Chapter 10: Heart of it All

The castle had a reminiscent air to it. The buildings around it were more modern, but the castle, while not made of stone, retained a more traditional feel. The white walls had wooden beams running up its sides as support and its roof was of an ancient architecture.

Although it looked old, Sasuke was sure that it contained enough fortifications and trap doors to help ensure the safety of the occupants. However, the resistance they were meet with when entering was rather discomforting. So far, no shinobi had come to bar their entrance. They simply glanced at them before letting them in.

Even with their Henge's on, though, they felt that each guard was able to see through their disguises, penetrating them to see who they really were. At every round about, they were meet with a look of wary before the eyes returned to their normal path.

When they finally reached the giant doors, they were greeted with two guards. Wary, they kept their hands near their weapons. "Hold yourselves," one of them spoke. "We are here to take you to the king. Please follow us."

Not easily convinced, Sasuke calmly said, "What incentive is there for us to follow you? For all we know, you could be leading us into a trap."

The guard gave a patient smile. "It is because we know who you are, Uchiha-sama. Please, remove your Henge."

Obviously having lost the bout, Sasuke dropped his Henge as did Sakura, Hinata, and Neji. "How did you know that it was us?" Sakura warily asked.

"We had some… inside information." The guard bowed. "Now if you would follow me, I will take you to the king himself." He turned around and the troop reluctantly followed. Sasuke, however, was at odds with himself upon hearing that they had a spy in their group.

His immediate blame fell on Naruto and his 'friends.' Naruto himself sounded too powerful to be a mere gift from the heavens. To be able to hold the Chidori, his own blade, without even a shock was disturbing. Also, his sheer power was too great to be natural.

It must have been planned from the beginning. They would sneak a collaborator into his team and he would lead them to his brother. While Sasuke welcomed nothing more than a chance to kill his elder, he knew that only a stroke of luck would let him land the killing blow. He was nowhere near his level and his training was not even complete.

But what about those other two, Shino and Katame? Surely they were involved in this grand scheme in some manner. However, they joined only a day ago. If they were going to serve a purpose, would they have been able to complete their objective within twenty-four hours? Many questions involving the mentioned men's role flew through Sasuke's mind.

The walls of the castle were a traditional white. Sliding doors with paper-thin sheets in between were usually a luxury to have back home, but they seemed commonplace in this nation. The floors were of hardwood and were neatly waxed and polished to a fine sheen. Lights were hung from the ceiling, its glow illuminating the area. The castle seemed to be an entirely traditional one.

He remembered coming to this castle once. It was with Itachi. Before he was to be ordained to become king, he came to foreign castles to learn some of its history as well as diplomacy tactics. He would have been an ambassador for his brother if he were not to be chosen to become king.

But times had changed.

It wasn't long until they were at the king's throne room. As opposed to the rest of the castle, it did not have a cultural look but rather it appeared to be taken directly from the Fire Kingdom's throne design. It was perhaps the only room with a different interior design. The walls were made of solid stone. Banners and streamers hung from its ceiling. Guards were positioned around each side of the room, facing inwards. Sasuke was sure that there were more hiding where he could not immediately sense them. Behind two regal seats was a giant glass window. One seat was empty. The other had the king sitting in it.

And next to the king was Naruto.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted you," Sasuke solemnly said.

"Oh? And why not?" Naruto asked in return. Kitsune-chan leapt from Hinata's hood to run to Naruto, but Hinata caught him before he could get any closer. The small fox whined before Hinata began to pet it, calming the animal. Its tails and ears drooped a little before it began to try to wriggle free from her hands. However, she kept a firm grip on Kitsune-chan.

"You were always a suspicious person to me. You just walk up and choose to fight for me? If you weren't so powerful I would have killed you on the spot," Sasuke spat.

"Peace, Uchiha-sama," the king said. He wore a crown bejeweled with green emeralds and blue sapphires. "The man you now curse for his betrayal has actually saved the lives of you, your men, and your gentle ladies."

"Don't give me lies like that. You'll just turn me over to my brother, won't you? Answer me!" he yelled.

"Be glad that I have patience. Any king would have beheaded you for not bowing or kneeling to him."

With a grimace, Sasuke and everyone else but Naruto knelt down. "So what will you do with us then? We're in your castle, at your mercy. Your guards outnumber us at least one hundred to one."

