Chapter 28 – It's A World Where Madness Craves
Was he really that lazy, or just trying to make an entrance?
Whatever the answer was, Sakura didn't show a reaction, instead stepping into the room when Gaara's sand opened the doors for her, allowing her to walk in first, shocking her comrades as they all stood to greet her.
The room was small, bordering on tiny, barely allowing more than a few scant inches of space between each person. She took in the sight of the sandy walls and ceiling, wondering just how the hell the prison didn't collapse around them, before deciding she didn't want to know. If it happened, it happened. Fortunately for them, the Kazekage, who just so happened to be a master of sand, was with them. He would react and save them.
Itachi was the first to say, with a minute smile, "You're back."
"Did you really doubt me?" she teased, heart in her throat.
"Not for a second."
Green eyes trailed around the cramped room, taking in the sight of her recently healed comrades, each of their eyes widening at the sight of her looking so well. It didn't offend her in the least, not when Inner-Sakura secretly filled her in on all that'd been happening, filling in the gaps in her own memory. Gods, she'd been such a wreck.
Many looked relieved to see her – the real her – and she shared smiles with them, nodding once to Kakashi when he tipped his head to her.
It took her a moment longer to meet Sasuke's eyes, discreetly swallowing at the intensity of his stare. "Sasuke-kun."
Was it relief that made his shoulders slacken somewhat? "Sakura."
And then the ground disappeared beneath her feet when she was swept up by strong arms, spinning once. Previously, she would have been angry for being handled in such a way, but Sakura liked to believe the moment truly called for it, so didn't argue. Instead, she grinned in return when he slowly lowered her to her feet once more, though didn't for a second release her, his teary blue eyes making her heart lurch.
"I've missed you, y'know."
She smiled sadly and wiped at his eyes, touch gentle. "I know."
"So that's it?" Sasuke questioned with a scowl, approaching them. It had her slowly detaching herself from Naruto, refraining from frowning as they stood in a triangular position, Inner-Sakura snorting about a three-way deadlock. "You're back to normal."
Well, she wouldn't really call it normal. There were still a few issues swimming around in her mind, along with that damned fake Tsunade that continuously cropped up every so often, targeting her in her weakest moments. Gods, Danzo was a bastard for using her, but definitely a smart bastard. He certainly knew how to get a reaction from her. He knew how to make her bend to his will.
"Kinda," she replied.
"Liar."
The voice had her tensing, spinning on her heel to look at the doorway, green eyes growing impossibly wide at the sight of the blonde standing there. But the image didn't match up to the one in her mind, the memory of her once flawless hourglass figure shattered by the obvious bump protruding proudly. It took several glances between the bump and that unmistakable, long platinum hair for her to realise that yes, she was looking at her best friend.
"You…"
She couldn't return the embrace immediately, the smell of Ino's body lotion sending her mind careening into the past, the myriad of memories threatening to knock her on her ass.
"H-How…?"
Shaking hands raised, holding onto Ino's arms, trying to figure out whether it was real, trying to figure out if it truly was her best friend standing before her, embracing her.
The feeling of her soft, tanning skin told her it was.
She suddenly returned the embrace, eyes squeezing shut.
"Her parents?" she vaguely heard Kakashi question.
Ino didn't release her for a second, though her chin came to rest on her shoulder, allowing her to look at the group behind them. "Safe. My parents are watching over them."
Gods, she hadn't even thought about her parents. That made her so unbelievably selfish, didn't it? No, what made her selfish was banishing them from her mind without a second thought, allowing herself to remain lost in Ino's embrace, almost demanding her to not let her go when she gently pulled away, blue eyes warming slightly.
Then, she grew serious.
"Do I even have to mention it?" she questioned, making the others glance to each other awkwardly.
It was uncomfortably that Sakura smiled, fingering the dried matts. "So, you noticed."
"I smelled it halfway down the corridor," Ino threw back, holding onto her nose.
She chuckled nervously and took a step back.
Ino followed.
"Sit," she ordered.
Wordlessly, with reddening cheeks, she turned to face the others and did so. There was no flinch when Ino brandished a kunai, though Sakura tried her best to hide her discomfort when she tried to brush through the matts with her fingers, muttering under her breath about how much it was going to hurt cutting through it.
It was with a smile of encouragement that Hinata approached them, sitting with her.
She reached out, taking her hand, squeezing.
The smile widened.
Gaara stepped forward when Ino began hacking away at her hair, asking Itachi, "What do you remember?"
"That is a vague question," he responded at length and she noticed Kakashi look between them. "Are you referencing the war, or the night Danzo attacked the village?"
