Naruto opened his eyes when he felt hands grabbing him.
He did not know where he was, all he knew was pain. His wounds hurt, his whole body hurt.
It hurt too much, he could not stay awake, he did not.
He opened his eyes again when he heard shouting, it was night, he saw fires all around him, it reminded him of hell, he saw shapes moving, screaming, dying.
He gave himself to the darkness once more.
Naruto's eyes opened again when he felt someone dragging him. He made no move to resist.
He just hoped that the pain would stop.
He fell into the darkness again.
This time he dreamt. He dreamt only nightmares. He saw his friends die. He saw himself in a field of blood, corpses all around him. He opened his mouth to scream.
No sound came.
Naruto looked at his hands. Covered in blood, endless, dripping blood. He looked away, he could not stare at his palms, his weapons with which he had taken so many lives, lives of people he had trusted, he had loved.
He tried to look away, to ignore the pool of blood he was kneeling into, but all around him were faces, faces of his victims.
They all stared at him, some with anger and sadness, others with melancholy.
It hurt, it hurt so much to look at them, he clawed at his face, tried to take out his eyes, but all he did was leave scratches on his face.
Naruto wanted to cry, but he couldn't, he had not cried in a long time, he forgot how it felt.
He looked around him, his mouth tried to form words, words of forgiveness to all those around him.
Then he saw her. And this time a tear fell.
Naruto had loved only two women in his life. One was dead, by his own hands, the other was still alive.
Wait, that was right. She was still alive, one was dead, but the other one alive.
Naruto's gaze met the dead woman's one.
"You are not here," he said and each word hurt to speak, his throat hurt, everything hurt, "I have loved you once, once, but you had died long before I took your life."
The woman smiled, and the smile broke him even more. "I am not real," she said and her voice was exactly like he remembered, "I am only in your mind. Wake up my love, wake up, Naruto."
He did.
His eyes opened again. This time he was truly awake. Someone had placed him on a makeshift bed. Laid down on his back, he turned his head to see the room. Four walls full of cracks and soot. Only one door. He tried to raise himself but the constant sharp pain in his ribs prevented him from doing so.
He heard footsteps and panicked before the smell of dog filled his nostrils. Kiba entered the room followed by a blonde kunoichi, Samui.
Naruto's heart raced when he saw her. The memories of his dream, of the dead woman suddenly forgotten.
Samui stared at him for a couple of seconds before hugging him tightly.
"You idiot," her face, buried in his chest muffled her voice. Naruto hugged her back with one arm, apparently the other one was not working. He briefly wondered if he still had it before a sharp pain in it confirmed his thoughts.
"Love you too," Naruto said through clenched teeth, it was so unlike her to display her affection in public that it worried him, then again, Samui was as used with Kiba as she was with Naruto.
Years ago, when the war had barely started, the three of them had been forced to create a team, out of necessity more then anything else. Surprisingly, it had worked. It had worked so well that they became a permanent team.
As Samui's hands hovered over his body, covered in green chakra, Naruto studied her face. She was beautiful, he would go as far as to say that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But the lines of worry were clear on her face, a slight frown present.
"Kiba," Naruto asked his friend, "What happened?"
The man was leaned against the door frame, quietly watching as Samui tried to heal Naruto's wounds.
"We were ambushed, Iwa-nin, too many to count. You caught the full blast of an explosion. Samui and I dragged you to safety. Then we ran, ran as fast as we could."
Naruto closed his eyes, trying to remember the events that had lead to him being so helpless.
"We…" he started saying, "We were with another team right? What happened with them?"
"They had Kage with them," Kiba's tone was grim, in his younger days this would have been a rare sight, but this was war and war always brought the unexpected.
"Then why didn't you help them? Why didn't you stay with them? Instead you dragged me away!" Naruto's outburst shocked Samui, but Kiba's expression remained the same.
"I thought you understood by now, that you are more important to this war then everyone else, maybe even more then the Hokage. Those shinobi that stayed behind volunteered to do so. They gave their lives to save yours. What kind of man would I be if I stole this honor from them?"
"We both know that neither of us has any honor left," Naruto's statement angered Samui.
"Don't talk like that," sneered, "There's a good man deep there, in each of you, I know it."
Her hands stopped glowing and she raised herself. "Too bad there isn't a medic inside of you too."
"Good thing we have you then," Kiba chuckled.
