Chapter Ten
Bad Faith
Sun began to set in Konoha as Naruto slurped down his third bowl of ramen before sighing deeply, he leaned back into his chair, patting his belly. "I didn't expect Ichiraku to open this quickly, I've been waiting for this for so long!" he chuckled excitedly to the older man behind the counter.
"Well, we can't let everyone go hungry!" he grinned.
The young blonde sat in his usual seat before flicking his blue orbs up attentively after hearing his name.
"Naruto!"
He casted a glance over his shoulder to see Sakura briskly running toward him with beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. "Sakura? What happened?" He asked, standing from his seat.
The pink haired girl finally reached him as she struggled for air, it was obvious she was running for awhile. "Naruto," she breathed, "I told Danzo what happened but he didn't listen, he just said he was going to inform the Konoha council about forming an elite squad to eliminate Sasuke."
Naruto's breathing stilled, air felt out of his reach at this point. "Eliminate… Sasuke?"
"He suspects that he's conspiring with the Akatsuki but Sasuke would never do something like that!" Frustration welled up in Sakura's chest, she just wanted to break something.
"Danzo would've been part of the Uchiha massacre. Is that why he wants to get rid of Sasuke!?" Naruto's blue orbs widened slightly as he looked to his flustered team mate. "But Sasuke wouldn't really join the Akatsuki would he?"
Naruto's chest began to feel tight. He could feel his heart beat speed up before it began pounding against his ribs and his breathing quickened. "This is all because granny Tsunade is unconscious. If I could only tell her about Itachi and Sasuke and just everything, things would be different. Sasuke wouldn't be so misunderstood and Danzo wouldn't be Hokage." Anger began to bubble within his chest at the thought of the new Hokage. Without thinking, he raced from his spot toward the herd of tents clustered together in the village centre.
"Naruto!?" She called just as she caught her breath. "Where are you going!?" She began following after the young blonde, barely able to keep up. She rounded the corner after him and came to an abrupt stop when she saw him standing outside of a large dome.
"Naruto, what're you doing!?" She snapped, running to his side. Sakura was just about to get ready to thwack him over the head before she realised they were standing outside of where Tsunade stayed in the medical unit. Her green orbs widened slightly but she was still confused. "Naruto…" her tone was soft, "Lady Tsunade is unconscious, she can't do anything right now. We have to do something but…"
"But if Shizune knows," Naruto interrupted "maybe she can do something to help make granny Tsunade's recovery speed up. I have to at least ask and if not then I'll go after Sasuke myself and prove that he's not guilty of anything." The young blonde whipped his gaze over his shoulder, making the pink haired girl's orbs widen a fraction.
The determination in his blue globes mirrored the same look he had three years ago on his mission to bring Sasuke home after he took off in search for Orochimaru. Before she could speak, light footfalls became louder from behind them. Spinning on her heel, she was faced with an older silver haired Shinobi.
"Kakashi sensei?" She announced, glad to see him at this point.
"What's Sasuke being accused of this time?" He asked curiously as he dug his hands into his pockets.
Guilt bit at Sakura's stomach, she couldn't help but feel that all this was happening because of her, because she couldn't stand firm with Danzo. Before she could pull the words from her mouth, Naruto cut to the chase "Danzo has just ordered Sasuke's elimination," he said firmly.
A moment of silence befell the three forms as they stood motionlessly outside the Hokages tent. Kakashi narrowed his dark orb, "so that's what he's decided to do with Sasuke…" he mumbled to no one in particular.
"Kakashi Sensei, we have to stop it," Sakura said, "Sasuke hasn't done anything wrong—"
"That's not entirely true," he interrupted "did you forget Sasuke was given a choice? To stay in the village and make do with a probationary period or leave and knowingly walk into his own elimination. This was made up by Lady Tsunade herself, technically it's still under her authority that this is going through with. Danzo has just approved of it in her place."
Sakura gasped at her former teachers words. How could he possibly be agreeing with this? Suddenly, all fear for Sasuke disappeared and was immediately replaced with unfathomable anger. "Are you really agreeing with Danzo!?" She spat, "Kakashi sensei, you of all people should want to try and revoke this somehow! You know Sasuke just as well as we do, how could you think that this is the right thing to do!?"
