Fire: This is Fire and you've arrived at chapter 15 of Wait for Me: Following! Yay! If you're in the wrong window, please close the window and read the title again before clicking on the link.
Sasuke: Why would they be in the wrong window!
Fire: (shrugs) It happens.
Sasuke: (annoyed) Just hurry with your mindless drabble.
Fire: Well, this is the very last chapter unless you want some SasuNaru fluff, then read the epilogue. If you don't like yaoi, stay away from the epilogue. Just continue to the third book, Wait for Me: Searching. But I highly recommend reading the epilogue. It gives some perspective into Sasuke's character for the third book.
Sasuke: (more annoyed) That's enough talk.
Fire: (whispers to the audience) He doesn't want me to talk about him. (louder) Some standard information: there's always a chapter I'm not satisfied with, no matter how long I work with it. For this book, it's the chapter before this one. I might rewrite it into two chapters and re-upload it later so if you didn't like the last chapter, neither did I. Now we're on the same page. I'll do a few revisions to improve the continuity but the storyline won't really change. There will just mysteriously be a new chapter one day. Don't be too disturbed if it has the same name as the prologue. I plan to put the extra chapter between the last chapter and this chapter, so there will be sixteen chapters, a prologue and an epilogue in total when I revise this book. Just keep track of the names of each chapter. I won't be changing those.
Sasuke: (still annoyed) I said enough talk!
Kakashi: (holds out a review from the Big Bag of Reviews) …
Fire: You didn't even need me to ask today. Are you in a good mood, Kakashi?
Kakashi: (smiles) Yes. (waves to Darkykimanoi) Hi, Aki-san!
Fire: (sighs) Now he's carrying it into the stories. What if they're not reading this book, baka! (slaps Kakashi in the head)
Kakashi: Stop being so violent and read the review.
Fire: Oh, yes! (reads) I know I'm mean to Kisame, but he likes it.
Kisame: (yelling) I DO NOT!
Fire: Okay…I don't want him to run away.
Kisame: That's an understatement.
Sasuke: Use a leash and collar.
Fire: Sharks don't have necks.
Kisame: I'm a shark-man! I have a neck!
Fire: And I don't want anyone to steal him away from me. Is that selfish? (turns to Kisame)
Kisame: Yes! Stop hugging me!
Fire: Moving on! (takes second window from Kakashi) I know I'm mean to Naruto. Gomen nasai. I can't seem to find any of the muses who want to bring him back!
Sasuke: Ahem! (annoyed)
Fire: And there are a million obstacles in Sasuke's way. He'll come back this chapter so be patient. The next book will have some actual SasuNaru and the foreshadowing of KakaSaku in this book carries over to the next book. If you don't like one of the two pairings, I'm also taking suggestions for Sakura pairings in addition to the KakaSaku so send them in and I'll put them in. All pairings are welcome as long as the characters are still alive.
Sasuke: That's enough talk!
Fire: Waah! Before we go on, if anyone was reading about Naruto dying and saying that it's not possible, I wrote an explanation. It's at the end of this chapter so if you were curious, read it. But I'm warning anyone who is even thinking of read the explanation that there will be science and there will be medicine in it. If you don't like either of these things, you might want to stay away from the explanation.
Sasuke: (impatient) End it already!
Fire: And as always, thanks for all your reviews! I love reading them and I will definitely reply to all of them!
Sasuke: Now, read this! (presses the next chapter onto the window)
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Disclaimer: The "Kyuubi theory" belongs to Fire. I'm not sure if you'll understand it so don't try to use it without asking first. I might put up an explanation in the next book. Just PM me or send me a review if you don't know what I'm talking about and I'll explain it to you.
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Warning: The "Kyuubi theory" developed in this chapter will be revived in the next book. If you really don't understand it, tell me in the review or in a PM (private message) and I'll either email or PM you an explanation, or put an explanation in the next book. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll understand better in the next book. It's the problem Sasuke talks about when he tries to resurrect Naruto.
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Warning: Contains excessive metaphors. If you thought about analyzing my work, this would be the time to do it.
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Warning: Bored of these yet? Well, this one is necessary. I don't really know what fluff is but I think some parts in this chapter and the epilogue will count as SasuNaru fluff. If you don't really like that sort of thing and only came to read the parts about KakaSaku or just because you want to see Sasori annoy Sakura, gomen nasai! Don't hit me with your power ninjutsu! I have no chakra!
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Chapter 15: Seclusion of the Sakura
Kakashi didn't know what he was doing anymore. His body had moulded against the form of his chair, rooting him in place. Everything was distant, too far away to sense. All he could do was see and think.