"Like hell," she hissed, "I barely know any medical jutsu, enough to save his life, seriously now, two of the most powerful shinobi alive, and you don't know any medical jutsu?"
"Maybe we'll learn one day," Kiba shrugged.
"Samui," Naruto began, "My wounds…"
"Three broken ribs," she interrupted him, she was not looking at him, her gaze pointed to a spot on the floor, "Burn marks all over your chest, right arm broken, shrapnel all over your body."
"Hell, mate," Kiba cut in, "I had to fucking cut you to get out some of it."
Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. Ever since that battle with Sasuke, at the Valley of End, eleven years ago, since Kurama had given his life to save his, he no longer regenerated himself. Now, his body was full of scars and old wounds, some still hurt.
"How long 'till I can walk on my legs?" Naruto inquired.
"Three days I'd say," Samui replied, "But as soon as we can get out of here, we're going back to the main base, you need a proper medic to see you."
Naruto nodded reluctantly. "Wait, Kiba, where are we?" he asked the feral man.
"Somewhere in Fire Country I think, close to the border with Iwa, I mean very close, we found an abandoned village," Kiba responded.
"We'll worry about how to get to the base later, now get some sleep," Samui muttered as she gently pushed Naruto's head back on the pillow.
The blond man obeyed.
Hours later Samui returned to the house carrying some dirty blankets. She had gone scavenging, hard task in the village they have found. It was likely found by Iwa-nin first, because most of the buildings were burnt or destroyed.
She entered the room to find Naruto asleep, Kiba was leaned against the wall, his eyes closed.
She draped a blanket over Naruto, one hand going to his forehead to check his temperature.
No fever, good.
She watched as his chest moved along with his breathing, the moment of their first meeting years ago passing through her mind.
She allowed herself a small smile when she remembered the second time they met, when they had been placed on that team along with Kiba almost seven years ago.
Somehow, she had fallen in love with Naruto. She didn't know how, and honestly, she didn't care, only the result was important. Samui knew that once her blond had loved another, as well as the fact that he had killed her himself, out of necessity.
She didn't care though. She had seen Naruto and Kiba at their darkest moments, she had been the beacon in the darkness for them, she had been with them for the last seven years, she had watched the two of them slowly losing their humanity, she had been the one to bring them back, she had watched as Akamaru died, Samui had been there for them.
Samui had always been there for them, as they had been for her. The three of them had formed a special bond; they were a small family that had survived all hardships thrown at them.
And she had allowed Naruto to become much more than a brother. He loved her as much as she loved him. She needed him as much as he needed her.
She heard Kiba move behind her, but she didn't turn.
"Go to sleep," the man demanded, "I'll keep watch."
He left the room and Samui laid down next to Naruto.
It was so quiet.
Samui briefly remembered how the war had started.
The Fifth Shinobi War.
Seven years ago when Gaara had been killed by the actual Sixth Kazekage. The new Kazekage had started a war against Konoha for reasons unknown, he was soon joined by Iwa and Kiri, with Kumo being the only village to ally with Fire Country.
Three countries against two.
It was a wonder that the war had lasted so long, seven long years of bloodshed and battles. And who knew how long it would last before it finally ended.
Samui knew that if it wouldn't have been for shinobi like Naruto or Sasuke Uciha, the Fire-Lightning alliance would have been crushed long ago.
She put a hand over his body, pulling him closer to her. She placed her head on his chest, careful not to touch his broken ribs.
She listened to his heartbeat. Never in his life had Samui heard a heart like his.
She loved him, and he loved her.
She closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep, trying to forget for a moment the hell that was their lives.
She soon did, and when Kiba returned, he found them sleeping, embraced.
The feral man smiled softly and left.
He would sleep outside this night, he would give them this moment of intimacy.
He laid himself on the ground and watched the stars. It was quiet.
And the moon was shining, shining bright….
Sakura used the cloth to wipe the sweat off her forehead.
Another patient dead, another loss.
She was tired, she had done everything in her power to save the man's life.
It had not been enough. He had lost too much blood, they had brought him too late, the injuries had been to grave.
Sighing, she draped a blanket over the corpse. Another nameless one. She wondered briefly when she had stopped caring about the names of her patients. Only their survival mattered, and not because they were humans, because morals imposed so. No, only because they needed as many shinobi as they could get. The Fire-Lightning Alliance, as it was unofficially called, was losing the war.