"I don't think it's right," the masked man protested, "but he did have a contract and he broke the rules." Sakura stared defiantly into the older Shinobi's hard orb before he continued, "but I don't agree with it at all. Until we actually have a reason why Sasuke left then I don't think Danzo is right to make hasty decisions like this. I believe Lady Tsunade would say the same thing."
"I think Sasuke had a good reason," Naruto spoke, his tone carried a sharp edge to it that made his two comrades swiftly turn to him curiously. The young blonde shut his eyes tightly before taking a deep breath. "I didn't think this would happen," he began as the two forms regarded him curiously.
Naruto could feel his comrades eyes roaming all over him, searching for any hint of what he was talking about. "Sakura, Kakashi sensei… The village elders betrayed the Uchiha clan and ordered Itachi to eradicate them all and it wasn't until Pain came to the village that Sasuke found out about this."
Sakura drew a sharp breath, horrified at what she was hearing as she listened to Naruto explain everything, from where it started with Pain's confrontation to his encounter with the fourth Hokage all the way till now. Kakashi's dark orb narrowed at the young blonde in front of him.
"And I thought it would be better to stay quiet about this, just until the old lady woke up, but obviously the village elders have other plans in mind and now they want to eliminate Sasuke! We can't let that happen!" Naruto finished, his voice now filled with confidence and resolve.
Kakashi furrowed his brows as he watched the young blondes chest anxiously rise and fall after explaining all of that far too quickly. "Naruto…" he began "do you realise how that sounds? You could be thrown in jail for an accusation against the Konoha council for that."
"I know," Naruto replied gruffly "I don't trust Pain and I don't trust the village elders but I trust Sasuke. He wouldn't be acting like a bigger idiot than usual if he didn't believe it. And that's why I've gotta go after him. It's not what Itachi would've wanted for Sasuke and he's just making himself look bad," he pouted awkwardly.
"Naruto," Sakura voiced just above a whisper "how could you keep something like that from us?" Her gaze was now turning into a glare as she strode up to the young blonde. "Didn't you think that if we knew that, we could've done something sooner!?"
The young blonde averted his gaze to the ground, partly knowing that she was right. He was now wondering if it was better to have just said something to begin with until Kakashi stepped up beside his pink haired student. "No Sakura," he said, making them whip their gazes to him in slight surprise. "I think that if this were going to be made a public matter or if you, Naruto, went to the village elders yourself, we'd never see you again. You would've probably been locked in confinement for the rest of your life or even had the Kyuubi extracted from you and then just left for dead. Do you know the politic outrage that would begin if this got out? I don't know what exactly to believe but from what I can recall about Itachi, I always thought he had a sort of gentleness to him. It was quite the surprise when I heard the news about the destruction of the Uchiha clan. I would've never thought he was capable of single handedly eradicating his whole clan back then. I think you had the right idea in mind when you thought of telling Lady Tsunade first."
The older man dug his fists into his pocket as his dark orb curved upward, indicating the smile he wore underneath his mask. "We can't say if what Pain said is or isn't the truth but right now, all that matters is getting to Sasuke first."
Naruto's blue orbs widened at his former teacher. "Kakashi Sensei, you mean…?"
"Well, I did just say it's good you kept it quiet but telling me was a good idea. Now that there's actually valid reasoning for Sasuke to act out again, I'll do whatever I can to protect my student."
"Me too," Sakura said, "I want to protect Sasuke any way I can."
Naruto was slightly taken aback at his two comrades reaction for a moment before a smile plastered itself onto his face. It was as if he just came up for a deep breath of fresh air for the first time in what felt like forever after exposing the truth about Itachi to his friends. Determination began to unfurl in his chest as he clenched his fists together before sensing a familiar chakra signature.
Team seven turned to see Sai speedily making his way up to them before Sakura asked "Sai? What's wrong?"
"You three saved me the trouble of finding you individually, I have something to tell you," he spoke as he stepped beside Naruto.
"Is it about Sasuke by any chance?" Kakashi questioned, raising one brow.
"Yes," Sai responded "I assume you already know what I'm going to tell you."
"Yeah, we know," Naruto interrupted "Danzo decided to have him executed right?" He said, casting an icy gaze downward at nothing in particular, making Sakura frown.
