Yo. Sorry for the late update, but college life can be pretty hectic. Anyway, thanks for the wonderful reviews for the last chapter. They really made my day and spurred me on to write faster and better.
Okay, before you all start reading the new chapter, I'd like to showcase a few things:
1. Naruto switches back and forth in calling Sakura "Sakura-chan." Because he's twenty and now sees Sakura as a cherished friend, I don't see him calling her that constantly. It's more like a force of habit, like how Sakura refers to Kakashi as "sensei." Naruto and Sasuke both calls Kakashi by his given name, but Sakura maintains the title out of habit, even though he hasn't officially been her teacher in years.
2. According to the dictionary, the words "ninja" and "nin" are both singular and plural. So don't feel weird when I write things like "four ninja" or "two Jounin" The dictionary says it's okay :)
3. Some of you were a bit confused from the last chapter, so I hope this chapter can give you a clearer picture as to what happened after Sakura's emergency call.
4. For the first few chapters of this story, I won't be having much dialogue because I prefer to go into the details of the story beforehand. But rest assured, I'll have much more dialogues as the story progresses.
5. I usually post my chapters before I double check them so there are bound to be several typos and missing words, so if you guys see them, be sure to let me know. It always helps to have another pair of eyes.
Um, that's all for now. Enjoy this latest chapter and I hope you all will take the time to give me your opinions, because believe it or not, they really help. Thanks. Have a nice day!
Chapter 4
"Sasuke . . ."
He stared at her, at the way her eyes widened and wondered whether she realized she'd spoken her self-incrimination out loud. He wondered, too, why he had been the one to speak, when it was obvious either Naruto or Kakashi—who stood several feet behind him—could have done so. But the look on her face . . . it was a reminiscent of their younger days, when she—as well as almost everybody else—had believed herself to be weak and useless. And for some reason, that irritated Sasuke and he had been unable to stop the words from slipping past his lips.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, licking her dry lips. "Sasuke, what are you—"
He cut her off, unable to answer the question he himself had been asking. "You're blaming yourself, aren't you?" he said quietly. "Why?"
"I . . ."
Kakashi stepped forward and startled Sakura. She hadn't been aware of his presence, nor of the blonde-haired shinobi standing behind him. It was a testament to her current state of mind for her to be unaware of her surroundings. "Sensei . . ."
"Sakura." His voice was gentle, void of the anger she'd heard earlier. "Will you tell me what happened?"
"I . . ." She lifted her hands helplessly. "He's—he was—a patient of mine. I've been treating him for poison for two days. I-I thought I removed it completely, demo . . . there was a bit left inside his system . . . it was so small . . ."
"Ah, Sakura-chan," Naruto said softly.
She choked back a sob and wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself tightly. "I was so proud of myself. The poison was rare. I thought . . . if I'd focused more, if I hadn't been so confident . . ." She began to shake. "I told him he was okay, that he could leave tomorrow. He was so happy. His daughter's birthday is in three days . . . I should have . . . I should have . . . demo . . ."
It broke Naruto's heart to see one of his best friends in such a way. He brushed past Sasuke and Kakashi and wrapped his arms around her smaller figure. "Yamero, Sakura. I'm sure you did all you could."
She lifted tear-filled eyes to his face. "He was so happy to be able to make it for his daughter's birthday. I promised him he'll be holding her in no time. I promised," she whispered in a voice so achingly dejected, even the so-called block of ice Sasuke was affected. The corners of her lips lifted ruefully. "I . . . I'm a bad person, Naruto. I'm just awful, aren't I?"
"Yamero, Sakura," he repeated firmly, his arms tightening around her.
She clutched the front of his shirt in her fists. "I'm aw—" Suddenly, her pupils dilated and before she knew it, she felt the floor beneath her give away.
"Sakura!"
And the last thing she saw before her world faded to black was the sight of Sasuke's face, his expression strangely heart-wrenching.
"Listen to me, Sakura," Tsunade told her. "One of the things a medic-nin must never do is promise a patient he'll survive whatever illness he's suffering from."
Sakura frowned. "Demo, shishou-sama, isn't that our duty? To give them hope?"
The blonde-haired Hokage sighed. "That's the ideal, Sakura, but life doesn't always turn out the way we want it to be. Our real duty is to promise to heal him as best as we can, but we can't make promises. Unless his illness or wound is a minor one, like a simple cut, we can't make promises. Because if something happens, we'd feel responsible."
"But we should encourage him, ne?"
"You're so young, Sakura," Tsunade said with a fond smile. "But you have to understand that if humans can fulfill all their promises, then we wouldn't need God."
