the home of his friend and former sensei, Hatake Kakashi.
How would Kakashi react to having Sakura back in Konoha? The Copy Nin was a realist, he would see things for how they really were, he would see 'beneath the underneath'. If something was wrong with the situation Kakashi would be the first to see it and point it out. He would also be the first to get his ass kicked by Tsunade, Sasuke mentally smirked at the image of his older friend twitching on the ground while an irate Tsunade stood over him with a sake bottle in her hand.
Sasuke paused at the door of Kakashi's apartment and knocked, it was late but he knew the man would be up. In fact he had never once known the man to sleep, either that or he was just paranoid and slept with all his ninja gear still on. Either way he was a strange man, maybe he would ask about that one day but right now he had other things to deal with.
The door swung open to reveal Kakashi in full ninja garb just like Sasuke had known he would be. Without a word Sasuke slipped in under Kakashi's arm and made his way into the bachelors living room and plopped himself down on the couch. Kakashi stood by the door and watched the boy with his visible eyebrow raised and head cocked to the side. Sasuke motioned for him to have a seat and the man obeyed silently but never wiped the questioning look from his face.
"Not that i mind your company but what brings you here at such a late hour Sasuke?"
For a moment Sasuke didn't answer, choosing to study the man. He had never seen Kakashi lose his temper before and he was silently praying that he didn't witness such an event tonight. "A message from the Hokage."
Kakashi waited for a moment but when the teen didn't say any more he pushed him a little. "And? What is the message that couldn't wait until morning?"
Sasuke ran a hand over his face and leaned forward on the couch. It was a little unprofessional but this was Kakashi he was dealing with not some feudal lord. "As of tonight Sakura has officially been reinstated as a member of this village under the order and protection of Tsunade-sama. If you have any comments, concerns, or complaints you are to take it up with her personally. She is to be treated with the same respect as all other ninja of this village, anyone acting otherwise will face the consequences."
"What are the consequences, just out of curiosity?" Kakashi asked, eyes never leaving the young Uchiha.
"She didn't say but her tone promised a very drawn-out and painful death."
The room was deathly silent for a long time. Not even the sounds of the city beyond the walls reached the two men as they sat. Their eyes were still locked but neither was really seeing what was in front of them, each were off inside their heads going over the information and digesting it. Sasuke snapped out of it long before Kakashi did and he sat and watched the emotions flicker through his eyes. Anger, happiness, sadness, hope, they were all there but never stayed for more than a moment of two before fleeing again. In the end the unreadable look entered back into the Copy Nin's eyes and he spoke again.
"What happened?" Sasuke shook his head and Kakashi nodded his understanding. "Who else knows?"
"You, Tsunade, Sakura's 'protector' and myself. Not even Sakura knows yet." At Kakashi's confused and questioning look Sasuke chuckled softly and continued. "She was unconscious during the exchange, but her 'protector' seems to think seems to think she will put up that much of a fuss."
Kakashi let his eye slid closed and was silent for awhile again. Sasuke know there were a lot of 'what if's' and other variables in this situation so he let the man have his time to go over it in his head and think about whatever it was that man thought about. He expected a lot of reactions from Kakashi but what he got was what he least expected. Kakashi locked his eyes to Sasuke's and smiled, SMILED!
"It will be good to have her back again. Im sure you plan on telling Naruto yet tonight so don't let me keep you longer than i already have. I thank you for coming to me with the news first. The four of us will have to get together once things settle down and catch up. It will be interesting to see what Sakura has been up to these last few years."
Sasuke knew he had been dismissed so he stood and bowed respectively to his former sensei. With a quick good-bye the Uchiha boy started off towards his teammate and best friends house. He hand an idea of how Naruto would take the news. First would be the excitement, then the anger, then more excitement and the night would end with both of them beating on each other until neither could stand. Actually that was how most of their encounters went. The blond had grown exceptionally since their academy days and was mature, calm and collected when the situation called for it, but if he didn't need to be Naruto would rather be, well, Naruto. The loud-mouthed, hyperactive, boastful brat was still around, he just slept while Naruto worked and came out to play once he was officially off-duty for the day.
It was even worse after the blond ANBU came back after being on an extended mission. It was like he had to make up for lost time and went into super-annoying mode for a day or two. Those are the times that Sasuke requested missions away from Konoha, it was always better to be away during those times than get caught up in the boys' fun and get in trouble with him. Tonight he would make sure there was no trouble, but he had a feeling that an emotional roller-coaster ride was in store for him.
Sasuke stood in front of his teammates door for a long time. He knew he would have to knock eventually but he wanted to have a plan of attack first. He knew the same tactic he had used with Kakashi wouldn't work with Naruto. He would get a punch in the face if he drew it out and acted so formal with the blond but he didn't think 'hey Sakura is back and part of Konoha don't like it tough' would work with the boy either. Before he could come up with anything useful the door in front of him swung open to reveal a half dressed, but fully alert, Naruto.