As he looked down at the pink-haired kunoichi sleeping serenely in her bed, he could only stare with mild disbelief. The girl had changed completely from what she was the day before. All traces of the Sakura who was trapped within her mind were gone.
Soon, she would return to his team.
Knowing that, relief rushed through his body. The sun had set recently and soon he would have to leave, but he knew he wouldn't have to worry anymore. Sakura had recovered. Those mental scars were gone.
That was what he believed, even though he knew that it was probably untrue. Mental scars weren't this easy to heal. They were still there, even if her eyes were dry and her face brightened with new smiles. He knew that it wasn't going to be so easy.
But his selfish side wanted to believe. He wanted the stress he felt over this kunoichi to subside...even if it was temporary.
The grey-haired jounin pushed himself to his feet, his body unstable from a long time of sitting. His masked face looked down at the girl for a moment before pulling his body out the door. His mind still refused to believe that she was suffering.
At that time, he refused to believe that she wasn't better. He had waited for her to wake and smile, and return with him to the life they had before. They were a team and now that Sasuke was back, they could be a team again...even if Naruto wasn't really there.
That was a fantasy too, but Kakashi preferred to believe it. At least for now, he was going to believe that Sakura would return to him. That was why when she wakes, he couldn't be there.
Morning came, and Sakura awoke alone to an empty sickroom. She didn't know what she was expecting–her sensei wasn't going to watch her sleep until morning–but she did expect to thank him. He had listened to her pitiful tears and comforted her. That must have been uncomfortable...especially for a man devoid of most emotions.
'Just like Sasuke-kun.'
But she pushed all her thoughts to the back of her mind and sat up, her hand on her head, holding pink locks of hair from her face. With past pains already fading from Sakura's memory, she felt a tug on her mind. For a moment, she was confused. This was an emotion she hadn't felt for awhile. This was... This was...
"Sasori?" She looked out the window at the tree, but there was only a swirl of sand in the wind to signify the Suna-nin's departure. 'Oh, yeah. I said I didn't want to see him ever again.' She stared down at the thin book in her hand. Her mood was lighter than the day before. She was calmer. 'Baka. You can't take what was spoken in anger seriously.' The tenseness within her chest was gone.
"So...you really are a girl. Forgiving and everything," Sasori said as he gazed down at Sakura.
The girl screamed, her hand falling to her side for a kunai that wasn't there. She wasn't wearing a kunai pouch.
Sasori sat on her bed, next to her, too close for comfort.
And Sakura's eye twitched with suppressed anger. "What are you doing?"
"I'm obviously baking a cake," he said, even though he was visibly sitting. Sasori leaned back, crunching her hand beneath him. His first impression of this girl was that she wasn't really a girl. He remembered that day in the caves of Kawa no Kuni. Her strength was too great to be that of a girl. "What kind of cake do you want?" But she was obviously a girl now.
Sakura pulled her annoyed hand from beneath Sasori's... She didn't want to think about what she was touching. She just wanted to wash her hand with soap...lots of soap.
The kunoichi rose from the bed and walked calmly to the bathroom. She didn't want the Suna-nin to know that she was distressed. That would only encourage him. "I meant what are you doing here?" Sakura called out over the sound of running water and squishy soap. "I said that I never want to see you again!"
"You said you didn't mean it." Sasori looked around. Generic wardroom. Generic bedsheets. Generic pillow. Generic everything. It was definitely a hospital room. "You called me here."
Sakura popped her head out of the bathroom to stare at the redhead. 'Oh yeah.' She pulled herself back into the bathroom to continue scrubbing her hand. 'I forgot about that little annoying clause.' Edo Tensei created a psychic link between the master and the summonings. They couldn't read her thoughts and she couldn't read their thoughts, but they could feel what she wanted them to do. And if she really wanted them to do something, they couldn't stop themselves, even if it was Sasori.
"You called me here. What did you want? I don't like to be kept wa–"
"I know!" She yelled from the bathroom. He didn't like to be kept waiting. She knew that already. He had repeated himself enough when they first met. "I don't have anything for you to do. Just go away!"
"Do you want new hands? I could make you puppet hands. They won't discolour like that when you scrub them," Sasori said as he appeared at the door. Her hands were red beneath the tap, bleeding where she had scrubbed off the skin. "Are you germphobic now?"
Sakura stared at the puppetmaster. 'Waah! He still wants to make me into a puppet!' Inner Sakura screamed.
"Uh...no thanks," Sakura said slowly as she pulled her hands from beneath the water. She wiped them dry with the white towel by the door, leaving only a few blood spots where there was only dry towel before.