Sakura smiled slightly. "I supposed you're right."
"Of course I am. I'm the Hokage, aren't I?" the older woman boasted with a foxy laugh. "Now recite to me the common causes of pneumonia. We went through it yesterday, correct?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama. The causes are . . ."
"Sakura."
She slowly lifted her eyelids, which felt as if they were weighted down by anvils. It took her moment to adjust her vision and when the blur finally receded, she looked up to see the youthful face of her mentor. Tsunade stared back at the younger woman, her expression that of concern and something else—anger.
"Shishou-sama," Sakura croaked. She was aware that she was lying on a hospital bed, with the soft humming of a monitor echoing around the room.
"You used that jutsu again, didn't you, you stubborn girl?" the blonde-haired beauty asked.
Sakura swallowed, attempting to summon more moisture to wet what seemed like the desert in her throat. "Gomen, shishou . . ."
"Oi, obaa-san, what jutsu?"
Sakura turned and almost cried out from the shot of pain that sliced through her head by the movement. For a second, the world spun and when she was at last able to focus, she found Naruto standing on the other side of her, his bright blue eyes filled with worry.
"A healing jutsu," Tsunade replied crisply, twitching slightly by the way the blonde-haired brat had addressed her. "A very strong one that shouldn't be done regularly, especially if the healer has been working a twelve-hour shift." At the last bit, she turned to frown at the pink-haired medic-nin. "Your chakra was almost completely drained, Sakura."
"Gomen, shishou," she repeated.
Tsunade sighed and straightened. "You're too pathetic right now for me to lecture you. I'll save it for our next meeting."
Sakura bit back her tears, angry at herself for such a weakness. She knew she deserved her mentor's irritation. Tsunade had warned her again and again to watch her chakra level and to not take unnecessary risks.
"Is she going to be okay, Hokage-sama?" It was Kakashi who asked the question. He was standing at the end of the bed, his exposed eye taking in the extreme paleness of his former student's skin.
"She'll be fine as long as she gets some rest," Tsunade declared. "I'm taking you off your duties for a couple of days, Sakura."
"But, shishou-sama—"
"Sakura," Tsunade interrupted in a voice that brooked no objection and Sakura, having been familiarized with the tone during the early days of her training, fell back to her pillow with a resigned sigh.
She suddenly gasped as she felt the burn in her fingertips. The air escaped her lungs and she gritted her teeth to stop herself from crying out from the pain.
"Sakura, what's wrong?" Naruto yelled, panicked. Even Kakashi started forward.
Tsunade, however, was unfazed. She left Sakura's side only to return seconds later with a bowl of hot water. "Dunk them in, Sakura," she ordered and the pink-haired young woman obediently lifted her hands and dipped them into the steaming liquid, allowing a soft moan to escape her throat as the ache slowly subsided.
"Sometimes," Tsunade told Naruto and Kakashi, "when too much chakra has been concentrated in a particular area for too long, it causes the area to become numb. It's a thing most medics experience and it's not a particularly happy situation, especially when the body attempts to return feeling to the area. It feels like pouring sake onto an exposed wound."
"You would know, wouldn't you, obaa-san?" Naruto teased.
"Why, you little—"
He rudely cut her off and turned to one of his best friends. "Na, Sakura-chan, is it getting better?"
She smiled weakly. "Hai, Naruto. Heat helps."
"You wouldn't be in this position if you hadn't been so stubborn," Tsunade pointed out.
Naruto glared at her. "Oi, obaa-san, don't be so harsh on her, especially after what happened—"
"Be quiet, Naruto," Kakashi said firmly.
Tsunade pursed her lips thoughtfully as she looked at Sakura. "I checked the reports, Sakura. There was nothing you could have done—the poison had spread too quickly. You know that, don't you?"
Sakura licked her lips. "H-hai, shishou," she replied softly.
Tsunade stared at for a moment before she let out another sigh. "Get some rest, Sakura. I'm keeping you here over-night," she said. "And you guys—" she turned to the other occupants in the room "—get out. Sakura needs to sleep and she won't be able to do that with all of you running around. And you, Uchiha, what the hell were you thinking getting up? You're going to tear my stitches."
Sakura's eyes widened and for the first time since she woke up, she noticed the black-haired figure standing by the window, his arms crossed as he leaned nonchalantly against the wall.
He shrugged, completely undaunted by the force of the Hokage's scowl. "I'm fine," he replied quietly.
Naruto snorted. "Feh, there you go again, trying to act all cool. Come on, I'll carry you back to your room."
