Chapter 11 – Walls That We Can't Break Through

"Whose?" he demanded angrily. "Whose eyes were they?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sasuke," snapped Naruto, blue eyes narrowing. "Like she'd be able to tell you that."

It had happened. Danzo had gotten his unworthy hands on the secrets of his clan, their most prized possession. He'd stolen their Sharingan. And Shisui, just as the two brothers did, knew exactly whose eyes he'd taken.

"Itachi," Sasuke snarled while rounding on him. The rage made him look deranged, twisting his features into a harsh scowl, his tomoe spinning wildly. "They're Father's, aren't they? That bastard took Father's eyes."

It made sense to take Uchiha Fugaku's eyes. He'd had the Mangekyō, after all. It surpassed all other Sharingan he no doubt collected that night. Just the thought had Shisui's stomach twisting and he felt hot wetness leaving a trail down his cheek as his own Mangekyō activated – the eyes Danzo wanted more than anyone else's. If he'd… What, exactly? Stayed behind? What would that have achieved other than give Danzo an ability-

"Shisui-san, your eyes are…"

He reached up numbly and felt his cheek, frowning down at the blood he found on his fingertips.

"Hinata," came Sakura's frantic shouting from somewhere in the background. "We have to get out of here. If we don't, they'll-"

He couldn't bear to hear any more, his heart begging of him to walk away while he still could. If he walked out now, the pain would be awful, yes, but he would survive. If he continued to watch Sakura disappear into insanity, it would be the final blow. He would not bounce back from something like that. He couldn't.

"Shisui."

Danzo had already taken so much from him – his standing in the village, his authority and reputation, he'd had a part in blinding him, he'd massacred his clan and now, now that bastard wanted Sakura, too. He was well on his way to taking her from him, too.

A deep, sharp pain radiated throughout his chest and it caused his knees – no, his entire body – to feel weak, made his breathing come in quick pants to try and ease the ache. The pain in his chest was nothing in comparison to the one that throbbed horrendously behind his eyes, threatening to immobilise him.

Gods, he was so tempted to look into her mind, wanted to see exactly what Danzo had done to her so that he could fuel his hatred for him, pushing him to train harder, to make himself stronger and more reliable. That way, he could protect Sakura. He would fight for her and his entire clan. He would make sure not a single death within those village walls was in vain.

"Danzo will pay for this," he muttered, ignoring Itachi shifting closer to him, almost like he was shielding Sakura's view of him. Was it so she wasn't given more reasons to fear him? "He has gone too far."

"So what do we do?" questioned Sasuke and his gaze narrowed.

"We do nothing for now," Itachi cut in firmly. As always, he tried to calm the situation. It didn't feel possible. "If we go after Danzo as we are, we'll all die." Like Sasuke's had, Itachi's eyes narrowed, but unlike his brother's, people actually reacted to his frustration. Hinata couldn't even bring herself to look in his direction, whereas the others shifted about, unsure of themselves. Shisui met his stare unfalteringly. "Is that what you both want?" he all but demanded. "To make their deaths worthless? Our parents, Sasuke? Our clan, Shisui?"

His patience snapped, the pain in his head doubling and nearly taking his legs out from beneath him. "Look at what he's done to her," he yelled, hand lashing out in Sakura's direction. "He's destroyed her."

"I wouldn't advise talking about Sakura like that – like she's not in the room," Kakashi warned them seriously, his hand resting on her shoulder. Was he keeping her in place? Comforting her? Shisui couldn't bring himself to look in their direction for longer than a second.

"She's not," came Sasuke's blunt reply. "What Danzo's left of her isn't enough to call a person. That thing before us is nothing. Haruno Sakura is dead."

Was it the truth in his words that had him lashing out? Was it the unfairness of it all? Shisui wasn't sure. All he was sure about was the feeling of his throat in his hand as he spun, slamming him to the wall behind him. Unlike the previous time he'd done it, there was a darkness about Shisui. The blood coming from his eyes, the curling of his upper lip, the waves of pure anger and desperation, didn't help matters.

