The roar of the gunshot paralyzed her. Sakura was afraid to turn around because she knew the view would not be good.
Since she wasn't the one who was hit by the bullet, there was only one option left.
Sakura heard a body fall. The sound meant only one thing - another blood on her hands, another important person to Sasuke dead.
She took a peek. Sakura was unable to look at Itachi's body for more than two seconds.
"What are you doing?! Run!" she heard a voice, approaching faster and faster.
Katahana ran with all her might, trying to escape from being shot. The expression on her face was terrified, but she wasn't giving up.
Sakura didn't even have time to shed a tear when the girl grabbed her arm and pulled toward the exit.
The men guarding the gate had been shots. Sakura didn't know by whom, but it wasn't something that interested her right now.
"Where... where now?" she asked in shock. Sakura couldn't think soberly.
"To the right. It'll be the closest to the forest there."
"But the field. We'll be in plain sight." Sakura remembered the look of that part behind the walls. There was only grass stretching for a few hundred yards, which meant they could easily get shot in the head.
Sakura could feel her muscles burning and begging for the rest she hadn't had in a good few days. She knew she wouldn't be able to make it to the forest and on top of that, hide fast enough. More guards were now gathering on top of the wall. Together with Katahana, they will be easy targets.
"We'll make it." the girl assured her "You have someone to run for and survive."
Sakura felt a tightness in her throat. She didn't even know anymore if she had anyone to live on for. Since this was all a trap, Sasuke with Sarada might be lying dead somewhere. Just like Itachi, she thought.
Why did she let him die? How did it come to this? Was this his fate from the beginning? How many lives...
"Mai, wake up!" Katahana snapped her out of her reverie "We don't have time to think about what happened and what will happen. I'm running first!" she communicated.
Sakura didn't even notice when they arrived outside the walls. In front of her stretched a field with a bunch of flowers. Red ones.
Maybe soon her blood would glisten among that grass.
"Do you think it's safe?" she asked.
"We'll find out soon enough."
Katahana took a step forward. Nothing happened. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, but moments later she noticed a small red dot on the girl's head. They were targeting her.
"Katahana, be care...!" the point disappeared a moment later.
Sakura turned her head and noticed a masked man. He was dressed all in black and held two pistols in his hands. The mysterious figure had killed everyone on the roof, but Sakura could still hear the screams and carnage going on inside.
She saw people running out the gate and splitting off in different directions. Out of the corner of her eye, she also noticed Misaki. The woman disappeared around the left corner.
Sakura heard, felt, and noticed another bang. It threw her backwards. Her back collided with the wall. She struggled to open her eyes.
In front of Sakura lay Katahana's head. The girl looked at her with unseeing eyes.
"Minefield." a low voice called back to her from the right.
The masked man looked at Katahana indifferently. Sakura wanted to get up and tear that mask off him, exclaiming that he should mourn the girl now and punish her. Because she was the one who allowed all this to happen. It was Sakura who led those innocent people to their deaths.
Only now did she feel the tears. They were streaming down from her eyes. She couldn't stop crying, but she didn't feel any major emotion while doing so.
Sakura didn't want this. She just wanted to get out of here alive with the others and find Sarada and Sasuke so she could hug them again.
And now she would only return with trauma, not her blood resting on her palms and begging for forgiveness for Itachi's death.
"We need to move on." he grabbed Sakura by the elbow and pulled her up. She didn't resist.
"If we go up there, we'll die like her." she said quietly.
She saw his jaw move, but before he could say anything, he yanked Sakura hard and pressed her back against his chest.
Sakura felt a gun against her temple. She tensed all over again. It was a trap, for sure.
"I got her." the man shouted, pulling his mask down. She couldn't see his face "I'll take care of the girl."
"We're moving on!" one of the guards exclaimed.
Sakura could already feel her end approaching. However, all she felt after a moment was a warm breath against her ear.
"They think I'm on their side."
"How?"
"I'll tell you later." he hit her in the occiput with the butt of his gun.
Sakura lost consciousness.
She woke up with a headache. Sakura craned her head to all sides and checked to make sure she was okay.
The events of the past few hours continued to be fresh in her mind.
Sakura grabbed her head. She had lost so many people that night and that was only because she wanted to get as far away as she could to be with her family again. She should have spent more time preparing, then maybe Itachi and Mebuki would be alive.
And now, through her selfishness, she was left alone. In the middle of the forest.
How did she get here anyway?
Her throat tightened painfully. Before, Sakura had felt an emptiness, she couldn't get the despair out, but now everything had changed.
First a single tear flew, and a moment later whole streams. Sakura cried loudly, shaking from the emotions overwhelming her. Maybe it was better not to feel anything.
She really wanted to calm down, but she couldn't. Sakura leaned forward, face down, and continued howling, clutching the grass in her hands.
She wasn't sure how much time she had spent like this. The emotions were still fresh, but the tears were no longer flowing. Sakura was breathing fast now, alternating between hiccupping.
The warm, heavy material settled on Sakura's shoulders. She lifted her reddened eyes up and saw the man before her.
She knew him.
"The pain of loss may not go away, but it will lessen with time." Kakashi said softly.
It was he who saved her - the man who had once been her teacher.
"I could have," she hiccupped "done something." she broke off again "Those people are dead," she wiped dried tears with her hand "because of me."
"They were going to die one way or another. You gave some a way to escape. Not all of them died."
"I didn't give them anything! I was selfish and now I have fucking blood on my hands!" Kakashi lowered himself to her level.
"Shh, it's going to be okay." he wanted to put his arm around her, but Sakura pulled away.
"Don't touch me." she said hardily.
"Sakura, relax."
She shook off his hand again. Kakashi was now standing close enough that she could clearly see the badge on his shirt. From Konoha.
"You're a traitor!" she said quietly "You're a damn traitor!"
"I saved you."
"To hand me over to that son of a bitch again!"
"I'll explain everything to you, Sakura, but first you need to calm down."
"Don't tell me what to do."
"Fine. If you listen to me, I'll take you where you want to go." he stepped back a little to give her the space she needed.
"Why should I believe you?"
"You know me, after all."
"I don't even know myself now." she cut him off, but the pain could be heard in her voice.
"I'll tell you my story and some important information. You'll do whatever you want with it. Just listen to me. We can go two different ways later if you want."
Sakura stared at Kakashi for a moment. She didn't know if she should trust him. She feared for her life too much, but she didn't want to be left alone again.
"Okay. But you say or do something suspicious, you're dead, got it?" he put his hands together in a defensive gesture.
"Of course."
"Put the weapons down here." she pointed ahead. The man obeyed Sakura, putting down every deadly tool.
After following her command, Kakashi sat down next to her, keeping his distance.
