Lurking Within
(Part 1 of the trilogy)
Chapter 09: The Naruto Rehab
"How long until we arrive at the gates?"
Looking up at the gloomy sky, Kakashi gave an estimate of 2 hours before they return home from their week long mission. "Do you think she'll be waiting for us?" Naruto pondered, his eyes focused on the path his feet had memorized. The former sensei gave a snort at the thought. It was not attractive but it served its purpose since Naruto faltered mid-step in response. Feeling the need to clarify his own response, Kakashi explained, "She's under probation after what Gaara had reported back to the hokage. If by any miracle she is there waiting for us, she will most likely accompanied by ANBU as well. Imagine the welcome we will receive."
"I don't mind," Naruto smirked, his cerulean eyes brightening at the thought of a grand welcoming. "All I want is for Sakura-chan to be there."
Kakashi sighed. When will he understand that things will never be how they use to be? Their dysfunctional team 7 had began to crumble with the abandonment of Sasuke; and with a wound that refused to heal, it began to fester and finally infected every aspect of the team's life. There were constant reminders of their former teammate and the pain he left behind. But while Kakashi was never an optimistic man, Naruto had insisted to live on life like everything was okay. Sakura took Naruto's philosophy and had done the same. Eventually Kakashi began to believe that maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay but then the incident with Sakura happened.
He shook his head to clear his mind a bit. Now was not the time to dwell on the past or his failures. Sneaking a glance at Naruto, he gave a tiny smile. At least one of the team member was on the right path.
It took a little less than 2 hours, due to Naruto's persistent speeding, to reach Konoha's gates. Naruto pretended as if he wasn't disappointed by the lack of a particular person's presence, and Kakashi pretended as if he hasn't already expected this outcome. Both had gotten so well at pretending that it was almost natural to them. "I bet the old hag has Sakura-chan holed up in her office doing paperwork." Naruto tried to explain, though his smile was too bright and too plastic for it to fool his former sensei. "You're probably right," was Kakashi's all too fake response, accompanied by an eye crinkle he was known for.
"I'll go report us Kakashi-sensei!"
Before Naruto even finished his sentence, Kakashi had already disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Rolling his eyes, Naruto stretched his arms up and folded it behind his back. 'Everytime,' Naruto mused. 'He was always the first to leave after a mission and the last to arrive.'
"I'm back!" Naruto screamed as he lifted a foot to act out his grand entrance. However, before his foot made contact with the oak doors, it swung open and a fist connected with his face. "Quiet down!" Tsunade glowered at the blonde nursing a head wound at the side of the hallway. "How many times do I have to tell you to show some respect and quiet down!" Tsunade's powerful voice echoed throughout the building and evidently, in Naruto's ear
"You old hag! You're the one yelling now!"
Straightening up, the Godiame gave one last glare before ushering him into her office. "I assume the mission was successful?"
Naruto smirked in response, "Did you think any different? After all, the future hokage was on the mission!"
Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples in response. "I haven't named anyone yet."
"That's okay. I already know you've chosen me!"
"Says you."
"Old hag!"
"She missed her check-in today."
It took a full minute before Naruto caught up to what Tsunade was talking about. The change in his facial expression told Tsunade that he was fairly aware of who he was talking about and the consequences that could possibly come from it. "Can I be dismissed?" Naruto's neutral tone spoke volumes and Tsunade nodded.
With Naruto gone, Tsunade felt as if she had aged ten years in the process. The situation with Sakura had spiraled more and more out of control. It seemed as if it was just yesterday that her apprentice would come storming into her office, energetic and optimistic. But now, her dear apprentice is an empty shell of her former self. Leaning back in her chair, Tsunade reached for her sake in her hidden compartment. She took a long swing of the alcohol and relished the feel of the liquid nursing her nerves. A breeze from one of the open windows turned her attention from the sake bottle to the monument dedicated to the past leaders of Konoha.
Her duty was to protect the people of Konoha, even those whom have strayed from the path of righteousness, and she was not going to fail.
