„So, that's your method? Threatening a woman to marry you?"
He stood right before her, closing the last bit of her well built distance as he reached out to capture her chin between his cold fingers, forcing her to look him in the eye.
„I always get what I want, Sakura…"
To protect Timea, Haruno Sakura builds a strong army who manages to win every war that threatens her homeland. But when the powerful hokage Uchiha Sasuke becomes interested in Timea, Sakura's life starts falling apart as she has to accept a forced mirage with the cold , both shinobi find out that they share a shocking past they never could've begun to imagine…
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"RAYO!"
Naruto was angry.
More so, the blond jinchuuriki was furious while he rushed up to a brown haired ninja with purple eyes and tanned skin, his blue eyes full of fury. Without warning and uncharacteristically harsh, Naruto grabbed him by the collar and glared at him fiercely.
"How often do we have to tell you not to teach the new recruits dark jutsu's?! There's a reason why they are forbidden, you forgot that?!"
Rayo's eyes narrowed in disapproval, not showing any kind of fear and seemed rather unimpressed by the blond ninja's fury.
"And just who do you think you are, Uzumaki?!", he shouted at him.
The new recruits looked more than uneasy about the sudden commotion, especially since Naruto, who was known for being a really friendly person, looked absolutely dangerous.
"You know the rules, Rayo. Dark jutsu's are not to be taught to those who weren't born with those abilities! That's why they are called 'forbidden', dattebayo-"
"Just how naive are you? We live in a world of war, that's why we need black shinobis. You know that dark jutsus are the most effective ones and without them-"
"NO. For fuck's sake, no!", Naruto interrupted angrily.
"I don't give a shit how powerful these jutsus are, because unlike you, the others were not born with them!"
Naruto was no fool. He was aware of the fact that black jutsus are more than powerful and undeniably helpful during every fight. However, teaching them was not an option because those who learn to practice them not only lose their hearts…
-They lose their very souls. And no one would dare to allow that, that's for sure.
"Besides, what gives you the right to think that you are obligated to boss anyone around?", Rayo hissed smugly, the look in his eyes challenging.
Really, Naruto hated that guy and cursed fate for making him so strong.
Rayo -no matter how much of an asshole he was- was a real enrichment for every army, a real beast who no one could defeat in a fight.
That was the reason why he loved rebelling so much for he knew that he was needed here.
No one would just kick him out because it would be a loss for Timea. Unfortunately.
"The leader gave that order, Rayo. So stop bitching and follow the goddamn rules!"
"Tche. Well then, where is the all mighty leader? If he has his so called rules, he should stop hiding and get the fuck out of his shadows and speak up."
Naruto clenched his teach in fury, his eyes flashed in a deep, warning blue.
"Okay, that's it you motherfu-"
"What the hell is going on here?!"
Both ninjas turned to the side and saw Sakura, Tenten and Kiba approaching the scene, all three of them more than alarmed over the loud commotion. Sakura had already noticed how angry her blond best friend was and considering that Rayo was involved, she didn't have to think too much about what had happened.
"What do you think? That bastard wants to teach his psycho-jutsus again!"
"Urgh, really Rayo? Again?", Kiba just sighed and seemed to be really annoyed by him
Sakura's eyes narrowed and the alarmed kunoichi threw him a dark, disapproving look before she started talking to the brunet.
"Dark jutsus are forbidden because of their negative effects on the human body and soul, Rayo. And I'm sure you know that.", she reminded him and didn't realize how provoked Rayo was by her strong, warning voice.
"And who do you think you are?", he hissed harshly, annoying the pinkette.
"That doesn't matter.", she just brushed off, fighting her boiling temper.
"Stop being insistent and train the new recruits like everyone else does."
Her voice was filled with seriousness, however, out of nowhere, Rayo started laughing.
He laughed spitefully and mockingly at the same time and this time it was the green eyed Haruno who felt provoked by her comrade.
"Says who? You?", he smirked sarcastically.
"Don't act so high and mighty, Pinky. Just who do you think you are?"
Sakura swallowed her heavy anger, turning her small hands into shaking fists.
"Why they let you be a part of the army will never cease to amuse me, really. A little woman who can't use nin-jutsu. What a joke..."
