Chapter 14: Of Promises

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." -Rumi

Sakura

"You thought I wouldn't catch you, huh?" Sasuke smirks, gaze piercing and unwavering from above her.

This chase is over.

The forest surrounding them feels like it's closing in on them, the spark of a brilliant crimson hue from the corner of her eye making her stomach churn as fire begins to scorch the land.

Any words she wants to say are garbled and broken in her throat, his fingers squeezing and coiling around her neck faster as soon her lips try to move. His snakes slide and swarm upon her legs, sharp golden eyes watching her in the dark waiting to bite and poison her at Sasuke's command.

"Sasuke, I- "She manages to crack out, but he clamps down harder on her neck taking all the air out of her, nails digging into her pulse point until blood stains at his fingers.

"You should've forgotten about me." He chuckles, but his laugh comes out forced, grin fading into a frown that this is how far they've fallen.

And then she tastes her blood on her tongue as it starts to flood her mouth, so metallic and bitter. Sasuke's onyx eyes keep watching her until the fight is completely out of her, his features blurring…

"Sasuke, stop!" Sakura snaps, shooting up out of bed and her breathing settles into short gasps. This isn't a forest far from home where she will bleed out and die alone. She presses her fingers lightly by her carotid pulse, her pulse bounding fast at the tips of her nails.

'A dream, no a nightmare.' Sakura swallows, taking in her bedroom once more. Silver moonlight crosses against a page covering the cardiovascular system she had been reviewing, the mechanisms and major arteries/veins of the heart set aglow. At some point her mind had shut off and she had succumbed to sleep mid-reading.

She wipes at beats of sweat sticking to her hair and cheeks, it's no wonder Lady Tsunade wants her to take another week off from the hospital...

Kakashi-sensei too probably knows she's feeling more on edge, having two of Sasuke's team members in correspondence with her underneath his nose will do that to even the best shinobi.

And their letters have been shorter, more concise that Sasuke is aware they're keeping secrets.

Suigetsu merely asked about the locations of where he can pick up and find the best swords (particularly from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen). She'd shown him via photos both a unique sapphire sword supposedly created by a swordsman from the Warring States Period good for someone well acclimated with water techniques and a blade similar to Zabuza's.

It was enough to convince him she knew where he could find more.

Karin meanwhile had notified her that Kabuto had something in the works that would be resulting in the dead formidable shinobi of the past being resurrected.

'Be ready, those that were dead will soon walk the earth again. Sasuke's eyes growing stronger.' Was all she said.

Nothing of Sasuke's current plans beyond that, what he even thought of such a thing happening.

Those dead would most likely include his own brother.

She moves to the kitchen to get some water, studying the overhead clock in the corner. It's only a little after 12:30 am. The water stings at her throat gulping it down far too fast. It does little anyways to calm the frantic beating of her heart recalling a nightmare that could become reality if her mission completely backfires.

Briefly she considers going back to bed or wandering the streets, if she sleeps again surely she will see Sasuke's harsh eyes upon her trying to kill her once more. She tiptoes towards her parent's bedroom, Dad's light snores echoing down the hall.

A giggle escapes her, Mom will probably wake up grumpier tomorrow from the fitful sleep.

'At least they're here safe and sound; okay.' Sakura reminds herself.

But she can't stay here right now, not with what her thoughts are currently conjuring up for her.

So she gathers up her pouch of a few kunai and medical supplies, slipping out her window into warm night air.

At least the night markets are still lively and bright, shinobi returning from late missions partaking in noodle and bowl stalls.

And in between a teriyaki and egg soup stalls does see she silver hair, half-turning before she can even consider whether or not it is her sensei.

Kakashi gives her a half-wave, nodding to her bed-ridden hair. "Looking for midnight snack?"

Sakura rolls her eyes, shaking her head as she smooths down hair into something less untamed looking. "Can't sleep, dreamt of him."

Kakashi nods his understanding, moving to match her stride before lowering his voice. "Updates from your crimson mole and the sharp toothed collector?"

She had to admit, Kakashi had some unique nicknames for Suigetsu and Karin.

"Ah, yes. It seems like preparations have already been made for Kabuto to bring fallen shinobi back to life with some jutsu. And Sasuke…his eyes are growing stronger despite still in recovery mode from the surgery." Sakura starts.

She considers the dead shinobi of past who Kabuto would have most interest in using, pausing when she sees Kakashi has stopped walking, expression unsettling as his brows furrow.

It clicks then and her stomach tightens at the thought.

'Would he dig up and bring back his own Father?'

-X-

Naruto & Hinata

"What should I say back to Father regarding this trip?" Hinata begins, scratching and rewriting the words for her letter over and over until the ink bleeds the paper too black to make out anything.