"Were you just planning on standing at my door all night bastard, or were you planning to knock sometime in this lifetime?" Sasuke watched the amused smirk make it's way up the blonds lips. He tried to offer his own smile to his friend but it must have been plain on his face that something was wrong because Naruto dropped the smirk and sobered up real quick.
"Come in." With the widening of the door Sasuke spun around Naruto and stood in the entryway. Naruto motioned for him to follow and the Uchiha did so silently. "Can i get you something to drink? Some ramen? Anything?"
Sasuke shook his head and sat down on the couch, just as he had done with Kakashi. "No."
Sitting himself on the coffee table in front of Sasuke, Naruto watched his friend look around nervously, like he was afraid of something which was just ludicrous since it was Sasuke. Whatever was wrong it was starting to freak him out. "What's up Sasuke?"
The red-eyed boy shifted his eyes away from Naruto and stared at the picture's on the wall. "How's Hinata?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Fine. Tsunade says she just needs to rest a few days before she's ready to come home. That's not what you came here to talk about though so spill it. What's got you so on edge?" Naruto folded his legs underneath him to sit cross legged and leaned his body to the side to catch the other mans gaze but failed. Following Sasuke's gaze he looked at the picture the ANBU was staring at the things clicked.
"Is she back or is she dead?" Sasuke whipped around to face the blond, and Naruto laughed. "I can put two and two together. So what's the deal?"
"I have a message from the Hokage to deliver to you and various others. As of tonight--" Naruto whapped Sasuke upside the head as he spoke. It didn't hurt but it was surprising.
"Enough with the formalities bastard, is Sakura back or dead?"
"She's back."
Naruto's muscles contracted and loosened as he clenched his fists. A lost smile tugged at his lips as he cast his eyes downward. He stayed like that for a moment before chuckling.
"I don't know if i should be angry or jumping up and down."
"Nor do I. All i know is that it's something that we're going to have to take a day at a time."
"Is this the end? I mean is she here for good, or is this just some strange scheme of hers?"
"Only time will tell my friend. My advice is this: don't get too attached. One moment she could be our best friend and the next we have that nasty katana decorating our bellies. I don't trust her, and you would be wise to follow that piece of advice."
Naruto nodded. "Thanks for coming, but i think i wanna catch a few hours of sleep. We'll talk more in the morning alright?" The blond stood up and held out his hand to his raven-haired counter-part. Sasuke accepted it without hesitation and Naruto hauled him to his feet. Giving the Uchiha a slight smack on the arm he walked away and left Sasuke to find his own way out.
After exiting Sasuke looked up to the pre-dawn sky. It was just beginning to get light out and he was just not realizing how late it actually was. He needed sleep before he dealt with anyone else. He figured he could gather all the others together and tell them all at once, it would save on a lot of time but he didn't want to wake any of the others up. After a few a few hours of sleep he would mount that obstacle.
Perhaps in the light the whole thing will look a little brighter...
Sakura rolled over in bed to avoid the sunlight filtering through the room and smacked her head against the wall. Groaning in pain and irritation she rolled over the other way, tangled herself in the blanket and proceeded to roll right off the other side of the bed. Her body connected hard with the floor and it was at this point that she realized it was not going to be a good day. She knew she should just crawl back into bed and hide but there were some questions that needed answering first, like how the hell did she end up in a bed.
"You sure make a lot of noise in the morning." Darkness smirked at the girl from the doorway to the room. Sakura just grunted her annoyance and straightened herself out. A sarcastic sword-man was the last thing she needed right at this very moment. If she had a projectile within reach it would be firmly implanted in the mans skull right now. Seeing as she didn't she settled for just glaring holes in his forehead.
"You're funny sweetie, really. Now where am I and how did i get here?"
"Time for that later, for now how about you go get clean and we go get something to eat?" Darkness stepped forward and offered the tousled girl a hand up and pushed her towards the bathroom.
After showering and dressing herself in a clean version of her normal outfit she was bustled out the door of what Sakura guessed was a hotel room. They went down the stairs and into the dining area and ordered. After they were alone the questions started.
"Where are Itachi and Kisame?"
"Gone. I don't know where."
"Why?"
"They attacked you."
That was not the answer Sakura was expecting but it would explain the missing hours in her head. "Why?"
"I'm not entirely sure Sakura-sama. We will discuss that later."
"Where are we?"
Darkness slid to the edge of the booth they were sharing and looked as if he was about ready to split, Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"Before you kill me you have to allow me to explain." Sakura tensed, why would she kill him? "Promise me you will let me explain before you mutilate me."
"Darkness..."
"Promise me."
"Fine I promise, now where are we."
"...Konohagakure."