"Let's start with the fact that Danzo had already been collecting soldiers for two years. Every boy who turned sixteen was enlisted for compulsory military service."
"And Naruto and the others? They were in that camp."
"We'll get to that in a moment." he looked ahead and continued "There were no exceptions, everyone was enlisted there. But not everyone had the same rank. Naruto and the others caught some training a few times, but only in the use of firearms. After three months they managed to escape."
"Danzo wasn't looking for them?"
"Oh, he was looking. Until they fell into his next trap."
"Camp." he nodded.
"I assume there's more to tell here, but you won't hear it from me. I stayed."
"Why?" she looked at her former teacher, with curiosity but also anger.
"So that I could fight Danzo from the inside. I became one of his closer men, and I know why he attacked now."
"And he was going to do it some other time?"
"Yes, in two years." Sakura began to shiver from the cold, so Kakashi handed her his other garment "Danzo wanted his son to rule the world he conquered."
"He has a son!?" Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. Never in her life would she have even imagined such a development.
"He even has five children, each from a different woman. But he only trained his third son to be his heir."
Sakura covered herself more tightly with the cloak. All this information was of little use to her. Because what could she do with them? After all, she wouldn't go and kill Danzo or his children.
"Will you say something more useful? I'd like to move on already."
"Danzo is sick, and people are starting to gather in Konoha and prepare a rebellion."
"In the middle of a war? With planes flying over their heads and dropping bombs?"
"Konoha is actually very little damaged. Danzo is the one who started the war and makes sure everything goes his way. Other countries find practically no opportunity to attack his village."
Sakura thought about this for a moment. Something else had been said by Orochimaru. She could already guess that it was untrue, but why did Danzo want others to think that it was him they attacked first? After all, the people in the camp were running away from him for the most part. It did nothing for him to elicit pity.
"Do you think this war will end sooner than we think?" she asked.
Kakashi nodded.
"But it will take more than we expect."
"It already took." Sakura added quietly.
They sat in silence for a moment. No one knew how to pull the conversation further. Their meeting was theoretically accidental, but fate had other plans for Sakura and sent her Kakashi just when she needed him.
"How have you been doing over the years, Sakura?" finally Kakashi broke the silence.
Sakura sighed.
"I don't have time to chat. I have to go to-"
"Daughter." she looked at him in shock.
"How?"
"Naruto talks too loud sometimes."
At Sakura's mention of her friend, a smile appeared on her face. She longed to see him again. But not just him - everyone.
Then she remembered something. Kakashi might not have known, after all.
"Sasuke is alive." she concluded that her former teacher must know.
"That's good to hear."
"And you will take me to them now." if they were still alive, she added in spirit.
Without further ado, Kakashi stood up and offered his hand to Sakura. She accepted it, pulling herself up.
Now she had a long journey ahead of her, during which she would have to figure out what to say to Sasuke, Izumi, and Sarada.
A strong gust of wind knocked Sasuke backwards. The loud sound echoed constantly in his ears, and his head pulsed mercilessly.
Sasuke felt smoke and sand in his nose. He couldn't get up. Barely was he able to open the eyes.
In the distance, he could hear Naruto screaming and Ino quietly crying. Sasuke had to do something. Save them.
On shaky legs, he managed to rise to the knees. Sasuke squinted his eyes to locate a friend.
Naruto was lying down, his left hand crushed by a large boulder. He couldn't move. Sasuke, as quickly as he could, caught up to him.
"Hinata." he said quietly "There was Hinata inside." in his eyes, Sasuke saw terror "Go get her, I beg you."
Sasuke looked at the remains. It had once been a large, white building, now just rubble. He didn't want to tell Naruto this, but his gut told him that they hadn't survived.
He turned his gaze to his friend again. The grimace of pain was very visible. His hand might not have been usable anymore.
"I'll help you, just wait." he crossed to the other side. Sasuke put his hands on the stone and was about to push, but then he noticed movement. Ino stood up. "Ino!" he shouted, but the girl didn't even pay attention to him. She kept walking, stumbling and falling all the time "Get back! You'll hurt yourself again!" he continued, trying to stop her. Unfortunately, Ino didn't listen to him.
Sasuke was already about to get up and knock the idea of climbing over the rubble of the building out of her head, but he heard Naruto again.
He couldn't do two things at once.
So Sasuke started, with his friend.
"It'll be over soon." he said this to Naruto, but he wanted to support himself more.
He pushed with all his strength. The boulder didn't even move. Sasuke tried again. He met with the same result, or even worse, as the man on the ground screamed in pain.
"I said, Hinata-" Sasuke leaned his back against the stone and pushed "Aaaahr."
This time it worked.
Naruto's hand was all purple. Massacred. They needed to stiffen it up as quickly as possible, and then... get rid of it.
Walking with a dead limb would not be a good idea.
Sasuke wanted to gently lift his friend to sit up, but the man sprang to his feet and ran.
"Wait!" he was going to grab him by the arm, but he didn't because he might cause Naruto more pain.
Sasuke just watched as his two companions disappeared in clouds of smoke.
He himself didn't want to see the mangled bodies that lay under the rubble.
The dust began to slowly settle, and in the distance he could see Ino frantically stacking stones, her hands covered in blood, and Naruto looking with dead eyes at his lover.
Sasuke had had enough. On one hand he was glad it wasn't him or Sakura if she didn't leave this place, but on the other hand his heart squeezed at the thought of this loss.
He had to move on. Take the friends and go as far away as possible.
Sasuke suddenly felt someone approaching.
He turned the head and met face to face with one of the men who had brought them here. Sasuke quickly drew the gun in front of him. Before he could squeeze the trigger, he lay crushed to the ground.
"Let him go!" Sasuke heard Naruto yell.
His friend must have noticed something was wrong and turned around with the gun in his hand. His face was tear-stained, but he aimed perfectly at the man's head with a deadly expression.
"I don't want to hurt you." he assured.
"I don't believe you." Sasuke hissed.
"You don't have to, however if you kill me now, you will end up dead yourself."
Sasuke tried to break out of the man's grasp. He was no longer as strong as he once was, but he knew ways to break out of such a grip.
He put his free hand to the ground, lifting himself up very gently. Sasuke drove a foot firmly into the ground and uncurled with his other leg, undercutting the man.
As the guard fell, Sasuke put his elbow to his neck. The boy looked familiar.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Sai."
"I know that name from somewhere." he said quietly.
"I've seen you a few times with Sakura." Sai replied.
Now Sasuke remembered. Sai was a quiet boy who always walked around with an indifferent expression on his face. He never talked to anyone, but everyone whispered about him. He was a mysterious person in the past.
And since he was here, that meant one thing - Konoha had their fingers in this 'safe' camp. Though Sasuke couldn't be completely sure until it got confirmed.