His harsh words kicked her in the gut and Sakura's green eyes twitched before she couldn't control her anger and acted without thinking.
Before Kiba and Naruto had a chance to punch him in the face, Sakura grabbed his collar and glared at him with menacing, warning eyes that were burning from anger.
"Now listen good, you fucking son of a bitch. I was a part of the army long before your small ass and I won't take insults from such a little bitch-"
She stopped in her tracks and suddenly was quite.
After a few seconds, her fingers loosened and let go of the brown haired ninja who was quite shocked by her sudden, angry outburst.
Sakura took a deep, really deep breath before she started talking again.
"Follow the rules like every other ninja… or leave.", she hissed calmly.
"Stop thinking the whole army relies on you. You probably forgot, but I was here long before you even knew about this army, so you should stop poisoning my time with your bullshit. This was the last time, Rayo, because next time you will be kicked out and you'll end up as a clown or as the bitch off some rich guy who has a thing for guys like you. It's your decision and don't think you will be missed."
To stop herself from punching him, Sakura turned around to leave this place with a proud, confident face. She needed to find a save place in the forest and take out her anger…
"Take this, asshole", Naruto grinned proudly whereas Kiba nodded approvingly.
"Don't mess with Sakura.", he just added and was really satisfied about her speech.
Tenten would've really loved giving that bastard a piece of her mind, however, she knew that her hotheaded best friend needed her right know. That's why she too turned around and followed her, knowing that this incident would prolong Sakura's process until she would finally be ready to reveal herself as the leader of Timea.
Dammit..!
.
Sakura was angry, absolutely enraged.
Did he deserve to be punched? Yap.
Would it have been the right thing to do? Definitely.
Would she have felt sorry? No, not before hell freezes to an ice palace for children.
However, there was one thing that basically no one knew.
She was the leader.
And that meant she had to learn how to tame her temper and start acting like a responsible leader, even if people like Rayo made er insane.
That's how a responsible leader should behave, even if the army was ignorant to that fact.
"Sakura!"
Hearing Tenten's voice, the kunoichi smiled immediately and felt better when the brunette put her hand on her shoulder.
"Hey. Don't listen to that idiot. We both know he has no idea what he's talking about.", she begun seriously while Sakura just looked… exhausted.
"I know...", the 22 year old sighed sadly, looking up to watch the clear blue sky.
"But… Comments like those is what I'm afraid of so much, Tenten. As much of a bastard he is, what he said was the truth. If they find out that I'm the leader, they will not only refuse to respect or even accept me, they will surely laugh at me and-"
"Rayo is an idiot and you know it. Just because his intelligence is clearly not evolved doesn't mean that the whole army is that retarded.", her friend calmly interrupted.
"Stay strong, okay? Don't let that Rayo get to you, that's exactly what he wants."
That, Sakura knew but it didn't ease her discomfort and nervousness.
"Thank you, Tenten. For everything.", she then smiled, holding her hands.
"You don't know how much I appreciate everything you do for me. As long as Ino, Naruto, Kiba, Kakashi Sensei, Rin Sensei and you stay with me… there won't be anything I couldn't handle."
Tenten really was something special.
The 23 year old kunoichi came from a rich clan and lived with her cousin Kiba and her parents in a gigantic house.
Starting as a little girl, the brunette found interest in weapons and fighting and she was allowed to be trained until she became an excellent shinobi. She was drawn to weapons, nin-jutsu and tai-jutsu and lived a seemingly perfect life that allowed her to practice that passion of hers. Her parents were distant people, a little cold and disinterested.
But that didn't really bother Tenten for she had her cousin Kiba who was adopted by her parents when he was a baby.
They weren't related by blood but it never mattered to her. She always loved Kiba, no matter what happened.
But Tenten hadn't been aware of how poor Timea's condition was.
She never knew how cruel reality looked like behind the giant walls that covered their home until that day.
The day that changed her and Kiba's life forever…
.
That day started totally normal and Tenten kept herself busy by cleaning her weapons after her match with her 17 year old cousin when suddenly, out of nowhere, a loud explosion shook the very earth under their home.
"What the hell..?!"
She immediately rushed to the window and hated how her home was shielded by those godforsaken walls but when she saw the dark, thick smoke, Tenten's eyes widened.
And then the screams of terror followed.