Black droplets stain her fingers and the grass below, midday heat burning on their backs. The smell of rain picks up in the air, dark clouds hovering in the distance reminding them they're still in the Land of Lightning despite the the near constant sunshine and greenery they've been experiencing for days now.

One of Motoi's messenger owls arrived back in Kumo while he was retrieving some goods for them, reigniting a burning ache in her that it's been weeks now since she's seen Neji, Hanabi, and Father.

All his worries are conveyed in this short letter, of Konoha's slow rebuilding, of Lady Tsunade setting up the groundwork of war as team leaders are created.

'I hope you and Naruto are doing well.' She re-reads over and her stomach tightens that there is so much she wants to say that can't fit on just one paper alone.

Naruto hops down from the trees beside her, patting and rubbing at her shoulders calming her panic. "Hinata, the main thing to write back is you're doing okay and we understand that the war is coming."

Lavender eyes look up from the torn paper to back at him, frown forming at the edge of her lips. "I know, and by the looks of things he already knows about the rumor experimentations in the Mountain Graveyard late at night by Kabuto. He knows there's a strong chance he'll have to face Uncle Hizashi in battle..."

Her voice trails off to a whisper, Naruto's own expression becoming somber.

Having to face a dead loved one in battle, a dead loved one fighting them against their own could lead to more deaths.

As far as they both know, such a tactic was never used in the past Shinobi World Wars.

'Just how much tissue samples has Kabuto collected though? Surely he wouldn't be able to get to people like Pervy-Sage, right?' Naruto considers, clicking his teeth at the very thought.

But he most likely could have gotten DNA from Minato, his Dad was so well known amongst each nation that it shouldn't come as a surprise if he is forced to fight him on the battlefield.

"I'm adding in that your training with Kurama is going well, or I should say Nine Tails since he might not know what I'm referring to." Hinata speaks up as she grabs another clean sheet of paper from her bag.

Speaking of which, Naruto needed to get back to doing said training.

"More importantly, he should know we're official." Naruto adds in softly, squeezing her arm causing Hinata to look back up at him.

Hiashi will probably be happy for such news with how dreary all the other updates have been...well maybe he'll be happy!

"I'd rather tell him that in person than through a letter." Hinata laughs face warming imagining his expression before glancing back to the clock.

"You should get back to training. I'm sure Killer B is looking for you." Hinata remarks. They couldn't spend all day lounging about when he still needed to master using Kurama's power.

Sure enough B is waiting on them upon their return back from the forests, shaking his head with a sigh. "You need to stop whirling around with your girl and keep up that grit fool!"

Naruto opens his mouth to retort that they were definitely doing no such thing, but Hinata pats his back before he can do so. "Go. I'm going to head into town for a bit to get the latest news on the war."

She feels the squeeze of Naruto's hand before she leaves the area, Motoi greeting her amiably that he will accompany her into town if need be. Gai had already returned back to Konoha part of the Third Division.

'I still barely wrote anything to Father in the end.' Hinata sighs, looking at the few words she's written.

Then again, everything she wanted to say to him should be said in person.

-X-

Kakashi

'That's a warning flare from the Surprise Attack Division!' Kakashi scowls, observing as a scarlet streak bursts across the sky.

They're in danger.

He immediately orders everyone to pick up the pace, the forests and grasslands of patchy ice and frost clearing away to reveal the division ambushed by famed shinobi from long ago.

Famed shinobi he watched die...

Haku and Zabuza are the first to notice his arrival and his eye narrows taking in their dark irises, the clearest sign that they have been resurrected through Kabuto's jutsu.

"Huh, oh the famed copy ninja we meet again." Zabuza starts.

"Ah, but this time under circumstances outside of your control." Kakashi replies.

Haku nods from beside him in agreement, face softening and it occurs to him that they haven't completely loss the memories they had here when they were still alive.

"How has your team been since that fateful mission you all had to the Land of Waves? Team 7 was your name if I recall correctly. Oh, your subordinates were so young and naïve to the dangers that besot a shinobi's way of life." Haku questions.

'Our Waves mission truly was years ago.' Kakashi muses, time seems to pass by so slowly at least to him when distracted by mission after mission or in this case war. There is no reason to tell them though that Team 7 is currently fractured, possibly beyond repair.

So he focuses on the good, that Sakura is here amongst his team having become one of the strongest and best medic nin around and that Naruto is no longer the bratty preteen who rushes into battle.

Well he still does that, though not as much.

"We're fine, Naruto truly took that experience to heart. It changed his view of the shinobi world and how to better strive towards peace." He explains.

"Seems he hasn't reached that goal yet." Haku considers, testing this body's capabilities by pricking his skin with an ice needle. He doesn't feel the sharpness as he jabs it straight through his index finger, nor does the blood come as the skin reforms itself anew.

'Of course, not sure what I was expecting.' Haku considers.

