Chapter 12
Naruto ignored the polite bows of the villagers and onlookers who waved their arms, begging for photos and autographs. It was unlike him to behave so callously, especially because his second biggest dream was to be recognized. But he had important matters tend to.
"Stop following me."
They were not traveling atop buildings like the Uchiha usually preferred to do. It was obvious that the choice to weave through crowds had been decided as a means to ditch Naruto, and Naruto wasn't having it. He trailed the bastard that had broken Sakura's heart, again, stamping his feet noisily.
"Stop being an asshole."
The Hokage tower loomed ahead, blocking the fading sun's rays as it edged towards the horizon. If Sasuke was purposely seeking Kakashi out, he had something malicious involved—without a doubt, it involved Sakura.
Scoffing, Sasuke entered the building and bypassed the receptionist rudely. Together, both men made their way to the top, not bothering to knock as they burst passed guards and through Kakashi's doors simultaneously.
For the silver-haired man, this was both nostalgic and completely shocking at the same time.
Before Naruto even gets a chance to tattle, Sasuke pushes his whiskered face away from the Hokage's desk and leans onto its surface, rustling up papers with his force
"I want Sakura out."
Kakashi blinks. "Too bad."
"This isn't a joke."
"Am I laughing?"
"You're really something," Naruto yells, finally prying himself out of Sasuke's grip. "You have to be the world's biggest dickhead to purposefully ruin someone's life this way."
To this, Sasuke glowers.
It was not about ruining Sakura's life—it was about preserving it. There was no doubt in his mind that she was a strong woman. Her analytical skills could rival that of a one-tomoe Sharingan, perhaps even a two…and her ability to break through genjutsu was almost flawless.
Almost.
"Look," Naruto begins. "I get that you don't want her to get hurt. I don't know if you've missed it or not, but she has this cool new technique that makes her damn near invincible if she has enough chakra. Black things spread over her body and shit. You can rip her in half and she'll bounce right back in a few minutes!"
"Shut up." He hissed to Naruto. "This isn't about what just happened. It's about her. It's about who she is."
"What's wrong with who she is?" The man retorted.
Kakashi has had just about enough. Standing swiftly, he slams his palm upon his desk. Although most of his face remained hidden beneath a mask, the way his eyebrows knitted together showed just how frustrated he was.
"Sasuke, you come into my office, crying out Sakura's flaws, when you can't even complete the most basic of Genin tasks? Teamwork is important, and that includes valuing their worth."
"How can you value their worth if they're dead?" he spits back.
"I've already told you!" Naruto suddenly shouts. "Someone was going to die in that mission, anyways!"
"It was supposed to be you! You can't tell me she wouldn't stick her neck out to save you if something similar happened in real life."
"It won't happen, because I won't let it happen!"
"Enough!"
The throbbing at Kakashi's temples indicated one hell of a headache was rounding the corner. He moved out towards the center of the room, stepping between his former students meaningfully. "Sasuke, I'm denying your request. Naruto, stop following Sasuke—both of you, get out."
"If she gets hurt," Sasuke starts, "Remember that I was the one that tried to save her."
"NO, YOU WERE THE ONE THAT MADE HER FIGHT JUGO."
Shikamaru knocked on the door and entered, eyeing the exchange wearily. It seemed as though he'd walked in on quite the scuffle. Thumbing through the stack of papers in his hand, he read the status of the reports and mentally gauged if he had to deliver them today.
Kakashi raises his finger and shakes his head, warning him not to high tail it out of there. "I'll be done in a minute. Just wait."
"All I'm saying, Sasuke, is that you don't ever give her a chance to shine. I don't understand why you hate her so much—."
"I don't hate her," He interrupts.
"Yeah, well, you certainly don't love her either. You made that painfully clear."
Feeling his own headache start to form, Shikamaru released an exasperated sigh.
Sasuke was arrogant. In their youth, Shikamaru remembers how adamantly he pushed away friendships, and how easily everything came to him. He was admired by many and despised by those who were jealous.
Shikamaru did not fit into either of those categories.
It was rare for him to hate a certain type of person. He didn't like many qualities in people—but that didn't inherently mean owning a bad trait made you a bad person.
Overconfident, hateful, and malicious Sasuke, however, was deserving of Shikamaru's dislike.