He could, however, try to play it like he knew.
"It was predictable that one day you would get on the wrong side," he said.
"Now I'm on the good side."
"Before..."
"Sasuke, step back! I'll kill him!"
He looked at Naruto. The boy was shaking with anger and walking slowly towards them. Ino behind him didn't even pay attention to what was happening, she continued trying to find Shikamaru.
"Naruto, leave him be." Sasuke's friend laughed.
"Leave him be? Don't be ridiculous. He's the one who brought us here. He let Hinata and Shikamaru die!"
Naruto was getting closer and closer. He could barely manage to keep his gun straight.
"I didn't kill them." said Sai calmly "If they hadn't gone inside or-"
Naruto couldn't stand it and threw himself at the man, earlier knocking the gun out of his hand and pushing Sasuke to the side. He was sitting perched on Sai, pummeling him with his fist. Sasuke didn't stop him. He didn't want to get involved in this case. Naruto had always been the type of person to solve problems with talk, but now he couldn't do anything else. His beloved was dead after all.
Sasuke knew that if someone in his family had died, he would have done the same thing. Or something even worse than Naruto, because it was clear the boy was holding back a bit.
"Naruto." Sasuke tried to grab his arm, but was only hit himself.
They didn't have much time, every second counted, and since this building had exploded, that meant everything was planned.
"Naruto." he tried again.
"Leave me be, Sasuke!"
Sasuke couldn't stand it. Hard enough to just make the head spin, he hit Naruto with the butt of his gun. The boy shuddered and stopped hitting Sai.
"What are you doing!?"
"Since he came here, he must have had a purpose. We'll listen to him." Naruto wanted to protest, but then the lying man spoke up.
"If you want to survive at all, destroy the headphones first. They have a tracker."
"From where-" hushed Naruto.
Without wasting any time, Sasuke took out his and then Naruto's earpiece and crushed them on the ground. He picked himself up and ran over to Ino. The girl looked insane. Sasuke tried to remove her earpiece, but Ino flinched at his touch.
"Help me." she grabbed Sasuke's wrist "He's in there somewhere. I need to get him out."
"Ino, he-"
"Stop! Shikamaru is alive, I know it, he-" she started digging again.
Sasuke grabbed her hands, though she kept pulling out of his grasp.
"Ino, we have to move on. Everyone has lost someone important in their lives. You can do it, you're a strong woman." he saw the girl relax a little. It was more talk for show, just to get Ino to finally stop.
"I haven't lost anyone yet. Until today."
"We'll help you. Naruto doesn't leave his friends." Ino looked at the previously mentioned boy. Only pain was visible in her eyes.
Sasuke took out her earpiece and smashed it against the stone. Ino continued to cry, but let herself be guided by him.
"Since you knew about the transmitter," the closer they got, the better they heard Naruto's angry voice, "then you knew perfectly well what would happen."
"Of course I did. I worked for Orochimaru, after all."
Orochimaru. That was a name they hadn't heard before.
"You could have stopped it!" Naruto struck Saia again, but this time he squirmed in pain. His right hand must have made its presence known.
"I had to make a choice. Betrayal is wrong, that's what they taught me. But a girl once told me to follow my heart. I found that I would save you guys."
"You son of a-"
"Naruto, stop it."
"You know what Sasuke, I'm really sick of you."
"He was working for someone who controls all this," he looked at the boy to make sure. The man nodded with effort "he knows more than us." Sasuke tried to stay calm. He had to get the information out of Sai. His whole family was in different places than him now, he needed to know.
"Can we go from here?" asked Ino quietly.
Sasuke looked at everyone. Naruto looked like he was about to yell at the girl, and Sai's gaze was fixed on the distance.
"Let's go."
"I don't trust him." Naruto said.
Sasuke just sighed and picked Saia up.
"Put your hands behind your back." the man followed the command. Sasuke held Sai's wrists in his hand. They all moved forward. They needed to sit down, away from the carnage.
The place had not changed, only the atmosphere was more overwhelming. Puffs of dust flew in all directions, and the silence was only broken by Ino drawing in air.
When they reached the edge of the forest, stretching through practically this entire village, Naruto stood in the middle, now more sad than angry, Ino sat under a tree, curling her legs up to the chest and wrapping an arm around herself, while Sasuke continued to hold Sai.
"First you tell us why you really decided to come to us." he spoke first.
"I had a difficult childhood..."
"We do not care about that." Sasuke wanted to find out anything as soon as possible, he didn't have time for life stories.
"I don't agree with everything Danzo does. And most of all I can't understand killing innocent people."
"So you're confirming that Danzo invented this camp?"
"You didn't know?" he asked puzzled
"Shikamaru suspected that." Ino said quietly.
"We didn't know." replied Sasuke "We are ordinary people, not the ones who meddle in politics and the rulers' games."
"The only thing that makes us different, Sasuke," he motioned, "is that you are the one they want to kill, and I was chosen to kill. Otherwise, we're the same. I don't know anything about politics either, or why all this is happening."
"Get to the point." Sasuke jerked Sai. The man fell forward a little, but there was no sign of the slightest discomfort from his battered face. He must have been used to such wounds.
"Danzo created this place, years ago already. It worked all the time, but now he accelerated the publicity and changed the meaning a bit so people would come to it on their own. He wanted to exterminate all the cursed and the people who are not on his side."
"So it was a trap." Sai nodded to confirm Naruto's words.
"He sent five groups on missions today. They were all going to end with everyone dying, and the rest of the people in the camp were executed."
Sasuke stood still for a moment. Sarada and Izumi were supposed to leave this place as soon as possible, but had they succeeded? Were they lying dead somewhere now or were they running ahead to the place he had mapped out?
"Why-" Naruto only said one word before the explosion.
Hot air gushed in their faces. Sasuke could feel his legs burning. They were definitely going to be burned. Naruto shielded Ino, standing with his back to Sasuke.
No one had expected this.
"What was that?" said, between coughs, Naruto.
Sasuke could also feel the smoke in his throat, finding it hard to catch his breath. He tried to get rid of the feeling, but was met with even more scratching in his larynx and nose. He sneezed.
Sai pressed some cloth to his face.
"Another bomb has been planted under the train tracks. If any of you would have survived, it was going to kill eventually. Security measures." Sasuke laughed indulgently. A funny name for something bad.
"You didn't tell us." he commented angrily.
"I forgot." it was hard to believe, but no one answered.
"What do we do now? We can't go back there after all." Ino spoke up again. Her face was all dirty from dust and smoke.
Sasuke took a moment to think. It was dangerous everywhere now, but Naruto and Ino looked like normal civilians, they could go on and settle down in some village. They were threatened from all sides by Danzo and his soldiers, but there was no other choice. Since they survived this attack, it meant that a different fate awaited them.
