A Tale of Happiness and Sorrow
Written by: Wind Sage 00
Chapter 7
(Please note: I do not own Naruto, its characters, or any trademarks of the work…I'll leave that to Kishi.)
(Some spoiler content if you haven't read the manga)
One month…That's how long it's been since I've seen him…I am alone to my work now. Not a day goes by that I haven't stopped and thought about that day. Just when everything was starting to seem right, that happiness was ripped from me in an instant. He didn't follow me…He didn't choose me…I am alone.
One month…That's how long it's been since I've seen him…But I am not alone anymore. Not a day goes by that I haven't stopped and thought about that day. Just when everything was starting to seem hopeless, he brought me out from my sadness. He followed me…He choose me…I am not alone anymore.
Gathering up scattered papers, a kunoichi neatly places them in a pile and begins to sort them. The days are filled with new tasks and new challenges, but she is caught in a haze. She sees life as if viewing it from another person's body. Her days are spent helping at the hospital, and her nights lying upon her bed. An emptiness she can't fill etches into her, and fills her with longing. Why is she like this?
Tired and sore, a kunoichi struggles to rise to her feet. The days are filled with new hopes and dreams, but she is focused on only one thing. She sees life as if she is caught in an endless dream that she hopes will never end. Her days are spent at her manor training, and her nights staring up at the sky. A warmth fills her up inside as she stares at the evening stars. She misses him.
The two kunoichi move towards their windows and stare up at the moon above. Each whispering a silent prayer, they both fold their hands and stare up high.
"Naruto, I know you're out there. I can't help thinking of you…are you thinking of me?"
The next morning, Sakura shifted in her bed as she tried to go back to sleep. She heard a knock at the door and instinctively reached out to smash the alarm clock on her bedside table; however, after the seventh broken clock, her mother had refused to buy her another one. With nothing to take out her vengeance upon, she curled up in bed and tried to avoid the inevitable. However the knocking on the door continued as her mother yelled:
"Time to wake up Sakura, you need to get up and go to work"
"Stupid work, I hate mornings!" said Sakura.
She slowly drifted out of bed and prepared for the day ahead. Something about today just didn't feel right though.
Sakura ate her breakfast of miso soup, rice, and beans, and then walked out toward the Hokage's office. The more she walked to work, the more Sakura felt an uneasy feeling grow from within her. Something just didn't seem right.
"You gotta get over this Sakura. Look what its doing to you now! You have to put this behind you and move on already."
Just as she was thinking this, she happened to look over in the horizon and see something hurtling through the sky. It was too far away for her to get a good look at it, but the object seemed to fly over the village and then drifted downwards as it fell toward the ground. A few moments later, a large cloud of dust arose as several buildings fell around the area the object had fallen to. As Sakura watched, a giant centipede arose from the ground and towered over the rooftops.
"What…What is that? It's huge!"
Sakura looked to her right at the Hokage's Office Building and then straight ahead to the Giant Centipede…without hesitation, she leaped off toward the giant summoned creature.
"Forgive me Hokage-sama, but I cannot stand by and let the people of this village be harmed. I know I should report to you on this sighting, but I fear that something very terrible is about to happen to Konoha."
At about the same time, a man rushed through a beautiful garden into a training compound in the middle of a beautiful estate. Inside, two shinobi of the Hyuuga Clan were sparing off against each other. The man leaned heavily upon his knees as he struggled to regain his breath. He bowed as he reported:
"Forgive my intrusion Hiashi-sama! A thousand pardons, but the village is under attack."
"What? By whom?" yelled Hiashi.
"We are not sure at the moment Hiashi-sama, but our sources on the front lines tell us the intruders are wearing the black cloaks with red clouds of the Akatsuki."
The Head of the Hyuuga Clan stood in thought, paralyzed by the sudden news. He shot a glance back behind him and said:
"Hinata, alert the other members of the clan and send out patrols to help the other shinobi currently engaged with the enemy. You are to go with an escort and scan the area for the enemy then report back with the information you've gathered. Is this understood?"
"Hai otosama (father)!"
Hiashi and the messenger sprinted away toward the village. In the distance, Hinata could start to see clouds of black smoke and dust rise above the skyline. However, she had been entrusted with the duty of alerting her clan and Hinata immediately flew inside the compound to alert the other clansmen & women.
"Naruto…What's happening?"
END OF CHAPTER 7
*A short chapter unfortunately, but only because I wanted to set up the storyline for the upcoming events. I look forward to hearing your feedback, and will be uploading a new chapter soon hopefully. –Wind Sage 00