"Don't touch me, dobe."
"What did you say, teme?" Naruto shouted and received a corresponding thump on the head by the Hokage.
"You brat, this is a hospital. Stop yelling!"
"Oi, obaa-san, you're yelling, too."
"You little brat, I'm going to—"
"Maa, maa," Kakashi calmed. "All this tension isn't good for Sakura's health."
Tsunade took a deep breath as she counted to ten, but the blaze in her eyes was still apparent as she glowered at the blonde-haired young man. One of these days, she thought, I'm going to have roasted fox for dinner, just see if I don't.
Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head. "Gomen, Sakura-chan," he said to the pink-haired kunoichi.
"Damn brat," Tsunade muttered. "You should be apologizing to me."
Sakura stared at Sasuke. Somehow the sight of him there was more painful than what she'd gone through in the emergency room. She didn't like that she'd appeared so vulnerable in front of him. So weak.
"Out, all of you," Tsunade ordered again.
Kakashi walked from his position at the end of the bed to Sakura's side. He patted her head, a familiar action from their days as a team. "Na, we'll see you tomorrow, Sakura."
She smiled at him and then was surprised when Naruto leaned forward and lightly kissed her cheek. "Make sure you get lots of rest, Sakura-chan. We wouldn't anything to happen to you, ne?"
Her smile wobbled. "You guys . . ."
Sasuke was already making his way to the door, Kakashi walking next to him in the event that he should fall from his recovering wounds. She swallowed hard and called out his name.
He looked at her over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows slightly. "What is it?"
She cleared her throat, clenching and unclenching her fingers inside the cooling water. "I . . . what I said earlier . . . I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it."
He stared back at her for a long while, his face impassive, but there was a glint in his dark eyes. Finally, his lips curved into his patented smirk. "Hn," he said. "Get some rest, Sakura."
She bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Hai."
"Sakura."
She looked up. "Hai?"
He was clearly uncomfortable and she wondered what he wanted. Did he want to berate her for her harsh words earlier? If so, she wouldn't mind. She probably deserved it.
"You . . ."
"Yes, Sasuke?"
"You—you've become strong."
The words, despite the cool way they were delivered, were genuine and despite everything she felt about him, despite everything she knew about him, she felt as if something within her bloomed. She looked at the other people surrounding her, at the gentle smiles on both Tsunade and Kakashi's faces, at the way Naruto beamed, and returned her gaze to Sasuke. "Arigatou, Sasuke."
He shrugged. "Hn," he said again and then walked out of the door.
"Heh, the teme's embarrassed," Naruto laughed as he followed his friend and former sensei out of the room, giving Sakura one last wave.
Sakura smiled as she waved back, wondering at the emotion that filled her. Tsunade touched her arm, claiming her attention.
"Things have changed, haven't they, Sakura?" the youthful-looking Hokage said softly.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama," she answered in an equally soft tone. "Yes, they have."
The decision for Sasuke's punishment wasn't announced as quickly as they wanted it to be. By midday, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were already gathered inside Sasuke's hospital room, waiting for the Hokage and the council members to appear. Naruto was all but bouncing off the walls, while Sakura sat in one of the chairs, twiddling her fingers. Even Kakashi was unable to concentrate on his book and for the silver-haired Jounin, that said a lot. Only Sasuke, who should have worried the most, was calm, sitting up in his bed with his hands clasped in front of him.
"Where the hell are they?" Naruto demanded impatiently for the fiftieth time since he arrived this morning.
"Maybe they're deciding which one is better—the needle or the axe," Kakashi replied drolly.
"That's not funny, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura admonished, but was stopped from scolding him further when she heard a very unfamiliar sound coming from the black-haired shinobi sitting on the bed.
Naruto's eyes were as round as an owl's. "O-oi, teme! Did you just—did you just . . . just . . .?"
"Laugh?" both him and Sakura asked in unison.
"I was amused," he replied quietly. "And I didn't laugh—I made a sound of amusement."
"That's the same thing, you arrogant know-it-all," Naruto yelled.
"If you like think so, then go ahead."
"You stupid—"
Sakura abruptly stood, breaking off Naruto's insult. "I'm going to get something to drink. Does anyone need anything?"
They declined her offer and she left the room, breathing a sigh of relief as she escaped the tension surrounding it. She was still a bit dizzy from yesterday, though she could feel her chakra level returning to normal.