"Go on. Survive this war. You," he pointed at Saia, "I don't know, do whatever you want. You're no one important to us. I'm going back to camp."
"What?" his friends said simultaneously.
"I need to find out if Sarada and Izumi are left there. If they're dead, I'd rather..." he broke off, because he couldn't even think about such a coincidence.
"I understand everything, Sasuke, but I can't lose you too." he noticed the fear and sadness piercing Naruto's face. His friend looked ten years older than he had those twenty minutes ago.
"If you're only in sight, they'll shoot you." Sai said.
"I'm a parent, a child's safety always comes first."
"And I'm your friend and I won't let you die." Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the collar.
"You will die senseless." Ino interjected.
"None of you understand me! If my daughter is out there somewhere and needs my help-"
"Someone is coming." Sai interjected.
Everyone started listening.
"I don't hear anything." Naruto said.
"You have not been trained well." Sasuke let go of the boy, though he still didn't trust him "Hide."
Naruto wanted to grab Sai, but the boy quickly disappeared from his grasp. Sasuke nudged his friend in the shoulder to get Ino. They quickly went behind a wall that wasn't far away. Sasuke pulled the two back and stood closer himself so he could lean out and watch.
In the distance, Sai looked around, looking scared. Now was his test - either betray them and die, or help them.
Screams could be heard in the air, but they were muffled enough that Sasuke couldn't guess what words they were forming into. He had to strain his hearing.
"...are you!?"
"Here!" exclaimed Sai.
"I was looking...Where...And you...happened?" everything the other man said was interrupted for him. However, it was possible to more or less deduce what it was about.
"Nothing. What... you doing?"
"Someone... betray-" Sasuke saw Sai put the gun under the man's chin. That meant he was most likely on their side after all.
He couldn't hear the rest of the exchange anymore as they spoke very quietly. After the last movement of Sai's mouth, he fired, killing the man.
Sasuke flinched a bit when Sai returned with blood on his face.
"What did you find out?"
"A few people ran off toward the forest." they all understood immediately what he meant "Your daughter wasn't among the dead."
"And how do you think you know what she looks like?" he said firmly.
"I saw her from a distance when she came here with Sakura."
"Even if you did, what assurance do you have that he was telling the truth?"
"I have none. Likewise, I can't promise you that your daughter is definitely alive. But we're armed, and we can help the people who escaped and kill some Danzo soldiers."
"It still puzzles me why you turned your back on Danzo so quickly." Naruto said quietly, Sai heard him anyway.
"My brother..." for a moment a shadow of emotion could be seen shrouding his eyes "He did that two years ago. People called him a hero."
Sasuke had no idea what the boy was talking about, but when he saw the faces of Naruto and Ino, he could see that they knew something.
Their weapons were lying nearby under the trees. Sasuke looked at it, thought about it, and quickly made a decision. He motioned for them to take the guns.
"Sai is right. We can save these people." he handed over the guns.
Maybe the people who escaped were strangers to Sasuke. However, he had failed to save his clan six years ago. He couldn't let those people die there. Sasuke felt a duty to defend them.
"We will run to get there in time. The Konoha soldiers have the characteristic orange stripes on their sleeves. Keep shooting at them and don't stop." Sai said. It was obvious he had a knack for planning. Sasuke wondered since when he had actually trained.
Naruto was already standing prepared with the gun in his hand, and Ino was holding the gun very tightly. Sasuke reloaded the magazine and grabbed the handle.
They all took off.
Sasuke ran into the forest, heading to the right. He took his steps carefully so as not to trip. The rest followed at intervals. Sai had the biggest advantage - he was best trained and wore orange stripes. None of Konoha's men would be expected to betray him.
Some of the trees had very low branches, causing everyone to have dry leaves on their faces. There was a smell of burning and blood in the air.
Sasuke was the first to spot the Konoha soldier. He pulled the trigger. The opponent fell dead on the grass. Sasuke heard more gunshots from his comrades. Almost all of them. Only Ino held a gun in her hand, but didn't use it.
People from the camp fled in terror. They were grabbing their heads, crawling on the ground, falling down and spinning in circles. Each of these people was so terrified that they could not think clearly. They just wanted to survive.
Naruto accelerated, furiously knocking out more Danzo pawns. Sasuke followed his steps. However, he killed people with calmness. His friend was seeking revenge for killing Hinata, Sasuke didn't need that yet.
"Take the one on the left!" shouted Naruto. Sasuke followed the command.
They ran on, covering more meters. Behind them they left nothing but dead bodies. In front of them they had the people they had saved, maybe some future and... Sarada. With Izumi.
Sasuke stopped, looked at his daughter, and finally sobering up, ran over to Sarada to take her in his arms.
"Daddy." she cuddled tightly with her arms around his neck.
"Sarada." he hugged his daughter with all his might, trying to enjoy her presence. Finally, he looked at Izumi, "Are you okay?"
"Yes." she replied quietly. Izumi had dealt with a lot of death and murder in the past, but it was clear from her expression that the events of a moment ago had left the girl very frightened. "We were outside the camp when they started shooting."
"Dad, what's going on?" asked a terrified Sarada.
Sasuke had no idea how to explain this to his daughter. She was still so young.
"A very evil man wants to cause harm to other people. But don't be afraid, I'm here with you."
"And mom?" Sasuke closed his eyes "When is she coming back? Is anyone with her?"
Sakura, survive, begged Sasuke in spirit.
"She will come back, my brother is by her side. He won't let any harm come to Sakura." out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke noticed Izumi tense up.
Sasuke really didn't know what he would do if Sakura died. He loved this woman too much. And he needed her in his life, just as much as Sarada did. Without Sakura, part of his spirit would be gone.
As if remembering something, Naruto turned to Sai.
"Where was Sakura sent?"
The man, still standing facing backwards and watching to see if any soldiers were approaching, replied rather uncertainly.
"It used to be a labor camp for the Uchiha, but recently it has changed its name to a extermination camp in quick time."
"A camp..." Naruto couldn't believe it.
"What does that mean?" asked Sarada.
Sasuke felt a tightening in his throat. He believed in Sakura and her strength, but not in miracles. Since it was all drawn up by Danzo, the chances of surviving in such a camp were practically zero. Sasuke tried not to shake.
And what was that about the Uchiha?
"Nothing, nothing special." he stroked his daughter's head.
Sarada asked nothing more. Her dad's expression said it all. She just hugged him tighter and leaned quietly into the crook of Sasuke's neck.
"We need to move." Sai said.
"I know the way." Izumi pointed northwest.
"Lead the way. Naruto, we cover."