"Puppet hands won't bleed, and they won't feel pain. You won't need those gloves."
"I said no," Sakura said sternly. She didn't like the idea of having her skin peeled off, her blood drained, and her hands cured. It sounded painful. 'Why am I even considering it!' Sakura shivered.
"You're cold?"
"No."
"Fine."
Silence.
Sakura sat down, her hand bleeding in the silence that wrapped around them. She couldn't think of what to say. 'Arigatou for helping me kill Orochimaru.' That was one thing she could have said, but that would only bloat the already gigantic ego within Sasori's mind. 'No. I'd better say something else.'
And Sakura finally thought of what to say. She wasn't going to thank him for anything, but she wanted to make something clear. She didn't want to become a puppet, and she didn't want puppet parts on her body. And she would never want anything like that. Ever. That was what she was going to say.
But she never had the chance to say it. As soon as Sakura decided to tell Sasori, there was the sound of shouting in the halls. The entire hospital was in an uproar.
It was still early, very early, so the noise had shocked the kunoichi. She almost fell out of bed, her heart racing in her chest at the sudden commotion. She tried to calm herself but she could distinctly hear the frantic screams of the nurses as they ran by her room, only spreading more panic into her body. Someone was missing. And it was a woman.
There was the unmistakable sound of searching shinobi throughout the village. It was too loud to be something else. The Hokage had sent out the order as soon as news arrived from the hospital. And Tsunade could only think of one reason why the woman would be missing.
Sasuke.
To be more precise, Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto wasn't around, but she knew that it had something to do with the blond shinobi. Whenever there was trouble, it always had something to do with the jinchuuriki in some way. Even if he was dead.
But total silence suddenly spread through the village for a long moment before the door of her office threw open, and the ANBU woman with long purple hair and the mask of a dog covering her face walked in, a dark-haired young man in her grasp.
Sasuke stumbled forwards with a grunt, the forceful push from his ANBU guard sending the sound from his body. He stood with his limbs weighted by kanashibari, the kanashibari of a multitude of unseen ANBU all around him, not just the woman behind him. As soon as he was caught, he knew that he had gained not one but many eyes watching him. He didn't even try to escape. He didn't need to escape.
Not anymore.
Sasuke looked down at the pile of ash and dirt at his feet. The summoning had failed. He had chosen someone that no one would miss, that he thought no one would miss. It was only a street urchin, a boy about his age that roamed the streets of Konoha. Like all great cities, Konoha had its homeless and its beggars.
But it was useless. He had thought that he would succeed, but it seemed as if the scrolls really weren't as pointless as he and Orochimaru had thought. At least he knew why it wasn't working. One soul, one body. That was what it said.
'Kuso Kyuubi!'
He had known that Naruto was a jinchuuriki. He had known that he carried the Kyuubi within him. Sasuke just never thought that it would be such a big obstacle for them.
The system used by Yondaime to seal the Kyuubi was simple. It was a slight variation of Shiki Fuujin, Shiki Fuujin with Shishou Fuuin otherwise called as the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki. The two Shishou Fuuin on Naruto's body trapped the Kyuubi within Naruto and allowed Naruto to draw on the power of the Kyuubi. It was all so simple.
Until Sasuke really looked at it.
The Kyuubi was a youma made of chakra. It was a bijuu of chakra. Sealing it like that would definitely create side effects, and there were plenty of them. Naruto wasn't quite himself.
To link Naruto with a creature like that, through their chakra systems, was like binding their souls together. The jinchuuriki was always carrying the Kyuubi within him, the red chakra of a creature made of chakra. Their souls were bound by the chakra they shared. It was like sewing two people together. And ripping them apart would only kill the weaker of the two. That was usually the human.
It was like having an extra sense, another person within your body, sharing your body. Sasuke imagined that it must have been frustrating sometimes...but he could never know. He only had himself in his mind.
But that was what made the technique so frustrating! He had to find a way to get around it! He had to find a way where he could bring both of them back. Without the Kyuubi, Naruto couldn't be brought back. Without the Kyuubi, Naruto wouldn't be Naruto...because his soul wouldn't be complete.
'Chikusho!'
He needed to find a way to put two souls in one body...or...
Sasuke looked out across Konoha. His dark eyes couldn't see the light that waited for him. He couldn't see a way around it.
...or he had to find two bodies in one.
His work was done. As soon as he saw Tsunade's angry face, there was no regret in his chest. He had broken the wings of an angel, and it was impossible for him to fly away again. Two bodies in one. At first, he had thought that he was crazy. There was no such thing. Two bodies in one? How was that possible?