It was a fact denied by many, yet still a fact. Sakura had noticed that every day, more and more wounded were brought to her, their location was moved at least once a month, she had heard captains talking about heavy losses on the north front, close to Iron Country.
Sakura was not blind, she had seen the signs, she only prayed that they could hold on a little longer, just a little longer.
She left the medical tent with tired legs. Outside the moon was full. It was not quiet as expected from a ninja outpost. The main base was full of chunin and jonin, running around or resting in front of the sleeping tents. She made her way to the Kage's tent, nodding to some passing shinobi along the way.
Sakura had not been involved in any battles since the start of the war. She had been angered by that of course, but Tsunade had told her that she was to valuable for the alliance. Her death would mean a great loss to Konoha, as well as Kumo.
She was the most capable medic aside from Tsunade. And the blonde woman was often seen on the frontlines, as primary commander of Konoha's forces.
She entered the tent uninvited. Being the Hokage's apprentice had its perks.
Inside, Tsunade was leaned against a table, studying a map which depicted the continent. She looked the same as always, the face of a twenty year old. Yet some lines were beginning to show, invisible to the untrained eye, yet not for Sakura.
Opposite of her, stood one of the strongest shinobi of his generation and of the alliance.
The Fifth Raikage, Darui, was a mass of man. Tall, broad shouldered and muscular, he was as imposing as cunning. On his back a sword was strapped, it's blade wide and black. Darui's proficiency with lightning jutsu was matched by few, and he was considered one of the best swordsmen ever born.
He often fought on the front lines, shoulder to shoulder with his troops. The scars he had only proving this fact.
"Tsunade-sama, Raikage-sama," Sakura bowed deeply.
"Sakura," Tsuande responded in greeting, not taking her eyes of the map.
Darui simply nodded.
"We could call back the strike force from Kiri, point them towards Suna," the Raikage said.
"We could, yet that would mean we'd have no more help from the inside of Kiri," Tsunade replied.
"Tsunade-sama," Sakura started quietly, "I heard you wanted to see me."
She did not like to interrupt her teacher, yet she had to return to her patients.
"That it right, Sakura," Tsunade finally turned to look at her, "Kakashi-sensei is coming here, I need you to make a check up on him."
Kakashi –sensei was back! It had been so long since Sakura had last saw him.
"No matter what he says, I want you to examine him, understood? I don't give a shit about any excuse he makes, he is one of the best we have, I need him in top form."
"Understood, Tsunade-sama," Sakura bowed again, "May I ask, where is Naruto?"
Naruto. Her former teammate. Former, because Team 7 had ceased to exist seven years ago, when the war had started. Seven long years, seven years in which she had not seen her teammates once. Each of them scattered around the continent.
The two kages exchanged a look.
"Sakura," Tsunade began.
"We've lost him," Darui cut in, "He was with his team near the border with Iwa. We haven't heard of them yet."
"They must have been ambushed, but don't worry, Sakura, I'm sure he's fine," Tsunade tried to reassure her.
"Excuse us, Haruno-san, but we have something to discuss," Darui dismissed her before returning to his studies of the map.
Sakura nodded slowly before stepping outside the tent. Such were the conversations with her teacher, short and to the point. She sighed weakly before looking to the sky.
"Naruto, I hope you are alright wherever you are," she whispered quietly.
It was several hours later, past midnight, that a man draped in a dirty cloak entered the base.
The shinobi had set up traps, of course, but for the hooded man they were as simple as toys.
They had guards, of course, but for the hooded man they were like children playing soldiers. Getting past them was like entering a room which had no door.
Of course that the kage managed to spare a squad of Anbu, two for patrolling around the base, the remaining three to guard the leaders.
But for the hooded man, the patrol was non-existent.
He walked quietly, his dusty boots making no sound. He walked right through the middle of the camp, a subtle genjutsu to hide him from the eyes of the shinobi. Most of them were asleep, the ones awake walked past him without noticing him.
The hooded man stopped in front of the kage's tent. Two chunin were guarding the entrance. One hand seal, and they were sleeping on the ground.
The hooded man entered the tent. Two Anbu appeared from the shadows, their blades pointed at the men's neck. He made no move, yet the two Anbu fell.
Their leader, a captain materialized in front of the man.
"They are new, right?" the hooded man inquired and the Anbu captain nodded.