Izumi, holding the map in one hand and Ino's hand in the other, set off. Ino was still in shock, so she needed the other woman's support now. Sasuke carried Sarada, while Sai and Naruto watched the area.
They were moving efficiently. The refugees from the camp had scattered to all parts of the world. Some they might meet a second time someday, others they might not even get a chance to see again.
Sarada fell asleep in her dad's arms. It had grown dark all around. The forest hummed, making sometimes frightening sounds.
"We should stop." Izumi communicated.
"We can keep walking." interjected Naruto.
"That doesn't make sense. Each of us is tired."
Naruto looked at them. Sasuke tried to show that he still had plenty of strength, but Sarada was already weighing him down and his eyes were closing on their own.
"Okay, you're right. I'm taking first watch with Sai." he further evidently didn't trust the boy and no one was surprised at all.
"Later wake me up. I'll take the next one." Sasuke said.
He sat down under a tree, leaning as comfortably as he could with his back against the trunk. He arranged Sarada on his frame. The girl twisted around, continuing to sleep.
"Come to me Naruto." Ino, now communicating more, pointed to the piece of cloth she held in her hand, "Sakura and I have been trained as nurses."
Sasuke, with his eyes almost closed, watched as the woman immobilized his friend's right arm, who, by the way, protested greatly against it.
He didn't even know when he fell asleep.
Sasuke woke up a few hours later. The first thing he saw before him was Sarada's large eyes. His daughter was looking at him.
"Hi." Sarada smiled softly. Did her smile ever get so big that the teeth could be seen? If so, Sasuke wanted to see it.
"You snore."
"You're the first person to tell me that."
"Mom said it's good to be honest." Sasuke laughed.
"Anyone up yet?" Sarada turned her head.
"Just this strange, very pale gentleman, he hasn't slept since yesterday."
Sasuke noticed Sai sitting on a branch. The boy turned his head and when he noticed that Sasuke was already up, jumped down.
"Naruto is not good for keeping watch."
"If he fell asleep, why didn't you wake me?"
"I was able to handle it myself." and you could have betrayed us, Sasuke thought, but you didn't.
Maybe they could have trusted him already.
"We should wake up the others."
"Deal with it yourself."
Sarada got up quickly and ran over to Ino. She shook the woman slightly until she finally woke up. Sasuke would like to know how much his daughter knew about the girl.
They had dealt with the rest and now all six of them were moving on.
"I miss sleeping on comfortable beds." Ino said. The girl had cooled down a bit after yesterday's events.
"We all miss it." Naruto walked slower than he had a few hours ago. His hand must have been affecting his entire body.
"Dad," Sarada shook Sasuke's sleeve, "look what pretty flowers."
The field they were walking through was strewn with begonias. The beautiful pink flowers left a nice scent in the air. That color was associated by everyone with only one person. Sakura would look stunning among them.
"May I?" asked Sasuke's daughter.
"Aa."
"What's our plan once we get to this village?" asked Izumi.
Sarada circled among the flowers, picking them and not getting too far away.
"We'll have to find a place to settle down," she said.
"Are we going to stay there very long?"
"I have no idea."
"No one was prepared for that." Naruto spoke up.
"How do we know we're going to find a house? And what about him? He has Konoha soldiers' clothes." Ino pointed at Saia.
"No one said it had to be a cottage." Izumi said.
"I'll get rid of those orange items from the clothes. They're needed for now. If some Danzo man meets us, they will claim that I am leading you to execution."
"And you, Sasuke? What are you planning for later?" asked Izumi. She probably remembered their conversation before leaving the camp.
"I'm going to go look for Sakura and Itachi."
"You can't leave Sarada!" Naruto looked at him angrily.
"Sarada has known some of you longer than she has known me. I trust you. I'll be more useful when I bring her mother back."
"That's a crazy idea, even more so now."
"You said the child's safety comes first. Now what?"
"I also said I trust you."
"Papa, Papa look," Sarada interrupted their conversation "look how many flowers I've picked! And each one is a different shade of pink."
This smile was bigger than the previous one. Oh, how much Sasuke didn't want to leave her. However, he couldn't live with the knowledge that he hadn't even tried to look for Sakura.
"Beautiful."
"Sarada, let me show you something." Ino plucked a thick piece of grass. The girl handed her the flowers and after a moment the woman tied them together. Now she had a bouquet.
"Wow. I'll save it for mom!"
Let's just hope she had a chance to give them to Sakura.
"I see some houses." Naruto said.
They reached the village.
As they crossed the boundaries and headed deeper into it, a pattern became apparent - the outskirts had the most houses that stood very close together, and the closer they got to the middle, the fewer buildings there were.
They walked further in, looking at the windows and doors. Most were closed. Sasuke spotted only ten people along the way. Usually children. People hid in their private oases, as if the war within would not reach them.
It seemed like the place really was peaceful. Maybe Danzo hadn't gotten here yet.
"Do you think anyone will let us in?" asked Naruto.
"People don't look very friendly."
To confirm his words, two buildings away, an elderly man sat on a wooden chair and looked at them with an unkind look. They didn't want to welcome strangers, nobody from the outside they trusted.
"Maybe we will find something." Izumi said.
Sasuke held Sarada's hand tightly. They walked out into the empty, sandy lands. On this side of the village, more windows were open. Until then.
Suddenly the atmosphere changed and everyone hurriedly locked up their houses. Sasuke and the others didn't know what that meant.
"...You have a weapon." a female voice.
And so familiar.
Sasuke let go of Sarada's hand, who was also just standing there in a stupor, and moved ahead.
From around the corner she emerged. Sakura was standing next to Kakashi and she was alone. It squeezed Sasuke's heart a little, but until he knew what had happened at the camp, he wouldn't speculate anything.
Right now, however, all that mattered was her. The whole world around them didn't exist.
"Sakura."
She didn't run to him like before. Sakura came over and cuddled into his chest as if she wanted to disappear. Sasuke felt her shake a little. The events that unfolded in that inhuman place must have been very traumatic.
"Do you believe in reincarnation?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Ah, I'll have to start too." Saying that, she stepped back and sent a smile to Sasuke. It wasn't the old, beautiful smile anymore.
Sakura ran her eyes over everyone until her gaze rested on Sarada.
"Come on, sweetheart."
Sarada dropped the bouquet and rushed over to Sakura. Sasuke watched as she wrapped her arms around her mother's hips and hugged on tight. Sakura leaned over to kiss her head.
This was not the atmosphere he wanted to sense during this meeting. The day his family was supposed to be together again was supposed to be joyful. Here the joy was too little. The faces and mood of everyone was underwhelming.