But he had found it. The answer was right in front of him.
"Heartless bakemono!" Tsunade shouted as she grabbed the Uchiha by the collar. Her hands shook with anger as she stared into empty eyes. Empty of remorse. Empty of guilt. Empty of regret. There was nothing in him to show that he felt anything for what he had done. "Where is she!"
Sasuke could only grin at the woman. He remembered a time when he was still shorter than her, but he was the same height now. She didn't scare him. As long as he had Naruto back, he wasn't afraid of anything. "He's back. I'm sure you'd be happy, Hokage-sama," he drawled in the same voice that Orochimaru held, the same manner so that Tsunade shivered in disgust. "Do you want to see him?"
"Che!" Tsunade released the Uchiha's collar, pushing him back for a moment. "A woman, Sasuke," she said slowly as she tried to calm herself down. She had expected this. He had returned not too long ago from Orochimaru, only seven months ago. He must have forgotten where he was. "This is not Otogakure no Sato. You can't just kill people as you please." He must have forgotten where he was. But she wasn't going to believe that was true. Sasuke looked perfectly sane, and his mind was even sharper than that. She could see it, even as her brown eyes fell on the Uchiha. He was just like Orochimaru. For his goals, he would sacrifice anything. He really was heartless.
"It was one woman. I didn't kill people. I killed one person. And I brought one back." Sasuke didn't even try to lie. There was no point. She was going to find out later anyway. "It was just an exchange. No harm done. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go home."
"Yamete!"
Sasuke froze, looked around at the blond woman. He couldn't imagine anything that she said could affect him. There was nothing she could do to him, nothing bad that could happen that hadn't already happened. "Yes, Hokage-sama?" It wasn't as if she could take Naruto away.
Anger smoldered over Tsunade as she stared at him. She had a million questions in her chest, all threatening to burst at once. Why did he do it? Why did he have to resurrect Naruto? Why did he have to kill that woman? Why did she have to be–
The blond woman swallowed. "The hospital is supposed to be a safe place, where people are supposed to feel secure."
"Never do it again. I got it!" Sasuke turned to leave again.
"No." Tsunade couldn't think of what to say. It was her childhood all over again. Even when Orochimaru killed a man for no reason at all, she could never bring herself to ask why. She was too afraid to ask. She was afraid of what he would say. The possibilities scared her more than the truth could. She always said something that almost had nothing to do with the question in her mind. "Just, stay out of the maternity ward from now on, okay?" She could never bring herself to really yell at Orochimaru, and she was doing it again. 'This little Orochimaru is too much like you.'
And a small smirk crept onto Sasuke's face again. "You don't miss him enough to kill for him, do you?" He remembered. He remembered the words that came out of Orochimaru's mouth, the curses he placed on Konoha, on Sandaime, on Tsunade. But the ones of Tsunade were the most frequent, and the ones said with more emotion that Sasuke ever thought was capable of the Sannin. "You can live without him."
The blond woman's face pulled itself into a frown as the Uchiha walked out of her office. The room was suddenly cold, and she found herself shivering. That last line. It wasn't directed at her at all. It was directed at him. Sarcasm. Sasuke couldn't live without Naruto.
Four weeks had passed since their return from Oto no Sato. Sakura didn't know what it was, but it felt longer. The time she had spent there was already mostly forgotten. She could barely remember what Orochimaru was really like. There was just the hatred that she had felt for him, and the hatred that she still felt for him. She doubted that it would ever go away.
Somewhere nearby, she knew that Sasori was watching her. He was always watching her. It was creepy, but she didn't mind. It was just weird. Somehow, she was comfortable with it. She had thought that she would be angry, or annoyed, or...something else–she didn't really know what–but she wasn't feeling any of that. There was just a strange peace, being back home, knowing that she was in Konoha again. She couldn't describe it, the contentment that filled her entire body. Just the sound of the busy street around her, of people at the height of day, was enough to drift her into a state of euphoria. Nothing could depress her today. Nothing could ruin her mood.
Then her eyes caught onto blond hair the colour of sunlight, shocking orange that wouldn't let go of her gaze. And for a moment, she thought that it was Naruto.
But it couldn't be him. Her mind refused to believe it. He was dead. He was dead, and only she knew the technique to bring him back. Only she and Sasori. Only she and Sasori, and Sasuke. That was it. And none of them would do it, could do it!
"Naruto!"
Sakura froze at the name, the name called out by the familiar voice of Sasuke-kun, and her world shattered.
"Kuso. You still can't do anything right," the dark-haired boy said with a sigh.