Technically, it hadn't really been the village he'd attacked, but Sakura held her tongue. Danzo's main goal that night was to annihilate the Uchiha clan, believing them to be a menace to the village and a threat to the growth of the village. Unfortunately, since he knew Tsunade would never stand for the ruthless massacre of an entire clan (including innocent children and all other vulnerable people), he'd killed her too.
That was when the village was brought into it.
That night, after slaughtering their Hokage and many ANBU operatives, he'd been branded a traitor by the villagers – even by those who were too afraid to go against him. What was the response of the shinobi when their Hokage was attacked (let alone murdered)? It was to defend her. Hence, why there were so many deaths. If they wanted to be technical, he'd killed villagers out of self-preservation. No, it didn't make it any better or make it hurt less, but it gave them a minute understanding as to why so many had died.
Shutting her eyes to block out everyone's staring, Sakura relaxed the best she could. She trusted Ino enough to not make her look stupid – the blonde would do everything possible to salvage as much length as she could. If all else failed, she would use a henge. If they gave her access to her chakra, that was. They had every right to doubt her, she knew, as she was shown her previous actions.
"The attack," answered Gaara and Sakura opened her eyes in time to watch as he folded his arms, observing them all closely. "What pushed him into such a reckless decision when the world is going to war?"
"I think it was Shisui's return," Sakura spoke up before Itachi had the chance to. She met his gaze steadily, seriously. "Throughout the whole ordeal, Danzo's sole demand was to know where Shisui was and whether he'd opened up to me about where he'd disappeared to. He didn't care as much about anything else."
"It spooked him," commented Kakashi thoughtfully. "But why?"
At the sight of one particularly large clump of matted hair falling carelessly to the ground, Sakura reached out, assessing the blood that had caused it to stiffen and become crusty. Like Ino said: it stunk. It was nowhere near her face, yet it was all she could smell. How had Ino been able to embrace her? How had anyone been able to hold her or stand to be in her presence?
Grimacing, she dropped it to the ground, ignoring Naruto's warm eyes as he watched the familiar, superficial streak show.
"Before he disappeared, he and Danzo fought one another," admitted Itachi and she could see the hidden unease behind his eyes. He didn't want to share the truth with them about what his clan had been planning to do, knowing it would tarnish them with the same brush. It would cause them to lose trust in him as their leader. "Danzo attempted to steal Shisui's eyes. Perhaps that is the reason why?"
Gaara seemed sceptical. Rightly so. "He slaughtered an entire clan, your Hokage and countless other innocent people over one man's eyes?"
She spoke up when she saw Itachi growing frustrated – the sight would be rare to others, though not so much to her. "There was once conflict between the village and the Uchiha Clan," she told them, though spared the gory details even when she saw Sasuke's suspicion. "One that was exacerbated due to Danzo's manipulation. Should news of Shisui's battle come to light, who knows what could have happened?"
The hands cutting her hair faltered and Ino murmured, "He was eradicating all evidence."
"Essentially," replied Itachi, his relaxed stance belying the look she could see in his eyes. "While Hokage-sama would have known about the conflict and how quickly it escalated, she did not know of Shisui's altercation with Danzo."
Hinata looked to her sister and cousin, frowning. Was she thinking about how her own clan would react to an attempt to steal their secrets? "The Uchiha Clan would have demanded retribution, could Shisui-san's blinding be pinned on Danzo."
"And his standing in the village would have been tarnished," added Sasuke. Scowling, he sat down directly opposite Sakura, leaning back against the wall. "It still seems extreme for him to commit mass genocide for the sake of silencing a few people. Shisui was hardly a threat when he returned."
"How would you know?" questioned Naruto, copying his scowl.
He scoffed. "What use is an Uchiha without his sharingan?"
The words had her bristling, but Sakura remained silent, biting the inside of her cheek, the memories of Shisui's depression flashing in her mind. She could still hear him when he asked the same goddamn question about himself, calling himself useless.
"And now he's back to that state because he couldn't control himself."
The coppery taste of her own blood threatened to send her back to her time as Danzo's captive, her chest rising and falling. Fists clenching, she attempted to stay in the present, rooting herself to Inner-Sakura, refusing to acknowledge the fake Tsunade as she crept out of the darkness in her mind, eyes flashing red.
"Sasuke," warned Itachi.
"You should have left him there-"
"Are you done?" Sakura demanded, cutting him off.
The coldness of her words, the quiet rage that lit her features, had each of them freezing. Were they questioning her mental state? They should, she thought to herself angrily. While she was certainly better off merging with the mess she'd become, it didn't mean she was one hundred percent okay.