She didn't try to question her nervousness. Yes, a part of her resented Sasuke for the things he'd done, but despite all that, she couldn't shake off the fact that for a long period of her life, she'd been infatuated with the black-haired shinobi. Her "love" aside, she had valued their relationship, no matter how strained it had been. He'd been her teammate, her friend, her . . . family. They'd been on many missions together and nothing could break the bond they'd shared during those times when they'd watched each other's backs. She couldn't ignore her current bitterness toward him, but she didn't want him to die, either.
You're as confused as ever, her inner voice told her with a derisive laugh.
Shut up. I'm female. It's a female's prerogative.
If you say so.
I do say so. Now be quiet.
She returned a few minutes later and was surprised to find a familiar, dark-haired figure making his way toward Sasuke's room from the other end of the hallway.
"Neji-san!" she exclaimed with a fond smile. Over the years, they'd become friends, having been sent on several missions together. She hadn't seen him for a while, as they had both been busy with their respective work. "I heard you were back."
He smiled and bowed slightly. "Hai. I came back several days ago."
"And how was the mission?" she asked, even though she knew the answer from Kakashi.
"Successful, of course," he replied and she had to laugh at the arrogance in his tone. He didn't mind, his smile broadening a bit.
"Are you okay? Physically, I mean," the medic within her asked.
"Yes, of course."
"I bet it'll be a while before you're ready to eat boar's meat, huh?" she couldn't help but teased.
The tips of his ears reddened slightly, but Neji, ever a good sport, retorted, "On the contrary, it was the first thing I ate when I came back home."
She laughed again. Very few were aware of it—possibly because he was usually so quiet and reserved—but Hyuuga Neji had a wicked sense of humor and bantering with him was always stimulating for the mind. She'd once been on a mission with both him and Nara Shikamaru and she'd had a riot of a time during their nights camping in the forest.
Despite himself, Neji laughed along. There were very few people who could match his wit and over the years, he'd realized the pink-haired ANBU-medic was one of them.
Sakura stopped laughing as a thought occurred to her. "Na, Neji, if you're not injured, then what are you doing here?"
"I asked him to come," came the answer from behind her and Sakura turned around to see Tsunade walking toward them, several council members following close on her heels.
"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama, council members." Both Sakura and Neji bowed respectfully.
They returned the greeting, Tsunade carefully studying Sakura's face. "Are you feeling better, Sakura?"
"Hai, shishou-sama. I had a very good sleep."
"Good. Council members, Neji, would you all please go inside first? I need to have a private word with Sakura for a moment."
They adhered to her request and when they had all disappeared into Sasuke's room, Tsunade drew closer to her student. Before the rather perplexed Sakura could say a word, the Hokage placed both of her hands on the younger woman's chest.
Sakura felt the familiar sizzle of another's chakra mingling with hers and her brows knitted as Tsunade stepped back, a satisfied smile on her face.
"Good. Your chakra level is high enough."
"High enough for what, shishou?" Sakura asked curiously.
The Hokage smiled. "Sakura, I'm going to need you to do something for me in just a while."
The room was quiet, which was unnatural considering Naruto was in it. He stood next to Kakashi in one side of the room and had been warned by Tsunade that she wouldn't hesitate to use her considerable strength if he interfered with the informal trial. Kakashi, who was prepared to use his chakra strings on Naruto on the Hokage's order, leaned back against the wall, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.
Sakura stood next to Neji, whose presence had been questioned and unexplained—much to a certain loud-mouthed blonde's displeasure. With her hands clasped behind her back, she surreptitiously surveyed the other people inside the room. Tsunade and four council members stood beside Sasuke's bed, but it was the presence of the four masked ninja that caught her attention. Two of them stood on each side of the doorway while two others stood by the window. More, she knew, was surrounding the perimeter. She'd known, of course, that the Hokage had posted ANBU-nins to guard Sasuke ever since his return, but until today, she'd never seen them. What was odd was the fact that they hadn't gone after him when he left the room yesterday.
She quickly counted the number of people in the room and thought wryly at how convenient it had been to give Sasuke one of the larger rooms in the hospital.
One of the advisors stepped forward, catching her attention. He was an old man, his tanned skin wrinkled and paper-thin. Sakura had seen him several times, knew him to be the leading Konoha advisor.
"Uchiha Sasuke," he spoke, his voice raspy from age. "Eight years ago, you left Konohagakure to side with the enemy, Orochimaru, to gain power for a personal vendetta. You were officially declared a missing-nin five years ago and have resisted Konoha shinobi's arrests numerous times. These are serious crimes. How do you plead?"