Without even wasting one single thought, Tenten took her ninja tools and ran out of her room to the lobby where she was aiming for the door.
Kiba was already there, leaning against the wall beside the door while his arms were crossed over his chest while his sword was practically waiting beside him
He shared her feelings and knew that it was only a matter of time until they would go out and help those people.
"What the hell is going on there?!", the young kunoichi shouted upset, her voice loud and demanding whereas she earned dry looks from her parents and butlers.
"The village is being attacked by three criminals, Tenten-sama.", one of the maids answered.
"WHAT?", she shrieked angered and shocked at the same time and then opened the door.
"And why is everyone sitting here instead of helping to fight them?! The villagers are no fighters-"
"Because it is none of our business."
Tenten stood still by those words, looking at her black haired father without finding any sympathy in his dark brown eyes. The 17 year old kunoichi was going to say something inexcusable but was interrupted by horrified screams.
"PLEASE! HELP US!"
"THEY ARE SLAUGHTERING US, PLEASE!"
"HEEEEEEEEEELP!"
"WHY don't you let them enter at least?!", she hissed at her parents.
Not fighting the deadly trio was one thing, but denying those civilians safety was a new dimension of evil. Why didn't her parents at least try to save them?
"The attack doesn't concern us, honey.", her mother just replied.
"We can't take the risk and let those people-"
"People, mother.", Tenten underlined.
"People, humans are just about to lose their lifes! And while they are being slaughtered, you guys decide to just sit here and do nothing?!"
Seeing her strong and burning eyes, Kiba just closed his eyes and smirked proudly.
"Watch your tongue, young lady!", her father warned loudly.
"'Watch my tongue'..?"
Tenten couldn't believe her ears, her face was grimacing from all those disgusted feelings she now harbored for her so called parents.
"My tongue couldn't even begin to explain my resentment for you. You all disgust me.", she barked disappointed and turned around to leave her home.
"Kiba?"
She looked at her cousin who had just quietly watched the scene before him.
Kiba was an adopted son who might lost his real parents, but was able to find a new family. He was thankful for being a part of this family and even though he loved his adoptive parents, he shared Tenten's opinion.
She was his dearest friend and his sister.
Nothing in this world would keep him away from her, no matter what.
"Are you coming?"
A grin touched his lips when she asked him that.
"I was just waiting for you, dear cousin."
"If you dare leave this place, you don't need to return.", their father snarled.
The brunette turned around to look at their parents, her eyes disappointed and bitter.
However, she made her decision and knew she wouldn't regret it.
"Farewell, Mother and Father..."
.
.
Kiba and Tenten showed no fear when they fought the attackers who were indeed very powerful, but no match for the two ninjas. It was this moment that made them realize how rotten Timea was, how dangerous it became to live here as a normal civilian.
How was that even possible? Why could it be that no politics, no rules and no leaders were part of this land? Tenten and Kiba had enough and decided to fight for their homeland, fearing that one day Timea will be doomed by it's own incapability of being strong.
It was Kiba who had met Naruto while he was buying something to eat.
The fox ninja seemed to be really nice and started talking about Sakura's and his plan and never realized how curious Kiba became who shared his idea of an ideal homeland.
They formed their own group and started taking missions to protect Timea and stop smaller attacks.
Kiba was a man who held contact to many people and after a few weeks, he heard of the copy ninja Hatake Kakashi and started looking for him.
The jounin was known and feared for this strength and due to the fact that he stopped being a sensei to others, they hoped he would want to join them.
Their plan had worked.
The silver haired jounin was fascinated by the idea of an own army for he had been part of the first one leaded by Sakura's parents many years ago. Exciting nostalgia took over him as Rin and him decided to try again and it was more than convenient that they both held contact with many shinobi from back then who would still want to fight. A knock-on effect took it's course and within a few years, Timea's army was formed almost too fast…
.
.
"Sakura, Tenten, what are you two doing here?"
A relaxed, masked ninja approached the two girls, holding his beloved book in his left hand.
"Kakashi Sensei.", they acknowledged, smiling about the ninja.
"Didn't you want to teach nin-jutsu to group C?"
"Indeed, Sakura. I showed them the basics. Mastering them however is something they have to do their selves."