Her world shattered, leaving her in a black universe, her eyes fixed on the image of Sasuke-kun and Naruto, walking away from her. Sakura wanted to run after them. She wanted to stop them. For a moment, she thought about sending Sasori to stop them, but she couldn't move. Shards of her shattered world of peace anchored her in place.
And she didn't send Sasori forwards. She had tried to interfere before, and she knew that it wouldn't work. Sasuke loved Naruto. There was nothing she could do to change that.
"The same thing you keep telling yourself everyday, Sakura?" Sasori said from beside her. She hadn't realized it, but the moment the blond caught her eye, she had really called out to him. "There are some things you can't change. I can do it, but you can't."
"Urusai." Sakura turned from the couple already being swept away by the crowd. "If you want to torture me, do it later."
And Sasori felt her mind push him away. She didn't want him to come near her, so he couldn't come near her. "I'll see you at home!" He shouted to her, even though he knew that she would probably be a while. Her parents were going to yell at him for not keeping an eye on her, but what could he do? He couldn't leave Sakura or Konoha, and he could barely stay. And her parents kept thinking that he was going to kill them all in their sleep. There wasn't a time when they didn't disapprove of his actions.
And it was supposed to be his job to protect his master, right? Sasori could almost laugh at that. Protect Sakura? She didn't need protecting.
The Suna-nin looked down the street at the pink-haired kunoichi. She didn't need protecting. At least, not physically.
Sakura had already walked far away from Sasori before she realized what the puppetmaster had realized moments before. She wasn't planning to go home for a while. If she was going to go home, she would be there by now.
She wasn't sick anymore, so she was back in her parents' house, with her family. She didn't have chores to do. No shopping. She had no missions; it was too soon. She was just walking around, enjoying the fact that she was back, and reminding herself that it was okay. No one hated her for what she had done. Her stop at Ino's flower shop was a good reminder for that. No one was holding a grudge for her leaving them.
Now if only she could forgive herself.
Sakura sighed as she sat down, her eyes falling to the bare trees of late autumn. There were still some with leaves. The trees never fully shed their leaves, not like in Oto no Sato. It was nice. It was different. She liked that about Konoha, about Hi no Kuni.
This park held a lot of memories for her. This was where she ate alone their first official day as genin. This was where Sasuke left her for Otogakure and Orochimaru. This was where she wanted to see him return. But she was sitting alone again.
'I'm always going to be alone.' She could never be with Sasuke. She knew deep down that it was true. She just thought that she would have a chance to prove to him that it could work, a better chance than any he had given to her before.
"Sakura."
The pink-haired kunoichi looked up, her eyes falling on another familiar face. "Kakashi-sensei," she said with a slight smile. She hadn't expected to see him today. "Is there something..." Her voice trailed off as she saw the paper envelope in his hands, the worried expression on his face.
"We need to talk about this."
Sakura looked away, turned her attention to the trees. "There's nothing to talk about," she said slowly as she stared up into the sky, at the ground, at the empty road that passed through this area. Anywhere but at Kakashi-sensei. She didn't want to look at him right now. That would only depress her. "I've made up my mind." There was pain on his face, and she knew it.
"I want you to reconsider." He shoved the paper into her hands.
This was something that he had expected. He had to admit that he had expected this to happen. The stress, the strain on the girl's nerves, all the events of the past seven months since Sasuke returned from Oto no Sato, had all served to tear her apart socially, mentally, emotionally, and physically. She was so close to death that he was afraid of asking her to come back. If she came back, she would seriously die.
But he couldn't stop himself. He had avoided her, and he had avoided this moment, but he couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't just let her leave. He saw the letter on the Hokage's desk and had to ask for a delay. Sakura wasn't in the right state of mind. She wasn't serious! She couldn't be serious! She couldn't really mean what she had said. She wanted to quit being a shinobi.
And this time, she sounded serious.
This time, she wasn't going to leave Konoha for a suicide plan of vengeance. She had requested a transfer to the hospital where she could work as a full-time medic-nin. No more missions. No more killing. Nothing but the routine of hospital life.
"I can't do that, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said as she folded the letter neatly in her hands and placed it back into its envelope. "Gomen nasai." She stared at the white envelope in her hands. "You should return this to Tsunade-shishou." Her voice was so calm. It sounded as if she had given up.
