A/N: Thank you all so much for all the amazing support the past few chapters! I know I've been sappy before, but this fic means a stupid amount to me and the feedback from all of you truly makes my day - yes, even negative feedback. I wanted to say, I know I have been updating weekly, but at this point in the year, work starts to pick up. I will be adjusting the update schedule, both for my sanity and so this fic can be the best it can be, and will only update once a month. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter VII

The hospital was eerily quiet. Sakura walked through the endless white halls, most of the doors open and showcasing their empty beds. The uneasy feeling she had still twisted deep within her, causing her stomach to knot up angrily and without warning every time she entered the hospital room, and yet she still chose to visit. She visited, because even though the knot grew tighter, entering the doorway of the room made her brain tingle with a small sensation, as though her neurons were signaling for her to keep going - that this was the right thing to do.

Room 133. Sakura took in a deep breath before pushing the door open from its ajar state, and she felt her stomach surge with anxiety and tension. The ice woman lay on her side facing towards the window as Sakura took a seat in her usual chair.

There was stifling silence throughout the room for a lifetime, until the woman finally spoke.

"Did you bring it?" Her voice was pure gravel, crackling thickly.

"I won't kill you," Sakura was stern. She watched as the woman coughed violently, her body curled up into a tight ball, her hair tangled and askew.

"They were right about you," She said coldly, "Shinobi of the Leaf truly are ruthless."

Sakura clenched her fists as she stood up wildly, her pink hair swaying around her face.

"Watch it!" She hissed. "Shinobi of the Leaf are who saved your life!"

The woman let out a manic sound of wheezing air, and Sakura knew she was trying to laugh. It was a sound devoid of any humor; harsh and acidic. She flopped her body around, her wicked gaze locked onto Sakura. Her ice blue eyes had deep, dark bags underneath them, the contrast making her iris' appear almost white. Her skin was sickly pale, the youth she once had long snuffed out of her, her once platinum blonde hair now pure white, devoid of warmth; she was the walking dead, and both women knew it.

"Saved?" Her tone was laced with hatred and venom. "The death I would have given you would've been a million times kinder than this. You disgust me."

Sakura observed her body, it was bruised and badly beaten; her nose was crooked, her left eye slightly caved in. From the outside, it didn't appear that the woman would be unable to walk, but she and Sakura both knew the truth; the impact of her head against the wall had induced a stroke. She would never walk again.

Sakura held her gaze. "Tell me your name."

"I will tell you," The woman said, "When you bring it." And with that, she turned to face the window once more. Outside, the snow was falling heavily, small flecks of white flurrying around in the wind like feathers. A sky full of snow, pure and dazzling, yet all Sakura could see was pain.

She was supposed to go see Naruto that night. She was supposed to be eating ramen with her friend. She was supposed to be happy that they would be able to interrogate both the ice prisoners. But instead, she went home. Instead, she ate nothing. Instead, she felt shame. And she slept.

Sakura continued her toxic cycle for weeks, daydreaming about when she would next be able to visit the icy stranger. Her compulsion to talk to her, to see her, burned her from within; consumed her waking hours like fire combusting a home. She knew that it was futile, that their conversations would lead only to endless guilt and agony, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that she could do something - that she could save her; change her - yet there was something gnawing deep within her core, something grim and deadly, telling her to stop trying to save people who clearly did not want to be saved.

Some nights, she would sit and stare at the stranger and think of Sasuke. Being around this woman, in a way, gave Sakura that same sickly feeling as her last encounter with her former teammate. His dark eyes were filled with hatred and loathing. The Sasuke from Team Seven was long gone and replaced by a shadow in the night who fed on fear and darkness. Every inch of hope dwindled within her, day by day, month by month; each time she visited, the flickering flame of her desire to save Sasuke faded. Sometimes, she cried in the chair, as the woman continued to berate her psyche.

"That's right," She would say, "Weep for me. Pity me. Do what you must do in order to provide me relief from this hell."

Sakura would allow her to chastise her ruthlessly, her mockery getting so loud that Shizune would come running in to find the stranger practically falling out of the hospital bed, her IVs tangled around her arms and legs, desperately trying to crawl her way over to Sakura as she continued to sob into her hands, unfazed.