"Guilty." The answer was given swiftly and without a hint of emotion. Sakura wondered how he could be so detached even under the current pressure.
The advisor nodded, as if he had expected such an answer. "Very well. Hokage?"
Tsunade cleared her throat. "Uchiha Sasuke," she said in a serious tone, "are you aware of the common punishment received by those who have committed such crimes?"
"Yes," the sole remaining Uchiha answered. "Imprisonment or, if the crimes prove to be more dire, execution."
Naruto made a sound and Sakura knew that if either sentence were to be given to Sasuke, the blonde-haired shinobi would not hesitate to help his friend escape. It was typical Naruto behavior, she reflected. Naruto, who perhaps had more cause than anyone else to despise Sasuke for his actions, had not only accepted Sasuke's return with open arms, but was willing to move on from the pain his absence had caused. That was how loyal he was, how noble. And once again, he has proven to me how he's a much better person than I am.
"Sasuke," Tsunade continued, "we are all aware of your history, of the reason you left Konoha. Though we don't approve of your method, we understand it. Because of this, the advisors and I have decided to lighten your punishment."
There were audible sighs from both Naruto and Kakashi and if Sakura hadn't been carefully watching Sasuke's face, she wouldn't have noticed the grateful expression that filled his dark eyes. It surprised her, somewhat, as she had thought that he hadn't cared either which way. It wasn't much, but it relieved her that he had wanted to another chance. At least he feels sorry, even though he does a damn good job at hiding it.
"From today onwards, Sasuke," Tsunade told him, "you will be under probation for two years and under the surveillance of ANBU soldiers for one. You will not be allowed to leave the village for a year and after that year ends, whenever you do leave, you will continue to report to your probation officers. And until you've achieved Jounin rank, you will be subjected to D-rank missions only."
Sasuke forced himself to nod. The idea, of course, was humiliating. A shinobi of his caliber reduced to D-rank missions. He could remember very well they were and he inwardly cringed at the image of him climbing trees to rescue cats.
He glanced around the room, nearly unable to stop himself from squirming uncomfortably. It irked him to be surrounded by all these people while he sat on his bed. Such vulnerably galled him and he had a feeling that the shrewd Hokage knew it.
"Furthermore," said woman carried on, "you will have to perform community service for the rest of the year and—" she leveled a look at the Uchiha heir "—you will perform them diligently and without complaint.
"As for your shinobi position, after careful deliberation, the advisors and I have decided that your chakra level will be reduced to half until the end of your probation. Do you understand what I mean, Sasuke?"
"Hai," he answered through gritted teeth. They were going to take away his chakra? After all the training he'd done, after all the things he'd gone through?
As if he'd said those words out-loud, Tsunade said, "You must accept this decision, Sasuke, and realize that you're getting off rather lightly considering your crimes. Hyuuga Neji will perform the act of minimizing your chakra flow."
So that was the reason for the Hyuuga's presence. Sasuke had wondered at that; he hadn't seen the dark-haired prodigy since their Chuunin exam days and was curious as to how far the other man had progressed.
Tsunade spoke again, drawing his attention back to her. "You should know, Sasuke, that the first thing I did when you walked past the village gate was to check your body for the cursed seal Orochimaru gave you all those years ago. Had I detected it, I would not have hesitated to kill you there and then, personal feelings aside." She paused and then softly asked, "When did he remove it?"
"Four years ago."
"Why?"
Sasuke saw no reason to lie. "I achieved the Mangekyou Sharingan, which could not balance well with the cursed seal. He—Orochimaru—had no choice but to remove it." He remembered well the pain that had coursed through his body every time he attempted to activate the particular bloodline limit before the seal was removed and the supplementary pain he'd felt during the twelve-hour process of removing the cursed seal. It was an experience he wouldn't wish to go through again.
There was a long, heavy silence after his announcement as the others grasped the information.
"You achieved the Mangekyou?" Tsunade asked, blinking.
"Yes. I wouldn't have survived my—my fight if I hadn't."
"Very well." Tsunade nodded. "I will check on that later, but for now, there's something else I want to tell you. When I inspected your system, I found the faintest remainder of the cursed seal, but thankfully it's not as dangerous as I expected it to be. It can be counteracted by another seal to prevent the risk of spreading, much like the one Kakashi gave you during the Chuunin exams, only stronger. The seal will also be infused with a detection chakra."
Sasuke frowned. "Detection chakra?"
"Yes. Another person's chakra so that should you ever decide to be stupid enough to escape your sentence and violate your probation, the owner of the chakra can effortlessly detect you or, should I make the decision, terminate you even without your knowledge."