Chaos ensued. The duo left one torn apart table, one broken window, five shattered plates, eight dented walls, twenty-three broken tree limbs, and countless frightened people in their path of destruction that ended up with both of them submerged in a river and very grouchy afterwards. Finally getting a few good smacks in Sakura let her weight fall to the river bank and allowed the drying process to begin. She stared at the glossy surface of the river and let her thoughts and memories carry her away.
Darkness was more than happy to just let her be for the time being. He knew she would react badly, she was scared of Konoha. She had dug herself into a hole that she could never get out of and he felt somewhat sorry for her. If she had just gone to the Hokage the night she was attacked instead of fleeing the village everything would be ok now. She didn't and that was her first mistake. Then she could have gone back instead of going with Itachi, but she didn't and that was he second mistake. If she hadn't killed all those ANBU sent to find her and bring her home she would have been able to come back also.
If, if, if. There seemed to be a lot of those going around as of late and all they did was put Darkness on edge. He didn't like uncertainty and that was all that seemed to surround his pink haired ward. That and trouble, he wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he looked up and found them surrounded by ninja ready to kill them for causing a disturbance. Though, word traveled fast in the ninja world so he had a feeling that most people already knew of their presence despite the early hour and would steer clear of them.
"We can't stay here."
Sakura's soft voice brought Darkness out of his 'mind' and back into reality. He turned to look at the girl and flinched. He had seen the kunoichi sad before but in all his time with her he had never seen her cry. The sight of her broke his heart, figuratively speaking of course. Tears rolled out from distant emerald eyes that looked but didn't see. Lines of anguish sketched across her face making her look years older than 19. She was in pain and there was nothing he could do to ease it.
"For now, we stay. We have nowhere else to go."
"Let me rephrase. I can't stay here. Don't you understand? I betrayed these people, it will only be a matter of time before someone decides to take matters into their own hands. Staying here only ups my chances of being killed."
"Hokage-sama took care of that. Anyone with complaints takes it up with her directly, anyone even thinks about hurting you and their ass is grass. You're safe here, i promise you."
Even with Darkness' reassurance she still looked like a lost and abused puppy. "What happened with Itachi and Kisame?"
"What do you remember?"
Sakura thought for a minute about the moments leading up to unconsciousness. "Itachi, he... asked me if i trusted him. He told me to always remember that. I don't understand."
Darkness sighed, this was going to hurt. "He rendered you unconscious. I caught you as you fell and asked him what he was doing, Kisame replied that your usefulness had come to an end, that if you were unwilling to kill your friends then they had no need for you. He said that you knew too much to live therefore you were to die. Itachi advanced and I took off with you. I didn't know where else to bring you that you would be safe from them other than Konohagakure."
Sakura looked at Darkness, eyes wide with disbelief and confustion. She scooted back several feet from the human-sword shaking her head all the while as if trying to shake loose the information. "N-no... he wouldn't... we were going to... why would... why? Why?"
"I don't have all the answers for that Sakura-sama. Perhaps in time we will, but not today. Let's go back to the inn."
Sakura shook her head. "You go, I'll catch up with you."
Darkness studied her for a time before nodding and disappearing, leaving the pink-hair kunoichi alone. Her feelings were all jumbled together in a knot and at the moment she just wanted to be alone to sort them out.
First things first, the situation with Itachi and Kisame. Their betrayal cut deep and hurt more than she could have ever imagined, but was she really all that surprised? She knew her position in the Akatsuki was always a shaky one, but she loved shark-man and weasel-boy and thought they were friends. Obviously they were enemies first and foremost, no matter how much time they spent together watching each others backs. It wasn't all that radical of an idea that they would betray her the way they did, it was a kill-or-be-killed world and most valued their life above the lives of others. All in all she was just angry and confused with the dangerous duo, it's always easier to trust and enemy than a friend.
Second, her feelings for Itachi. No, she would work that one out later when she had more time to think. There were more important things right now.
Third, Konohagakure. She was scared, that was a given, she had betrayed these people time and time again, she didn't expect them to welcome her with open arms. She wouldn't lie to herself, there was something comforting about being back in Konoha after so long, this was, after all, her hometown. It had it's pro's and con's just like everything else, there were things, and people, she truly missed, but the real question was; was it a good idea to be here? One of the things she realized was that it wasn't the fear being hurt again that kept her from this village, it was the fear of hurting them. All she seemed to do in life is cause trouble and hurt people, she didn't want to hurt this village any more than she already had, they deserved better than that.
She was anxious to see all her old friends, but would they want to see her? Obviously she wasn't in very much trouble if Tsunade-sama had allowed her into the village and didn't send her right back to TI, that and she threatened bodily harm to those who messed with her. How would people take that? Would they retaliate against the Hokage and kill her anyways, or would they just take it lying down and grumble in secret? They wouldn't be particularly happy, that much she was sure of. She could name a few people that would grumble louder than others. Sasuke just for the simple fact she was affiliated with Itachi, Hinata for knocking her out, Naruto, and most likely Neji, for knocking Hinata out. Possibly Kiba, maybe Shino, Ino and the others for hurting Hinata also.
