-AN: I don't own Naruto.
Previously: "Nothing, we just talked."
"Riiiggghhtt." Naruto said. She didn't need to see his face to tell that he was smiling mischievously.
"Shut up!" She said a little louder than she thought.
"You two go to sleep, we're leaving in four hours." Sasuke said. This surprised the two.
"G-gomen, Sasuke-kun." Sakura whispered before lying her head against her arm.
"Yes mom." Naruto said before sticking his tongue out childishly.
"What was she doing with Hyuuga?" Sasuke thought. "Ah, screw it." He thought before he fell asleep.
Chapter 12 - A Promise...
"Get up! Time to leave." Sai said as he kicked both Naruto and Sakura's sides.
They both woke up immediately, and packed their things before the team started to set off again.
"We have to get home before those bastards do, we have to…" Naruto thought as the team sped faster toward Konoha.
"We're finally close to home." Tenten said as she and the rest of her team were traveling through familiar green forests.
"Right, that all-nighter did pay off." Shikamaru commented.
"I'm starving…" Choji said as he rubbed his stomach.
"How can you be hungry at a time like this? Let the spring of youth drive your spirit! You won't even know you're hungry!" Lee said as he skipped from branch to branch.
"FORGET BEING HUNGRY!" Choji yelled.
Kiba and Akamaru ran along the forest floors with Shino and Ino behind him. They've been traveling all night.
"We're still a day away from Konoha. Shit." Kiba thought as Akamaru barked up something.
"Yeah I guess so." Kiba said. Ino and Shino just looked at each other, eyebrows raised.
Kiba reached in his pocket and took out a small bottle.
"Let's take some soldier pills. We could get home by morning if we travel all night again." Kiba said as he tossed a pill to each of his teammates. Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino ate it and quickly felt rejuvenated with the new found energy. Ino just looked at her hand that held the pill. "Damnit, we'll be totally worn out by the time we get home." She thought as she swallowed the pill, and sprinted after the others.
Naruto and the others continued to travel at a fast pace. By the time it was about four in the morning, they had finally made it home. As each one of them stepped through the gates, each of their muscles screaming in pain, they all found relief in knowing they made it home before it was attacked. The guards at the gates immediately went to the nin's aid before they could collapse onto the floor. Soon after, Shikamaru and his team came through the gates, but they weren't as worn out as Naruto and the rest.
In Konoha hospital, both teams laid in rest waiting for their chakra reserves to refill, and their bodies to relax. Tsunade and Shizune came into the room, which both teams were held in.
"Since everyone came early, I suppose there's something wrong." Tsunade said, as she and Shizune found a seat near the window, next to Sai's bed.
"Right." Shikamaru answered as he stood upright in his bed.
"Hn." Neji answered as well.
"Shikamaru, you first." Tsunade ordered.
"While me and my team were investigating, we found a band of rogue nin heading toward Konoha with some sound nin." Shikamaru explained.
Tsunade's fists tightened, but quickly composed herself as she gestured for Neji to explain.
"We actually met up with someone in the Akatsuki. He warned us about the attack and we came as soon as we could." Neji said. Tsunade seemed to scowl deeply, already knowing that the Akatsuki were involved.
"Why would the Akatsuki help leaf?" Tsunade said aloud.
"I don't know." Neji answered honestly.
"Damn Orochimaru, did he make an alliance? Or could it be-" but Tsunade was cut off from her thoughts as Naruto started to struggle in his bed. He was unfortunately tied to his bed with chakra string.
"Naruto stop moving!" Tsunade ordered.
"The damn snake's coming with an army, I have to train!" Naruto said aloud as he continued to struggle.
"Baka, you're almost completely out of chakra from the journey here. You have to rest for the night, or you might kill yourself." Sakura advised.
"Naruto-kun please." Hinata said afterwards.
"Hmph." Naruto said as he stop struggling.
"Dobe." Sasuke muttered, but Naruto caught it.
"Damn it teme, you're lucky I'm strapped down or I-"
"Naruto, shut it for once. We're in the hospital in the middle of the night." Sai said.
Naruto just sent him a small glare and then looked away.