An idea pops into his head. It was rare for something to form in his intricate mind without it automatically picking it apart, but this particular idea was an idea unlike any other in the history of…well…ideas.
Knowing that Naruto and Sasuke would follow, he set his plan into motion. "Kakashi, actually, there are some things you need to review in the surveillance sector."
"Kakashi," Naruto called. "We're not finished!"
Shikamaru sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair and turned on the monitors.
Naruto had never seen anything like this before. Each screen had a different view of Konoha, from places as meaningless as alleyways, to training grounds and the Great Village Gate. The sound of throwaway conversations roared to life on the speakers, filling the room with warbled noise.
This place was kept quiet for good reason.
"This is amazing," Naruto coos.
"Yeah," The spikey-haired man replies. "I don't mind it. We're going over Jonin-to-be profiles at the moment, just to make sure nothing mischievous is afoot."
"Wait…who's a foot?"
Sasuke groans.
Kakashi ignores the men and looks at the objects in front of him. Their system was state-of-the-art. The ninja profile every Konoha shinobi submitted could be placed into the database. Automatically, it would match height, weight and facial structure until every recording involving a certain individual was gathered into a convenient little file folder. It was even possible to search for groups or couples—narrowing down years, months, and days.
Shikamaru taps on a few things, hoping to entertain the Hokage-to-be. "Look at this."
Leaning in, Naruto watches through grainy footage as his younger body runs down a road. Splashes of red paint fall to the ground from his bucket—it was obvious he'd been up to a nefarious task. "We've got 36 folders involving the keywords 'Naruto Uzumaki' and 'paint'.
Laughing with embarrassment, he scratches his head. "Oh yeah, well, look up 'Kakashi' and 'late'."
"Our system can't handle that sort of data."
Kakashi scoffs.
"Can you look up Hinata? Maybe search for something embarrassing, like 'nose-picking'?"
"Sure,"
Shikamaru humors him. Kakashi wouldn't admit that he found the process interesting and funny at times, though a total invasion of privacy. He had a village to protect…and these streets were public. Before long, all three men fall into surveillance tasks, creeping on past videos of unimportant things.
Sitting down in the corner, Sasuke crosses his arms and waits for Kakashi to finish. He wasn't satisfied with the ultimatum he'd been given. If Naruto wanted her in the exams so much, then he'd better be her partner.
On second thought, no, he'd better stay far away.
"Oh, can you really do that?"
Sasuke looks away from the ceiling tiles just as his name flashes on the monitor. 'Sasuke', 'Sakura', and 'Great Village Gate' type into existence, and when the date of his departure 7 years ago loads, Sasuke has no time to react. Shikamaru's already captured his shadow.
"This is for your own good."
Looking at Sasuke with confusion, Naruto's eyebrows dip together. Although his body shows no sign of movement, his skin heats up and sweat accumulates on his forehead. This is something he does not want anyone else to see.
"Shikamaru, what's the meaning of this?" Kakashi asks. "If Sasuke doesn't want us to see this, we won't." Skipping a few beats, he finishes with, "…while he's in here."
Tapping feet on cobblestone catch their attention, and Sasuke is forced to watch. He knew this reverberation all too well. The sound haunted his mind for years. His younger voice rang throughout the speakers. "Why are you prowling around here in the middle of the night?"
"I knew you'd come this way if you were to leave. So, I just waited…" the young voice of Sakura.
Neither Naruto nor Kakashi could keep their eyes off of the screen.
Naruto had always thought that something more had happened between the two of them. He hadn't the slightest inkling of the drama that was about to unfold. Watching every small movement from the high-definition video, he gulped, catching the gentle tremble of Sakura's lip.
She did not cry like the child she was. She cried with the tears of a young woman, watching her friend and comrade follow in the footsteps of a man who'd caused nothing but strife and death.
Sakura does not give in so easily, however.
"Why won't you say anything to me? Why do you always keep so quiet? No matter what, you'll always hate me."
Kakashi settles down in the chair, folding his hands under his chin. He's not oblivious to the man standing beside him—the man who was also, incidentally, the kid in the recording. He imagines this must be uncomfortable to watch. Everyone had made mistakes in their past, and having your slip-ups play out in front of comrades, purposefully, just seemed downright wrong.
