Look At Us Now
By ValkyrieWarrior
Disclaimer: You feed a man a fish, you feed him for a day. You teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.
Summary: Sasuke is finally back and Naruto and Sakura couldn't be happier. But, something is not right, will Naruto be able to figure it out before he loses the person most dear to him? Will I ever convince Shonen Jump to give Naruto to me?
Again, I want to thank those who reviewed and read this ff story. I really appreciate it. tears
I just want to thank templar132 for volunteering to be my beta reader. Thank You.
Templar132: you're welcome?
Let us forth to everlasting journey...
'thoughts'
"talking"
Inner-self
Flashbacks
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Previously...
"Will it work?"
"No way to know for sure unless you try. The guy said that it may take a while to kick in, so be patient, otherwise you will ruin it." He said as he fixed his glasses. "One more thing, we may have a problem."
The guy looks to him, "What do you mean?"
"It seems that we underestimated the girl's feelings."
"I understand, you know what you have to do." He said to him before he starts walking away again.
The silver-haired man was left alone standing in the middle of the road.
'This should be fun, I do enjoy making people suffer.' He thought to himself before disappearing.
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Chapter 5: Imminent Despair; A Waking Agony.
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Sasuke walked into a room. It was empty, nothing but a single chair in the middle and a table right across from it. The room was dark and the windows were barred shut.
"Alright, you can let him go." A tall man with two scars on his face said.
The two ANBU that were holding Sasuke stepped back and closed the door behind them. Only Sasuke and the man were left in the room.
Ibiki motioned Sasuke to sit down in the only chair occupying the room.
"Uchiha Sasuke." Ibiki was holding Sasuke's profile data on his hand as he surveyed it. Sasuke noticed a glass of water sitting on the table. "Says here that you left this village and went to Orochimaru, on your own free will."
Sasuke kept his expressionless gaze on Ibiki.
"You know, that's a high crime in Konoha. Treachery is not tolerated." Sasuke didn't say anything. Ibiki moved closer to the chair. He leaned down face to face with him, "If it wasn't for the fact that the elders want to save your clan, you would be screaming in pain by now."
Sasuke wasn't intimidated.
Ibiki pulled back and walked to the table.
"Alright, Uchiha, what are you up to?" Ibiki questioned him.
Nothing.
"Someone like you, especially after killing someone who may have been the strongest person alive, wouldn't need Konoha." Ibiki turned around to look him in the eye.
There was a moment of silence.
"I simply want to complete my second goal." Sasuke finally said.
"And that is?"
There was a knock on the door. Ibiki walked over to it and opened it.
"Tsunade wants you to report to her office immediately after this." A guy wearing a cat's mask said. Ibiki nodded in understanding and closed the door.
He turned to Sasuke and continued.
"Where were we?"
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Tsunade is currently drinking sake as a pile of paper work kept growing on her desk.
"Honestly, Hokage-sama, you ought to get moving with your work." Shizune comes into the room with another pile of paper. "Otherwise, you'll be buried in them for months."
"If you're so worried about it, why don't you do it?" Tsunade sits up and places the sake bottle down on her desk.
Shizune shakes her head in disappointment.
There was a sudden poof of smoke as Ibiki appeared out of nowhere.
"Is this a bad time?" He asked.
Shizune looks at her master.
"No, not at all."
"Hokage-sama, please don't forget the papers again." Shizune reminds her one last time before she left the room.
'I'll stop forgetting them if you stop taking my sake!' Tsunade replied in her head.
Ibiki walks forward and sits down on the chair.
"So, how did it go?"
"It wasn't bad, he cooperated most of the time."
"Did you learn anything?"
"Nothing of much importance." Ibiki simply said. Tsunade thinks for a moment.
"Good, good." Tsunade stands up and walks over to the window. "Tell me, though,"
Ibiki turns his head so that he was facing her.
"You didn't have any intentions of hurting him right?"
"Of course not!" Ibiki was surprised that Tsunade would even think such a thing.
"Alright. That is all. You did your job well." Ibiki stands up and bows respectfully before leaving the room.
Tsunade was left in the room, she was thinking about something that seemed important.
"So, how did it go?" A man's voice said from out of nowhere.