"Where's Kakashi-san and all the other jounins?" Sakura asked.
Tsunade let out a sigh as she stood up.
"You all should be ok by tomorrow afternoon, I need to check on some others now." Tsunade said as she and Shizune left the room. Sasuke just narrowed his eyes at the sudden dismiss of the subject of his former teacher.
"She's acting weird", everyone thought.
"This is bad." Tenten said as she stood up from her bed.
"Yeah." Lee agreed.
"When did you guys meet up with the Akatsuki?" Shikamaru asked.
"About a day ago, in the early afternoon." Sakura answered.
"Do you think, Kiba and the rest know about any of this?" Neji asked.
"Maybe." Shikamaru answered.
"Wait, didn't that Akatsuki guy say that sound would attack in about a week?" Hinata asked.
"Yeah, your right Hinata-chan. He said less than a week." Sakura agreed.
Shikamaru got himself in an odd stance as he placed his hands in an 'o shape, finger to finger, as he closed his eyes.
"What is he doing?" Tenten asked.
Between bites of food, Choji answered, "He's thinking." Everyone just looked at him with a confused look. "You'll see."
"Ok." Shikamaru said as he opened his eyes again. "From what I can guess with the time given to us and how fast the band of rogues were traveling as we passed them, I can determine that they'll be her pretty damn soon, but It could be even earlier." Shikamaru said.
"When are they getting here?" Sasuke asked. Shikamaru looked at his comrades as they all gave their attention on him.
"We have four days."
Everyone's eyes widen at the statement. "Four days!" Naruto yelled out.
"Baka, shut up!" Sakura said as she hit him over the head.
"Ow." Naruto whispered as a lump grew on his head.
"How is it four days? You got here in one to two." Tenten asked.
"We completely lost their chakra signatures as we passed them, and we didn't feel anything the coming night. Either they're walking or they're heading to another point where they can group with other nins. Whatever it is, we took the fastest way here. If they wanted to come to Konoha quickly, they should've been here by now. So four days is just a guess." Shikamaru explained.
"Damn it, that means I have to train quick!" Naruto said as he started to struggle again.
"Naruto just relax." Sai said as he laid back down on his bed.
"How troublesome." Shikamaru said before going over to his bed and laying down on it.
The rest laid down as well, getting ready to sleep. "So tomorrow is day one." Sasuke thought as he laid down. He wasn't really comfortable with the fact that he was spending the night at the Konoha hospital with his old teammates. It wouldn't have been that bad if he didn't know that there were two anbu guards standing next to the door. "Hmph, damn anbu."
When everyone seemed to be asleep, Sakura stood up from her bed. She seemed to be fine when she checked herself as she got off her bed quietly. She move the curtain that surrounded her bed as she put her sandals on. From working in the hospital so much, Sakura knew that Tsunade went to go see someone in the hospital, and she wasn't telling who for a reason. Wanting to find out, Sakura slowly made her way to the door. Everyone was still sound asleep when she looked back to check if she woke anyone. Just about when she was about to turn the knob, someone said a low 'pssssd, hey, Sakura-chan.'. Instantly guessing who it was she went straight to Naruto's bed.
"Where are you going?" He whispered.
"Just for a walk." She lied.
"You suck at lying you know."
"Shut up."
"Gomen, but at least let me come with you. I'm a lot better, honest." Sakura let out a sigh as examined him. It was true, his chakra was almost replenished. "Damn, the kyuubi is a fast healer." thought Sakura as she reached into her kunai pouch. She took out a small slip of paper as she went over and took one of Sai's paintbrushes that was on a chair next to his bed. She then wrote some symbols on the slit as she wrapped it over the kunai. She placed a small amount of chakra into it before it started to glow. She then cut Naruto free as the once glowing chakra thread seized to illuminate.
"Ok, lets go." Sakura said as she opened the door.
"What are you doing Sakura-chan?" An anbu guard asked as he stood, arms crossed, in the middle of the open doorway.
"Uh oh." Naruto said as he gave the two guards a wide grin.
Tsunade and Shizune left the room only two floors down from where Naruto and the rest were sleeping.
"I need some sake Shizune." Tsunade said as she and her assistant left the hospital.