It had to be seen.
"When we became Genins, the day when our three-man team was first decided…The first time we were here by ourselves, you were so mad at me."
He had barely let her finish. "I don't remember that."
The realization hit her harshly. Her humorless laugh echoed around the room.
"Haha…yeah I guess you're right. That's all in the past." The bleary-eyed child did not look at Sasuke any longer. Her vision clouded with memories that she would never forget. "This is where it all began, though. We did all sorts of missions, just the four of us. It was painful and difficult at times…and yet…I still enjoyed it."
She looks at his bag—too big for his body as it held all of the possessions he found valuable enough to take with him. Naruto cannot imagine the helplessness she must have felt in that moment. The strain on her body is clear—her thin limbs and sunken eyes portray worry.
Hadn't he taken her out for ramen that day? Hadn't he told her not to fret, that Sasuke would be fine? Sakura knew that wasn't the case. Sakura knew so much, she—
"I know all about your past Sasuke." The young girl says. There is wisdom in her words. "Even if you get revenge, it won't bring anyone happiness—not you and…and not me, either."
Just as his former self speaks, Sasuke breaks free from Shikamaru's hold and lunges towards the screens. Although Shikamaru has gotten stronger in his years, battling against Sasuke's prowess was difficult.
"This is none of your business." He grounds out. The sound of Sakura's first confession, however, stills his movements with an expertise that even a Shadow Possession could not replicate.
"I love you with all my heart!"
Kakashi listens to the ringing plea. It's almost as if you could hear the very moment her heart had broken. The girl begs. It's all she can do.
"If you were to stay with me…" Sakura says, "There would be no regrets. Every day we'd do something fun. We'd be happy…I swear! I would do anything for you!"
Naruto clenches his fist.
"Please, just stay with me!"
"She wouldn't want you to hear this." Sasuke explains, speaking lowly. It is the first time Kakashi has heard such genuineness from him. "Turn it off."
It's far too late now. Sakura's secret already pours through the audio system, coiling around the ear canal to some of the most important men in her life. He can't do anything now. Whether Sasuke slams his hands on the keyboard or not, they would most certainly find their way back into this room and finish up what was started.
Sasuke swallows what feels like balled tinfoil trapped inside of his throat, grimacing as it trekked it way downward.
"I'll even help you with your revenge." The teen says. She curls her hands towards her chest, as if the movement would stop her heart from physically falling out. "I don't know what I could do…but I'll try my best to do something! So please…stay with me…! Or take me with you if you can't stay here."
Take me with you…
Take me with you…
Naruto cannot believe his eyes. He falls into the seat beside his former teacher, ignoring how the bolts of the headrest irritated his neck.
If Sasuke had taken her with him—if he'd humor the girl, clasp her hand and run out into the darkness of the night, there's no telling what could have happened.
There was nothing easy about heartbreak. Kakashi knew what it was like to lament. Falling into ones sorrow felt like plunging towards the depths of hell. You'd do anything to stop that pain—you'd say anything.
To save someone from such a plight, you'd be more than willing to break them yourself.
This is precisely what Sasuke does. For you see, that boy had been to the afterlife. He had rolled around regret. He knew just how costly all of his mistakes were when he made them. Will all of this, Sasuke was unable to drag his teammate into his dark nothingness. So, he cuts off their ties cleanly.
"You really are annoying."
Sasuke knew those words would mean something to her. He knew about the connection they all had to that bench, and how many "firsts" it drew forth. It was cold, porous, and caked in years of Konoha dust, but it was good.
It was good.
She yells for him to stay. She threatens him with screaming, with telling, with everything a shattered girl can think of. In a flash, Sasuke's former self disappears and takes his place behind her, staring at the strands of cotton candy that catch in the air they share between them.
"Thank you."
Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for trying. Thank you for loving me, despite how torturous that must be.
Falling forward, Naruto's only mildly surprised that Sasuke bothered catching Sakura at all.
Kakashi looks at the smallness of her body compared to a boy of the same age. He'd never seen her as scrawny, but she was. She's light in his arms and he holds her like the wounded person she is, gently positioning her body atop the carefully carved stone.