"Oh, come on. You just wanted to read those porn books of yours, Sensei.", Tenten just said knowingly. Kakashi's eyes turned into little half moons, the only clue that he smiled coyly under his mask about the brunettes little remark.
"You call it porn, I call it exclusive literature for adults, my beloved student.", he just said.
"Something children like you two can't understand, Tenten."
Both kunoichis shook their head and laughed about his laid back personality only people close to him were allowed to see.
"However, I couldn't help but taking notice your… conversation.", the jounin mentioned, who put his book into his pocked to talk to them.
"You know how I think about this, Sakura. Be proud of yourself and keep your promise not for us, but for yourself. It doesn't have to happen tomorrow but you shouldn't let Rayo influence your decision."
The jounin sounded assuring, as if he just… knew what she was feeling.
"Rayo's hostility sure is complicate to deal with but this his how life works. There will be people like him who will try to break you, but I wouldn't generalize his behavior. There isn't a single human being who is loved by everyone and trust me, I know what I'm talking about. The only important thing is how you deal with that."
Tenten was impressed by his wise words and nodded approvingly.
"That's right. Look at Kakashi Sensei, Sakura. His bored, relaxed ass doesn't give a damn about what others think about him and he's more than happy.", she smiled and petted his head, praising him for this character trait.
"Hm… I guess I should just take the compliment."
The jounin said everything he wanted and took the Icha Icha paradise from his bag, waved his hand and left the two kunoichis again, needing time to read this interesting novel.
"Really, I love this guy.", Tenten laughed whereas Sakura smiled softy at the leaving ninja.
"Yeah.", she agreed.
"Me too..."
.
….…..
In his big throne room, Uchiha Sasuke stood by the round window and looked at the image of Konoha-gakure which was known for being strong and wealthy with a hokage who would make sure it would stay this way.
The hokage had raven black hair and onyx eyes that seemed blank and cold, giving no access to anyone who would try to look at his soul.
Sasuke was a reckless, cold person who became the hokage four years ago. His parents died too early and the Uchiha, who was trained since he was a kid, took their place and promised to always protect Konoha at any cost. The 23 year old was a natural leader who didn't only keep political stability, but also won every single war.
Konoha never lost a fight. Never.
He made sure of that.
His army only consisted of the best of the best, only shinobi with excellent abilities were able to be a part of it. Him included.
"Sasuke-sama."
The hokage blinked as he heard the voice of one of his best shinobi, Hyuuga Neji.
Neji was an exceptional ninja, a genius who was dependable and an enrichment for his army and one of the few people Sasuke really respected. His hair was dark brown, a real contrast to his pale eyes which were a great weapon for the Hyuuga.
Like Sasuke, Neji was more of a calm, collected person which probably was the reason why they got along in the first place.
"The mission was a success.", Neji informed him with a calm voice.
"Good.", Sasuke answered simply. "Tell me exactly what happened."
Neji nodded and folded his arms as he started talking about Timea-gakure.
"Timea won another battle.", he begun whereas Sasukes raised his eyebrows at him.
"Timea you say?", he asked. "Are you sure? Just a few yeas ago, this land was nothing but a pathetic mess and just about to be occupied completely. They didn't even have an army, much less a leader, so how did they manage to beat Oto-gakure?"
Of course, Sasuke had heard the rumors about Timea's growing power, however, he just considered them as what they were. Simple rumors.
But when he heard about the upcoming battle between Oto-gakure and Timea, he couldn't keep his ignorance and sent Neji and Shisui to gain information. And indeed, the rumors were true.
Timea won.
"As it seems, the leader of Timea isn't just a powerful, capable ninja, he also built the army and trains the recruits. The villagers have hope, the entire land seems to be full of life again."
Sasuke nodded understandingly, sitting on this throne as he thought about this for a few seconds.
"You don't say.", he replied dryly. "And what might be the name of that great leader?"
It's almost impossible to believe a man could be this strong…
"Unfortunately, we weren't able to find him.", Neji admitted shamefully whereas Sasuke looked indignant.
"It seems like not even the recruits know the true identity of him. His face is a secret to everyone and he only acts from the shadows and refuses to expose himself."
Hearing this information, Sasuke's eyes narrowed in disapproval.
He refused to show himself?
Was he too proud? Or was he just being a coward?