"Alright." Shizune said.
The anbu guard continued to stand there waiting for an explanation.
"Ummm uuhhhhh…..wait, how do you know my name?" Sakura asked.
The anbu guard looked around for a sec before lifting his mask slightly.
"Yamato!" Sakura whispered.
"What are you doing here!" Naruto asked.
"What do you two think you're doing?" He asked, dismissing their questions.
"We ummmm, well you see…." Sakura began.
"We have to take a piss." Naruto said finishing her sentence.
Yamato just raised a brow. "Naruto, you suck at lying." Naruto just sweat dropped.
"Please we have to see what's going on." Sakura almost pleaded. She gave him one of her puppy dog looks and Yamato just sighed as he side-stepped away from the door entrance.
"Thank you." Sakura and Naruto whispered as they left the room.
"You know we'll be in deep shit if the hokage hears about this." The anbu guard next to Yamato said.
"Hears about what?" Yamato said as he put his mask back on.
Naruto and Sakura continued down the hall stealthily, as they pressed their backs against the wall as they reached the end of the hallway. Naruto placed his ear against the floor and seconds later he gave Sakura a signal that someone was coming. Instantly, Sakura did a couple of hand signs as she placed a genjutsu around them. A nurse was walking down the hallway while checking her clipboard. Unfortunately, She was walking a little close to the wall Sakura and Naruto were leaning against. "Shit." They both thought as she came closer. Naruto and Sakura couldn't move or they would disrupt the illusion, so they both stood on tip-toe as the nurse came closer. Naruto couldn't hold his potion and accidentally fell slightly forward. His foot was slightly out stretched, just as the nurse came by. She tripped over his foot unknowingly as she dropped her clipboard.
"What in the world?" She said aloud as she collected some paper that fell on the floor. As she got up to her clipboard, she raised a brow, as she picked it up.
"I could of sworn that I had room107's status in front." The nurse stated as she looked through the other sheets. She shrugged it off as she went down the hall to the staircase. Sakura released the genjutsu as they both fell onto their knees wiping the beads of sweat away.
"Baka!" Sakura whispered, as she knocked the blond idiot over the head.
"Gah! Damn it, I'm sorry Sakura-chan." Naruto said as he stood up.
"Your just lucky I got this from your mistake." Sakura said as she lifted a piece of paper in front of his face. It read. 'Patient Hatake, Kakashi…..blah, blah, blah, Room:107'.
"Hey! It was thanks to me tripping her, that you found that!" Naruto said as he pointed at the piece of paper.
"Yeah, but at the same time, if we got caught, Tsunade would've been informed, I would be killed for releasing you, and Yamato would be killed for letting us pass him!" She said as she placed the paper in her pocket.
"Oh…yeah." Naruto said as she sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"Let's hurry up."
"Hn."
Naruto and Sakura slowly mad their way to Kakashi's room. As they opened the door slowly, they heard someone move inside.
"Come in you two." They heard their old teacher say. They both soon entered the small room as they locked the door behind them. Kakashi was sitting up in his bed with one of his eyes closed. He didn't have a shirt on, but was covered with bloodied bandages. To Naruto and Sakura's dismay, he still had his mask on. "So, what do I owe this visit in the middle of the night?"
"What got you in here?" naruto asked as he and Sakura found somewhere to sit.
"Train-" Kakashi started, but Sakura cut the joining off.
"Please tell us the truth. We met up with the Akatsuki and-"
"The Akatsuki!" Kakahsi said in a low tone. "Which one?"
"The one that took Gaara, Deidara I think." Naruto answered with a scowl.
Kakashi seemed to let out a sigh as he seemed to be in deep concentration.
"You fought with the Akatsuki, didn't you…with the other jounins as well?" Sakura muttered out. Kakashi just nodded slowly.
"Who!" Naruto asked.
"Itachi, and Kisame." Kakashi answered as he watched his former student's faces turn from being surprised to worry, then anger.
"How can you be so irrational Kakashi-san?" Sakura asked, as her features saddened. "You got hurt so much, and in the worst time."
"It couldn't be helped. Itachi was heading toward you team."