Sasuke turned to Kakashi. It had been a long time since he had seen the man. Too much of his old teacher hadn't changed, only he looked more tired, like everyone else in general, but he continued to hold himself well. He did not know his history, nor did he have any idea what he was doing here. However, he felt in his bones that Kakashi had somehow helped Sakura get here. Sasuke bowed to him gently, as a thank you.
The man waved his hand at that. Sasuke walked over to Sakura and Sarada.
"We should keep walking." he placed a hand on Sakura's back "We'll talk later."
"Oh, mom," a small smile returned to Sarada's face. At least she was able to enjoy life a little bit more "I have something for you."
"What is it, sunshine?" Sakura returned Sarada's smile, but hers was not a sincere one. However, she was trying her best for the daughter. She had always been like that - others first, then her.
"I'll show you in a moment." Sarada ran to get the flowers.
It became quiet for a moment.
Too peaceful.
"Maybe-"
"Be careful-"
"Sa-"
The sound of a gunshot cut through the air. Never in his life, had he acted so quickly. Sasuke wanted to go protect Sarada first, but noticed that Naruto had already done so. Sakura was also getting ready to go to her daughter, however, she stopped.
Sasuke stepped in front of Sakura at the last moment.
Ino, with rage in her eyes, held the gun in front of her, and a few meters away lay the Konoha soldier who had shot at them.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Why are you asking me that!?" she was shaken.
"Because you're the one they shot at."
"And of course you, like a fool, protected me!"
"Sometimes it's appropriate to sacrifice yourself."
"Stop, Sasuke. I need to see if anything happened to you." she glanced back "Oh my god..."
Maybe it was the adrenaline that made him feel no pain?
"Sai." Izumi stood in shock.
Sakura ran up to the boy quickly. She put her hands to the wound, but Sasuke could see in her eyes that nothing could be done about it.
"Why?"
"Neither of you deserve to die."
"Neither do you." Sakura removed her hands from Saia "I don't know why you found yourself with them, but I believe you are a good person."
"I listened to my heart, which wanted me to redeem myself. Though I doubt that will be enough."
Kakashi interjected before Sakura could answer the man.
"If we don't move right away, I'll have to start shooting civilians. And I wouldn't want that very much."
It was only after Kakashi's words that they noticed what a spectacle they had made. The villagers were looking out of their windows, and a few men started coming out with all sorts of weapons in their hands.
"We can't leave him here like this. He's still alive." Sakura said.
After a moment, everyone just looked at Sai's movement. Naruto managed to shield Sarada's eyes and Sasuke was able to push Sakura away a bit, who flinched a lot at the sound of the gunshot anyway.
Sai shot himself in the head.
"Jesus..." Ino closed her eyes.
"Let's go."
Sasuke picked Sakura up, went for Sarada, and took her in his arms.
They ran between the buildings. Sasuke carried his daughter while Sakura held his blouse. He offered her his hand earlier, but for some unknown reason she refused.
Kakashi stopped them before exiting a small alley.
"See this?" he pointed to a small door leading down. Underground.
"Do you think it's a bunker?" asked Izumi.
"Doesn't matter. It can be used as a hiding place for us."
"And what if it's dangerous inside?"
"I'll check it out."
"Ino..."
"Don't make that face, Sakura." she walked over to her best friend and kissed on the cheek "I have nothing to lose."
"But we have you."
"Don't be so dramatic already."
Ino was let through by Kakashi, but Sakura wasn't. She looked at the man deadly. However, she didn't say anything.
Everyone watched, with their breath held, as the girl walked inside.
For two minutes, nothing happened.
"All clear." they breathed a sigh of relief.
One by one, they went to the door and walked down. Sasuke was the first to set foot on the ladder.
"Sarada, now you."
The girl walked up, stood back and waited until she could start down. Sasuke touched Sarada's back so he could belay her. Sakura was waiting at the top.
"Come down, Sakura." without further ado, she found herself at the bottom.
Inside, there was one large room with a table, three smaller rooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen. After exploring, it appeared that more or less the basement was furnished. It probably belonged to someone.
"There's running water." Naruto communicated.
"Maybe someone lives here?"
"I doubt it. There are no personal belongings here."
There was silence.
They had come so far, experienced so much, and had no idea what else awaited them. Again they would have to make a decision that would affect their entire lives.
But that would be not today.
"Aghrr."
In a flash, everyone turned to Naruto. The man was standing and crying, his right arm hanging along his body, untied from the bandages, in an even worse state than before.
"Why are you crying?" asked Sakura.
"No one seemed to care about what Sai did," he said.
"I thought you didn't like him." said Sasuke.
"It's not about whether I liked him or not, it's about the act he did. Soon, it's very possible that each of us will face that choice. And I don't want any of you to have to make it."
"We don't have time to mourn and think." Izumi commented.
"I'm going to kill Danzo."
"You're on adrenaline, don't talk about things you probably won't do." Ino interjected into the conversation.
"Naruto," before the boy could reply, Sakura interjected "... your hand."
"Ah, I might have expected that. I believe in your skills, Sakura-chan." Sasuke noticed how Sakura's eyes were tearing up. She must have missed her friends a lot.
"Come here to me."
Sakura hugged Naruto tightly around the neck, and the boy squeezed her around the waist with his left arm. Sasuke saw, because he couldn't hear anything, his friend whispering something to Sakura.
When will I find out about Itachi, he asked himself in his mind. Sakura was currently busy giving orders after hugging her friend, and Kakashi was standing in the corner of the room doing nothing. But he might not know at all what fate had befallen his brother. Sasuke only sensed that what he might hear one day would break his heart. Although, somewhere deep inside, he accepted long ago the fact that Itachi was dying every day.
"Sasuke." Sakura shook him. He finally turned his attention to her "Are you okay?"
"We'll talk later."
"Oh, okay." she shouted something to Izumi "I'm going to need your help. Your job will be to hold Naruto." Sasuke nodded "But first get Sarada out of here."
Through all the distraction, Sasuke only now noticed that Sarada hadn't taken her backpack out of camp.
"She won't have anything to play with."
"She doesn't have to. Sarada can handle it, she's a strong girl." Sakura looked at her daughter crossly.
"I know, she's ours after all." Sasuke put Sakura's head against his frame and stroked her hair gently.
"Ours..." she whispered.
"Sarada," the girl lifted her head, "come."
Without asking, she headed after her dad. They walked down a narrow hallway that was lit only by the burning candles they had lit earlier with matches they had found in drawers.
"Where are we going?"
"To the room. You can arrange it nicely somehow." he held his daughter's hand.
"I don't have anything."
"Well then, you're going to arrange the bed, what do you think?" Sasuke tried to make the atmosphere a little more pleasant that it had been for several hours now.
"Mom's going to cut up Uncle, isn't she? Is that why she doesn't want me to watch?"