The pale boy widened his dark orbs slightly at Naruto's strong reaction, briefly remembering their conversation from the night after Pain had destroyed the village. Considering Naruto's feelings for Sasuke, he was acting unexpectedly calm. Or at least that's what Sai would have thought before seeing the turbulence behind the young blonde's blue globes. "I'm not surprised you've already found out," he said, pushing those thoughts aside. "It's become a top priority amongst the Root foundation, Danzo is already assembling his team. He'll be going personally to meet Sasuke himself when they set out to find him."
"So the news is spreading like wild fire already huh?" Kakashi asked, "if that's the case then you know this will cause a divide don't you?" he addressed his team. "There will be people you know and care about defending Sasuke and others agreeing with his execution."
"I know," Naruto's voice rang with conviction before his gaze shot up at Kakashi "I'm not saying Sasuke shouldn't be held accountable for his actions, I won't defend that. But I won't let him die either."
"You're planning on opposing Danzo!?" Sai sputtered, for the first time a visible emotion escaped from him, he wasn't able to hide the slight surprise by the way his features creased in concern.
"If that's what it takes to stop Sasuke's execution then yeah, I am" Naruto said confidently.
Sai's usual nonchalant facade returned to his face as he spoke, "I see… to defy Danzo could result in some bad consequences for you."
"That's what I thought," Kakashi interrupted "from what I've heard about him, he always makes the decisions about Konoha's dirty work. You must know more about what he's done than you can say, don't you Sai?"
"Yes," the pale boy confirmed, casting his gaze to the ground. "I am duty bound to him. I'm afraid not only Sasuke's but even my own life is in Danzo's hands."
"Sai…" a slight dismal feeling pricked Naruto's stomach, his frustration with Danzo only continued to grow before he couldn't hold it in any longer. "Your life is in nobody's hands but you're own!" he snapped "I won't let Danzo become Hokage if it means this whole village is in hands!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself" Kakashi said, making all eyes avert to him. "Danzo holds a large sum of power over the Konoha council and right now the people of the leaf are depending on anybody with great strength to protect the village at this time, it won't be so easy to make an appeal against him as Hokage. Right now, we need to focus on protecting Sasuke a little while longer, at least until we know whether or not Lady Tsunade will wake up any time soon."
Silence befell team seven. "I know you can't keep lying to Danzo forever Sai," Kakashi continued, making Sai's dark orbs widen slightly. "It seems quite obvious Danzo would ask you of all people to be his henchman to collect intel on Sasuke. But from how long it took him to call Sasuke's execution, you probably weren't telling him the whole truth."
"Kakashi sensei how did…" Sai trailed off, feeling a familiar sinking feeling in his stomach. "Guilt again, is it?" Sai wondered.
Sakura and Naruto gazed at the pale boy, expecting him to continue. They, at least, looked a little more surprised than Kakashi on the other hand. "You mean you've been feeding Danzo information this whole time!?" Naruto's voice echoed slightly.
Sai was lost for words for a moment, he suddenly could feel everyones focus on him and he never did like being the centre of attention. It always made him feel something and that was nervous.
"I don't think that's entirely the case," Kakashi interrupted, making Sai's gaze snap toward his older team mate. "I'm sure Danzo would've taken anything Sai said even remotely incriminating Sasuke and twisted it to raise the question of his execution to Tsunade sooner."
Sakura lowered her gaze, "you're right," she agreed. "I said one thing about Sasuke and he didn't even let me finish explaining before deciding to have Sasuke executed." Looking up, she smiled at the pale boy. "Thank you Sai, for protecting Sasuke even when it could've gotten you into trouble."
Sai's orbs widened slightly as his lips parted but no words escaped his lips. "All right!" He heard Naruto exclaim. "I thought it was kinda weird that you'd do something like that, I guess I should've known better," he admitted sheepishly, laughing off his earlier jabber.
The pale boy pursed his lips for a moment as he looked at his comrades. He watched as Sakura slapped Naruto over the back of the head and lectured him for jumping to conclusions too easily before looking over to see Kakashi trying to defuse his two former students. Guilt dissolved in his stomach and was replaced with something he couldn't describe. But from what he read, it seemed to be a little something called appreciation. Even taking on Danzo's wrath was worth it just for these moments he shared with his friends.
"I haven't been assigned onto Sasuke's case," Sai spoke, earning everyones attention "I think Danzo is suspicious that I haven't been telling him everything. But I will do what I can to help Sasuke." His lips twitched upward though this time it felt more natural than most of the other times. "If you have a plan then I want to be a part of it."
