Chapter 6: A Battle for Friendship
-Naruto
It was obvious by the look on his face, he was surprised. But more than surprised, scared as well. He had no idea what was going on and, frankly, I had no idea either. Was this the thing I was supposed to awaken? But I didn't have time to think like this, I had to pay attention, I had to be ready.
Sasuke was obviously preparing a Jutsu, but which one? I studied the hand signs carefully, trying to figure it out. It was some sort of Element Ninjutsu…was it Fire-style? I tried to pay more attention but I just couldn't focus. In the back of my mind, I knew I had to do something else, something important, but what was it?
Before I knew it, a massive, flying, fire-bird came racing towards me. Once I saw it, I realized two things. First, what had been bugging me and second, how to stop it. I instinctively formed the hand signs, letting the distinct memory take over my mind. It was obviously a Water-style Jutsu, but it was way out of my league. Even I couldn't master this Jutsu for the life of me; definitely a Jounin-level or higher technique.
But I had found out what I had to awaken. This visual Jutsu was beyond imagining and only I could use it. Suddenly, Kouga's respect for me seemed reasonable. The whole Fox Demon Tribe knew my hidden power, the Akugan. That's why Kazuma left me that scroll, why Kyuubi decided to work with me, and why I could beat Sasuke.
The Water-style Jutsu went through the Fire-style heading in Sasuke's direction but, before it could hit him, it was ignited by black flames. So that was the Ameratsu I was warned about. "A visual Jutsu that burns anything the user focuses it on and never stops burning until the thing affected is completely destroyed". It was a formidable Jutsu but, I was sure I could handle it.
"Naruto-kun, why do you resist so?"
"Huh, anyone who actually KNEW me would know the answer to that, Sasuke."
"I thought you wanted to 'bring me back to the village', or am I wrong?"
"I used to want to, now I want to bring down Akatsuki and restore peace to the Ninja World, even if that means killing you, Sasuke."
"And I am going to get revenge on Konoha for what they did to the Uchiha clan."
"What do you mean? Itachi was the one who destroyed the Uchiha clan…"
"If you actually KNEW me, you would know the truth. The superiors of Konoha made Itachi destroy our clan, it was part of his mission from the very start."
"That's a lie! Konoha would never do anything like that!"
He smirked. "It's the truth whether you believe it or not."
I couldn't believe it. All Sasuke had wanted was to get revenge on Itachi for destroying their clan. What had changed?
-Sakura
I could tell the minute I woke up that this fight had dragged on too long. Both of them were on the ground, panting like dogs, and giving each other death stares. Then I looked at my surroundings; there was so much blood covering the field that the grass had become mushy; it was a scene from the Apocalypse.
I would never forget that moment; it was forever burned into my brain. But the problem wasn't the landscape; it was that this time was nothing like before on the roof of the hospital. This time it wasn't just Rasengan vs. Chidori; this time Kakashi-sensei wouldn't magically be able to stop them; this time, my heart was truly going to break.
I suppose Sasuke was right, maybe I was still too much of a crybaby. Or maybe, after Sasuke left, the true Sakura Haruno came out. I found that, once my eyes weren't blinded with adoration, I was able to see who Sasuke really was. Or, maybe a better way to put it is, the Sasuke that Itachi's massacre changed.
"We'll only kill each other if we keep fighting, Sasuke"
"Shut up. I haven't…" He coughed up a bit of blood, only adding to the gallons already there. "…sunken to your level."
Naruto laughed. "I think you're cheating yourself, Sasuke. You've sunken…" And, to my surprise, he stood up swiftly and with just a few scratches. "…below my level."
Sasuke's expression matched mine: pure amazement. For a second, I was happy that one of them was okay. But then, reality struck me. If Naruto only had a few scratches, then all this blood must be from…no way.
-Kyuubi
I was wrong…this was more than the Akugan. Could it be that he had the legendary Uzakugan? But that was impossible; it was a rare mutation to the Akugan that only happened in the Uzumaki clan once in a hundred generations. Could it already be a hundred generations later since the first Uzakugan? I would have to ask Kazuma about that sometime…
-Sakura
I guess I'm just a masochist. After seeing Sasuke, I was overjoyed but the hole left in my heart only grew bigger after he escaped from our grasp yet again. Maybe Naruto was right. Maybe I'm just lying to myself. I still love Sasuke, but I also love him, more than he knows. And that reality only became clearer as I walked into his hospital room, holding the red roses I knew he wouldn't be able to see.
"Sakura?" he asked, turning his head in my direction. And, when I saw his eyes, the only thing I wanted to do was cry. It was all my fault for letting them battle too long, and now, look what's happened. No matter how much forgiveness Naruto had in his heart, it still wouldn't negate the fact that I couldn't forgive myself.
"Yes…It's me," I managed to choke out.
His face curled up into a smile but then dropped into a frown. "Are you crying, Sakura-chan?"
How could I fool him? "Yes, I am…"
"Sakura…"
What was I doing? It was only going to make him feel worse when I'm the one who should be punished. "I'm sorry, Naruto, I have to leave…" And I rushed out the door without looking back.
-Kakashi
Sakura was never going to forgive herself. She thought it "was all her fault" when in truth, none of it was her fault. Naruto and Tsunade both knew that. And it wasn't like Naruto didn't have any of his senses. He could still hear, smell, taste and feel everything that she brought for him. The funny thing is, Sakura and Naruto became like glue after he was discharged from the hospital. She wouldn't leave his side, even for a second, and every mission he went on, she went on. I guess you could say that Team 7 became a team again, but, in reality, Team 7 went from one of the most sent out teams, to one of the least.
-Tsunade
I couldn't stand to send him out on missions in the condition he was in. But he just kept begging and begging me to let him go on a mission that I had to send him occasionally. He would always say, "Since I lost my sense of sight, all my other senses are hypened even more. C'mon Tsunade, just let me go on this mission." But I guess he was right. From reports of the others sent out on the mission, everyone says he performed flawlessly, catching every minute detail that everyone else would've missed. Instead of becoming a burden to every mission he was sent on, he became an asset.
Sakura would beg me to stop sending him on missions. Sure, she became his eyes and, don't get me wrong, that is a hard job, but he became her nose and ears better than she ever could. Together, they were an unstoppable team. And there was one more thing I noticed after that final battle, Sakura stopped hitting him. Never again did I hear, "Ouch, Sakura! That hurt!"