"Don't talk about her like that."

"Sh-She's-" The reddening Sasuke grabbed at his wrist, searching for the right nerves to pinch.

She wasn't dead. She wasn't. And she was still a person. She had hopes and fears and goals. For Sasuke to say such things… His grip twitched. It was almost a mirror of his own thoughts and it sickened Shisui. Were they all thinking along the same lines? Was there no hope for her at all?

A hand grabbed at his wrist and when Shisui looked up, he met the deadly gaze of Itachi, who despite appearing as calm and composed, was radiating the same aura of anger and desperation.

"Release my brother, Shisui," he ordered softly.

There wasn't much room to argue, not when he found the nerves Sasuke had blindly searched for and pinched them mercilessly, forcing Shisui to drop the younger Uchiha to the ground, barely holding back a hiss of pain.

He hacked and coughed before glaring up at him hatefully, barely managing to spit out, "Sh-She's nothing more… than a shell, i-if that. Look at her – Danzo d-drove her… to insanity. Sakura's dead. She's gone!"

At the faintest of movement from his foot, Itachi stepped in front of him, eyes bleeding red. "Is this how it's supposed to work?" he questioned, the softness of his voice belying the dangerous territory Shisui knew he was stepping in. To threaten Sasuke in front of Itachi was a deadly mistake. Best friends or not, he would fight him with the intention of doing whatever necessary to protect his younger brother. That was how it had always been. It was how it would always be. It didn't matter what person Sasuke had become over the years spent with Orochimaru. Itachi would do anything to protect him. "How are we supposed to take back Konoha if we're at each other's throats?"

"He's-"

"Sasuke is cynical, Shisui. He's also a child." His voice grew harder, eyes narrowing. "Despite what he says or how much he angers you, I will not allow you to attack him. If that means fighting with my closest friend, then so be it."

"That's enough," came Kakashi's annoyed order. Nodding once to Naruto, who hesitantly approached a shaking Sakura with a weak smile, he stepped in the centre of them all, standing as tall as one could with a posture like his. "The last thing we need right now is more division. Konoha lost many shinobi that night – powerful shinobi. Family. Friends. Don't let him take anyone else from us."

"He's already taken her," Sasuke muttered and he rubbed at his throat, only just pulling himself to his feet. The look on his red face, despite his eyes being closed, was intense concentration. But then his eyes snapped open, the deep loathing they revealed having nothing to do with their sudden nervousness of the raging boy. "Someone who was innocent in all of this, someone who trained to become a medic to help people. He killed her."

There was no denying it, was there? All along, Shisui had foolishly worried about his closest friend's feelings towards Haruno Sakura, when really, Itachi was the least of his worries. Why? Because if there was one thing he would never do, it was hurt Sasuke. If the two happened to fall for the same woman, Itachi would back down without hesitation, putting his younger brother's feelings before his own. And how could Shisui be so sure of Sasuke's feelings for Sakura?

What other reason would cause his eyes to transform? What else would create such an intense trauma that it activated his Mangekyō? Sasuke truly believed the Haruno Sakura he'd come to love was dead.

"Sasuke, you-" Naruto mumbled, only to be cut off by the woman on his other side, who shook her head in silent warning, her single eye wary of meeting theirs.

"She did nothing to him," he snarled. "He had no reason to do this to her!"

Even Itachi was at a loss, although it only lasted for a few moments. Once his shock subsided, he was quick to intervene, watching his brother with hidden wariness. "Whether he had no reason or not, we cannot change what's happened. All we can do is hope that it can be reversed."

No longer feeling vengeful, only numb, Shisui spared the woman he loved a final glance. Her stunning green eyes (more beautiful than he ever could have imagined) were wide, staring between himself and Sasuke fearfully. There was no affection there. No hesitant love. There was only a stone cold fear that wound itself around his heart, squeezing to the point where it caused a vicious throbbing.

Sasuke was right.

She was gone.

The Haruno Sakura he loved was dead.