A gust of wind blew past the four forms as the sun began setting, extenuating their shadows over the concrete beneath them. "Are you sure about this? Dealing with us would be more difficult for Danzo than dealing with a member of Root. He can easily make you disappear," Kakashi asked, a hint of concern laced his tone.
"Yes," Sai said, "after all, Sasuke is part of team seven too." His orbs curved into a smile, he had made his final decision.
"Sai…" Sakura murmured. She wouldn't admit it aloud but if anyone were going to replace Sasuke on team seven, she never thought she would've been happy that it was the pale boy standing in front of her.
"No one's gonna disappear," Naruto proclaimed, making all heads turn to him. "Not Sasuke and not you. Until the old lady wakes up, we're save Sasuke!"
"I think having you on our side is gonna make things a lot easier," Kakashi said, turning to Sai.
"Sasuke," Suigetsu called to the raven haired boy as they leapt from branch to branch, speedily approaching Konoha. Aside from the back and fourth banter between himself and Karin, the trip had been an uncomfortably quiet one. "So I respect this whole silent tough-guy act but could you at least tell us what will happen when we actually get to the village?" he asked, raising a slim brow.
The young Uchiha's pace quickened as he stole a quick glance over his shoulder at his comrades. "You and Juugo will branch off. Karin and I will travel together until we reach the village centre. This is where you two will be Karin and I's defence while we get to Danzo. Until then, try to conceal your chakra. We don't want any unnecessary obstacles," he added as a certain blonde came into mind.
"Leave it to us, Sasuke," Juugo nodded.
"Just Juugo and Suigetsu? Don't you think we'll need more of a distraction then that to infiltrate an entire village!?" Karin disputed.
"Are you underestimating us Karin?" Suigetsu sneered, "I'm sure it won't be that difficult taking down some Konoha punks."
"Shut up Suigetsu," she snapped, "It's not like we can't handle ourselves but when we reach Danzo, I don't know how easily it'll be to fend off jounin and him at the same time. His chakra is off the charts, I can faintly feel it from here if I concentrate enough."
Sasuke furrowed his brows at the thought of the upcoming Hokage. "Karin," he said, making her look to him "your job is to track down Danzo for me and stay by my side incase I sustain any injuries. Focus on that."
The red haired woman gazed at the young Uchiha for a moment before a small smile curled itself onto her lips. "Sasuke," she squealed to herself "even when his chakra runs cold like this, he's still so dreamy," her cheeks coloured themselves pink before she caught Suigetsu staring at her. Her expression instantly changed from aloof to irritated. "What're you gawking at?!" She hissed.
The white haired Shinobi smirked for a moment before looking away "thinking about Sasuke again?" he teased. "Geez Karin, it's always so obvious that now it's just become annoying, why don't you get your head out of the gutter and get back into reality?"
A growl escaped from the red haired woman's throat before she whacked Suigetsu over the head. "Shut up, I was not!" she spat before speeding ahead of him, an even greater shade of red washed over her cheeks but this time, it was anger that caused the colour. "Urgh, that jerk," she thought, feeling slightly embarrassed as she looked back to see Suigetsu rubbing a freshly formed lump on his cranium as he whinged to Juugo. "Why does he always have to be such an idiot," she thought, trying to resist the urge to go back and strike him again.
"Sasuke," Juugo said, earning everyones attention. "What if Suigetsu and I run into the Jinchuuriki? You said not to fight him if we run into him but if he tries to fight us then we'll have no choice."
The raven haired boy casted a side long glance at his team, making Karin's red orbs widen slightly. "Sasuke's chakra…" she reflected, "it's gone back to the way it was the last time he spoke about the Jinchuuriki. But there's something different this time." Her brows furrowed as she tried to read it as best she can. "Is it nerves? Is he anxious about the Jinchuuriki?"
"Hey, you still with us?" Suigetsu's voice grated against her ears, snapping her back to their conversation. "Or are you day dreaming about Sasuke again?"
"Idiot!" She snapped "of course I'm listening."
"Then what did Sasuke just say?" he smirked.
"Enough you two," Juugo interrupted, hearing Karin growl slightly in frustration. "Sorry Sasuke, continue."
"I was saying," Sasuke began "if the Jinchuuriki attacks you then just don't kill him. Madara needs him back alive. If you don't run into the him on the other hand then leave it. I'll take care of it."