Without knowing who he used to be, some might say that Sasuke Uchiha was always brutal. Between Sasuke and him, both had quick tempers and savage responses. It was rare to see a boy his age treat anything with delicacy, especially a girl. Pulling their hair was always more fun.
Sasuke was not the monster he soon turned out to be. He was a child, once, who'd been given a taste of sweet familial love, only to have it stolen by the person he respected most.
The Sasuke who left Konoha that night was falling down the unforgiving path to hell—but he was not there yet.
He still had a pinch of kindness in his eyes.
In the stillness of the observation room, Shikamaru, Kakashi and Naruto watched as the boy's shoulders trembled. The view from the lamppost showed dry cheeks and firm lips, but his eyes sparkled. They looked like galaxies, splattered with various nebula and starbursts.
Sasuke Uchiha stood silent as he watched. The boy tried to pry Sakura's hands off of his shirt to no avail. They were like vices, adhered to the fabric as if they'd been sewn on.
No one understood the emotional state of his mind back then. Naruto couldn't possibly grasp how confusing it was to hate someone so vehemently, and feel like there was room for nothing else, despite how your body craved the touch of friendship—of love. Naruto did know that craving though.
Sakura touched Sasuke a lot.
On mornings when Kakashi had left to find food, and Naruto wouldn't wake up even with the most painful of kicks, Sasuke was the one to wake up Sakura. For anyone else, this meant a black eye. For him, it was a hug—a hug he didn't particularly care for, in spite of the warmth it gave off.
When she was scared, she ducked into his back. When she was worried, she reached for his arm. When they were under attack, her wild eyes found his and they communicated without words.
Sasuke's mind may have pushed her away, but his body refused to do so.
Naruto was confused when Sasuke said he didn't love Sakura. Love didn't have to be romantic. Love could be family, friends, personal but not physical. On the monitor, when everyone motionless in quiet disbelief, Naruto saw Sasuke get physical—he saw Sasuke get involved.
To kiss, by definition, was to join lips in respect, affection, love, or passion. When Naruto slammed his face into Sasuke's at the academy, it was not a kiss. It did not involve respect, affection, love or passion.
Kissing Sakura, though, didn't really involve any of that either.
Sasuke doesn't know what compelled him to do it. When he was younger, he'd had a cousin with the odd tendency to squish anything they'd considered "cute". Some people squeal or coo in reaction. Some people cuddle the object of their desire. Some people, like Sasuke, turn their heads, tuck their hands into their shorts, and get on with their fucking day.
Why he didn't do it that time is beyond him.
Now, Naruto watches him kiss the girl he swore he didn't love an hour ago. He watches how carefully the boy tucks loose strands behind her ears, and the way his thumb cuts through the saline streams gathered atop her cheeks. When the footage cuts out, and the sounds of beeping monitors take over the clack of shoe-on-pavement, Naruto turns.
"You…what's wrong with you? You're such a bastard."
"Here, here," Kakashi agrees.
Nodding fervently, Shikamaru resets the search bar and plants his feet atop the desk. "That was quite the show."
"That was none of your fucking business." Sasuke began. He looks at each person, shooting off sparks of ferocity. "What gives you the right to peak into other people's lives like that, when it doesn't concern you?"
"I give him the right." Kakashi begins. "These cameras were modified after Lord Third was attacked. In fact, they were probably only weeks old before you decided to run out on your people. Don't change the subject."
"What's the subject?" He bites out.
"Boy, you sure are full of questions." Naruto responds. "Are you willing to answer any of mine?"
Sasuke's receding back is his response. Kakashi, however, will not allow him to run out so easily. There were certain tasks involving adulthood that overpowered wants. Running away should not be the Uchiha's default response. What would his ancestors think?
"I get it now. You don't want Sakura in the exams because she could get hurt. That's completely understandable."
"Yeah," Shikamaru follows up. "Now that you can stop pretending you hate her, maybe you can move on with your life, too. You can thank me later."
Kakashi continued." It's not fair to Sakura for you to keep treating her the way you do. She cannot help that you feel this way. You need to process this."
Through their chiding, and Sasuke's seething, Naruto's stern voice cuts above the rest. "Sakura deserves to know."
"There's nothing to know. That was years ago. I left thinking I'd kill Itachi and Orochimaru and come back to a village where everything was the same. It didn't work out that way. I don't feel the same way about her."