"Sakura, I–"
"You can't believe that I'd say this again?" She smiled to herself, the smile of someone who wasn't going to change her mind. "I think," she said slowly as she handed the envelope back to her sensei, "that I need to be alone for a while. I need change. I need to change." She turned quickly away from her sensei and stood up, her arms stretching to either side in the nervous gesture that Kakashi remembered from long ago. "It sounds crazy, ne? I'm a kunoichi...at least for now. Tomorrow, I won't be one anymore." Her words were calm, the words of an unchangeable future. She wasn't going to argue something he couldn't change. "To work and be happy...isn't that what we all want? For that, we need something very important. It's called passion." The girl paused as she looked into the almost bare trees, her mind moving through her memories. Memories of the Academy. Memories of Sasuke and Naruto. Memories of Kakashi. Memories of Orochimaru and Oto no Sato. Memories of... "My passion has died." She turned to Kakashi again. "I just can't take it anymore, sensei." ...the people who will never be alive again.
She didn't expect Kakashi to understand. She didn't really expect anyone to understand, so she didn't explain it. The blood that constantly covered her hands seemed as if it would never wash away. Her conscience wouldn't allow it. And her conscience wouldn't allow her to continue the life a shinobi anymore, wouldn't allow her to take on missions anymore. The most her conscience would allow were the simplest of D-ranked missions. And that was no way to live. She couldn't just weed gardens and babysit for the rest of her life. Her skills as a medic-nin demanded that she be where people could get hurt.
But that would only tempt her to hurt someone again.
"Souka." The grey-haired jounin looked down at the paper in his hands, his uncovered eye unable to move from that unbearably white rectangle. He didn't say anything more as the kunoichi walked away. He really did understand. Right now, she just wasn't strong enough to fight someone. Her mind couldn't take it.
"Sayonara, Kakashi-sensei."
But it didn't mean that he was going to give up!
Kakashi leapt to his feet at Sakura's goodbye, his mouth opening for unheard words, but she was already gone. Where she had stood, there was only the wind and her words. Sayonara. She wasn't coming back.
End Chapter 15
End Wait for Me: Following
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Note: GO TO WAIT FOR ME: SEARCHING TO CONTINUE THE SERIES or just read the epilogue first. If you thought Sakura's behaviour was strange in any way, please read the sidestory, WAIT FOR ME: AKU NO YAMI for what happened to her in the month between the time she left Konoha and the time she arrived at Oto. Thanks to Darkykimanoi for pointing out that her behaviour was a little OOC.
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Naruto's Medical Report: The Coroner's Report
Fire: Hi! For those of you who were confused about what actually happened to Naruto, ie how he died, read this. I warn you that this is a medical report so it might get confusing in some parts, so if you haven't reached the age where you're taking high school biology, you should probably avoid this.
Sasuke: Stop sounding so superior.
Fire: It'll be annoying if I get reviews saying they don't know what pulmonary means!
Sasuke: What's pulmonary?
Fire: It's a Latin root word referring to the lungs. A pulmonary artery would be an artery connected to the lungs and a pulmonary vein would be a vein connected to the lungs.
Sasuke: O.O I'm going to leave now.
Fire: Well, I hope you understand this. I put a lot of things in brackets as side notes in case you don't know what the terms are or if you need further explanation. If you still don't understand just send me a review and I'll be happy to explain anything and everything.
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Warning: Excessive science and medical content. I would prefer people with at least high school biology (grade 11) to read this. Anything below that grade and you might not understand. Gomen nasai! I even put a lot of explanations in brackets to make it more comprehensible! I can't simplify it any more than this.
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Warning: This is all theory. If you have a medical degree and can prove me wrong, send me your argument with all your references and I'll send you my references. I'll rewrite this so that it coincides with current medical knowledge.
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Naruto's initial cause of death was the direct impact of a fuuma shuriken into his back, piercing through the lungs but not entirely through his body. Although this would have killed an ordinary shinobi like Kakashi or Itachi—as was Sasuke's intention—Naruto had the powers of a jinchuuriki. The Kyuubi bestows an advanced healing ability to Naruto—all he needs is one night's sleep and he's completely healed in the morning (manga 162, anime 93)—so it isn't believable that he would die from a simple impact. However, there are factors that made it possible.
The first factor is the healing speed of Sakura's combined Shosen Jutsu with the Kyuubi's healing ability. Although she only thought about healing Naruto, the fact that he was healed quickly creates several problems unrelated to whether or not he was still bleeding. In chapter 8 of the first book (Following), Sakura said she had healed him completely, inside and out, and she wasn't lying.
The problem is that air bubbles were trapped in the veins, obstructing the pulmonary vessels and blood flow. This is a big problem considering the smallest pulmonary vessels (capillaries) are only approximately 1mm in diameter, making them extremely easy to obstruct. These capillaries are connected directly to the alveoli and are important in supplying oxygen to the blood stream. When they are obstructed, the body asphyxiates.