"If you say so," Suigetsu smirked "but I don't see why it's so important whether you or anyone else handles him. I mean, I get why you wanna get rid of Danzo and the village elders but I don't get what's so special about the Jinchuuriki that makes you wanna take him on personally."
"Hn," Sasuke snubbed off Suigetsu's jab, turning to look ahead of himself. "This time I will sever our bond like I should have done all those years ago. I will right all of my wrongs and destroy my past. It will only be then that I can start a revolution." His pace slowed down slightly before an image of Itachi flashed through his minds eye. Anger coursed through his chest before he tightly curled his fingers inward and swallowed all hankering for his old friend into the depths of his mind. "This world is corrupt because of our history as Shinobi. I will do whatever it takes to create a better world, where people like Itachi can never be taken advantage of again."
"Get ready," Sasuke said "we're almost at the village border."
Naruto made his way home after two bowls of Ichiraku ramen. Though he'd never admit it, two was usually a bit much but tonight he thought he deserved to treat himself after everything that happened in just one day. Balling his fists deep inside his pockets, he stood at the entrance to his tent. Looking up, he stared at the stars which were shining brighter than usual in the nights sky before spinning on his heel, deciding he didn't feel like going back to an empty apartment just yet.
"Sasuke," he thought "will we be enemies when I see you next time?" His mind wandered back to his conversation with Kakashi and the others from that afternoon.
(Flashback)
"So what's our game plan!?" Naruto exclaimed, determination rang through his tone.
Kakashi regarded him absently, almost lost in thought. "The elimination team will either go to Sasuke or Sasuke will come to us. Until we know which way this will go, it's safer not to have any expectations. So that will be our first step. Finding out just when Danzo plans on executing Sasuke. You're gonna have to be patient Naruto," Kakashi resolved.
"W-what!?" the young blonde stuttered, that wasn't what he was expecting. "You mean we just have to wait around until one of them makes a move?! Wouldn't it be better to go after Sasuke now!?"
"And then what?" Sakura said sharply, "Kakashi sensei is right, knowing Sasuke and Danzo's next step is the safer bet. In the worst case scenario, if we went after Sasuke now then Danzo would have us branded traitors and would have us executed right on the spot with him or…" she trailed off, averting her gaze to her feet.
"Or you may be forced to deal with Sasuke somehow if he really has decided to join the Akatsuki," Sai finished her sentence.
His words floated heavily through air before Naruto groaned in frustration. "Dammit!" He exclaimed "or I could just go find Sasuke now and knock some damn sense into him!"
"I think you should know by now that Sasuke isn't swayed so easily by that kind of method," Kakashi said in mock humour.
"I know," Naruto admitted, not sure if he was angry or sad that he couldn't convince Sasuke that easily when it came to anything.
"I'm not assigned to Sasuke's case directly but I can do some digging," Sai spoke.
"But what about the curse mark on your tongue Sai? Wouldn't anything said against Danzo or Root get you into trouble?!" Sakura asked quizzically.
"Yes though there is that, I wouldn't be saying anything directly about Danzo or the Root organisation," Sai smiled.
"So there's a loophole, huh?" Kakashi uttered to nobody in particular. "Great, I guess it's settled then. But Sai, please try to be as quick as possible. By the looks of things we don't have much time."
(End Flashback)
Naruto had barely said two words since parting with his comrades. Sure, waiting was the best thing to do, he couldn't deny that fact. However, the young blonde was too restless. His mind thoughtlessly wandered back to Sasuke and his time in Amegakure to their time on the training field until finally, his conversation with Sai crossed his mind.
"Then why can't you just admit it? You love him."
He recalled the pale boys words before furrowing his brows. "Love…" he pondered, mulling over the answer to Sai's question. "If I were to tell Sasuke how I felt, I'd probably really weird him out. I still don't get why everyone is fussing over love being the answer to saving Sasuke. When I think about admitting it out loud, I just think it would make this worse and push Sasuke away even further! Not to mention embarrass myself for the rest of my life."
"Arruuugghhh! Stupid Sasuke," The young blonde exclaimed in frustration before burying his forehead in his hands, allowing his fingertips to ruffle his hair before stilling. "Wait but what if…" he lifted his head, "what if Sasuke feels the same way?"