"Cut?" he hadn't been this confused in a long time.
"Perform surgery."
"Aaa, yeah."
"Will you have a room with us?" Sarada changed the subject.
"If it won't bother you, yes."
"It won't! I always wanted to live with my dad! And mom will finally have someone by her side." she smiled.
"You love Sakura very much, huh Sarada."
"She's the most wonderful person in the world. The teacher in kindergarten once said that moms are our heroes, and I agree."
"You know Sarada, I know you're still little-"
"I'm almost six." she huffed, causing a smirk to appear on Sasuke's lips.
"-And you don't fully understand human relationships, but I want to tell you something. You see, you are my child and as soon as I found out about you I already felt an attachment. It was a natural instinct. But I've come a longer way with Sakura."
"You didn't love Mom always?"
"No. I fell in love with her quickly, but for a long time we didn't even know each other." he squeezed his daughter's hand "Sakura is the best thing that ever happened to me, along with you. And that's why I want to marry her someday. It's kind of a vow to stay with that person for a lifetime."
"We would become a family then?"
"We're already a family. But then we would officially be one."
Sarada let go of Sasuke's hand and snuggled into his leg.
"I love you."
Sasuke felt a sudden great warmth in his chest. It was the first time he had heard those two words from his daughter and he found that he would die a happy man as if he could hear them, from his loved ones, every day.
"Aa, I love you too." he opened the door "There we are."
"Will he survive?" she asked with fear in the eyes.
"We have to trust mom."
"And after that? What's really going on in the world right now?" Sasuke didn't know what to answer. It was not an easy thing to say to such a young person. Sarada must have already gained trauma from so many terrible events, and Sasuke didn't want to scare her even more. It would affect her badly.
"I'm not good at talking about serious things with children. Mom will tell you tomorrow." he had to apologize in his mind to Sakura for that.
"Okay." Sarada sent a sad smile and disappeared into the depths of the room.
Sasuke returned quickly to the rest. Naruto was lying on the table, with the wood in his mouth and a compressed piece of cloth on top of his right hand. Ino and Sakura stood next to him and watched his arm closely, while Izumi and Kakashi held his legs. Sasuke stood on the left. A saw lay in front of Sakura - they couldn't find anything better.
These would be long, painful and exhausting hours.
"I'm starting."
"Wait." Izumi said "Won't he bleed out?"
"I understand the conditions are not easy, but it is better to get rid of the dead limb. The chances of survival will be better." Sasuke could see her hands were shaking, she was talking nonsensically "I know what I'm doing."
"Sakura." he said quietly enough so only she could hear.
They looked into each other's eyes. Sasuke wanted to make Sakura aware of his presence by her side no matter what; the fact that no one was questioning her abilities and the stress this situation was putting on everyone. She had to believe in the success of this operation.
Sakura relaxed.
"It will depend on Naruto's organism now. I'll try to prevent him from bleeding out, but I can't promise anything, not here."
No one spoke again, so Sakura set to work. She took the saw in her hand and measured perfectly. A swish of air hung between everyone. Naruto twisted his entire body in pain, struggling to stay conscious. The wooden baton nearly broke under his teeth.
Sakura assessed the situation - the saw had stopped halfway up his forearm. If she removed it, it could cause him to bleed out quickly, but if she started cutting further, Naruto would die sooner from pain and exhaustion.
She struck once again. This time the hand separated from the rest of the body. Sasuke had a lot of trouble keeping his friend in place. He didn't want to know how much effort the other two were putting into it.
Ino began quickly applying various kinds of cloth to the stump, and Sakura began wrapping bandages around it.
Naruto lost consciousness a few times.
"It's over." Sakura communicated.
"Now what?"
Sasuke looked carefully at his friend. The boy had his eyes closed and was breathing fairly steadily. Sweat glistened on his face.
"I'll stay with him for an hour. Then we'll carry him to bed. Ino, will you be able to watch over him for the night?" the woman nodded "The most important part is going to be the next twenty-four hours."
"Sakura." for the first time since they came here, Kakashi spoke up.
"Yes?"
"I have to go."
"You're going back? But why?"
"My job continues to be to fight Danzo from the inside."
"Are you coming back?"
"I'll send you information when I get some. Don't change your location until then."
"That might not work." Sasuke commented.
"At least make an effort."
"Kakashi." spoke Ino "Could you also get information on our friends? I assume you know who I mean."
"I'll do my best."
"How long will it take?"
"Up to eight months."
"Good. We'll wait."
Kakashi walked towards the exit and cast one last glance towards his former charges.
"I want to see you all together next time." after those words, he disappeared.
An awkward silence fell. They had nothing to talk about now. Nothing was happening.
"Then..."
"When Naruto feels better, we'll do a meeting." Izumi said.
"We'll have to discuss a lot of things." Ino added quietly.
"We have a lot to talk about. You probably do too, Sakura."
Sakura stared ahead, blankly. She stood still, not even blinking. Sasuke became scared and was already about to approach, when she spoke.
"Itachi is dead."
Sasuke was prepared for that, but further those words hurt a lot.
"He saved my life."
The silence began to become overwhelming. Izumi pressed her lips together and tried to stop herself from crying, but it didn't work. However, she refused to draw attention to herself, so she turned her back. Seeing the girl's condition, Ino walked over to Izumi.
"We'll go now. Call us if anything happens." they went deeper into the hallway.
"I..."
"Are you going too?" she asked. Sasuke wanted to go for a walk, to unload his emotions. He didn't, however. Sakura needed him now, she couldn't blame herself for Itachi's death.
Another time Saske would try to come to terms with his death.
"No."
"Why? He was your brother. He only let himself get shot because he decided that my life was more important than his."
"Itachi was putting my well-being before his own."
"But I'm not you, so why..."
She burst into tears.
Sasuke hugged Sakura, holding her tightly in his embrace.
"Sakura," he whispered, "remember June ninth?" involuntarily the girl smiled.
Sasuke knew what he was doing. That day always, regardless of his mood, made him feel better.
"Yes. It was the worst asking to dance I've ever had in my life."
"I tried." they both laughed quietly "And the thirteenth of May?"
They spent the next hour reminiscing about old times, and the second hour Sasuke slept while Sakura watched over Naruto.
A coughing noise brought them to feet.
"How are you feeling?" Sakura touched Naruto's forehead and throat alternately.
"Fine." he whispered.
"No fever, that's good." she turned to Sasuke "Help me move him."
With quite difficulty, Sasuke and Sakura managed to carry Naruto to the room. By the way Sakura called Ino.
They wished each other a good night, leaving the room. Sakura spoke up first as they walked towards their room.