"We managed to spare a fresh squad to protect the two Kage, not the strongest, but we figured it will do."
"It did not," the hooded man said and moved too fast for the captain to follow.
A jab to the neck and the Anbu was on the ground.
For a second, the hooded man contemplated if the effort of checking if the captain was alive mattered. He continued his advance when he heard the Anbu's breathing.
The hooded man now stood over the Hokage's sleeping form. In the opposite corner, the Raikage was sleeping.
He wondered if this was the first sleep they got in days. Because these powerful shinobi should have woken up already, they should have been high alert the moment he had entered the tent.
Yet they were not.
The hooded man scoffed. He took out a kunai and placed it on the Hokage's neck.
The woman finally opened her eyes. She stared at him in shock. The man sniffed and raised his other hand to block the Raikage's attack. Darui was fast, he had to give him that, very fast.
With the kunai still touching Tsuande's neck, the hooded man turned to face the Raikge. Darui's kunai met the other man's one.
Sparks flew as their blades met. In the end, the hooded man grew tired of this charade and kicked Darui away.
"I think that is enough, eh, Kakashi?" Tsuande said and the man lowered the hood.
Kakashi Hatake allowed Tsuande to raise herself and help the Raikage stand up.
"You are finally back," the woman said as she studied him.
Kakashi was tall, as tall as always, but that was the only thing unchanged. His silver hair was still the same, yes, as well as his mask, but the scar going over his left eye had been joined by a new one.
The new scar was starting from the upper right of his face and going diagonally over his left eye.
One black iris and the other one white, blind. He stared at her with a look of hostility. There was something changed in Kakashi, he was more dangerous, more powerful, he moved differently.
This was a Kakashi that Tsunade was honestly afraid to meet in battle. Scratch that, she was afraid of him. Their relationship had changed over the years, his strong dislike always present.
"Your security is shit," he spoke matter-of-factly.
"It's the best we can afford," Darui said.
"You are shit as well," Kakashi responded, "How long since you have gotten any sleep?"
"How long since you have gotten any?" Tsunade snapped. While he might have hated her for good reasons, she still cared for him deeply.
"Doesn't matter," Hatake waved a hand dismissively, "The mission is done, now point me to the next slaughter house."
His tone was cold, unlike the lazy drawl Tsunade had gotten so used to.
"You are going south, to the sea," Darui said laying down on his bed.
"The sea?" Kakashi's questioned, "I thought that Yamanaka was there, commanding our navy."
"That's right," Tsuande said, "However, we need you there."
"We have information that Kiri plans to flank us from the south, their navy is superior to ours, they will try and enter Fire Country from there, then they will continue to advance until they reach Konoha. We cannot let that happen," Darui continued drily, his home, Kumo, had been destroyed almost two years ago, yet it was still painful for him to think about it. Ever since then, Kumo shinobi had moved their settlement to Konoha, there were discussions about uniting the two nations, yet there were only that, discussions.
"Understood," Kakashi said and meant to leave, yet Tsunade stopped him.
"I want you to go to Sakura, have her check up on you, it would be good for you to see her as well."
Kakashi froze, he slowly turned to regard her with his blind eye, yet Tsuande felt that he could still see her.
"Sakura," the man muttered, "No, it wouldn't be good for her to see me in this state."
"But," Tsunade began.
"No buts, Tsunade," he interrupted her, " No buts."
"As you wish," Tsunade sighed, "And Kakashi," the man turned his blind eye to her again, "Reports say that the offensive of Kiri shall be lead by their new Mizukage."
Hatake scoffed, "Kage blood to spill then."
The shadows enveloped the man and he disappeared from the tent, leaving a sighing Tsunade and a sleeping Raikage.
"What have I done, what have you become, Hatake?" Tsunade muttered asking herself.
Outside, Kakashi was running, running towards the sea. In his mind memories of Team 7.
'Naruto, Sakura…stay strong, I will meet you again…someday.'
Okay so, I decided to rewrite the story The scars of a soldier. Simply put, it was bad. Bad grammar, bad characterization, short chapters, I didn't like it. This is the rewritten version of it, more updates soon to come. I'll brand the original one as a draft, I'll keep it on my profile in case you want to see how bad I was writing at the time. I know that most of the characters are acting OOC, but keep in mind that 10 years have passed since the end of Shippuden, and they have been at war for seven years. See ya when the next update comes out.