The king smiled. His gray hair shifted in the sunlight as he looked towards his men. "Leave the room. All of you." Nodding, they exited the throne room and closed the door. The king's face was weary. Age had begun to take its toll and soon he would have to pick out a successor. Time had no master and it demanded that all would follow its orders.

"You know, Uchiha-sama, I had always liked you more than your brother."

"I don't see how this affects our current situation, my lord."

He continued, ignoring his comment. "When I heard that you had murdered your family, I was in shock. Little Sasuke, the dark horse who would inherit the throne, killing his family? It was too hard to believe." The king stood up and began to walk around. "You are lucky to have Naruto on your side. Originally I would have arrested you here and now, but after hearing from him, I'm rather convinced that I should give you some leeway."

"What caused the sudden change of heart?" Sakura asked.

"Well, Haruno-dono," the king began, "Naruto here… well, I actually can't tell you, but he is someone you can put your trust into. I can only tell you that much. His knowledge is beyond the normal grasps of man"

"So what will you do then?" Sasuke asked. "You've had a change of heart and instead of stopping us, you've decided to let us go. Do you just plan to let us waltz out of here?"

"No, not empty-handed at least. I will give you one of my best men to help you." He turned to the side. "Come out, Lee."

Coming out of the shadows, first there were feet. Then green which later became the shape of a body. And finally, the head emerged.

The first things Sasuke recognized were his large, fuzzy eyebrows. He cringed.

"My name is Rock Lee," he said. "I am a taijutsu specialist. It is nice to meet you."

"It… is nice to meet you, too," Sasuke slowly said. The king smiled.

"Of course, that is not all that I will do for you. I shall try to stall for time as you head for the borders. My suggestion is to continue heading north at top speeds. You will come across the Ice Kingdom, seen as the neutral haven in the eyes of the shinobi world. Speak with the king and queen there. They are wise for humans and will most likely be more than happy to offer you aid."

"If I may be so brave as to ask," Sakura began, "how do you intend to stall Itachi's forces for us?"

"I myself have direct command over my shinobi. I simply won't issue the order to pursue you until three days later. I can say that there was a… mix-up and I sent them in the wrong direction."

"However, after those three days," the king solemnly began, "if we are to meet again, I'm afraid that I may not be able to view you as a friend anymore."

"Why not?" Sasuke asked.

"As much as I would like to govern this country, my time is running short. Each day I feel like I'm getting a little weaker, becoming a shadow of my former self. To look back and see how great I was at my peak makes me want to fight, to lead my troops to victory."

"When I die, Uchiha-sama, I would want it to be at your hands."

"My lord! That-"

"Silence." A short pause before the king took a breath and stood up, walking towards the window behind him. "I've always wanted to fall in battle. To die fighting against a lost cause such as time makes me feel weak, something that I cannot be if I am to lead a country. I've thought much about it. While I want you to be successful in your reclaiming of the throne, I myself want to leave the world in a blaze of glory. Call me selfish if you must, but it is something that comes with age. You wish to live long when you're young but once you turn old, you want your life to end, for there is little you can do. You want to taste that one thing that you love, that you live for."

The king looked over at the chair next to his. His eyes were a pale gray and his face had creases, ones that Sasuke had just noticed and he bit his lip. "My wife left me three years ago. After that, my life lost much of its brightness. I lost a piece of myself when I buried her."

"I want to taste battle one more time before I die."

"…"

"Uchiha-sama, you have three days to leave this country. Once that time is up, I can no longer guarantee your safety in here. Take any means necessary to reach the Ice Kingdom. Now rise," Sasuke and his troops stood. Naruto walked over and joined them. "And flee this nation." Bowing solemnly, Sasuke turned to leave.

"And Haruno-dono," the king called out. The troop stopped and turned to face the king once more. "I have a letter for you. Do not open it until you leave this country for your own sake and that of Uchiha-sama's." Taking a letter from his pocket, he walked over and placed it into the palm of her hand. She bowed before opening her mouth.

"If you wouldn't mind, my lord, since we are so pressed for time, may we leave in the quickest manner?"

The old man smiled. "Do anything you wish. I'm rather old, so surprise me."

She smiled and reached for Sasuke's hand. He blushed at the sudden contact, but afterwards he felt the color drain from his face.