In addition to this new problem, there is a complication from a previous injury. Naruto's lungs were already damaged from Itachi's advanced genjutsu in the prequel (Crystalline Mirage). The medical term of this condition is Pulmonary Embolism, PE for short (also Pulmonary Embolus, Venous thrombo-embolism, Lung blood clot, Blood clot – lung, Embolus, and Tumor embolus). The blood vessels were blocked in some way, causing swelling in the veins, ultimately affecting the heart. Long term side effects involve heart failure and death.
Together, the simplified version of the first factor was the Naruto's blood vessels were blocked in various forms, preventing blood from circulating properly in his body. A result is massive PE (the life-threatening kind, not the regular kind that could go away on its own), which leads to factor two when capillaries burst due to a buildup of pressure in the blood network.
The second factor comes from the complications created by Itachi's previous attack. Although Tsunade had treated his condition and he was stable, there is still the problem with blood clots.
Blood clots are created by cells in blood called platelets. They create scabs when external wounds appear and create blood clots (gelatinous globs of blood not like scabs at all) when internal wounds appear. Like scabs, blood clots usually go away on their own; however, there is a negative side. Blood clots in the lungs can cause problems like those seen in the prequel: hemorrhaging (another word for internal bleeding).
Where did these blood clots come from? In addition to blood capillaries bursting due to PE, when Itachi used the defensive ability of his advanced genjutsu, he sent a large quantity of chakra suddenly through Naruto's system, inadvertently causing damage to Naruto's internal organs (as was explained in Itachi's Advanced Genjutsu Explained in the prequel). As a result of this, there was already a lot of internal bleeding. Blood clots are a result of internal bleeding, and with them, it is a lot easier to hemorrhage a second time. (Interesting note: Coughing up blood, sudden coughing, chest pain, and dizziness experienced by Naruto in the prequel are all symptoms of PE.)
Intense activity, like the fight with Itachi during Naruto's recovery period, can cause blood clots to rupture or have areas previously healed by sousen burst. Although sousen can heal injuries, large injuries still require rest in order to recover properly. For example, after the fight between Sasuke and Naruto at Shuumatsu no Tani, even though he was healed by medic-nin, Naruto was still bandaged and hospitalized (manga 236 and 237, anime episode 135) and Kiba was also bandaged in the same severe way (manga 235, anime 135).
The third factor is the side effects of PE. Even if healed, there is still a chance of PE recurring, right heart dysfunction (another word for right heart failure) or pulmonary hypertension (another word for high blood pressure). This means that even if Naruto heals from this condition, there is a chance that it will come back, or his heart will fail and he'll die, or his arterial (of the arteries and not the veins—arteries carries blood away from the heart and veins carry blood toward the heart) blood pressure will go up. Any of these three side effects can kill Naruto on their own, even without the other two factors or the fuuma shuriken. In reality, Naruto only had pulmonary hypertension, and recurring PE as a result of Sakura's Sousen Jutsu; surgery is a risk factor in developing PE.
These three factors combined with the fuuma shuriken killed Naruto. The fuuma shuriken hit Naruto in the back, close to the heart but not quite. If it was just that, he wouldn't have died, (manga 227and 228, anime 133). The Kyuubi's chakra would have been enough to heal him, even if old wounds had reopened. However, factor three has considerable effect on this. Because Sakura's Sousen Jutsu caused blocks in the veins and in the already high blood pressured arteries (ie. pulmonary hypertension), newly closed wounds (the ones Sakura recently closed with her medical ninjutsu) rupture in Naruto's body. His lungs fill with blood and he generally drowns in his own blood; hence he was coughing up so much blood when he was dying.
But even before that, he was already asphyxiating due to the occurrence of massive PE. More than eighty percent of people with massive PE die within the first two hours (even with medical treatment). Along with the problems of internal bleeding (where he drowns in his own blood), Naruto's chances of survival was already low. The Kyuubi could heal physical wounds, but he couldn't reach into Naruto's body to take out the unnecessary blood, or the miscellaneous objects inhibiting his blood flow.
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Fire: I hope that wasn't too confusing.
Sasuke: I'm not even going to try to understand what you were talking about.
Fire: If you want to know more about PE and it's side effects, search online. I don't want to go near medicine for awhile.
Sasuke: Why are you do mean to Naruto?
Fire: It's too easy. Besides, I like mixing his unique abilities with real life problems.
Sasuke: I hate you.
Fire: (ignoring Sasuke) Now, read the moral. Read the moral!