It didn't take him long to find the pink haired woman. It certainly helped that ANBU was lurking around the area. As soon as the door squeaked open, Naruto was hit suddenly with the smell of alcohol, vomit, and sweat. Among the gloomy patrons and the dark interior, Sakura was a beacon that drew Naruto in like a moth to a flame.
"Ya here for her?"
Naruto turned his attention slightly to the scruffy bartender whom stood on edge. In fact, taking a quick peek around the room, all the patrons seemed to be on edge. They've all heard of the pink haired demoness who terrorized the local bars and the patrons alike. He issued a quick nod and the sigh of relief from the bartender didn't go unnoticed.
Squaring his shoulders for the unavoidable encounter, Naruto crossed the room to Sakura in a matter of seconds. "Sakura.." Naruto called out, but his reply was nonexistent. She continued to drink, as if he was a figment of her imagination. Finally, after what felt like eternity, Naruto took matters into his own hands literally. Grabbing her on the arm, Naruto yanked her on her feet and proceeded to drag her out the hard way. "What do you think you're doing?" She hissed. Her only acknowledgment of the blonde. Pushing her out of the bar and into the streets, Naruto assessed her condition. Her once glossy pink hair had become a sad array of matted pink that had started to gather some foul odor. Her face was caked with dirt and her clothes had clearly seen better days. But the most heartbreaking scene for Naruto, was her eyes. They had lost its luster and had dulled to a cloudy emerald, no longer shining or vibrant.
"Who do you think you are?" Her speech slurred and she stumbled her way towards him. She pushed her index finger into his vest repeatedly and Naruto tried to make sense of her speech. "No right... business here... grown... Konoha.. Sasuke." Upon hearing their former teammate's name, Naruto lost all sense of self-control.
"Sasuke? How dare you mention his name in front of me! I've been trying my best to keep up with my promise to you, Sakura, but can you say the same? You've promised us, all those who cared for you, that this was going to be the last time. How many last times before it does truly become the last time? How many times have one of your friends held your hair back as you puked up your entire stomach? How many times have we gone out looking for you, only to find you lying somewhere drunk? How many times, Sakura, have you failed us?"
Naruto yelled, "You can't keep doing this Sakura! We all have our demons and we've moved on from it! So what if I have the nine tails in me? So what if I am a demon child? I've learned to accept it and moved on; use it to my advantage and make it become a part of my strength and weakness. And so what if that bastard's entire family was massacred by his brother? So what if has betrayed his home, friends, and ancestors? He has twisted it to become his life's purpose and is forever moving towards that goal. But what about you, Sakura? What about you?" Shaking his head in frustration, Naruto continued on his tough love. "So what if you used to be weak? You've moved on from that and used your strengths to become one of the best medics out there! So what if Sasuke has broken your heart and your trust? Someone will come along to heal your heart and if no one comes, time will. So what if you have a demon inside of you now? Use it to your advantage!"
Slumping down to the silent girl, Naruto leaned over and wiped away her tears softly. "We can't keep doing this, Sakura-chan. We all have lives that we've got to get back to; you have a life to get back to. You've been in this fog for far too long and you've slowly lost your support system one by one. You're going to drown one day. We can't and won't be doing this anymore, Sakura; come back to us." Patting her cheeks gently, Naruto stood and nodded towards one of the ANBU nearby before he began the long journey home.
It was funny, Naruto thought, how he was no longer excited at the thought of going home.
With her teammate gone, everything had dulled into a quiet buzz. His voice and everything he had said continued to ring in her ear, even without his presence. Shaking her head, as if to shake out his voice as well, Sakura could feel her own chakra working overtime in cleanse her system. 'Why did you do it?' Itzal asked, 'Did you not know you were drinking poison?'
Poison?
Sakura burst out laughing. 'That wasn't poison, Itzal. It was alcohol.'