"This needs to stop!" Tsunade scolded. "What do you hope to accomplish by visiting the enemy?"

"Release," Was the only reply Sakura would give to her mentor, before exiting the room and returning to her futile mission.

The days grew shorter and shorter; the sun setting now in the early hours of the evening, as parents came home from their long days and children whined that the night was only just beginning, why did they need to go inside? With the darkness came a small thread of hope, glinting through Konoha as the light from the sun faded behind the buildings, leading Sakura towards the enemy - that this night would be different, that this night would be the night where she convinced her to change - and at the end of the thread was always suffering, and the suffering was Sakura's kryptonite; forcing her to continue her sadistic routine over, and over, and over.

A loud banging on her front door shook her awake, her eyes heavy with sleep. She yawned and looked at the clock. 9:30am. Shit.

"Sakura!" Her mom called up, her light tone mixed with hidden worry. "It's Naruto."

"Tell him I'm coming," Sakura called down coldly as she pulled up her spandex shorts.

"Wow, thanks Mrs. Haruno!" Naruto's voice carried through the house like a cracking whip, making Sakura groan with aggravation. The thought of facing Naruto with only five hours of sleep did not sound like a pleasant way to spend her morning, but she quickly brushed her short hair and descended the stairs anyway.

Naruto was sitting at her dining room table, surrounded by plates of pancakes. Sakura moaned, "Mom, don't feed him or he'll never leave!" Her mom laughed from the kitchen.

"Why don't you eat something with your friend, Sweetie?" She asked. "You've hardly eaten lately. I'm getting worried."

"Mom, stop. Please." Sakura sat next to Naruto, ignoring the glass of milk her mom tried to hand off to her. Naruto continued to eat in a way Sakura had only seen pigs do, shoving the pancakes down his throat and hardly chewing before he slurped up the milk from the glass like he was dying of thirst.

"So disgusting," Sakura whispered. It would be impressive if she didn't feel so nauseous witnessing the ordeal. He sure eats a lot, she thought, smiling to herself. She frowned immediately and turned to look towards the ceiling. There's no way she found his animalistic way of eating almost… cute?

"Oh," Naruto finally acknowledged her presence, "There you are! We have been summoned. Granny Tsunade's orders."

"Summoned?" Naruto nodded as he held his plate over to her mom, begging for more pancakes. Sakura grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him away just as her mom took the plate.

"But, Sakura-"

"Sorry, mom! You heard him, it's on M'Lady's orders. See ya later!" She dragged Naruto outside and aggressively slammed the door behind her before releasing him. Naruto gasped for breath, a subtle suspicious twinkle within his gaze as he looked at her, concern covering his face.

"Hey, are you okay?" He reached for her hand but she crossed her arms over her chest. "You've been really weird lately, Sakura."

"Thanks a lot," She replied, snickering.

"That's not what I meant!" He insisted. "I just want to make sure that you're-"

"Let's get going," Sakura cut him off and plowed forward, his protests falling onto deaf ears. She began pushing him towards the Hokage Tower but Naruto dug his feet into the dirt, becoming a statue in the Earth. Sakura let out an exasperated huff as she stormed past him. He grabbed the hem of her skirt and she twisted from his grip.

"Naruto, what?!" She shouted, turning around to see his jaw was taut, his eyes filled with a raging storm. Sakura felt herself falter as she cast her gaze away, looking past him and into the snow-covered streets. She knew he was just concerned for her, but she didn't dare to tell him the truth. She knew he would understand, try and help her through it, fully give himself to her like he always did, and it made her want to shake him. Why do you always help me? She wanted to shout, scream, roll on the ground and have a tantrum. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve you.

The air around them was stiff and silent. Naruto finally sighed, looking at the sky; he had come so far in the past three years. Times like these helped her remember he was no longer that annoying kid who would pester her until she finally fessed up, usually with a lie, to satiate him. He was mature, well, mature for Naruto - and he was brave; he was her friend. She should talk to him. She should tell him why she'd been ignoring him - didn't she owe him that?

Sakura poked his shoulder playfully. "You won't give up, will you?" She tried to make her voice gentle.