"How can you say that?" The blond argues back. "What other reason is there for—."
There's only so much one man can take. Today, he's argued and fought—he lashed out, he yelled, and he's stood motionless as personal information played out for his peers to see. Sasuke's had enough.
"There doesn't have to be a reason. There isn't a reason. Sakura is my comrade, just as you and Kakashi are." He all but hisses. "It just so happens that she's right—she's not strong from clan lineage or from a demon inside her gut. Out of all of us, Sakura's the most likely to get hurt—if it's possible to avoid that, then we should."
"Oh, shut the hell up!" Naruto seethes back. "You're not fooling anyone with that! If you feel that way, fine, but that's not why you kissed her on that bench! Maybe you don't love her. But she means something to you! There's no other reason why you touch her so much!"
"You touch her?" Kakashi interjects. Even partially hidden, his face conveys stern abhorrence. "I understand I haven't been the role-model, but there's no excuse for—."
Three against one were better odds when kusanagi was involved. "I don't touch her."
"Yeah, well I distinctly remember some grab-assing a week ago, but I dirt grass."
"Digress," Shikamaru corrects him quickly. "You digress."
Before anything more comes out, and tempers rise exponentially, Kakashi enters the apex of the trio and asserts his dominance. There were two sides to every conflict, and luckily, for Sasuke, Kakashi saw both easily. Naruto had a point—it was unfair for Sakura to be in the dark about something as potentially life changing as this.
Sakura was a good girl. Her curtness and knowledge of Tsunade's previous position as Hokage helped him out tremendously in the beginning. She also ended upon the backburner when things of importance popped up, especially in the past, and especially about Sasuke. It was not fair that they knew Sasuke thought highly of her, and she did not.
It also was not their place to explain this to her.
"You cannot just tell her, Naruto." The man decides. "Matters of the heart involve those that are connected. Sasuke, for many reasons, does not wish for Sakura to know how he feels—how he used to feel. I understand that this may take a load off her shoulders. I understand that, because of Sasuke's actions, she's come to believe that he thinks of her as fondly as he thinks of the trash in that can over there. Despite this, it is not our business."
Crossing his arms, Naruto huffs and ungraciously accepts his defeat. Not all is lost, however.
"You can probably blackmail the guy, though."
Sasuke stares at the Hokage with malevolence. Being the former police chief's son, he knew the full extent of the law. Maybe they could get away with public surveillance, but threating someone in that way was wrong. No, it was more than wrong. "That's illegal."
"Not unless Naruto puts it on paper," Shikamaru says, cleaning the dirt from under his nail. "It's technically extortion. If you file your complaint with me now, I should be able to get back to you by the end of the Jonin exams. We're rather busy in here."
An evil smile contorted Naruto's features as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was rare for him to come out on top. He wouldn't do anything crazy, of course…unless he needed to.
By now, the sun was completely down. Naruto was hungry, and if he missed dinner with Hinata and Hanabi the man's not sure he'd be able to forgive Sasuke. After all, the picnic she'd worked so hard on spoiled thanks to him. Turning his nose up, the blond barks out a reasonable, but infuriating command:
"Follow me,"
Sasuke watches the idiot flounce to the door. Ignoring the fact that it was slightly ajar, Naruto twisted the handle and swung it open powerfully, jumping back when Karin's inquisitive face filled his view. "K-K-Karin?"
Scratching the back of her head, the whiteness of her cheeks glow with embarrassment and she tugs at the tip of her revealing top. "Sorry for shocking you, Naruto. I was waiting for Lord Hokage. I had a few questions for him."
"You were waiting for me?" Kakashi asked, peering at her from behind his student's shoulders. What could she possibly need?
Whatever it was, she did not wish to say it aloud. Smoothing the straight side of her red locks, the woman stammers. "Do you mind if I…uh, speak to you privately?"
Uninterested in whatever she was involved in, Naruto sidestepped the woman and headed out the door. He disappeared down the hallway with Sasuke loose on his heels, looking as if he were mere minutes away from murder.
Karin didn't wait for Shikamaru to exit, or for the privacy of the Hokage office. Her determined voice said, "I want to help everyone prepare for the exams in a different way." Adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose, she continues. "I've decided to drop out."