Sasuke couldn't prevent himself from jerking forward. To put his life in another person's hands, to be forced to trust . . .
"O-oi, obaa-san!" Naruto protested.
"Be quiet, Naruto!" Tsunade ordered seriously. Her gaze didn't waver from Sasuke's. "Do you accept this, Sasuke? I trust you understand the alternative if you don't."
Sasuke stared at her for long moments. He understood the implication behind the Hokage's words: either put his life in another person's hands or have no life at all. For a split second, he wavered between the two choices. He couldn't imagine living with the thought that at any second, he could easily be killed without being able to fight back. Such helplessness was daunting and unfathomable.
He looked around the room, at the impassive faces of the advisors and Hyuuga Neji, at Kakashi whom he could see was silently imploring him to make the right decision, at Naruto who had to be restrained by their former sensei and then finally at Sakura. Her large green eyes stared back at him and something within him stirred. I want to live. I want to live.
He returned his gaze to the Hokage and slowly, but firmly, his nodded. "I accept."
"Wise choice, you stubborn brat," she whispered and then loudly declared, "After weighing it carefully, I have chosen the person I think best to carry out the seal. Haruno Sakura, please step forward."
Sasuke started. He had thought that it would be either Tsunade herself or Kakashi even. His head whipped around toward her direction and for the first few times of his life, he was unable to control his features.
Sakura felt the force of his stare and almost wavered under its intensity. She'd been waiting for this, had listened only half-heartedly as Tsunade listed out Sasuke's punishment. Her heart raced and behind her back, her hands shook. Until minutes ago, she hadn't been aware of Tsunade's decision, had not thought that she would be responsible for Sasuke's life, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she allowed someone else to carry the burden. She still wondered if Tsunade had chosen the right person, but regardless of her personal feelings, she would carry it out as ordered.
"Sakura . . ." Naruto said.
"Daijoubu, Naruto," she told him gently as she started to move from her position next to Neji.
"Wait," Sasuke said.
The tension that filled the air then could have cut through steal as everyone watched Sasuke address the Hokage.
"Last night, she lost a large amount of chakra," he reminded the blonde-haired woman. "Will performing the jutsu cause her a relapse?"
For a second, fury swirled within Sakura. Was he questioning her ability—again? The anger, however, ebbed when she realized that he didn't doubt her and her heart skipped a beat. As unbelievable as it was, Sasuke was actually worried about her. Years ago, her inner self would have squealed, but now—heck, now she wasn't sure what she felt.
The corners of Tsunade's lips lifted. "Don't worry. I inspected her before I came in. I even gave her some of my chakra just to be safe. She'll be fine." She turned to look at her student. "Sakura?"
"Hai, Tsunade-sama." The pink-haired young woman moved to stand on the other side of Sasuke's bed, taking deep even breaths to soothe her nerves.
"Do you remember the jutsu, Sakura?" Tsunade asked for the benefit of the others.
"Perfectly." Only Tsunade was aware of it, but years ago she'd done an extensive research of cursed seals, innocent in the belief that one day she would be able to perform another seal to counteract the one the bastard Orochimaru had placed on Sasuke.
That day, apparently, had arrived.
"Everyone else, give them some space," Tsunade ordered and she and the advisors stepped back.
"Sasuke, please lower your shirt," Sakura instructed softly.
He tugged on his sleeve, revealing his shoulder. There, on the spot that connected his neck with his shoulder, was the mark Sakura distinctly remembered. But now the black color was gone and the three swirls that strangely resembled the Sharingan wheels were a shade darker than Sasuke's lightly tanned flesh. Without thinking, she touched the mark, but quickly pulled away when Sasuke gave a jerk.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Does it hurt?"
"Of course not," he answered. There was no way in hell that he was going to disclose how her soft touch had affected his body.
She smiled slightly. "Then what I'm going to do probably will. I'll try to minimize the pain."
"Just get on with it." Then, realizing how rude he sounded, added as an afterthought, "Please."
She nodded and brought her hands forwards. Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath and felt her chakra flow through her veins. Her lips moved in a torrent of words she'd spent years memorizing.
Suddenly, a large circle began to form on the floor around the two of them, letters from days gone by, created by the most powerful of shinobi. Instead of the blue they had been when Kakashi had performed a similar seal, they glowed a fiery red and even Naruto could feel the power emanating from them. Her fingers moving rapidly in a series of hand seals, Sakura continued to chant the ancient words and across the room, Neji touched the band wrapped around his forehead. The words were familiar, but unlike those that had been whispered when he had received the seal.