"What!" Naruto and Sakura said in unison.
"But, that Deidara guy said Itachi was heading the other way, and made Sasuke choose which way to go!" Naruto said. Kakashi thought for a moment.
"Deidara was probably told that when Itachi made different plans." Kakashi said.
"Was it you that changed his mind?" Sakura asked. "Then how did he get the message so fast?"
"I don't think it was me and the other that changed things, maybe we held a small part, but it seems that they be planning something bigger that Orochimaru attacking Konoha." Kakashi said in a serious tone. "That's what I and the others discussed with Tsunade-sama."
"Something bigger than Orochimaru attacking Konoha?" Sakura thought in worry.
"Damn Itachi!" Naruto thought as he clenched his fists.
"Well I guess this is enough worrying our asses for now. Go sneak back into your rooms you two. That's an order." Kakashi said jokingly, yet seriously at the same time.
"Hai." Naruto and Sakura said before leaving the room.
As Yamato let them back into the room, they found that their companions were still asleep. Each bed had curtains around their beds, except Naruto and Sakura's of course. Naruto went into the far end of the room as Sakura went on her bed next to Sasuke and Sai.
Just as she sat down on her bed, someone gabbed her wrist. She was about to yell out, but the person placed a hand over her mouth.
"Sakura, calm down, it's me." Sasuke said as he signaled that they should keep their voices down. He removed his hand away as he sat down on the edge of his bed.
"What's wrong Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, a little confused.
"What did Kakashi say?" Sasuke asked, straight to the point. Sakura was taken-back a bit. "How the hell did he know!" She thought.
"Ummm, about what?" Not sure where to begin.
"Where was Itachi spotted!" He said quietly, but insistently.
"……Near where we were in the Field country. Kakashi and the other jounins fought him. Everything's mixed up now, and now we have a theory that the Akatsuki are going to do something worse that Orochimaru."
"……" Sasuke just kept his eyes fixed on the tiled floor before looking straight into Sakura's eyes.
"S-sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.
"Hn?"
"Are you going….to…leave us again?" Sakura asked, as a sad look came upon her features.
"….." Sasuke remained silent. Sakura felt her heat rip in two, again.
"Ok, so,I guess I…I-" But Sasuke cut her off.
"No." Sasuke whispered.
"W-what?"
"I said no, Sakura….I won't leave….yet, or until I kill that damn snake first." He said honestly. Sakura could tell. She gave him a small smile.
"At least you told me you might leave, better than how you let me know last time." Sakura whispered. Sasuke looked up at her.
"I won't leave, but I have to do something first." Sasuke told her.
"What do you have to do? Whatever it is, me and Naruto will do it." Sakura assured him. He gave her one of his famous smirks.
"Naruto….Hey Naruto wake up for a sec." sakura said as she shook her teammate gently.
"Eh…Sa-Sakura-chan?" Naruto said as he stood up from his bed and rubbed his eyes.
"What is it" He asked as he looked out the window.
"The sun's almost up." He said as he let out a yawn. Sakura gave him a sad, but serious look. "What's wrong?" he asked concerned.
"We're fighting with each other, side-by-side against Orochimaru, right? Even if something happens, will you continue your dream of being hokage?"
"Right, but Sakura, why are you saying this?"
"….I'm just scared that this might be the last time we're here with everyone."
"Sakura-chan, whatever happens to you-" But he was cut off.
"I don't care what happens! Just promise that…that…" Sakura began. Naruto was taken aback slightly.
"Promise what?" He said in a low tone.
"That no matter what, you be hokage, that you take care of everyone here, that you succeed your dream, and that, you keep everyone happy…..Also, that you come back to Konoha, with Sasuke-kun."
"And you too, Sakura-chan." Naruto said as he gave her a warm hug. Sakura hugged him back."Ok Sakura-chan, I promise, no matter what happens."
"Thank-you…Naruto."
Next Time: "Bout time you came."…"Another sparring match, Sakura-chan?"…"Neji, make sure they won't kill each other out there."
AN: Sry about it being a day late….hehe….I mummy, wellll got lost in the road of life?…….AAAHHHHHH! I was just kidding! T-T