When he didn't answer, she demanded, "Are you done badmouthing Shisui?"
"You-"
"Enough," muttered Gaara with palpable annoyance, the sound of his restless gourd adding to the unease. "Keep your personal drama to yourselves. We are discussing the future of your village."
"With all due respect, Kazekage-sama," Sakura argued, continuing to glare at Sasuke. "We're hardly going to win any wars being as divided as we are."
Many looked to Naruto in annoyance when he yelled his agreement, leading him to mutter awkwardly, "Well, she's not wrong."
"What do you propose?" he questioned, head turning to the side to glance her way. "Do you understand the risk Suna is taking by going against Konoha once more? The alliance-"
"Your alliance was with Tsunade-shishou," she retorted. "Surely you're not stupid enough to think Danzo-"
She didn't even hear or see the sand as it struck her, launching her to the wall and keeping her there, winding her.
Calmly, belying the obvious show of anger, Gaara approached her, arms still folded even as the others stood, hesitating as they wondered what the hell they were supposed to do. Gaara was the Kazekage, after all. They couldn't go against him. Not without branding themselves as traitors to Suna.
The sand rubbed harshly against her skin, but that wasn't what caught her eye as she looked behind him, noticing an unnecessary long piece of hair in Ino's grasp, her blue eyes angry at the mess he'd made.
"Stupid," he repeated blandly.
"She didn't mean it like-"
"Quiet, Naruto-kun," ordered Itachi.
"Perhaps stupid was the wrong word," she allowed, despite her livid gaze remaining locked on the hair. "Naïve would have been a better fit."
"You think I'm naïve?" he questioned, snorting with disbelief. "You."
She raised an eyebrow, finally looking to him, meeting his cold, icy blue eyes without hesitation. "Did I stutter?"
Naruto's eyes widened.
Gaara's narrowed.
It felt like everyone was suddenly holding their breaths.
"You do know Danzo would betray you the first chance he got, right?" she questioned with a humourless laugh. It was like she couldn't feel the overwhelming fear that used to plague her while in his presence. She couldn't feel the shock or indignation directed towards both her and Gaara. "Nothing is more important than Konoha. He'd gladly lay waste to all other villages, even if that means having you turn on one another."
Something had his expression growing scarily empty. "Or extracting Konoha from the oncoming war entirely."
She smirked. "Finally catching on, are you?"
"We don't have half the manpower we used to," murmured Neji, frowning. "I always questioned his actions, as it was understood the war would require us all to be at our strongest."
"It made no sense," added Itachi. While nobody else would have been able to tell the difference in his demeanour, she could and part of Sakura relaxed when he met her eye, showing her how troubled he was. "Kazekage-sama, has the identity of the man claiming to be Uchiha Madara been confirmed since the Kage Summit?"
"You don't believe it to be him?"
"No, it is entirely possible after the return of Shisui and the mystery surrounding his disappearance."
The redhead's eyes moved to the side, despite the fact Itachi was behind him. "But?"
"But Uchiha Madara would be ancient by now," Sakura said with a sigh. "We're talking about a guy twice Tsunade-shishou's age. Even with the use of a henge, Tsunade-shishou's age was catching up on her."
"Medical advancements-"
"Are you really going to come at me from that angle?" she questioned, using the same tone he had moments before. "Me."
It was only because of the others being unable to see his features that Gaara smirked, lowering her to the ground, the sand trickling away from her skin, almost tickling her and disappearing back to his gourd.
"As outspoken as you have become, I have to say, I prefer this version to the whiny brat you once were."
She raised an eyebrow. "Can I go back to my haircut now? Or would you like to finish the mess you've made of it?"
Ino blanched at the anger in her voice. "I can fix it, Sakura-"
"You need to show the Kazekage some respect, Sakura," ordered Kakashi seriously. He stepped forward, out of the crowd of so-called rebels, settling her with a warning glower. "We're going to need Suna as an ally if we have any hopes in taking back Konoha."
"She is insane," Gaara replied simply, making her tense with anger. "Isn't that so, Naruto?"
The blond gulped when all eyes turned on him, pinning him in his spot, making him pale as he scratched the back of his head. "I-In my defence, she wasn't really far from it-"
"Sakura. Sit."
Reluctantly, angrily, she did so.
