Chapter 63: Betrayal
Sakura walked through the streets of Konoha looking for a certain silver haired ninja. She found him walking out of the ramen stand, his book in hand.
"Kakashi-sensei, have you seen Sasuke?" Sakura asked.
"Hey Sakura. Sasuke, hm… no, is he even out of the hospital?" Kakashi asked.
"Yeah, me and Naruto saw him the day Nomad-sama was named Hokage. But I haven't seen him since," Sakura said.
"Have you looked in the Uchiha compound? Unless he's on a mission," Kakashi said.
"No, he's not healed enough for missions yet. And Naruto checked the compound and there wasn't even a trace that Sasuke had been there," Sakura said slightly on edge.
"What's wrong? What happened when you saw him?" Kakashi asked.
"He was asking Naruto about his fight with Lerah. When Naruto said something about what Lerah said it looked like Sasuke was going to attack. I said it was Strag-sama who actually killed Lerah and Sasuke just walked away," Sakura said.
"Did Naruto tell you what Lerah said?" Kakashi asked.
"No. I just want to find Sasuke and see if he's okay," Sakura said worried.
"Go ask Nomad and Tsunade, they might know," Kakashi said.
Sakura nodded, thanked him and ran off towards Hokage tower. Kakashi watched her go before heading off to ask a few of his own questions. Sakura knocked on the office doors and entered when she received to call to do so.
"Sakura? What is it?" Tsunade asked.
"Do either of you know where Sasuke is?" Sakura asked.
"Sasuke? He should be at home resting, but he's probably training," Tsunade said.
"No, neither. It doesn't look like he's been in the Uchiha compound since before he was in the hospital. And I've checked the training grounds every day," Sakura said.
"How long have you been looking for him?" Nomad asked.
"Since the party. Me and Naruto ran into him afterwards and he was acting strangely. We were both looking for him, but then Naruto had to leave on that mission," Sakura said.
"He's been gone since the party, that was almost a week ago… why didn't you say something sooner?" Tsunade yelled.
"I thought I could find him…" Sakura said.
"He's done something like this before hasn't he?" Nomad asked standing up.
"Yes, but last time he was with Kakashi-sensei, but he hasn't seen him either," Sakura said.
"I'll get Sage to do a search of the village," Nomad said as he headed for the door.
"Oh no! You have to stay here and work, send a messenger to tell him," Tsunade said grabbing Nomad's arm.
"I'll go," Sakura said.
Nomad nodded and she left to convey the message to Sage.
x-X-x
Kakashi knocked on a door and entered when he heard the call to. Wiseman, Grim, and Strag were sitting around a table playing cards, Sage was on the other side of the room reading a book in his unusual way.
"Kakashi, what are you doing here?" Wiseman asked as the silver haired ninja walked in and closed the door behind him.
"First, have any of you seen Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.
"Not since we got back from the alliance, no," Grim said, the others shaking their heads.
"Alright then, Strag, what did Lerah say before she died?" Kakashi asked.
Strag's eye's widened and his head turned to look at Kakashi, "What brings that about?" he asked.
"Sasuke seemed to be acting weird the night Nomad became Hokage. When he heard it was you that killed Lerah he walked away and hasn't been seen since. Before he left Naruto mentioned something about what Lerah said, which agitated Sasuke," Kakashi said.
"The only thing Lerah said that affected Sasuke was what they had done to him while he was a captive," Strag said.
"What was it? This is important, he could be unstable," Kakashi said.
"I've no doubt he is. Lerah said she made him several promises, and only asked one thing in return, love. Something she said he turned out to be incapable of giving," Strag said.
Kakashi's eye widened, "love… why would he turn that down?" Kakashi asked.
"She didn't say anymore," Strag said.
There was silence for a while before a knock came on the door. Kakashi opened it revealing Sakura.
"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked.
"I was asking Strag what Lerah had said before dieing. What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked.
"Nomad-sama wants Sage-sama to do a search of the village for Sasuke," Sakura said.
"Already am. So far nothing. Wait here and I'll tell you when I'm done so you can go tell him," Sage said and Sakura nodded.
As she waited Strag told her what he had told Kakashi and her reaction was the same as his.