"What a modest man, really.", he commented dryly.
"Who would have thought that such a pathetic village like Timea would become so powerful?"
Really interesting, Sasuke thought.
Neji eyed the Uchiha, tried to read him and had an idea what the hokage was up to.
"What do you want to do, Sasuke-sama?"
The black haired ninja was thinking about something, his dark eyes calculating as Neji waited for bis answer.
Suddenly, the corner of his moth twitched and Sasuke smirked darkly.
"I think we should put an end to Timea's great history.", he finally spoke.
"Their land is powerful enough to be occupied by us, don't you think?"
Sasuke sounded sarcastic and cold as he spoke, showing no sympathy at all.
"It's about time to expand Konoha and our army, Neji."
Sasuke's smirk widened devilishly and Neji knew exactly what kind of plan Sasuke had in mind…
.
…...…..…..
"Hey Rayo."
The brown haired ninja was leaning against a tree as two jounins came to him.
"Zoe. Takuya.", he greeted plainly, not giving them too much attention.
"Dude, we need to help the new recruits. Come on, everyone's waiting for you."
Takuya was a little annoyed by his indifference, but still didn't want to start another fight.
"Takuya's right, Rayo. Come on, two days passed since your argument with Sakura and Naruto, get over it and stop pouting."
Rayo's purple eyes narrowed when he heard the names of the people he hated most.
"Speaking of, what exactly happened? Why do you always have to provoke fights? We know you're not quite happy with this army, but we still share one dream. Just what's wrong with you?", Zoe asked worriedly without trying to anger him.
"This army is a fucking joke.", Rayo then spitted.
"There's absolutely no structure here. The oh so great leader doesn't do shit and because he's not around, some maggots think they have the right to boss me around."
His fists were shaking in fury when he remembered the look on their smug faces.
"Our dream was to empower our home, wasn't it? But nothing has changed at all. We're still small and weak and the leader does nothing to help Timea getting bigger!"
"Rayo, to make our village bigger, we'd have to attack others, do you realize that?", Zoe reminded him, sounding a little alarmed.
"She's right, you know. We all wanted Timea to be strong again, to keep it alive and safe so we can live a peaceful life. We are safe and happy, isn't that enough?"
"No, it's not!", Rayo barked aggressively.
"No one understands that we are still considered as weak. Timea is still weak inside and yes, we should be more offensive and attack the others to gain power! Every other village does that. Just look at Hermos and Konoha! You don't see them acting like little bitches without any guts in the first place!", he spat angrily whereas Takuya and Zoe sighed heavily.
"And that fucking leader is the biggest joke! Why do we even have to follow orders from a man who doesn't find it necessary to come out! Does he think he's too good for us?!"
That was the only logical reason to Rayo.
"I see, you need more time to calm down...", Zoe said a little overwhelmed.
"We'll see you later. You know where you can find us."
Rayo refused to look at them and didn't say anything when they left, thinking about his annoying situation.
All this fuss about this damn leader was angering him to no end.
It just didn't make any sense that he never showed his face and Rayo had the feeling that there must've been a reason for it. Something was… off.
It was a secret that he would find out eventually.
He was done being patient and would to anything to reveal that guy's true identity…
.
.
….…..…..…..…..…..….…...…..…..….….….
"Hello Mama. Hey Papa."
On a lonely flower field before two round, self made grave stones, a young kunoichi greeted her parents. Her parents whom she had to bury herself in the age of 10.
A calm, sad smile touched her lips after she had cleaned their graves and decorated the place with pink and white flowers, feeling somehow peaceful when she was finished.
"I hope you didn't miss me too much.", she apologized quietly.
"I was really busy because we needed to train for a battle. And guess what- We won!"
And then she started talking about everything that happened in those last, stressful weeks even though she wasn't sure if her parents were able to actually hear her.
"My tai-jutsu is near perfect and it's really helpful I created my own style. I'm… My team makes me really happy and I love how Timea turned out after so many horrible years. We build cottages and market places and I really feel like your dream finally came true."
The smile on her lips became even more honest.
"Soon, you will be proud of Timea, Mama and Papa."
One single tear dropped to the ground, but Sakura took a deep breath and hold more them back.