He avoided her after that. Or she avoided him. It didn't matter which it was. Either way, they didn't cross paths. Was he being ridiculous? Honestly? Shisui wasn't even sure anymore. He wasn't sure of anything. It felt like something important was missing from his life, something that was equally as important as his vital organs. Danzo had carved a hole in his body and took one of them and now, he was just barely clinging on.

He had no idea it would hurt more having her there but unable to be with her. The distance, the unknown, had made it easier. With the distance between them, it was easy lying to himself that all was well between them. There hadn't been any reason to believe there was anything wrong. In his mind, he envisioned helping her through it all. He imagined he was capable of getting close enough to help.

Despite the second assault on the younger Uchiha, Sasuke remained close to him. They understood one another's pain on a level no one else did. Sure, others had lost their lovers, but they hadn't lost them in the same way. They weren't forced to see the shell of said lover every day, knowing that that person would never be the same again. They'd never smile at them in the same way, or comfort them when they needed it. They had to live with the ghost of the woman they'd loved.

Sasuke's unspoken confession had shocked many – including his supposedly closest friend, Uzumaki Naruto. Whatever went on between them, however, was none of his concern, so Shisui avoided them when they were together. He avoided most people, now that he thought about it. As did Sasuke.

It didn't bother him that Sasuke was in love with Sakura. What had struck him was the helplessness that was in Sasuke's eyes. The reluctant acceptance. He believed – no, he knew they'd lost Sakura. Danzo had taken her from him. He'd taken her from them both. And they could never forgive that. But there was nothing they could do. From what he'd heard: Sasuke couldn't get near Sakura, making Shisui question whether he'd tried something already.

Glancing at the younger Uchiha brooding by his side, Shisui narrowed his eyes fractionally, silently pondering how far he was willing to go to bring Sakura back. He'd proclaimed to undo the damage himself, effectively terrifying her. Had he gone through with that? Was that why she was being watched closely by Itachi and Kakashi? Why Sasuke couldn't get anywhere near her? Would it be the same if he was to try? Not undoing the damage, but approaching her. Would he be able to at least talk with her?

No. He couldn't. If he did that, the ache in his chest would increase. It was bad enough knowing she was there with them. In the hideout. Under the same roof. He couldn't even look at her when they were in the same room, for that ache in his heart caused a searing pain to build up behind his eyes, the heartbreak fuelling the fire belonging to his rage and expanding it to new heights.

He took her.

Danzo killed Sakura.

They were seated in the same place they'd waited loyally for Itachi's return: in the mouth of the cave leading to the hideout. It was easier that way, he believed. They didn't have to see Sakura. Childish, maybe. But it eased the ache somewhat when they didn't have to watch the woman they'd come to love acting like a stranger. Maybe it was easier for him than Sasuke, for he'd barely seen her and only knew her personality, but there was strength in numbers. Instead of drifting further apart due to their feelings for the same woman, they became closer, in a way. They barely spoke a word to one another, but they were there.

The scenery was the same as it always was: the sea of trees rustling in the wind that steadily picked up as the seasons changed. Autumn was almost over, making way for winter, which was sure to cause many problems. There would be illnesses – hell, there already were illnesses. Apparently it started with one child. Now, his mother was also ill, along with a few others. That number would quadruple by the time winter arrived unless they acted quickly. Briefly, Shisui wondered if Sakura would do anything to help, though quickly dismissed those thoughts. What she did was no longer his concern.

The woman he loved was dead.

"Me? Hokage?" she repeated with a light-hearted giggle that sounded slightly muffled. Had she covered her mouth with her hand, perhaps?

"It's what many aspire to be," Shisui explained. "I assumed you would be one of them considering your connection to the Godaime."

They were sitting in his back garden – her admiring the view, him enjoying the fresh air and the quiet night. Shisui longed to see the night sky once more. He wanted to be able to sit beside Sakura and admire the dark colours of the sky, wanted to look for the star constellations he'd learned about. He wished to see how Sakura looked when bathed in the moon's light. Was she as beautiful as the heart he'd fallen so helplessly for?