It was astounding how much lighter her head felt when the matts were all finally cut out, feeling even more so when Ino began styling what was left of her hair, surprising Sakura when she managed to keep a fairly decent length. Unlike what she'd been picturing in her mind, which was next to no hair whatsoever, her hair came to her chin, going slightly shorter at the back thanks to Gaara's interference. It wasn't all that different from the chunin exams. She could work with that. Like her sanity, kind of. While there wasn't much left of it, what was there was workable.
"Wash it when you get the chance," Ino ordered, talking over the others. "And drench the ends in conditioner, understand?"
"Okay, but are you going to tell me what the hell happened?" Turning once the kunai was put away, she raised an eyebrow at her best friend, ignoring those behind them when her gaze was once more drawn to the protruding belly. "How…?"
The blush on her face was impossible to hide. "Maybe later, Sakura. This…"
"Is it his?" she demanded, glancing towards the Kazekage.
It was safe to say that all conversation stopped in response to her question and much to her shock, the back of Gaara's neck burned.
But Ino hissed, "No. It's not Kazekage-sama's."
Then who…? "Shikamaru's?"
"He's spoken for!"
"Choji?" Sakura demanded shrilly, now on her knees.
"Forehead!"
"Oh my Gods, is it Kankuro-san?"
"Sai," she screeched, face completely red at the responding stares of utter disbelief. "It's Sai's baby."
"Holy shit," muttered Naruto.
Holy shit, indeed. Had they ever shared a moment together alone? Sakura was struggling to recall, head beginning to ache. "Y-You and Sai…?"
"He's not as bad as everyone makes out," Ino defended him quietly.
"Save your gossip for later," Gaara ordered coldly.
Ino and Sai? Since when?
"But-"
Suddenly sucking in a sharp breath, her body tensed, a cry of agony passing through clenched teeth at the scalding pain that exploded in her mind. She was unable to control the trembling of her limbs, her world shifting until her back was hitting the floor, her head only just caught before it smashed into the hard ground.
"Sorry," a voice in her mind said apologetically, wincing. "I let too much in."
Focusing on the voice was unbearable when it felt like everything was on fire and so she forced Inner-Sakura away, forcing her voice to grow more distant. She barely even felt the restraining hands on her body, or the cool ones that came to her temple, the shock of chakra invading her mind almost unnoticeable.
"Breathe," Ino murmured, breathing deeply and shutting her eyes. "I'm here."
Ino, she could only cry out in her thoughts, the sensation of her blood escaping through her lips revolting her. It was only worsened when they were pried open, something solid being placed there for her to bite down on. Only then did Sakura realise she'd nearly bitten her tongue clean off.
"T-Tsunade-sama?" whispered Ino in surprise.
Her back arched, coming away from the floor entirely.
"It's not her," Sasuke growled. He appeared to be the one holding onto her left side, his hand slipping beneath her back, briefly stunning her when she felt a single, gentle swipe of his thumb, like he was discreetly trying to comfort her. "It's Danzo's manipulation. He implanted her with the sharingan."
"Sit her up," ordered Ino, voice sounding distant. It was nearly overshadowed entirely by her next cry of pain, legs thrashing. "Make sure you're properly supporting her. Kazekage-sama, can you use your sand to restrain her?"
"She's scared of being restrained," Naruto tried to argue.
"And I'm pregnant," Ino said, silencing him. "One hit from Sakura – even a weakened Sakura – will kill my child. I'm not risking that."
Grains of sand trailed along her skin until the hold grew stronger, binding her arms, keeping them to her sides. The next to be targeted were her feet and legs, which were pinned to the ground, sickening her as her legs were parted, allowing Ino to shuffle closer.
How could she not notice that someone had sat her up? She would have tried to move, but every nerve had been set alight, responding to the mental torture she couldn't control any longer. It had her questioning how much her other self had gone through. Was she selfish for allowing Inner-Sakura to create another personality for them? To force that personality to go through so much? Gods, she'd only seen bits and pieces and it was already destroying her.
"Let me in," muttered Ino.
No. You can't see this.
The chest she was leaning against shifted and Sakura felt herself being moved into what would have been a more comfortable position, had she not been lost.
"Breathe," he murmured into her ear. "Let her in, Sakura."
"I-I…"
She was going to throw up. She could feel it traveling up her throat, the thick bile threatening to suffocate her.
"Why can't she talk?" she vaguely heard Naruto yelling. "What's happening?"
"Quiet," Kakashi ordered, before his voice grew closer until she could sense him kneeling beside her. "This is Ino's area of expertise, Sakura. Remember. She can help you."
No, she can't.
"Damn it, Sakura. You-" The breath suddenly left Ino in a harsh exhale, before she said with faint contempt, "You."