'I'm going to need more sake.' Tsunade groaned as she turned around to see Jiraiya.
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"Naruto, wake up."
Naruto was lying down on his bed, in a deep sleep
"Hey."
He felt someone's arm shaking him awake. The voice was soft, it reminded him of a tender loving mother. How he knew that a mother would sound like that, he doesn't know. It just felt that way. It was sweet and caring. It told him that it would be there no matter what. Naruto slowly opened his eyes and was greeted with divine beauty. Her hair was flowing along the breeze that entered from the open window. She was softly caressing his hair as she sat beside his bed. Her face was radiating joy and innocence. He couldn't see anything else for the moment, just her and her uplifting presence. He felt like he was looking at an angel as he gazed upon her.
"Hey there." The young girl said ever so softly.
Her beautiful voice practically melted Naruto. It felt dreamlike, surreal.
He carefully got up and rested his back on the head board. He could hear the noises of people as they went about their business. He could see the radiant full tree from his window and he could hear the birds as they sung to each other. It was a bit cold and the bed never felt more comfortable. It was darker than usual due to the heavy rain that flooded Konoha the day before. Naruto could still hear the remains of the storm as each droplet fell from the roof tops to the cold ground.
"What time is it?" He said weakly, still half asleep. He wanted to move his arms so he could hold her, but nothing happened. His arms were paralyzed from the best sleep he had ever had in nearly four months.
"Around ten." The girl softly replied.
It was so comfortable at the moment. Anything and everything only made him want to go back to sleep and just enjoy the rest of the day. But, unfortunately, he had his duties, so he had to get up. Naruto tried moving his heavy body from its cozy position. At first, none of his limbs were responding, so he tried again. Finally, he managed to move his legs.
"I made you breakfast."
He puts all his weight on both his legs and gets up. "Breakfast sounds good right about now." Naruto turned to her. She gives him a smile.
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"Did you like it?" The angel-like girl in front of him asked.
"I loved it." He had just finished eating a bowl of ramen, along with some eggs and strips of bacon.
The girl gives him a warm smile. "I'm glad you did." Naruto walked over to the girl and gave her a kiss.
Naruto walked over to the living room as she guided him. They sat on the couch, snuggling.
"It's such a nice day. So comfortable." The lovely pink haired girl exquisitely said. Naruto holds her tighter.
"Hey, Sakura-chan." She looked at him, still smiling. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for breaking your heart." Naruto said with all of his pain behind it.
Her smile faded away but came back just as quickly.
"It's okay, Naruto," she began, "I know now that you only did it for me."
Naruto hugs her even tighter if it was even possible.
"I missed you so much!" He feverishly said, ready to cry.
Sakura pats him on the back.
"I'm here, Naruto. I'm here." Sakura said as Naruto cried in her arms.
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Naruto turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. He grabs a nearby towel and wraps it around his lower body as he walks toward the mirror. He looks at himself.
He looked tired. His wild messy blonde hair was still wet, his whisker marks already dried, and his body was a little warm from the shower. He looks just like he always does.
But there was something eerie about his reflection that made him cringe in fear.
He looks at the mirror again. This time, he spots a long, thing scar across his side of his abdomen. Naruto runs his finger over it, getting a feel of it.
'I don't remember getting this scar.' He thought himself. It looks as if the scar came from a kunai.
'Why can't I remember?'
He decided it was best he didn't worry about it.
Naruto grabs his clothes and puts them on. He opens the bathroom door and walks out.
It was deadly silent.
He walks over to the kitchen. It was neat, very clean, it looked like it was never used. The dishes where placed in covers, the rice cooker was plugged, but there were no traces that it was ever used. Even the trash can was empty, no hint that thirty cups of instant ramen were once occupying it.
'Sakura-chan must've cleaned it.' That was the only logical explanation he could get out of this situation. Wait a sec, wasn't Sakura just here? He could have sworn she was here. But the place seemed deserted and lifeless. Getting agitated just standing there and thinking, he walks out of the kitchen and into the living room.
In there, it was just as clean. Everything was dusted and everything was placed in the right spot.
"You will kill her, Naruto!" A voice said.
Naruto quickly turns around, but there was no one there. He looks back, there was only the television and his living room decorations. He looks around everywhere, but there was no one except him in the room.