Naruto looked down at her with a small smirk. "No," He said, "But I'm not going to push you, either." He poked her forehead and she felt a small flame ignite within her heart, coursing throughout her body.

"C'mon," He said, leading the way. "At this rate, Kakashi will beat us there!"

Naruto chatted at her the whole way, filling her in on mundane details of his day to day that she had missed out on while she'd been "too busy training." Sakura felt guilt gnaw into her core when he parroted her own lie back to her; what else was she supposed to say to him? Sorry I couldn't hang out with you tonight, I had to visit the woman who tried to kill us multiple times! That would have gone over well. So instead she told him she'd been training with Tsunade on a new water jutsu, all the while mentally kicking herself. Soon, she thought. I'll tell him the truth soon.

"I really can't wait to see it," Naruto exclaimed giddily, "It's gonna be so cool! Oh, I wonder if there's a way for us to combine it with my Rasenshurikin, that would-"

Naruto faltered as Shizune opened the door to allow them into Lady Hokage's office, her face bleak and anguished. Sakura and Naruto hurriedly shuffled into the office as she closed the door behind them, taking their places in the middle of the room. Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi, and Shizune stood before them - all of them with a glimmer of sadness in their eyes - as the teens waited with bated breath.

Tsunade spoke first, her voice stern as always, but Sakura could hear the stoic shield waver slightly. "We have news from a trusted source of Jiraiya's," She paused, making eye contact with Sakura, and then Naruto. Her eyes stayed on his, "It involves Sasuke."

Sakura saw Naruto clench his fists at his side as his shoulder muscles tensed up, his breathing turned shallow. She felt as though her mouth were made of hot, white sand as a tingling numbness creeped its way up her throat. She tried to swallow to no avail, licking her lips in a futile attempt at providing moisture to her lips.

"Tell us, M'Lady," Her voice was hoarse, "Is Sasuke alright?"

Tsunade closed her eyes. "He's fine." She sighed. "Orochimaru is dead."

The ticking of the clock was slow and exaggerated throughout the room as they stood within the stifling silence. Naruto's breathing was contorted and wild, his nostrils flared, his entire body rigid.

Sakura reminded herself to breathe. "Are you saying that Sasuke-" The sentence caught in her throat viciously, causing her voice to crumble. She covered her mouth and turned her gaze to her feet as she felt the air shift beside her. She could feel the heat from Naruto's body inches away from her own, but the gap between them felt like it stretched out for miles, causing her body to ripple and goosebumps to form over her arms. She felt too hot and too cold all at once; her body trapped in a vortex between summer and winter, inescapable and deadly.

"Yes." Tsunade's words filled the eternal silence of the room. The unspoken void opened wider, sucking Sakura in with the gravity of a blackhole as a mixture of panic and relief washed over her. Sasuke killed Orochimaru. Sasuke, her former teammate, her friend, killed a legendary Sannin on his own. Sakura felt tears fall down her cheeks and watched as they fell to the carpet, leaving wet spots around her feet.

"N-No way," Naruto breathed. "You can't be serious!" He looked to Jiraiya who nodded solemnly.

"It comes from a very trusted source," Jirayia said. "Look, kid-"

Naruto fell to the floor and punched the ground, a loud thwack echoing in the room. Tsunade pushed away from the desk but Jiraiya held his arm in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. They exchanged a look so deep it allowed them to hold a whole conversation with their eyes alone as Tsunade's body relaxed as she sat back down, defeated.

"Heh," Naruto muttered, raising his head slowly as he cast his gaze throughout the room. "I'm always one step behind him." He pushed off the floor and adjusted his headband before turning to Sakura and giving her a warm smile.

"He wins this round. But we'll stop him!" Naruto's voice held a dazzling spark of hope within it that lit up the room. "I'll just have to train harder!"

"Naruto…" Sakura began, but as his mako blue eyes locked onto hers, she felt the bolt of electricity that locked them together flash and she was left breathless. He stood above her like a protection barrier, his presence warming her soul and turning her brain numb. She smiled as he shot her his famous wide-toothed grin and gave her a thumbs up.

"I know, Sakura," He said, "But don't worry! Sasuke's still in there. I know him. I bet he's going after Itachi, right, Granny?"