She missed her parents so horribly much and yearned for their hugs and love, it really hurt her. Her heart clenched and her lips shook while she thought about her fathers big, silly grin and her mothers calm and beautiful smile but still, she felt home like this.
To her, her parents were the most beautiful persons in the world who always made her laugh and showered her with love, so much, that it still reached her even after their deaths.
If only she had been as strong as she was now.
If only her parents hadn't been so exhausted…
No.
No, she couldn't let herself be consumed by those what-if scenarios for they were neither helpful nor healthy. Her parents died by protecting their homeland and daughter and Sakura was proud of them, she was thankful for everything they did.
She accepted it because otherwise, she would turn into a mad mess.
"I love you so much...", she whispered against the soft breeze that dried her tears like her mother had years ago.
"And I promise you… I will protect Timea and honor your efforts, not matter what it takes."
Her voice was steady again, full of confidence and strength for she knew that tears would never help her.
Timea and her team needed her.
That's all that counted for Sakura…
.
"Sakura?"
The leader of Timea immediately smiled and softly touched the grave stones before she turned around and crossed her arms with Naruto's who was waiting for her.
"We should go before sun sets, dattebayo…"
"Yeah. You're right."
With a calm, content smile the two best friends walked together without speaking a single word. That's how they dealt with everything after they visited their parent's graves.
But no matter how sad and helpless they might felt, Sakura and Naruto had found each other and even more comrades who made them more than happy.
They lost their parents but fate gifted them with a new family.
And that was more than enough.
.
When they arrived at their resting place, Naruto and Sakura blinked a little confused.
It was dark already but not only were they able to see the unreadable faces of 30 shinobi who stood behind Ino, Kiba, Tenten and Kakashi Sensei, the whole atmosphere seemed…
dark. Much darker than the sky right now.
They were quite. Too quite.
No one spoke a single word but what Sakura realized was how… troubled they looked.
Yeah, every single one of them looked troubled, unsure, almost…
Devastated.
As if something horrible happened.
"Uh… guys, what happened..?", Sakura carefully asked who already felt a heavy, disgusting push against her gut. Sakura's heartbeat quickened, her breathing hitched and cold sweat covered her pale face even though she didn't exactly know what had happened.
"You all look like the world is gonna end, dattebayo...", Naruto added nervously laughing, sharing a sorrowful look with the pinkette.
It was Kakashi who took the first steps and approached the duo before he handed Sakura a scroll which had been opened before. And still, no one spoke a single word.
A needle could've dropped and literally everyone would've been able to hear it…
However, Sakura swallowed the thick lump in her dry throat and opened the heavy scroll and started reading immediately…
She read and read and read, repeated hat act for at least fifty times before it hit her.
No, it literally punched Sakura who felt an explosion banging inside her body after she realized the words she just took in. Her eyes widened in shock, absolute terror darkened her pale face and for a moment the leader thought she would collapse.
Shock, disbelief, devastation, desperation, fear, anger-
So many emotions raged inside her even though she tried to fight it.
Because this couldn't be true.
No. It must be an illusion, a gen-jutsu, a sick, disgusting joke-
No. No… NO!
Everything, EVERYTHING but THIS!
Her paralyzed eyes met Kakashi's who didn't look as relaxed as he usually did.
This horrible massage shocked even the great copy ninja who had never felt so stressed before because this massage would change everything.
Sakura's shock stuck so deep that she could not form the right words.
She just couldn't, it felt like her body was frozen without having the ability to get free from that sudden shock.
It was Yamanaka Ino who broke the heavy, sickening silence and found the only words to officially explain what horrible incident happened that would silence them all.
.
"Konoha-gakure declared war on Timea."
.
.
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Well helloooo!
I'm sorry, this fanfic is not that spectacular right now but I promise, you won't be disappointed :D
It's still so weird to start over, ya know. I mean, I already published 76 chapters and saw my characters developing and doing things without asking for my permission lol
However, be prepared. I will only take six more chapters until Sasuke and Sakura meet.
And guys, don't forget. Sasuke and basically everyone is OOC in this fanfic but I have the feeling that you're gonna like it ;D
Thanks for your support 3
Fifi-Uchiha
PS:
Little tip. Why do you think did I call this fanfiction 'born to live'?
There is a reason and if you find the answer out, you'll probably know what's going to happen hehe