His heart beat jumps two beats faster.
'Maybe I still need more sleep.'
Naruto opted to return to his room. Once inside, he immediately goes to his bed and lies down.
He could hear the clock clicking. He turns to look at it. The clock was blurry, no real numbers. Only two hands were ticking, counting down to the moment.
"You're too late."
There was that voice again.
Naruto shot up and looked around. But, he there was no one there. Not a soul but his.
"Whoever you are, you better come out!" Naruto angrily said.
No answer.
His heart beat speeds up more. Suddenly, he felt light headed and uneasy.
"AHHHHH!"
He heard a blood curling scream. It was coming from the living room. But what scared him more was who it sounded like,
"Sakura-chan!"
Naruto jumps out of his bed and rushes out of his room. The hallway was dark, but all he could think about was getting to her.
"Sakura-chan, just hold on, I'm coming!" He screamed.
But no matter how fast he runs, he never seemed to get there.
He felt like he has been running for ten minutes down this short hallway. The walls felt like they were caving in on him as he hurried his pace. The air was suffocating him and the longer he was in that dark path, the more he couldn't breath. His heart beats faster and faster.
He finally reaches the room. What he saw next caused him to become silent.
His heart slowed down dramatically as he approached a body lying face down on the floor.
Thump thump.
His heart beat drowned out everything else as it echoed in his head.
Thump thump.
He walks over to the motionless body.
Thump thump.
His hands find their way onto the back of the girl.
Thump thump.
Naruto couldn't tell if she was dead or alive. All he knows is that he needed to see if this was Sakura. He gathers what little courage he had left and flips over the body.
There was a sudden flash of light as he saw the girl's face.
Naruto frantically draws his hands back as his entire body started to shake uncontrollably. Everything in his body seemed to stop functioning and all he could think of was the lifeless body of Sakura in front of him.
"NO!" He cried out to her. "Sakura-chan, wake up. Don't do this to me."
He begins to shake her, hoping that maybe she will wake up and tell him that she just fell asleep.
Nothing.
Sakura didn't say a word, not a sound came out of her. Her body was motionless except for the fact that he was shaking her body.
"Sakura-chan!" He screamed as tears streamed down his face.
"You did this to her, Naruto. You!" A voice said.
The voice sounded familiar. It wasn't the voice from before. It was another person's.
Naruto flashes his head up. He sees a person standing on the veranda. He couldn't tell who it was, but he had a gutsy feeling that he knows this person.
"I told you to stay away from her, but you just couldn't keep your promise could you? And now you're paying for it." The man said, his voice was emotionless.
Naruto saw a flash of black before the man jumped away from his house. He was left alone in the room with her.
Naruto only cries more knowing that he did do this to her. "Sakura-chan, what have I done?"
He hugs her closely to him. Her face was pale and her body was cold.
"Ahhhh!" Naruto's voice echoed throughout Konoha as he cried from anguish.
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"Ahhhh!" Naruto shoots up from his bed. His body was sweating and at the same time he trembled from the cold, sharp breeze. He grabs his chest where his heart is and clenches it tightly.
Naruto was breathing heavily as the sweat descended his face. He looks around, but couldn't make anything out because it was too dark. He gets up and walks to his window. It was quiet outside, the village was fast asleep. The wind carried the leaves as it blew along.
'What was that?' He was still breathing heavily. 'Was it all just a dream?' He asked no one in particular.
He releases a breath he didn't know he was holding.
'It was just a dream.'
Naruto walks back to his bed and lies down. He concentrated on getting back to sleep and soon he was dozing off.
'Only a dream.' He thought. Soon after, he was back to sleep.
The night became quiet as everyone in the village came to rest.
"Sorry, my friend." A pair of blood red eyes closed itself from its scrutinizing gaze as it turned into black orbs.
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End of Chapter 5
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Sorry about the short chapter.
Okay, I know I have a lot to explain because you guys are probably asking so many questions by now.
But if you keep reading, it will all come together and you will see. (And if you happen to catch that it was SPRING in his dream then maybe you'll understand it more.)
cough- foreshadowing -cough
So, umm just leave comments/critisism, tell me what you want. Or if I just totally messed your brain up.
Bye
Rena