The young blonde furrowed his brows before straightening his spine and dropping to the ground to stare up at the stars, for a moment it felt as though they were gleaming back at him. With Sasuke's execution being announced right in the middle of all his personal confusion, Naruto found himself simply lost. Romance was definitely not the young blondes fortè. Sighing, he laid on his back. "What will happen when I see Sasuke next?"
The young blonde breathed out heavily, lifting himself off the ground to walk back to his tent before he froze in his tracks. His blue orbs widened and his breathing stilled as he concentrated hard on a faint but familiar chakra signature coming from the outskirts of the village. He clenched his fists as it become stronger the closer it approached. "There's no doubting it," he thought, furrowing his brows. "I know this chakra," Naruto's cheek twitched as his jaw tightened anxiously. Without a second thought, he leapt toward Konoha's forest.
"Sasuke," his heart felt like it was trying to squeeze itself out of his chest. "Don't do anything crazy before I get to you." All thought of gathering team seven left his mind, leaving only an image of a raven haired boy in his thoughts.
Danzo sat at a freshly made sturdy desk. Although the village was in shambles, he was still very proud of the progress the village had made to rebuild so far. The older Shinobi looked down at the newly made scroll he had in front of him, he had just spent several long hours inking information regarding the Akatsuki on it.
"Now to add the last Akatsuki member and then it will be ready to be distributed throughout Root," Danzo thought before swiftly writing "Sasuke Uchiha," at the end of the brown paper. He leaned back into his chair before hearing footsteps rush to his tent from outside.
"Lord Danzo?!" A tall Shinobi with a white mask burst through the tent as the older man stood from his chair, recognising the ANBU member as one of the elite jounin assigned to the execution of the last Uchiha.
"What brings you here this late?" Danzo questioned.
"It's Sasuke Uchiha," the ANBU guard spoke quickly, "one of our sensory ninja has recognised his chakra heading straight for Konoha's borderline at a very quick pace. There are three other chakra signatures accompanying him. Your orders sir?"
Danzo's brows furrowed as his lips twitched downward, "gather your team and meet him at the borderline. Do not let him or his accomplices infiltrate this village. And if it seems that he somehow overpowers you then I give you direct permission to execute him on the spot."
"Yes Lord Danzo," the ANBU spoke before disappearing in a blink of an eye.
"So he's come to us has he?" Danzo thought as he briskly rolled up his scroll and set it onto a small shelf beside his desk. He casually picked up his cane as he strolled outside and looked up to see a full moon glimmering over Konoha, illuminating the night and making the shadows seem darker than they usually are.
"The Uchiha has always been a threat to this village," Danzo thought as he began running to Konoha's outskirts. "It's no surprise the last Uchiha would want to destroy what's left of it." his brows furrowed as an image of Itachi flashed behind his minds eye. "I could never tell if Itachi was loyal to the village or just to his little brother. But it doesn't matter now. This cycle will end tonight."
"Sasuke," Karin gasped, earning his attention. "I'm sensing five chakra signatures heading this way. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they're intentionally tracking your chakra."
Sasuke's pace quickened, "we're approaching the Konoha border. They're going to try and stop us before we get there. You remember our strategy, right?"
"Tch," Suigetsu scoffed "don't sweat it, Sasuke. Just keep going with Karin and do what you gotta do, it's not like we'll fall that far behind."
"That's right," Juugo agreed, "just keep going ahead as you usually would."
The young Uchiha stole a quick glance over his shoulder at his team, deciding against going over the plan again. He could instantly tell they knew full well what they had to do. Though he'd never admit it, he was glad he had comrades that weren't stupid at least. An image of Naruto flashed behind his eyes, recalling how much of an idiot his blonde friend used to be in the freshly formed team seven. Back then, Sasuke felt like he could beat Naruto without even breaking a sweat but now there was a slight feeling of apprehension in his stomach at the thought of having to fight him once again.
Sasuke clenched his fists tight enough to turn his knuckles white. "How far have you come since then Naruto?" he wondered. "If you're not strong enough to kill me this time then you're going to die."
A sharp pang of dread shot through his chest before hearing Suigetsu cry out. "Now what the hell are you thinking about at a time like this Sasuke?!" he sighed before muttering, "don't tell me you're thinking about Karin…"
"Wha-!?" Karin's cheeks flushed immediately before her red orbs widened a fraction. "They're close," she shouted.
"So are we," Sasuke muttered before Juugo flew past him.