"She wanted love? Is that why he's so upset she's dead?" Sakura asked.
"He's not in the village, or the surrounding aria in my range," Sage said.
Sakura sighed nodding, "I'll go tell Nomad-sama," she said before she and Kakashi left.
x-X-x
"Come on kid, I know you're better than that," Elvo said as he easily dodged one of Naruto's attacks.
"I am, when I'm not running on empty," Naruto said.
"Now now, it's only been thirty six straight hours. You can't complain until forty eight," Elvo said with a grin.
"I still don't get how you're still here if we're not in a fight, you said it was before sunrise, but the fights over," Naruto said.
"Yes, but my task is not. Enough stalling, you don't get a break until you're unconscious," Elvo said diving at Naruto who barely managed to dodge it.
x-X-x
Three days later Naruto was fixing breakfast as Elvo watched the sunrise. He turned to look at Naruto and saw his begin eating. Elvo grinned and walked over to him.
"Savor the food while you can, gods don't eat," Elvo said sitting down.
"But you still can, right?" Naruto asked.
"If we want to, while we're on earth," Elvo said.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and continued eating while Elvo just laughed.
"I think this training will go faster if you use your weapon. So when you're done eating get it out," Elvo said.
"Which one. I haven't mastered any, I just know a little bit about a lot of them," Naruto said.
"Pick one. If you become a god we'll make another like it that's fit to be wielded by a god," Elvo said.
"What do the other god's wield?" Naruto asked looking up form his food.
"Kami wields a great sword. Shinigami has a battle axe. Chaos uses his scythe. And me, well, my weapon is far beyond the power of man. I can't even have it here," Elvo said.
"What is it?" Naruto asked.
"You'll see it eventually. What are you going to use?" Elvo said.
"I don't know… maybe twin swords," Naruto said.
"Can you wield them now?" Elvo asked getting up.
"No, I thought you were going to teach me," Naruto said following Elvo with his eyes.
"No. but if that's what you want, take them, but I won't hold back as you learn them," Elvo said.
"Maybe I'll just stick with kunai then," Naruto said standing up, having finished eating.
"You're choice," Elvo said raising his right arm to the sky, "little help here Kami" he said quietly. Thunder cracked in the sky and a sword fell form the clouds. Its tip stuck un the ground in front of Elvo who pulled it out and rested it on his right shoulder. "This is Devine Influence, Kami's great sword. it won't break on you're kunai like that katana. Whatever weapon you pick, stick with it," Elvo said.
Naruto gulped and pulled out a scroll. Opening it up he looked through the symbols for the one he wanted. Finding what he was looking for he bit his thumb and put a line of blood across the paper. A puff of smoke came from the scroll and when it was gone Naruto had a normal katana in his right hand and a shorter one in his left.
"Not twin swords, but still two. Can you wield them?" Elvo asked and Naruto nodded as he put the scroll away, "Prove it," Elvo said jumping at Naruto.
x-X-x
"It's been almost a week since Sage scanned for Sasuke and he's still gone," Nomad said setting down a document he just finished reading.
"He's a missing-nin. We've already informed our hunter-nin's about him," Tsunade said.
"It's not going to be good if Naruto comes back and his friend's gone," Nomad said.
"He'll be upset, but a few missions should get him back to normal," Sakura said as she helped her sensei sort out the large pile of paperwork Nomad had already finished.
"That's the problem…" Nomad said quietly.
"How the hell do you stay on top of all this?" Tsunade shouted suddenly.
"Huh? What do you mean? It's just reading and signing," Nomad said.
"I know, I had to do it too, but I was always behind," Tsunade said.
"Maybe I just read faster," Nomad said.
"It's the byakugan isn't it? You can ready more than one document at once can't you?" Tsunade asked leaning over Nomads desk and being face to face with him.
"No, I'd get a huge headache if I did that. I guess I just read fast," Nomad said leaning as far back as he could.
Sakura shook her head at her sensei, "I'm going to go see if the hospital needs a hand, Nomad-sama seems to have a handle on what he's doing," she said before walking out.