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Moral of the story:
The strongest emotion someone can have is hatred. It is the driving force behind progress, but consumes entirely. When you look back, what will you see but the destruction of those blind actions? Sometimes, you need to take a step—or several steps—back. Forgiveness and understanding can be more important than beckoning vengeance.
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Fire's English tidbits for those who care:
Here is another grammar tidbit since I haven't done one in a long time. Who and whom. "Who" is a subject, the noun in a sentence that does the action. For example, Sasuke loves Naruto. Sasuke is the subject. "Whom" is an object, the noun in a sentence that the action is done upon. In the example, Naruto is the object. So, "who does what to whom" is the proper way of saying it, not "who does what to who" or "whom does what to who." Those are incorrect. Finally, a short English tidbit! Aren't you happy? I am!
Fire's babbling:
Fire: That's the last tidbit for this book. The epilogue doesn't have tidbits.
Sasuke: You're just lazy.
Fire: (ignoring Sasuke) That's the first short tidbit in a very long time. I'm glad I got back to the grammar. (smiles)
Sasuke: (yelling) Don't ignore me!
Fire: I can do what I want... (gestures to Kisame) …unless you want to fight Kisame.
Kisame: Keep me out of this.
Fire: Well, that was the end of this book. If you read the first book, have you noticed a theme yet?
Kisame: No one cares.
Fire: (hugs Kisame tighter) …
Kisame: (squeaks and falls over) …
Fire: Anyone who really wanted yaoi in this story but noticed that there wasn't enough SasuNaru, go to the epilogue. And anyone who wants to read the third book in the series, read the epilogue. But I warn you now, there's fluff. Those who want to read the third book but want to stay away from anything fluff-related, you might want to stay away from this epilogue. I wrote it only to add another dimension to Sasuke's character and to help underline his actions in the third book. Don't think too much about it. There's no storyline in it.
Sasuke: Hey! (glares at the audience) Just read it! I spent time on that!
Naruto: I'm in it too. (waves frantically for attention) Did you hear? I'm in it too! Read it!
Itachi: (looks at Naruto) … (grabs Naruto and runs)
Sasuke: O.o Hey! Get back here! (runs after Itachi) That's my dobe! Give him back!
Naruto: Waah!
Sasuke: You're supposed to be dead! Stay dead, kuso!
Fire: Uh…
Kisame: Just finish what you were going to say.
Fire: I forgot.
Kisame: …
Kakashi: (pulls out the script and hands it to Fire) It says—
Fire: Waah! How can I forget! (turns to the audience) This was the last chapter in this book so if you want to continue with the series, go to Wait for Me: Searching. Either go to my profile or search for it. The pairings are the same as they were for the other books: SasuNaru, KakaSaku, LeeSaku, onesided SakuSasu and there's a new pairing that I've added, SasoSaku. I really like the Sasori/Sakura pairing, so don't hate me for it. If there are a lot of other people who want them together, I might make that the final Sakura pairing. In the meantime, the main pairing will stay KakaSaku for the third book. In other words…
Kisame: You're talking too much.
Fire: Damare!
Kisame: Just stop already. No one's listening anyway.
Fire: (squeezes Kisame tighter) …
Kisame: (squeaks and falls over) Stop…hugging me…already!
Fire: (turns to the audience again) Gomen nasai if you wanted more Kakashi/Sakura moments. There are more in the third book. But until then, review! Review and tell me what you thought! Tell me if you got the theme yet! I'm going to be ending all three books in the series in the same way. And if you have a favourite out of the Sakura pairings (it doesn't have to be one that I've listed so if you want something like NejiSaku or a ShikaSaku—even if it's not popular—it's still a possibility) please send your vote to me. I can't decide. But whatever it is, I can't have a LeeSaku for this series. Gomen nasai again! I really like Lee but it won't work for the storyline. Any other pairing is fine. Lee! Hontou…hontou gomen nasai!
Lee: (cries) Sakura-san…
Fire: Send in your opinions. I'll reply to all of them, even if they're really, really long. I like those. Don't be afraid to fill up the page.
Sasuke: (pulling Naruto back into the window) You're insane!
Naruto: It wasn't my fault!
Sasuke: Stop trying to cheat on me!
Fire: Sasuke, it's the end.
Sasuke: (looks at the script) Kuso! (turns to Naruto) This is all your fault!
Naruto: No, it's not! (turns to Itachi) It's all your fault!
Itachi: (grabs Naruto and runs) …
Sasuke: I'm going to kill you, Itachi! (runs after Itachi and Naruto)
Fire: Ja ne! (waves)
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