Tsunade looked stunned. "Yes, that's what we believe."

Naruto clasped his hands behind his head. "Then we'll find Itachi. And then," He looked at Sakura again, "We'll find Sasuke!"

The chill wind nipped gently at his face as he watched his breath float towards the sky, swirling slowly upwards with the snowflakes towards the full moon. He adjusted his jacket and trudged along the snowy walkway, stalling outside of the Intelligence Division building. There was a silence in the air, an inadvertent after-effect of Asuma's death that had haunted the village, but the silence now was different; distinctly tainted with an underlying tension.

The front doors swung open unexpectedly, causing Kakashi to whip his head back to see Ibiki emerging, his body slumped over with exhaustion. He walked forward, noticing Kakashi, and giving a polite nod before he began walking in the opposite direction. Against his better judgment, Kakashi turned to trail after him.

"Ibiki," He called. Ibiki paused his stride to turn around, his expression blank. "Do you have a minute?"

"One minute," Ibiki responded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kakashi stopped a few paces ahead and smiled gently at the man from behind his mask. "Of course, I know how busy you are."

"I just wanted to know if you had learned anything more about his blood ability?" Kakashi's intrigue had been piqued ever since his encounter with the stranger on his escort mission. The man canceled his Sharingan, but due to positioning, Kakashi hadn't had the chance to see the jutsu he had used to do it. It was powerful - something he hadn't seen even the Fourth Hokage do - the thought of such a powerful jutsu kept him awake deep into the night, the morning sunrise peeking through his blinds just as he felt himself fade into darkness.

Ibiki sighed and put his hand on Kakashi's shoulder as he shook his head. Kakashi felt his stomach flip upside down. "I see."

"He is unique, and strong," Ibiki said, "We need all the manpower we have just to suppress his chakra, but even then, we can only get so far. It's like he is somehow feeding us false memories."

Kakashi nodded. "Thank you, Ibiki. You should get some rest."

"You too," Ibiki patted his shoulder again before he swiftly turned and walked away. Kakashi looked at the building again, that same sickly feeling lingering in the air around him. He lifted his headband up, activating his Sharingan. He examined his surroundings and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I should stop being so paranoid, he thought.

As he went to lower his headband again, he saw a faint flicker of light within a single snowflake, just near the wall of the building. Kakashi fixed his gaze on it and watched as the light slowly twinkled on and off. As it fell to the ground, the light faded fully, before moving to a different snowflake, this time further down the pathway.

Kakashi followed the chakra embedded snow, the trail leading him across town to the hospital. He looked up to the window near the snow but didn't see signs of chakra being used from inside the building. What is going on?

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura's voice sounded guilty as she came from behind him. Kakashi blinked, opening his eyes to find the chakra snow had disappeared. He scanned the area, but he saw no other signs of activity, so he quickly moved his mask down again before turning to face his student.

"Sakura," He kept his tone light, "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Sakura averted her gaze hastily. "Couldn't sleep." Uh-huh.

"I see," His voice was calm. "Where's Naruto? I'm surprised he didn't offer to walk you home." Kakashi knew his student had been visiting Zoutetsu's partner in the hospital and had talked to Tsunade about his assumptions as to why, but he had yet to ask Sakura her reasons.

"Oh," She said. "He offered but I told him I wanted to walk around a bit." She was lying through her teeth, Kakashi could tell. He hummed.

"It's late, you know."

"Not you too, Kakashi-sensei! I can take care of myself, you know. All you men are the same, always assuming I need an escort. I am a shinobi, remember?" Oh, she was definitely hiding something. She always talked the most when she was guilty. But why does she feel guilty about visiting the hospital?

Kakashi put his hands up as if to say 'Alright, calm down.'

"You're right," He chuckled. "I shouldn't underestimate you."

Sakura huffed happily.

"But-" She groaned as he dragged out the vowel. "As your Sensei, I do worry about you. So, do we have to visit your friend together?"

Sakura's eyes widened in pure horror, forcing a chuckle from his mouth. She was so exasperated, Kakashi had some trouble understanding her, but he caught things like "I am just trying to get more information!" and "She won't even tell us her name, isn't that weird? Don't you think she should be more grateful to us for saving her life?"