The invasion in her mind was beyond unpleasant and Sakura felt her body twitching when Ino bulldozed her way through barriers that'd been erected, only to come to an abrupt halt when she was greeted by the three faces tormenting her.
No, not tormenting her. Helping her.
No. Tsunade was not helping her.
Wait… was it her other self who wasn't helping?
Or was it Inner-Sakura?
"Breathe," Ino said aloud, her voice soothing and quiet. "I'll see what I can do for you. This is…" Was it her who was shaking or Ino? It had to be her best friend, because when she spoke next, her voice wavered, giving away the emotions she was experiencing. "Ibiki-shishou has done a number on you, but what I'm more concerned about is Danzo's handiwork. That presence in your mind won't budge."
"Can you undo it?" Gaara questioned.
"The sharingan's doing will require either the eyes that cast the jutsu, or equally powerful eyes to undo it." It was Itachi holding her, Sakura realised when he spoke. "But the latter comes with a great risk."
"Ibiki-shishou's work isn't one that continues once he's finished with you, but the psychological damage makes it feel like you've never left," Ino spoke the words Sakura had struggled to find. "So, no. It's not something that can be undone." The hands on her face twitched, the steady flow of chakra carefully increasing in strength. "Sakura's traumatised."
"What can we do?" asked Kakashi. "Can you set up barriers to keep the memories of her torture locked away?"
They were discussing her like she wasn't even there, but she was in too much pain to care. Not only that, but her attention shifted, drawn to the battle going on in her mind as Ino was stopped from going any further, met by the sight of Inner-Sakura who was thrice her size. Expression grave, she remained unmoving, arms folding as she planted herself firmly in place, warning Ino not to push her luck.
"There were already barriers in place," she explained at length, features scrunching up as she continued to try and bypass Inner-Sakura. "Creating another personality – the one you've no doubt been talking to for the past month or so."
"What does that mean?" demanded Naruto angrily.
"What you're seeing now," Ino said, then paused, once more trying her luck with Inner-Sakura. "Is what you've all dubbed as the 'old' Sakura accepting the memories of the other personality. Only, she's accepting too many all at once and it's-"
The sudden extraction of Ino's chakra made her lightheaded, but finally, Sakura was able to relax into the arms holding her, head falling back onto his shoulder, her breathing coming in laboured pants.
"He…"
Bleary eyes opened and Sakura frowned at Ino's shaking shoulders, one hand coming to her stomach, cradling it.
"He's taken so much from you."
The feeling of a gentle hand sweeping back the hair stuck to her forehead soothed her and she sighed, too relieved from the sudden release of whatever the hell that had been to do anything else. Gods, it was such an intensely amazing feeling, bordering on euphoric.
"Enough," it was surprisingly Sasuke who silenced Ino from saying more. "Will she be okay?"
It seemed his concern shocked Ino too, because it took her too long to respond, blue eyes fixed on his, wider than usual. "Eventually," she managed to say. "It's slow progress to those of us who are on the outside, but considering all she's gone through, Sakura's making remarkable progress."
"Remarkable progress or not, she is not ready for battle."
Naruto whirled, glaring. "Gaara-"
"He's not wrong," she murmured tiredly.
"So what, then?" demanded Sasuke. "You're giving up?"
Like hell she was giving up. "Think of it as more… taking a breather."
"You are exhausted," Itachi agreed quietly and behind her, she felt him shift, though longed to beg him not to move too much. The relief she was experiencing couldn't be disturbed. It felt too good. For the first time in way too long, everything was silent. There was no pain. She just… existed. "Perhaps once your chakra is fully restored, you will be able to join us."
Keeping her eyes shut, she nodded. "Before anything else, I have an important task that requires my undivided attention."
"What is it?" asked Hinata softly and she sensed her kneeling beside Ino, directly in front of her.
Sakura smiled. "I need to finish healing Shisui."
A/N - Hi everyone! I'm back thanks to you all!
Honestly, nothing I will ever say or do will get across how grateful I am for your love and support not only recently, but since I started writing fanfiction nearly 7 years ago now. Through the years, fanfiction has been my constant - my go-to when things get bad and I need to just get away from it all. I don't know where I'd be without it and without any of you.
I'm currently working a minimum of 72 hours a week at the minute to try and cover bills and debts left behind by my stepdad, so updates will be slow, but just know that I will be writing whenever I have a spare moment. My laptop is beyond repair, but the computer (as far as we can tell) isn't. My partner got the part required, only to find out the power surges had fried other parts. Once the money you all kindly gave to me is out of holds, we're going to get the parts and with the change, a new laptop. That way I can write on the go, too.
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