"Becoming Hokage is Naruto's dream," came her reply and he heard the sound of her hands pressing down behind her, telling him she was leaning back. Then, there was a sigh. Not a negative sigh, as far as he could tell. She sounded content. At peace. "It's a dream – no, a goal – I want to protect more than anything."

She'd told him about Uzumaki Naruto several times before. From what he'd gathered of her stories, he was an unpredictable boy who often ran into battles without realising what he was up against. He'd run in screaming and yelling at the top of his lungs, throwing punches and asking questions later. The kind of shinobi Shisui couldn't respect. He didn't tell her that, of course. To do so would upset her.

"And that is your dream? Above all else, you want to see Uzumaki succeed in his goal?"

Sakura made a cheerful sound of agreement and he imagined what her smile looked like. It wouldn't be a toothy smile. It would be small – not because she had a small mouth, but because it would be a shy smile. And her eyes would crease, her entire face lighting up. Shisui wondered how close his imagination was to the real thing. Beauty wasn't the most important factor, but it was a bonus, he wouldn't lie.

"What about you? What're your dreams?"

His dreams? It was a difficult question to answer, in all honesty, for Shisui felt like an entirely different person after waking up in the hospital eight years into the future. Before then, he would have said that his dream was to see the conflict between the village and his clan end peacefully. Now he simply wanted to see. A selfish dream, he would say, but it was still his dream nonetheless.

More than likely knowing where his thoughts had gone, considering his silence, Sakura's voice brightened, like she was smiling at him. "I'm getting pretty hungry, are you?"

If he answered truthfully (no), she would only bring him food anyway, as he apparently had to keep his strength up, although he never saw the point. All Shisui did nowadays was lounge around his home, unable to do even the most mundane tasks. One would think that being a shinobi would have prepared him somewhat for suddenly being blind, but it hadn't in the least. Everything was so disorientating.

"Sure."

Heavy eyes stared up at the ceiling that was almost lost in the darkness. Shisui longed for a peaceful sleep, one that wasn't plagued by memories or nightmares. He wasn't sure which was worse: remembering the woman Sakura had once been, or living through the nightmare of losing her over and over again, watching her personality as it was warped into someone else's.

Shisui had accepted that the pain in his chest would never ease up. It'd only been three days since he admitted she was gone, but he knew he had work to do and couldn't continue moping around. Sakura was gone. There was nothing more to it. As much as he wished there was a tiny piece of her old personality in that shell of a woman, there probably wasn't. Danzo would have been thorough in breaking her.

The sounds of someone throwing up to his left had him sighing, the smell causing him to pull the sleeping bag higher, covering the lower half of his face with it. Surprisingly, he felt Itachi's chakra react to the ill boy, felt his friend move closer to him. He'd always been a gentle child, though. Why it surprised him all of a sudden, Shisui wasn't sure. Perhaps because that kindness was usually directed towards Sasuke?

"He's getting worse," the mother of the child whispered brokenly, who was slowly growing as sick as him. The pain in her voice was undeniable and it had him shutting his eyes. With the way the boy was deteriorating, he doubted he'd make it through the winter. Not unless they suddenly had an influx of medics. Not unless the best medic in the world snapped back to her old self. "Itachi-sama, what should I do?"

There was a falter in his reply and Shisui knew it was because of the honorific added to his name. Itachi had always disliked it. "I will go to the town west of here tomorrow and see what I can gather."

"What about that medic?" she questioned desperately. "The Hokage's apprentice?"

Curiosity had Shisui glancing over at them, though he had to admit he wasn't prepared to find Itachi's gaze already settled on him, the eerie glow of his Sharingan surprising him further. Had he done something? Refusing to look away or appear as weak, he stared back. Itachi had to look away at some point, otherwise he'd be considered rude. His friend disliked that more than the unnecessary honorifics. Finally, he glanced down at the crouched woman who was clutching her shaking son to her chest.