"Just keep going Sasuke," the orange haired boy said while slinging his fist back. It began colouring itself brown before it grew to resemble Orochimaru's curse mark form. In an instant, two ANBU Shinobi leapt from the trees above them, closing in on Juugo before he blocked their Taijutsu with his arm.
Sasuke and Karin ran past his form before a third ANBU member came at them from ahead, shooting kunai's at them from all directions. Before they could connect, Suigetsu deflected the small weapons with his executioner blade. "Hmph," the white haired man scoffed, "seriously? I expected more than that from an ANBU" He smirked, feeling slightly amused before he heard a slight sizzling behind him.
He looked behind him to see sparks flying off of his back before frantically patting trying to pat it down. "Is this…" his eyes widened before he moved to throw his Akatsuki cloak off but before he had the chance an explosion erupted from the paper bomb glued onto his back.
The white haired man dissolved into water before materialising again a few seconds later. "Dammit," he spat to himself "when did that even get there." He wiped some grime off of his chin with his arm before leaping out of the smoke and onto a tree branch on higher ground.
He glanced over to see Juugo still warding off the two same masked Shinobi and Sasuke and Karin running further into the distance unscathed. Suigetsu's lips twitched upward slightly as he could see Orochimaru's curse mark pattern creeping up through Juugo's cheek. "Well this will be over fairly soon," he sniggered before hearing a roaring gust of wind ahead of him. Shooting his gaze forward, he saw a ball of fire heading toward him before holding out his pointer finger and thumb in the shape of a gun. "Bang," he said before a large water drop shot through his index finger and right into the flames, making it sizzle and disappear.
Sasuke glanced behind him to see his two comrades fighting off the ANBU Shinobi with equal strength while he and Karin got closer to the village border. "Sasuke!" He heard the red haired woman shout "ahead of us, there is another chakra coming straight toward us."
"Don't worry," he said nonchalantly, "just keep going." A shinobi in a white mask with whiskers came into view before Sasuke exclaimed, "Susano'o!" Three purple ribs encircled the raven haired boy before a hand-like form flew out from it, attempting to grab at their opponent.
There was a clear gasp resounding from behind the mask before the ANBU Shinobi leapt out of the way, allowing Susanoo to only clutch air. Sasuke felt some kind of strange amusement mixed with pride knowing he still had the element of surprise on his side whenever he unveiled the Mangyeko Sharingans power. "This is the power of the Uchiha," he thought before a vision of Itachi flashed behind his minds eye. His blood began to boil and anger welled up within his chest before his Susanoo struck at the ANBU Shinobi again before a huge gust of wind began forcing the hand-like figure away.
"Wind style, vacuum blast barrage," he heard a raspy voice exclaim before Sasuke shot his head to his side to see a spiky haired older man, literally blowing away his Susanoo.
His red orbs widened before he pulled out Kusanagi and appeared in front of his opponent in an instant. He raised his blade up before closing in on his target, swinging it down abruptly before hearing it clang against a small kunai in the older mans hand. Narrowing his red orbs, Sasuke leapt back onto a nearby branch. "Danzo," he seethed.
Danzo had stood on a branch opposite to Sasuke with another ANBU Shinobi by his side before the other one came to join him. "Sasuke," the older man spoke, "I came here to see for myself if my allegations against you were true. By the way you are treating my ANBU squad, you are indeed here to destroy whats left of the village. Have you also joined the Akatsuki?"
"Pain already destroyed everything," Sasuke hissed. "I'm not here to destroy it again. I'm here because I know what you made Itachi do and I've decided to eradicate you and the Konoha council. But first I wanna hear it from you. Is it true!?"
Danzo's dark orbs narrowed angrily but his his composure remained calm, "I did not know Itachi was the type to reveal secrets," he said before Sasuke's orbs widened to the size of dinner plates. Clear hatred spun through his red orbs and Danzo would be lying if he said it didn't make him slightly uncomfortable. "I cannot let you go any further than here. But if you insist on destroying all that's left of the village then I will have to eliminate you on the spot." The older man glanced at the Shinobi beside him.
"You two," he exclaimed, earning the ANBU's attention. "Stay here and take care of his accomplices, do not let them get any closer to the village! I will take care of Sasuke," he said before leaping from branch to branch, finding a better location to fight Sasuke, away from the village. "What Sasuke is saying about Itachi is highly confidential information… nobody must know of it."