"Come on, Sasuke-kun!" She changed again. "We have to get out of here!" She began to drag him towards the glass window.

"Damn it, Haruno-dono! We are not going through the window!"

"That's Sakura-sensei to you!" she said before blowing out into a full run to the large piece of glass.

And suddenly, Sasuke felt like he had been through this situation before.

---

As suggested by the king, the troop had taken off at their fastest speed. Naruto trailed behind them, making sure that they were not followed. By dusk they had reached the border and crossed over into the Kingdom of Ice.

They were about an hour away from the border now. They were in neutral territory. Laws claimed that there would be no fighting, no bloodshed between nations on this soil.

And yet Sasuke felt that the ancient law would be broken soon. As he sat in front of the fire, his plate finished, he looked over his towards his troops. Maeka and Kiba were oddly not at each other's throats and Naruto, once again, was on night watch. Shino was quietly monitoring the group and Hinata was gently petting the small fox, which had curled into a ball on her lap. Tenten idly watched the stars and Neji was watching over everything. Rock Lee and Katame were both talking about how great the world was and how it was so wasteful that many of today's youth were dillydallying around, doing unproductive things.

That Rock Lee fellow was disturbingly talkative. Although he was sure that the king meant well in his… generous gift, he couldn't help but feel that there was some ulterior motive behind it. Sasuke had yet to see him in battle, but something told him that things weren't what they seem to be.

Lee could have been a spy. While he hated to think like this, naïve decisions will create many negative consequences.

He sighed.

Sakura was nowhere to be seen. On a normal night she would be sharing with stories with Maeka or maybe, he shuddered at the thought, teaching him something. But she was nowhere to be seen. He stood up and tapped Neji on the shoulder.

"Something you want, Uchiha-sama?" the Hyuuga asked.

"Keep an eye over the camp. I'm going to look for Sakura." Receiving a nod from Neji, Sasuke trudged off through the pine trees, shivering a little.

Already the nights were much colder than they were in the Rock or Fire Kingdom. They would have to find a way to get their hands on some warmer clothing. But so long as it didn't snow, things would be fine. It was still in the middle of fall. Snow would not come until they traveled farther north, or at least until a few months later.

He walked along through the trees, keeping the campfire in sight. Sending some chakra to his ears, he increases his range of hearing, searching for anything that was unusual, for anything that stood out.

…

There. It was a small sob. Muffled, almost. Sniffles and the tiny sound of crinkling paper. Quietly walking to the source, he found Sakura kneeling and hunched over, hands holding onto the letter she received from the king. Something told him to run over and he did. He stopped beside her and she did not notice him. Gently, he tugged the paper from her balled hands until it came loose. She put one hand over her mouth, doing her best to hide her shame, to stifle her cries of agony and weakness. Her other hand clutched onto the hem of her shirt, scrunching it into a wrinkled mass.

He read the paper.

To our daughter, Haruno Sakura…

I remember when you picked up your first Haruno blade. You were so clumsy that many doubted that you would be a great swordswoman. Even I had some doubts. But you managed to prove them wrong. You have gone beyond what we have originally thought you could do. There is no expectation that you have not surpassed.

You are the best Haruno shinobi ever to grace the kingdoms.

In light of the recent situations, there was a fine line you had to walk. You've had to choose who would be spared and who would die. It is a harrowing decision that you have had to make and you will have to make that decision over and over again. Sword wielders will fight. There is no escaping your fate.

You have condemned your family. You have left your relatives and your parents when you could have kept us alive. No one will be spared from the executions. Not even the youngest of the Harunos, who is no older than five months. You have made a choice that you cannot go back on.

You are the pride of the Haruno Clan. You have served and continue to serve the purpose of the Harunos: to ensure the survival of the prince until he becomes the ruler of the land, where the Hyuugas will then watch over him. That is the highest command that we are given. In conjunction with the Hyuugas, we are the protectors of the throne, and no one has taken to the rules as much as you have.

By the time you read this, we will have already been executed. There is no helping it. Do not return to exact revenge. Watch over Prince Sasuke and make sure that he becomes the king. When he is ready to take back what belongs to him, be ready to give your all. To lose everything is to gain freedom, but remember to achieve your objective first.