"Sasuke." she took his hands in hers "I know everyone is trying to hold on as best they can right now, but the next few days I assume will be very hard. All the stress and shock will come off of us, so if you need me by your side, speak up. I'll always help you."
He paused and pressed his forehead to hers.
"Thank you. Know that I'm a support to you, too."
"I wanted to ask you something else. Do you feel so empty in your head too?"
Sasuke had to think about it. Actually, he didn't feel anything in particular. He hadn't reacted to the news of his brother's death the way a normal person would; when Sai had killed himself, it hadn't really bothered him; Naruto's operation hadn't really affected him much.
Even the knowledge of his friends' dead bodies under the rubble was just an awareness of it.
Yes, Sasuke felt an emptiness. And only now did he realize it.
"I suffered deeply from the events at the camp, but now... all emotions are one big slush that I don't understand. I feel empty, feeling everything and nothing all at once."
"Aa, I think I understand you." but I don't understand myself. I don't feel any major negative emotions.
"She's asleep." Sakura whispered, entering the room.
Sarada was lying on the bed, uncovered by a blanket. Sakura wrapped the blanket around her daughter, kissing her forehead goodnight.
Sasuke sat down on a very small couch, located in the corner. The light blue color was glaring at their eyes, but they had nothing to complain about. They could finally sleep on the beds.
Sakura squatted down next to Sasuke. She played with the fingers, like she did when she had something important to say, but didn't know how to say it.
"Speak, Sakura."
She was speechless for a moment before finally getting the words out.
"It's been six years, Sasuke. I don't know if our relationship has changed much somehow." saying this, she twirled her ring.
"Nothing has changed, except that we've matured."
"That's a lot."
"Sakura," he put a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I still cherish spending time with you and talking. I don't want things to get awkward between us."
"Neither does I want it that way, but it's been so long..."
"And I love you still the same." he intertwined Sakura's fingers with his own, putting the ring to his lips "And this is the first proof of that, the second one is sleeping in there."
Sakura caught Sasuke's cheek in a hand and drew his head down, pressing into Sasuke's mouth passionately. They kissed like there was no tomorrow. With a struggle, they pulled away from each other.
"Do you want to listen, in detail, to what I've been doing for the last six years? It'll take some time, but I'll need time to myself tomorrow. Probably like everyone else." he said all this in a half-whisper as the kiss took his breath away.
"I'd love to tell my story too,"
"But first we should get cleaned up." Sasuke looked at Sakura and her rather dirty clothes. The unpleasant smell was negligible, but sweat, dirt and dust coated their bodies "Go first."
Sasuke watched as Sakura disappeared behind the door. The musty smell began to bother Sasuke. It was obvious that the basement was old, but the stench that existed here was unbearable. It would be better to do something about it.
He stretched out comfortably on the couch to rest for at least a few moments. However, Sasuke did not get the peace he was looking for, because Sakura came back. Too soon.
"What happened? " he thought maybe the bathroom was occupied or unusable, but Sakura looked terrified.
"Could you... come with me?" she looked deep into his eyes "I'm scared to be alone."
Sakura used to not have that, Sasuke noted. He'll have to make sure Sakura isn't left alone in the rooms. Since this was due by traumatic events, it could lead to panic attacks.
"No problem."
They headed to the bathroom. A very small one. It contained a rusty sink, a shower stall that could accommodate two people, and a toilet without a seat.
A broken mirror hung in front of them. Sasuke looked at their reflections. They both looked a few years older and tired of life. Sakura touched her neck.
"Do you think it will ever come off?" she ran her fingers over the number.
"For sure."
A silence fell. Sakura glanced uncertainly at Sasuke. Continuing to look in the mirror, he watched as she began unbuttoning the buttons of her shirt. She did it slowly and so subtly.
Unfastening the garment fully, she slid the shirt off her shoulders. She had no bra underneath. Sasuke involuntarily rolled his eyes at her breasts. They were a little larger after the pregnancy, but he kept assuming they would fit in his hand.
He longed to see for himself.
Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat. This was no time for such thoughts, he reminded himself over and over.
But then Sakura took the bottom off.
Sasuke stared at her. She arranged the clothes in a cube.
"This will have to be washed somehow."
"Hn."
"Is that all you have to say?" a smile appeared on Sakura's face.
"How much stress does it take off?"
"What?" she asked dumbly. Only after a moment did she realize what Sasuke meant. Sakura blushed "As if why would I-"
"You're a doctor by profession, Sakura. So?"
"A nurse." he raised an eyebrow "A lot." Sasuke kissed Sakura's neck "But I doubt the time is right."
"You don't want to?"
"I didn't say anything like that."
"I'm not going to force you to do anything." he assured "I just want to hear the answer."
Sakura took a deep breath.
She didn't respond. With her lips she pressed hard into Sasuke's mouth. He returned the kiss with the same fierceness.
"Sakura, answer."
"Oh, don't talk any more and just fu-"
She didn't even have to finish.
Sasuke attacked Sakura's neck with his lips, squeezed her waist tightly with a hand. He led them slowly to the shower stall. Sakura sighed quietly.
By the time they reached the end, Sasuke had removed his shirt, pants, and boxers.
Sakura stepped into the shower. Sasuke let the water run so that it drowned them out. He touched Sakura's breasts gently, only to squeeze harder later - the way she used to like it. The woman moaned.
With his thumb, Sasuke massaged her nipple. Sakura arched her back, hitting her hips against his. He lifted Sakura up, and she wrapped around him. She began to move her body up and down. Sasuke had to lean one hand against the wall. He parted his lips, moaning.
Sasuke ran the fingers between Sakura's legs. The woman pressed her lips together, twisting her face in pleasure. The sight turned Sasuke on even more, not to mention the wetness he felt.
Sakura, impatient, reached her hand to his cock. He moaned louder and felt it harden.
Sasuke was already about to give in to further pleasure, but then he remembered.
"Wait." Sakura stopped her movements "We have no protection." she blinked and smiled softly.
"Ah, you're right."
"But we have no intention of ending up like this."
He kissed Sakura again with all his strength. Sasuke put her down on the ground, holding her by the hip. With his kisses, he began to go lower until he got to where he planned.
"Sasuke-kun..."
Another chapter and again a bit of action. I'm glad I took a break from this fanfic for a couple of months. I've got all the ideas wrapped up into one and already have the where, what and how of it all lined up in my head.
therefore I can also say that there are only 2(!) chapters left.
This is my second work and I feel very proud of how much I came up with (although I hope the ?plot? doesn't bore you and goes at a good pace).
I also know that a lot of people prefer more usual romances with action on the side, but I love adventure stories and I can't write other things.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you have fun with my works, because I personally have a lot of joy creating them ;p
ps. thanks for every likes and comments
!THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE VILLAGE IS CHANGED!