'I don't care about what you mortals call it, but it is pure poison. Do you not feel it dulling your senses? I was choking in here! Why would you drink such a thing?' Itzal grumbled and Sakura rubbed her head in frustration. His badgering was almost as worse as Naruto's. Except while she could escape from Naruto's badgering, though a hard task, Itzal's badgering was inescapable. "I wanted to forget," Sakura voiced out loud. "I wanted to forget all about Sasuke and the heartache that came with him. Forget about the amount of times I've failed and how weak I was. I also did not want to think about you, Itzal. Possessing you has marked me as a demon! Konoha, my home, will now see me nothing more than a lurking danger."
Itzal was quiet and Sakura had thought that perhaps she had insulted the wolf demon, but it was a mere moment before he spoke. 'There are other ways to forget, Mistress. While I may have given you an addition of abilities, you still have to train and tune these abilities. Distract your mind from these idle thoughts with training. You must also work towards finding Eurydice. You cannot possibly think that you can find that damned angel by just sitting around. Distract yourself with finding her! And home? The moment you've been chosen, Konoha no longer became your home. Lemuria can be your new home. Forget this way, not that of taking poision.'
"Lemuria? The den of the tainted souls?"
'You cannot possibly think that your soul is pure anymore. Your soul will forever be tainted with that of a demon's and soon, with that of a fallen angel. It will be intertwined with ours.' Itzal explained. 'Heaven or a magical place among the fluffy clouds, whatever you mortals believe in; you no longer have access into that realm. Your soul, Haruno Sakura, is tainted.' Withdrawing himself from the conversation, Itzal turned his back on his mistress and slipped further into her mind. He had done his best to remind her of what was priority and what was a burden. Now she had to make her own decision.
It was a slow change, one Tsunade had been hesitant to believe in, but it was a change nonetheless. Slowly, over a month's time, Sakura had gone from frequently haunting the bars to the training grounds. She no longer missed her check-ins and had actually begun showing up early instead. Instead of acting out her anger on the fellow ANBU flanking her, the targets on the training grounds felt the pain. She no longer overstepped her boundaries and instead followed protocol. With baby steps, Tsunade can slowly see hints of their beloved Sakura.
Her happiness, however, came to a screeching halt once her eyes glanced over the report in front of her. While this had only come in through rumors and may not be true, she didn't want to take any chances. Closing her eyes and trying to think ahead, Tsunade began to formulate a group together for this particular situation. "Shizune," Tsunade called. "Please get me Sabaku no Gaara. He will need to accompany this team."
"You're late!"
Crinkling his eye, Kakashi gave a one hand wave before leaning against the wall. Even with all the glares from everyone in the room, Kakashi still hung on to his unaffected attitude. Tsunade cleared her throat and the attention eventually focused onto her. "While it has only been reported as rumors, I cannot take the risk of it becoming true." Tsunade started, "As you all may know, Uchiha Sasuke is in the company of Orochimaru. Rumors have been circling that Orochimaru has scheduled plans of taking over Sasuke's body within the next couple of days or weeks. You are to validate or invalidate this information. We need to be prepared."
Her eyes trained to Sakura, whom had stiffened at the mention of Sasuke. It was for a split second before her demeanor shifted to that of a porcelain doll. "Do we need such an extensive team?" Kakashi questioned from the back of the room.
"In case the rumors are true, there is a high possibility that there will be a change in the mission." Tsunade answered. The room was heavy with tension and everyone felt the weight of her words, even Naruto. "I'll bring him back." Naruto declared, his eyes blazing and they locked briefly with Sakura's. "I will bring him back to Konoha."
A dozen emotions flashed in emerald eyes before fading. "Does she need to be here?" Neji spat out. "Yes." Tsunade answered in a heartbeat. Her own honey eyes made contact with emerald and she tried to stress the importance of the situation to her. It had taken a while to convince the elders to give Sakura permission to partake in this mission. The elders had accepted on the condition of it being a test of her allegiance and a chance to assess her skills with the shadow demon, in case she does make contact with the Uchiha brat. Sabaku no Gaara and Neji had even been given permission to take any measures necessary if she wavered in her allegiance with Konoha.
"Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hinata, Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, do you accept this mission?"
A/N: Writer's block! Even with the guide, it was a little hard to express myself. HOWEVER, there is an upcoming chapter I'm itching to write! Watch out for it!