"Now!" Sakura shouted and one of her hands shot forward to cover the faded mark on Sasuke's shoulder. The shock from the pain jolted his body and a cry was wrenched from deep within the pit of his belly. He had known, of course, that the process would be excruciating, even without her warning. His teeth clamped on his bottom lip, so hard he could taste the metallic tang of his own blood. His hands fisted around the bed sheet and he screwed his eyes shut, aware that his Sharingan had been activated from his body's natural instinct to defend himself.
Then all of a sudden, the pain faded and he was acutely aware of her chakra within his body. The feeling was peculiar, despite the fact that all nin, at one time or another, experienced similar situations. It was almost frightening as his mind became aware of how personal it was, as if she had invaded the deepest core of his soul. It was unlike any other feeling he'd ever known and it was a daunting experience.
For Sakura, she felt as if she were floating. Her mind was closed off to any other entity except Sasuke and the ancient words that slipped past her lips. She could feel her chakra—a larger amount that she had ever used before—flowing into his body and mingling with his. In her mind, she could see the fusion, a swirl of bright liquid—and it was beautiful. The feeling was curiously intimate—as if they became a single unit.
Neither was aware of those watching them or how much time had passed. The world was only the two them, merging into one. After a while, Sasuke was aware of the voice within his head, softly at first and then louder. It was Sakura's, soft and gentle, speaking a language he could not even begin to comprehend but was aware of the enormity of it. Words of the old, of times they had never seen, but only heard about in bed time stories.
Oddly, he heard other words as well.
"Sasuke-kun, will you go on a date with me?"
"Daijoubu, Sasuke-kun?"
"You're so cool, Sasuke-kun!"
"Sasuke-kun, I love you!"
Sasuke's eyes, now back to their normal onyx shade, sprang open at the same moment Sakura's did. Their gazes locked and both could feel the seal reaching its peak. And then, for a moment, the two of them became obscured from the others' eyes as a red wall, almost like a blazing curtain, surrounded them. Sakura whispered the last verse of the chant and her fingers tightened on his flesh. Both cried out as she completed the seal and the wall that had surrounded them slowly disappeared.
Time seemed to move slowly for Sakura and she felt her legs crumble. She could feel herself falling backwards and she closed her eyes in resignation, unable to save herself.
Snatch!
Long, masculine fingers clasped around her wrist in a firm grip and her eyes flickered open to see black eyes staring back at with startling concentration. Against her will, her lips curved into a soft smile. "Sasuke-kun . . ."
Her body again went limp and then she felt strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her in an almost fatherly embrace. She knew those arms, their hold a familiar feeling from her days in Team 7. "Kakashi-sensei . . ."
"Are you okay, Sakura?"
"Sakura-chan!" she heard Naruto exclaimed as if from a distant. He had managed to escape the restrain Kakashi had placed around his body when he had attempted to interfere for the second time, unable to see his friends in what he thought was pain. "Tsunade-sama, Sakura . . .!"
It was a testament to how worried Naruto was that he'd called the Hokage by her proper title.
"Be quiet, you brat, she's just feeling the effects of the jutsu."
Kakashi carried his former student to a nearby chair and gently sat her down. He hunkered down in front of her and tenderly smoothed back the pink tendrils from her slightly damp forehead. "Sakura?"
Her heart beating in a rapid tattoo, Sakura greedily inhaled oxygen into her lungs. "I'm . . . I'm okay . . . Kakashi-sensei," she gasped, her eyes still closed.
Tsunade stepped forward to inspect Sasuke's shoulder. The young man was trembling and she moved so that she could block him from the others' view, knowing that the display of vulnerability would bother him. She ran her fingers over the newly formed seal; there was now a small circle surrounding the teardrop-like swirls, a replica of the much larger one that had been on the floor moments ago. She placed her hands on his chest and after a moment, pulled back and smiled with satisfaction.
"You did good, Sakura," she declared, turning her attention to her pink-haired student. "I couldn't have done it better myself."
Sakura found the strength to open her eyes and smile at her mentor. "Thank you, shishou-sama."
Naruto handed a glass of water to one of his best friends, which she gratefully drank. "That was . . . that was amazing, Sakura-chan," he praised with a huge grin. Even he, as an observer, had felt the intensity of the seal.
"Thanks." She lifted two fingers and flashed him a "peace" sign.
"You've truly come a long way, Sakura," Kakashi said, pride obvious in his tone.
She smiled at him. "I wouldn't have done it without your help, too, Sensei."