However, how long his mind will be intact like this is an entirely different question.

Zabuza takes in his squadron behind him awaiting his next orders, nodding. It's good he had some lasting positive impact knowing all the cruel actions he did that led up to that very mission.

And then he feels it, a sharp twinge pulse through his head and Kakashi straightens up as his expression changes.

"Kill them. Now isn't the time for idle chitchat." Kabuto orders to them mentally.

They had the advantage until Kakashi made his appearance, they can still keep that advantage as long as their emotions don't get in the way...

"End this." Kabuto pushes.

"Guess the time for talk is over. Promise me this though Kakashi; don't hold back. Stop this bastard from using our bodies like this, we're already dead after all so you can do your worse." Zabuza states.

His face becomes totally blank a moment later, mist blanketing the field and he grits his teeth that the situation has become much more hazardous now.

'I assure you I'll put an end to this.' Kakashi vows to himself, already forming a counter option.

But Kabuto won't make that easy with all Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the past entering into the field. Soon enough he picks upon the smell of blood filling the air, the screams of his comrades too far out of reach to help.

-X-

Hinata

"We need to avoid the coastline, I just saw a blast of electricity and smoke coming from there!" A man hisses to his wife, tugging them quickly out of their shop in the opposite direction hurriedly.

"I wanted to stay until the very last moment. Who knows if our house will be here when this is all over!" The woman cries back, reluctantly letting her husband pull her along.

Their gazes lock, lilac to auburn before they darken seeing her shinobi attire.

And then they are gone into a shroud of dust.

Motoi slows his pace down, the whole of the area deserted in comparison to just hours ago when war still seemed just on the horizon. Hinata feels his steady gaze silently telling her they need to leave the area as well, though she ignores it as she activates her byakugan.

"The enemy has already infiltrated in. The most elite shinobi from our nations are fighting down there." Motoi relates, activating his lightning release spider web to ensure no spies linger about the abandoned homes and shops.

'Good, most of this area has already been evacuated.' Hinata notes, not picking up on any chakra in their immediate vicinity. Her eyes then take to the sky, hues of gray and black from the passing storms and lightning having cleared away revealing an endless blue.

But the fighting persists below, Hinata moving ahead to get closer to the shore.

She steadies her breath taking in the scene; the living fighting the dead.

And just to her right she sees her Father and Uncle, Hizashi still damp from emerging out of the sea as he approaches him directly.

"I am not sure why I'm here amongst the living once more. I have no regrets over my death." Hizashi sighs.

Hinata steps closer through the rocks, straining to hear their voices among the cascade of shouts and commands surrounding them.

"It...It is something outside of your control." Hiashi begins.

'I've never seen Father look this way before.' Hinata listens, taking in the somberness of his tone. It is laced with all the regrets and secrets of the Main and Branch families resurfacing back to life.

"Perhaps this my punishment for disobeying the Main clan as my final act. Now here I am having to face you brother as enemies. Maybe I-" Hizashi starts, but Hiashi holds up a hand to cut him off.

"No! Ah, I mean-this has nothing to do with the clan. You and so many other fallen shinobi from years past have been resurrected for this war. I want you to know though that Neji did receive your letter, he gets along well with Hinata and Hanabi now." Hiashi explains.

A small grin makes it's way upon Hizashi's face then, nodding his understanding. "Your eldest daughter Hinata, her kidnapping started it all so many years ago. She takes after her Mother in so many ways if my memory serves me right."

'Mother...I wonder if Father considers that still a good or bad thing.' Hinata wonders.

"Yes, it took me a while to come to terms with it, but I'm glad she has the same capacity to love. Even with all the harsh training and cruel words I gave her, her feelings for the jinchuriki of our village, Naruto never wavered. He started coming by the manor more and more often it soon became natural to see him on the grounds." Hiashi recalls.

Her heart pounds just the slightest bit harder, there was no reason to write any letter or speak to Father one on one when he's already accepted Naruto into the family.

Why had she worried over it so much?

'Because this is now war, a war in which you could lose him.' She bites her lip until she tastes blood, the thought refusing to leave.

Sweat dampens at her flushed cheeks, neither of them having noticed her presence yet.

"You have the same capacity too Hiashi, don't forget that. I've seen it for myself." Hizashi assures him, features shifting as words fall away.

His eyes turn glassy, forgetting who he is now merely one of the hundreds of enemies in his way.

And Hinata watches as they each raise their hands ready to fight, Hiashi going for the first strike.

-x-

I'm not sure if anyone still cares about this story, but I'm sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than my others, some chapters are harder to write than others. The Fourth Shinobi World War contains a lot of fights and main villains that kept getting switched up and I'm trying to avoid copying the manga exactly by sticking to just one main villain and not tossing them about. Please let me know your thoughts or any suggestions!

Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!