Damn, she never realized just how important the shy girl was to everyone. Then again it always was that if you mess with one of the Rookie Nine then you mess with them all, she didn't think that had changed much. So what happens when it's one of the Rookie Nine messing with another one of them? Hmm, that was an interesting thought, if she was still a close friend of theirs everyone would be forced to take sides and... what was the point of this? She wasn't their friend anymore, and, as far as anyone was concerned, she was no longer part of the Rookie Nine. Wouldn't that then make them the Rookie Eight? And what about Neji, TenTen and Lee, where did they fit in to that?
Chuckling lightly to herself Sakura shook her head to dispelled the random thoughts. She was suppose to be straightening emotions not trying to figure out the mathematics of their little tea club. With a quick sigh Sakura stood and began the hike back to the hotel. She wasn't going to get her emotions straightened out today, it was just one of those things that would work themselves out over time. Besides, she had the need to take all her frustration out on something, and at the hotel she had a very nice punching bag just waiting for her.
With an evil smirk and tree branch in hand the young kunoichi set off to partake in her favorite pastime: 'pin-the-stick-on-the-Darkness'.
Sasuke and Naruto watched the rest of their academy friends watch them. They were all staring at the duo anxious wanting to know why the two had asked them to meet here. Obviously something big was going on otherwise they wouldn't be here right? The reactions to the summons were different with each person. People like Shino, TenTen and Neji were calmly standing off to the sides waiting patiently for the two ANBU boys the explain why they were there. Kiba was threatening bodily harm if they didn't hurry up and spill it. Ino kept her mouth going about a thousand miles a minute. Lee was, well, doing whatever it was that Lee did. Choji was happily munching away on a bag of chips while Shikamaru groaned and grumbled about troublesome things and troublesome people. Finally the former teachers were casually standing in the back talking amongst themselves, the Hokage did say to tell everyone.
All in all things were pretty normal at the moment. Naruto looked to Sasuke and nodded telling him that he should just say his spiel and get it over with. Taking the incentive Sasuke brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled to silence the bunch.
"I have a message from the Hokage, since i was instructed to give it to everyone i thought gathering you all together would be the easiest way. As of early last night Haruno Sakura is no longer a missing-nin. She has be reinstated as a ninja of this village under the order and protection of the Hokage herself. You are to treat her with the same respect you would any other ninja. If anyone has problems or concerns with this you are to take it up with the Hokage directly. If anyone harms her in any way the consequences will be sever. My personal suggestion is that none of you try anything, you're not being asked to trust her just to be civil with her."
The silence was so thick you could taste it. Everyone had a look of confusion on their face to some degree and some even looked angry.
"Why should we? She betrayed this village. She attacked and almost killed one of our ninja, ran away, joined the Akatsuki and has been killing our friends and allies ever since!" It was Kiba that spoke, he looked like he was ready to bite someones' head off, literally.
Shikamaru spoke next. "We can't say for sure what happened Kiba. All we have is the ninja she nearly killed and he doesn't remember anything about the week leading up to the attack. For all we know Sakura was coerced into the whole ordeal. The only people who know what happened that night would be Sakura and most likely the Akatsuki she traveled with, this could be the perfect chance to get all the facts."
That pretty much silenced all other complaints for the gathered crew.
"I know i shouldn't be, but i can't help but be happy that she is back. She may have done some evil things to this village, to us, but she is still a born Konoha ninja." Ino's voice was soft and shaky but it carried through the clearing well. She turned her bright blue eyes to Sasuke. "Do you know where i can find her?"
Sasuke shook his head. "I wasn't with the Hokage when the arrangements were being made. You can go ask her, though i don't think you should get your hopes up."
Ino smiled, nodded, and walked away. At least someone was happy the wayward kunoichi was home, maybe that's all it would take to get Sakura to shed light on a few of the mysteries surrounding here. Somewhere deep down Sasuke hoped they would be able to keep the girl around this time.
Darkness watched out the hotel window as Sakura made approached. He knew what she was going to do to him and the thought of it made him grimace. She was a tough girl, and if her reaction to the news was any sign of the trials to come things wouldn't be as bad as he originally thought.
"I hope you know what you are doing Uchiha. I truly do."
Ending Notes: Well there ya go... I had to make someone be happy that Sakura is back in Konoha (it would kind of suck if she was hated by everyone) so i chose Ino, she was at one point Sakura's best friend after all... general confusion and apprehension all around for the rest of the bunch though, i know i would be if i was stuck in a situation like that... next chapter will have some confrontations, explanations, and some all around strangeness...
until then...
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