"Sakura," He interjected her ramblings. "I know you haven't had to face someone like her head-on yet. I know how you must feel knowing the outcome-" At that, Sakura winced. He knelt to be at her eye level, his knee sinking into the snow. "But what you did mattered. You protected Naruto, and me!" He smiled at her. "You need to stop torturing yourself, okay?"

Sakura's lip protruded out and Kakashi prepared himself for her tears. He was delighted when she instead clenched her fist and gained a determined twinkle in her eyes.

"All I want-" Sakura gulped down her fear, "All I want is to protect my comrades! I want to help people. I don't want to feel useless anymore."

"You're not, Sakura," Kakashi said, "You're a great med-nin. You're on par to be just as great at healing as Lady Fifth. Never forget that." He squeezed her shoulder lightly. Kakashi had never been great with kids, especially not great with teens, but this group of hooligans had somehow carved out a space inside of his heart. Even Sasuke. He wanted to get him back as much as Sakura and Naruto did, so he had to keep them all determined - they had to work as a team, for as long as they could.

Sakura smiled and pulled him into a hug. Kakashi felt his eyes widen at the gesture as his stomach gave a small flip. He tapped her shoulder awkwardly and she laughed.

"Kakashi-sensei! I'm trying to have a moment here," She grumbled. He patted her head and stood up.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei," She whispered. He cleared his throat and put his hands in his pockets, trying to pretend the affection she just displayed to him didn't make him swell with pride and joy.

"Another training session with Pervy Sage, are you serious?" Naruto complained. In reality, he was sort of grateful that he was getting teamed up with Jiraiya again. Time spent with him meant lots of time at hot springs, which he had to admit, was pretty sweet. But he didn't have time to think about that stuff anymore! He had to stay focussed. Sasuke was getting stronger by the minute, plus, how was he supposed to find Itachi if he was training again?

"Granny Tsunade, what about-" She shot him an icy glare and he felt thousands of kunai pierce into his body, freezing him in time.

"Are you defying orders, Naruto?" Tsunade scolded. He felt himself fall deeper into the pit of despair as she stood from her desk to tower over him. No wonder why Sakura is so scary…

"N-No!" He protested, "But-"

"Then I don't want to hear it!" She shouted. "You're going to train with Jiraiya and that's final!"

"Y-Yes, Granny!" Naruto felt like he was the size of a bug.

Jiraiya put his arm around his shoulder and gave him a toothy grin. "Isn't this great, Naruto? It will be just like old times!" Naruto grumbled as Jiraiya rustled his hair.

"This training will be different," Naruto always got whiplash from how quickly Pervy Sage's tone could shift. One minute, he's being a total sappy weirdo and the next he's giving a eulogy. "I might not be around much."

Naruto looked at him dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Jiraiya laughed. "You'll see. It's gonna be great! Don't sweat it, kid. With Kakashi's training technique, I know you'll master this even better than I can!"

"And don't worry about Sasuke," Jiraiya said. "We are going to send a squad out to find him."

Naruto went to protest but Jiraiya placed his index finger over his mouth. "Seriously, kid. You won't be as far away as last time. It will make sense tomorrow, okay? For now, just collect your strength."

What did that even mean? Naruto thought as he stared out the window of his bedroom. Not as far away? He shifted to the other side, trying to get comfortable, but his body was restless. He thought of Sakura and how she had insisted that she was meeting up with Ino after going out to Ichiraku's with him, but she had that funny look in her eyes that she gets sometimes when he can tell she was holding back on something. He thought that maybe he was just annoying her like he always did, but then he thought about the night on the swing set.

Why are girls so confusing? Frustrated, he got out of bed and started heating up some ramen in the microwave. A faint knock on his front door pulled him from his snack as he began buttoning up his sleeping shirt. He opened the door and was now face-to-face with Sakura, his shirt still open in the front.

He quickly pulled his shirt closed and felt his cheeks heat up. "Sakura?"

Sakura's face was bright pink and she was covering her eyes with one hand. "S-Sorry, Naruto! I'll just talk to you tomor-" She began walking away as Naruto laughed and pulled her hand away from her face, his shirt now fully buttoned.

"No, you can come in," He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean, uh, if you want to?"