We are proud of you, Sakura. While we left on a rather sour note, you are everything and more that the Haruno Clan and a mother and father could ever hope for. Do not worry about us. We are doomed, but our will flows through you, the last of the Harunos.

May blessings fall upon you, the future king Uchiha Sasuke, and any friends that you meet along the path of victory.

Love, Haruno Yumi and Sideki Tsuteto

His hand trembled.

It had happened. His brother had gone and wiped out one of the pillars holding up the Fire Kingdom's power. A whole family, a whole line of good shinobi, had been wiped from the face of the earth. His fist clenched.

They say they were executed. Treason was dealt with the harshest of manners. Public executions where people would spit at them, throw rotten food and other unimaginable things at them. Normally it would just be one person, and the execution would go rather traditionally.

However, with such a huge procession of people to be executed, he doubted if there was time to clean the blade or even move the bodies somewhere else. He cringed at the thought. Piles of bloody bodies with pink hair sticking out at impossible angles came to mind.

They would not even receive a proper burial. Their bodies would be thrown out of the city where the beasts, birds, and insects would feast upon the carrion.

It was no execution.

It was a massacre.

He remembered his family. The blood strewn everywhere on the floor, their eyes open with shock and fear before Itachi's cold blade descended upon them.

He remembered and his anger burned. If the letter was addressed to him rather than Sakura, he would have ran his sword through it.

While the Harunos' ultimate goal is to protect the prince at all costs, to call this, this extreme martyrdom as fulfilling the family objective was ridiculous.

His life wasn't worth that much. Not the lives of an entire clan save one. The letter written was directed towards hurting Sakura. The guilt and shame suddenly placed onto her shoulders had already broken them. In front of him she kneeled, bawling, sniffling, shivering.

This letter was edited or the author was forced to write it in this manner. And seeing as how the writer was condemned to die, threatening him with death would be ineffective.

He took the paper and formed a hand seal. "Kai." Immediately the words shifted around, spinning and swirling. They formed a sphere before resettling.

The letter remained the same. Same wording, same meanings. Gritting his teeth, he took out the Chidori. Lightning coursed through the blade subconsciously, its power aching for combat, lapping up the anger from its wielder. With a swing, he destroyed the letter, the electricity lighting the fragile material. It fell onto the ground in cinders and he put the blade away. He quietly walked to Sakura.

"The letter was modified."

She looked at him. "How are you so strong?" she said, ignoring his statement.

"What?"

"How can you stand," she sobbed, "losing your entire family to one man? To have blood betray blood?"

"… Sakura." She looked up at him, confused as to why he would simply use her name by its self. "Stand up." She slowly got to her feet, shaking. He gently placed his hands onto her shoulders. "No one is naturally born strong. You become strong by persevering through hardships."

"But-" she sniffed, "you didn't cry like this!"

"I cried in my sleep."

"But you have no control over what happens when you sleep!" she almost yelled. "I can't even control how I feel right now!"

"Look at me."

She turned her head away from him. Not with this thing again…

He took a hand and pulled her chin to face him. "Look at me, Sakura. There is no difference between you and me. In my eyes, I view you as an equal right now," he said, ignoring the hypocrisy in his words. "You still have a goal to complete."

"But-"

"Shhh," he silenced her. He brought her into a hug. He couldn't believe that he had to do this again. But if it was to keep her in a stable mindset, he would do whatever it took because something inside told him it was the right thing to do. He brought a hand against the back of her head and gently brought her onto his shoulder.

And she cried. She held onto him tightly and she cried.

And because they were standing up, there was no way she would fall asleep on his shoulder this time.

---

When all was silent around the camp, Naruto was keeping night watch. He traveled to where Sasuke destroyed the letter. His chakra seeped into the ground and it grabbed all the tiny pieces of ash before they enveloped it. Slowly, the refuse became white and started to link together, forming the words, the damned words. When the letter became whole, he slipped it into his jacket and continued his rounds.

Did you know that when I uploaded them, both chapter nine and ten HAD THE SAME WORDCOUNT? Yeah, I was freaked out myself O.o Just a tidbit for you until the next update.

Another thing: my friend SolarisAstrum (that's his penname) needs writers to help him write out a prologue for his fic. Don't worry, you'll get credit for writing it out. The prologue will basically become a gigantic collab part and then he'll continue the real story after the prologue is finished. If you want to help out, just send him a PM.