Sakura left the Hokage tower and started off towards the hospital. As she walked through the streets something seemed out of place. She kept getting the feeling she was being followed, but every time she looked, there was no one there, not even a henge.
Getting scared, Sakura quickened her pace to the hospital. She kept moving faster and faster, until she was jumping on the rooftops blindly ignoring what was around her. Then something hit her hard in the stomach and knocked her on her back. Sakura put a hand on her stomach as she sat up and looked at who had hit her, "Sasuke…" she said slowly.
He was in standard black ninja pants and sleeveless shirt. He had black sandals and black ninja plated gloves. His katana sheath was on his back, but the sword was in his right hand. His forehead protector was on his forehead but he had smoothed out the leaf symbol, making the plate a blank metal.
"It was hard to get you alone," Sasuke said in a cold voice.
"Sasuke! I was looking for you, I was worried… after what happened after the party… are you alright?" Sakura asked as she started to get up.
"No, and I never will again," Sasuke said.
"What are you talking about? Why did you hit me? What's wrong?" Sakura asked getting to her feet.
"He took away the one who loved me, so I'll return the kindness," Sasuke said swinging his katana.
Sakura's eyes widened as she jumped back, the blade cut across her right arm. Sasuke jumped at her, katana at the ready. Sakura dodged again and pulled out two needles.
"Sasuke, what's gotten into you? Why are you attacking me?" Sakura asked.
"No one here would help me achieve my goal. Not after I left. I wanted to kill Lerah for what she said and did, but she was right, and she was my only chance," Sasuke said.
"I don't understand. What goal? You're only chance for what?" Sakura asked.
"Reviving my clan. You already said no, and no one else here would after I betrayed the village," Sasuke said walking towards Sakura.
"You're not making sense," Sakura said trembling slightly; she was terrified of Sasuke right now, so scared she hadn't even thought to heal her arm.
"Don't take this personal Sakura. I have no anger towards you, but I have to get him back in a way I know he'll feel," Sasuke said before activating his sharingan and running towards Sakura full speed.
Sakura threw her needles, but she was to shaken up to be accurate, that plus the sharingan both needles completely missed Sasuke. Sakura was looking around franticly, for some reason she couldn't see Sasuke. In an instant she stopped looking around and stopped trembling, Sasuke's blade was in her stomach.
Sakura looked up into his cold eyes as tears started to fall from her own. The sharingan vanished and Sasuke stated to pull the blade out but he was suddenly sent flying backwards. With Sasuke not there holding the katana Sakura started to fall to the ground, but a pair of hands grabbed he by the shoulders from behind.
"She's in shock, get her out of here," Sage said carefully pulling the blade out and throwing it to the ground.
Grim nodded before picking Sakura up and running to the hospital. Sage turned to face Sasuke who was getting to his feet, a cut across his left cheek and his nose bleeding, the work of Sage's staff.
"You should die too, you're one of his friends, all twelve of you are," Sasuke said taking out a kunai.
"My sources tell me you are too," Sage said calmly.
"No, not anymore," Sasuke said activating his sharingan and charging Sage.
Sage dodged the attack and hit Sasuke hard in the stomach with the end of his staff. Sasuke took a few steps backwards and spat out blood. He was about to run at Sage again when he saw Kakashi running towards them. Sasuke ran over and grabbed his katana sheathing it.
"She's not safe. Not until I kill her. The same with Naruto," Sasuke said before vanishing in a puff of smoke, Kakashi arriving on the rooftop just as the smoke cleared.
"What the hell happened?" Kakashi asked.
"Sasuke came back and attacked Sakura. He just said that neither her nor Naruto are safe until he has killed them," Sage.
Kakashi's eye widened, "Where's Sakura?" he asked looking around.
"She was wounded and in shock so Grim ran her to the hospital. You should go see how she is, I must tell Nomad," Sage said before running off to Hokage tower.
"Sasuke, what happened to you…" Kakashi said to himself before heading off to the hospital.
x-X-x
AN: wow, no one has gotten what Vox said, and only one person responded with trying… I'll give you a chapter or two more before giving the answer. But I honestly didn't think it'd be that hard, it only took me an hour to right that speech (compared to how long it took to write other things Vox says, that's really short).