She hesitated for a second, peered inside his small apartment, then looked back at Naruto. It felt like time stood still as he prepared himself for Sakura's fist to collide into his chest, or his face, but instead she slid past him and into his apartment. Naruto felt a shiver run up his spine as he shut the door, now fully alone. Alone with Sakura. In his apartment.

"I wanted to say sorry," Sakura sat on his bed and Naruto felt like he was going to spontaneously combust.

"Sorry? For what?" He tried to keep his tone casual but it came out wobbly. He went to grab the ramen but his hands were shaking so badly that he nearly spilled the hot water over his skin. He instead flicked his index finger across the front buttons on his shirt, trying not to make eye contact with her.

"Well," She paused. "M'Lady told me you're going to train again, with Jiraiya. So I wanted to let you know I'll be on the team that's in charge of finding Itachi, or Sasuke - whichever comes first." She smiled at him brightly.

"Really?" Naruto felt himself ease up slightly. "I mean, of course you are! You're the best medic we have!"

Sakura chuckled. "Thank you, Naruto." Her tone sounded caring and soft. It made him want to pull her into an embrace and tell her he's sorry he's such an idiot, that he knows she deserves more than him, but that he had to tell her how he felt. He knew he could never compete with Sasuke, not to her. To her, he was just Naruto. Konoha's Number One Knuckle-head Ninja. And isn't that what he wanted her to think of him as? Didn't he want to just be known as Nartuo? Not the scary Jinchiriken, or the annoying kid who always acted out, but… Naruto.

"It's true," He replied, finally able to grab his ramen. "Do you want any ramen, Sakura?" She shook her head, lovely pink strands falling over her face. Naruto resisted the urge to tuck the stray strands behind her ear by twiddling his chopsticks awkwardly in between his fingers.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," She said. "I promise that from now on, I'll protect you the same way you have always protected me." She stood up and walked over to him, staring up at him with her sparkling green eyes. Her gaze made a garden blossom within his heart, her body was so close to his that he started to feel dizzy.

"You're leaving first thing?" She asked.

"Yeah, I have to be up early," Naruto's voice was gravelly.

"Thought so," She said. She leaned into him and Naruto's heart slammed into his ribcage as she softly pressed her beautiful lips onto his cheek, the kiss light as a feather. "Next time I see you, you're not the only one who will be stronger." She winked at him before closing the door behind her. Naruto pressed his hand to his cheek, feeling the wet spot where her lips made contact, and he had to steady himself on the counter top as his legs went wobbly. Stronger? Naruto gulped.

How does she not think she's strong? He waddled over to his bed and flopped his body onto it as the tension in his legs released and they slowly came back to life, the nerves tickling up his muscles. In that moment, Sakura was strong as steel, for she had destroyed him - his mind, his soul, his heart - throughout the rest of the night, they all only sang for her.

A/N: Thanks for reading! This chapter has a lot of build up, and it might seem like things are sort of slow-going right now, but I do promise that everything has a purpose and a reason. Things are going to start to diverge more from the canon story at this point - I hope you're as excited as I am! When I started this fic, I had no intentions of changing the main plot points and was solely going to try and focus on Naruto and Sakura's relationship and how it would develop organically, but now that I am here - Chapter Seven - I am realizing this story will need to stray away. I have elements I want to explore that require me to adapt the canon story. Think of it as a jump to the left on the timeline, or something. Anyways - What did you think? Did you enjoy this chapter? What would you like to see going forward? Are you excited for Naruto's training? Does this story suck and you hate it? All feedback is welcome here!

Reviewer Notes: Mastercheif1229, thank you for the comment! So glad you're enjoying it so far. One of my goals in this fic is to make Sakura and Naruto both strong chars like they are in the show, so expect more fights in the future from her for sure! Guest23, Thank you for the comment! If you would like to DM me, I am more than happy to discuss how you think the plot could be improved or made more interesting. I want this fic to be enjoyable. I appreciate your feedback and I hope this chapter provided some more intrigue. xDreamRes, Wow, thank you so much for your kind words! I am really glad you're enjoying it so far. I have a soft spot for Jealous Sakura too lol. I love putting my characters through anguish (oops!).