"The only one who will be leaving here alive today is me," Sasuke bit out before he leapt after Danzo as Karin followed, slipping past the two ANBU Shinobi who flew toward Juugo and Suigetsu.
Karin watched as Sasuke chased after Danzo, his chakra completely changing from calm and collected to pure rage. She furrowed her brows, feeling a sudden surge of dread. It crept up through her stomach and made its way into her chest before it made her heart drop. She had never seen Sasuke in this state and she couldn't deny that she was a little worried at what was about to unfold.
Looking ahead, she saw a vast opening, revealing a humongous space with wooden pillars all around the area. Danzo leapt down, right into the middle of the oval as Sasuke followed, landing right on the edge of it. Karin on the other hand, decided to wait on the closest tree branch with the best view on higher ground. "I am not going down there with him," she thought reluctantly as she glared daggers at the new Hokage.
Sakura tossed and turned in her sleeping bag before sitting up in a huff. Breathing in slowly, she quickly exhaled. "What's with me," she sighed to herself "I'm just too restless tonight to be asleep." An image of the raven haired boy flashed behind her minds eye before she shut her green orbs tightly. Holding her hands to her chest, she willed away the uneasiness in her stomach. "Maybe that's why it's so hard to sleep tonight."
Naruto's words echoed in her mind as she recalled his confession about Itachi earlier. "How cruel," she thought "how could the third Hokage allow something like that to happen?"
She rubbed the back of her neck with her palm before realising there she was in a slight cold sweat. "Huh?" she gasped, "it's not like it's that warm tonight," she muttered before hearing footsteps running past her tent. Raising one slim brow, she curiously left her sleeping bag and parted the entrance of her home before glancing outside to see a few ANBU Shinobi making their way to the edge of the village where the forest began.
Her green orbs widened slightly, "what could be so important at this time of night?"
"So you're already awake?" She heard a voice from beside her before she recoiled instantly, almost falling out of her tent completely.
"Augh!" she cried, stumbling to the side a bit before recognising her former teacher in the dim light. "Kakashi sensei!? What're you doing!?"
"Well, Sai is with me too, I thought you would've sensed the reason we're here by now," Kakashi looked at her expectantly before the pale boy stepped out from behind the white haired man.
"Hello Sakura," Sai said, shooting her his infamous fake smile.
"Oh," she blinked "you too, Sai?" Thinking hard about what Kakashi just said, she focused. "There's obviously something going on… Hence why Kakashi sensei and Sai is here. And those ANBU! But I don't—" instantly, her green orbs widened, her breath got caught in her throat. "Is that... Sasuke's chakra?! But—!? Why now!?" She thought aloud.
"Exactly," Kakashi confirmed. "Sasuke has decided to come to us."
"From what I could gather from the Root inventory on Sasuke's case, a Shinobi from the Sasuke elimination team has ordered his squad to meet Sasuke and his accomplices at the Konoha border. It seems as though they're going to prevent Sasuke from going any further. Those ANBU that just ran past you now are reinforcements," Sai clarified.
Gasping, Sakura stumbled out of her tent hastily, "then we have to get Naruto! You said to wait until someone made a move right, Kakashi sensei!?"
"I did…" Kakashi said "but Naruto has already gone on ahead. I could sense him a few meters ahead of us but he didn't slow down." His dark orbs narrowed before sighing deeply, "we'll just have to meet him at the border. At least I suspect he'll be able to keep Sasuke at bay until we get there."
Sakura's brows furrowed before she rushed back into her tent to throw on her vest and pull on her boots. "Then don't wait for me, go on ahead. I'll catch up soon," she said, her voice firm.
Sai and the silver haired Shinobi exchanged a look before Kakashi nodded. "Alright then. Don't stay too far behind." With that, both forms leapt toward the forest, leaving Sakura to gather her weaponry before heading out.
"Naruto," she thought "you've always been the one promising to bring Sasuke home." Fastening her headband over her hair, she pursed her lips. "This time, we'll do it together. I'll share this burden with you," she furrowed her brows before leaping after Kakashi and Sai, as quickly as her legs could carry her.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I realise that it may have been a little anti-climatic, I was planning to have Naruto and Sasuke reunite in this chapter but I wanted to get it out there as soon as possible! However, I am very excited to write the next chapter ehehe I hope you come back next time! Thanks for reading :)