"Forgive me, but Sakura is still severely injured and cannot-"

"But what am I supposed to do?" her voice was rising, temper snapping. The hold on her son tightened when he fell back into her chest, weakened from his vomiting. "This is my son. I'm not watching him die here."

Was there really any other choice nowadays? It felt as though they were watching all their loved ones die one by one. It was a pessimistic thought, sure, but it was the truth, wasn't it? They were all helpless. So disgustingly helpless. They couldn't do anything. They couldn't save anyone. They were weak. They were all so, so weak compared to Danzo and his ROOT operatives. There was nothing any of them could do. Not in the state they were in.

They needed to be stronger.

Unzipping his sleeping bag, Shisui silently slid out from it, standing and leaving the area. On his way towards the mouth of the cave, he had to pass the makeshift medical room, his heart leaping into his throat. The candles were still lit and he was a slave to his body as he came to a halt just short of the archway, leaning back against the wall. He could sense several strong chakra signatures within the room – no doubt protecting the injured. Uzumaki Naruto was among them, as was Hatake Kakashi. The third chakra belonged to Hyuuga Neji, if he wasn't mistaken. Wait, it appeared as though the teammate of Neji (Tenten, was it?) was there, too.

"Get that away from me," came the cold, detached voice of the woman he'd fallen for.

"Sakura-san, please try to eat something," came the soft plea of Hyuuga Hinata.

It was followed by the other woman as she said, "We're going to need your strength."

Yes, they needed Sakura's strength. Her healing abilities (from what he'd experienced and heard of) were phenomenal. There was a reason why she was the best medical-nin in the world, for her skills were now unrivalled. If they were able to utilise her powers, if they had a medic who could also fight on the front lines, fighting alongside them, it would… Their chances of taking Konoha back would rise significantly.

But…

The woman in that room was not Haruno Sakura. She was not the best medical-nin in the world. They couldn't utilise the powers of a woman who was losing her mind. She was too much of a liability.

"Feed someone who needs it."

Dark eyes widened fractionally.

While the words were spoken coldly, like she couldn't care in the least, the fact that she wanted the food to go to someone who needed it meant there was just the slightest of chances that–

No.

Haruno Sakura was dead.

Ignoring the stinging of his eyes, he continued on his way to the mouth of the cave, determined on returning to his training and in response to his rampant emotions, his Mangekyō activated almost of its own accord.

Once he was strong enough, Danzo would pay for what he'd done to Konoha, to his clan. He would suffer for what he had done to Sakura.

He would make sure of it.

A/N - So... Never thought I'd say this because after everything in the past, I'd say I'm not much of a romantic, but I'm engaged. My boyfriend and I were relaxing on our day off, goofing around, laughing about something when he suddenly turned to me and said, "I love you so much. Will you marry me?" And I love that it wasn't some overly huge gesture like many videos online show. It was just the two of us goofing around, relaxing and being ourselves. It just feels so right.

Oh, and something that's equally as great: I got him into Naruto. He only started it a week or two ago and he's nearly finished part 1. I'm so proud of him. He's watching it in the English dub, but I suppose I can forgive that. Apparently when he reads subtitles, he's reading it in his own voice and not the character's (weirdo). I just feel bad that he's putting up with Naruto's constant BELIEVE IT. Personally, I think it always sounds like Naruto needs to cough and Sakura sounds like Barbie, for some reason.

Anyways, I'm supposed to be studying for my exams, so it was only a quick update just to let you all know I'm still here and continuing to work on D.E. It's just difficult finding to the time to really get stuck into it, you know? I've been saying this for a while, so I'm going to stop saying it now, because you're all probably getting sick of it: I'm sorry for not replying much. It's so hectic here, but I don't feel like going into it. Just know that I am still writing whenever I find the time, even if it's only 200 words every other day/week. I say this in all of my stories, but I'll say it here, too: I'll never give up on a story or leave it on incomplete. Even if it takes a while to be finished, it will be finished. I promise.