Naruto turned to his black-haired friend. "Oi, teme, are you okay?"
No answer.
"Oi, I'm talking you. Are you okay?"
More silence.
"You bloody teme, how dare you ignore me!"
Nothing.
"Hey, obaa-san, does the seal make him deaf and mute, too?"
"Urusei, baka."
"I couldn't have said it better myself, Sasuke," Tsunade agreed as she passed him a glass of water. "You're going to be dizzy for a while. I suggest you get some rest afterwards. Same goes for you, Sakura."
"Hai, shishou-sama."
Sasuke felt as if he couldn't breathe. He glanced at Sakura and then down at his hands; they were shaking. His pulse raced unnaturally fast and his muscles felt extremely tight. What he'd gone through . . . he couldn't even begin to find the words to explain it.
"Neji," he heard Tsunade call out to the dark-haired Hyuuga prodigy. "It's your turn now."
"Hai, Hokage-sama," the ANBU captain replied. "But after Sakura, it's going to seem anti-climatic."
Sakura chuckled weakly. "Ah, humility from the Hyuuga genius. You just made my day, Neji-san."
"Cherish the moment then, Sakura. It's not going to happen again," the dark-haired young man said with a wink.
"Don't worry, Neji, I'll wave pom-poms for you if you want!" Naruto teased.
"Baka," Neji said as he moved to where Sakura had been standing moments ago. "Please shift a bit forward, Uchiha-san," he said formally.
It annoyed him, but Sasuke did as told. His jaw clenched and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hyuuga's arm shoot forward and felt the consequent tap at the juncture of his spine. The act was painless and over in a second, leaving him feeling even more lightheaded. His body felt as if the weight had been drained in half and he realized it was from the feeling of half of his chakra being blocked.
"It is done, Hokage-sama," Neji declared. "The blockage will be removed on your orders."
"Thank you, Neji. You both did well, Sakura, Neji."
They nodded respectfully.
The meeting moved pretty quickly from then on as Tsunade assured everyone—especially the advisors—that everything was in tact. Sasuke was made to sign a contract as an agreement to his sentence and the tension that hung in the air slowly evaporated. There were other matters to be taken of, but they could wait for a later day.
"Oi, obaa-san," Naruto began. "Something's been bothering me. Just now you said that until Sasuke reaches Jounin level, he'll only be doing D-rank missions, ne?"
Tsunade smiled, knowing what was to come. "That's correct."
"Ano . . . so what's his shinobi level now?"
"Use what brain Kami-sama has generously decide to give you, brat. What level was he when he left?"
It took him a moment but when it finally dawned on him, his bright blue eyes widened and a large smile began to slowly form on his whisker-marked face. "You mean . . .?"
Sasuke glared at the back of the Hokage's head. Like hell!
Tsunade's laughter rang clear and loud. "Hai, hai!"
Naruto almost fell to the floor laughing. "You hear that, teme? You're a . . . you're a . . ." he sputtered.
"Genin," Kakashi finished for him, his shoulders beginning to shake.
"Genin! Genin!" Naruto gasped. "Genin!"
Sakura bit her bottom lip to stop herself from giggling and even Neji had to place a hand over his mouth to hide his amusement.
Sasuke's face was pale with dread and the tips of his ears with bright red. The moment I'm strong enough, I'm going to . . .
Tsunade cleared her throat, attempting to appear serious even as her body shook with mirth."We'll leave you now, Sasuke. I hope you realize how close you'd come to the executioner's block and take advantage of the chance you've been given."
"Aa. Thank you, Hokage-sama," the Uchiha heir said and there was genuine respect in his tone, even though a part of him was still picturing setting fire to a couple of blondes.
She grinned. "And one more thing, you brat," she said.
"Hai?"
"Welcome home, Uchiha Sasuke."
And for the first time since he'd been a boy and had witnessed the bloodied bodies of his family littering the Uchiha manor, Uchiha Sasuke smiled. Not a smirk, but a soft, honest smile. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
He glanced at the grinning faces of his former sensei and his one-time best friend, whose friendships were unquestionable and freely given , and then at a pair of gentle green eyes that, for the first time since his return, gazed back at him without indifference. It wasn't going to be smooth sailing from here on, but at least he knew he wouldn't be facing the difficulties alone.
Aa. He was home.
To be continued . . .
Damn, that was a long one. Yes, it's a bit a mushy for Sasuke, but I want to have some growth, you know? And I'm sure you know that Sasuke is a hard character to write, especially if you're trying to avoid him from becoming OOC.
Ah, well, you all know what to now, don't you?
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