Author's Apology: Sorry for the drag in posting time. I kept getting an error message everytime I tried to post for like a week.

Treasures Ignored

Ch.5 Of Memories and Revelations.

The two kunochi just stood there in a daze. This battered, bloody, smiling child was none other than their friend Naruto. The dope, the loud mouth, the sickeningly optimistic ball of energy, was standing before them with his trademark grin plastered on his face.

The haze swirled again and the two girls found themselves in a small broken apartment. A familiar blonde little boy was cowering in the corner of the room wrapped in a tattered blanket, holding on to a small stuffed fox. The girls were awoken from there pity by the sound of glass shattering as a brick sailed through the window next to the boy. " Oh look another one." The boy mumbled as he walked over and retrieved the brick. The girls could only look on in shock as the boy placed the brick in a corner of the room with dozens of other bricks and rocks. There where kunai imbedded on the wall opposite the window with notes reading all sorts of curses hanging from them. What shook the two onlookers the most was that the boy handled the situation like it was the most normal thing in the world, which to them meant that this had happened before, probably many times before.

Again the girls where pulled from their thoughts by the sound of breaking glass. Through the window rolled a rock wrapped flaming rags that quickly burst into a small fire. " And here comes the fire." the boy grumbled as he walked out of the room. His voice didn't hold the innocence of a child, but rather the edge of a man who had been to hell and back. He grabbed a bucket filled with water and calmly extinguished the fire, once again like it was a familiar routine. The boy then calmly went back to his corner with his blanket and fox. " Happy birthday indeed." were the last words to leave the child's mouth before he rolled over and drifted to sleep.

Before the two kunochi could even break from the stupor that the scene had held them in the haze swirled again this time even stronger. The haze broke to reveal Sasuke and Sakura waiting at the bridge that had become team 7's trademark waiting point. The young Sakura was elated for some reason and was clinging to the brooding Uchiha. It was then that the cheery pink haired girl decided to speak.

" Hey Sasuke-kun, guess what today is." The dark haired boy didn't even acknowledge that she spoke. " Oh Come on Sasuke-kun it's no fun if you don't guess."

" Go away." the boy muttered coldly.

" Aww Sasuke why do you have to be so cold."

" Because you have to be so damn annoying, as well as so damn dense that you can't accept no for an answer." A look of utter hurt washed over the pink haired child. Just then a familiar blonde boy slowly shuffled his way towards them.

" Good morning Sakura-chan." The blonde boy beamed.

" What do you want Naruto." Sakura grumbled.

" Nothing Sakura-chan just wanted to say happy birthday."

The pink haired girl was taken aback a little at the sudden acknowledgement from the blonde. " Thank you Naruto." She then hazarded a glance to the dark haired boy who did nothing but scowl at her.

Her revelry was cut short by the blonde.

" Hey Sakura-chan for your birthday let me treat you to dinner. It can be me, you, Ino, and even Sasuke can co-" He was cut off by the slamming of the young kunochi's fist in his face. The impact sent the boy flying back about a good ten feet.

" I knew you couldn't just be nice, you snake in the grass. I knew it would come down to you hitting on me, you have no honor!"

The blonde boy winced at the last comment and snapped back at her. " What are you talking about? Did you not here the names of the others invited!"

" Yes and when I show up, they magically won't right, that's how deviants like you operate. No wonder no one hangs out with you, you damn SNAKE!!!" With that the girl stormed off leaving the blonde boy to stew. It was after the girl was gone that the boy unzipped his trademark orange jacket revealing blood flowing from his side. After fishing around in his coat pocket he pulled out the crushed remains of a gift box, with a bloody piece of glass protruding from the box. He opened the box and poured out the remains of a glass cherry blossom tree into his hands. The girls looked on in horror as the young boy clenched his fist around the shards until blood dripped from his hand.

" Way to screw things up again you reject." the boy cursed himself as he turned and walked away. As the boy tossed the bloody shards of glass into the air the haze swirled erasing the scene.

Ino looked around to find Sakura on the floor crying softly. " Sakura…I don't know what to say. Hell, what can I say?"

" You can say, wow what a bitch. Or how about you stupid piece of dirt, no wait, scum, you stupid piece of scum." The Kyuubi's voice s riddled with anger as he mocked the now openly sobbing Sakura.

" Stop it, please." Ino said half demanding half pleading.

" No way blondie, you want to play with minds now I'm playing and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Besides there is one more that I think you have to see, don't worry I'll make it quick."

" Shut up, we're not watching another second."

" You make it seem like you have a choice." The Kyuubi laughed as blood red strings of chakra wrapped around the young kunochi locking their bodies in place. Sakura, determined not to watch anymore of the nightmare closed her eyes with al her might. " That won't work pinky, you see you're not in a physical body, everything you see right now is experienced directly by your consciousness so you'll know what's going on regardless. That being said here we go."

With that the haze swirled violently and cleared to reveal Naruto and Sasuke facing each other on a bridge. Naruto was torn and bloody the holes in his stomack clearly visible, but in his hands he held the head of the legendary snake sannin. Sasuke save for a few rips in his clothing was fine. Naruto held out the head of Orochimaru to Sasuke. " You see this Sasuke…he's dead, it's over." To this the Uchiha only smirked. " Come on Sasuke, come home… to the people that care about you."

" To who Naruto?" the Uchiha's voice coated in venom. " To you? To Team Seven? Huh, or is it? Yeah that's it you mean to cherry blossom right?"

" To all those Sasuke. To everyone, there all waiting."

" And they'll continue to wait, until they learn to let go."

" Damn it Sasuke what the hell is wrong with you!"

" Nothing Naruto, I've just opened my eyes that's all. I'm no longer blinded by fluffy dreams, or held down by stupid ideology. Like you and your 'precious people' or cherry blossom and her insistence that love is everything. Hah, the ignorance…did she tell you Naruto, her offer to me the night that I left. Anything, she offered me anything, her heart, mind, body, and soul to me Naruto, to me." Sasuke smirked when he saw the pain flash in Naruto's eyes. " She even begged me to take her with me. She'd abandon her family, her friends, her village, for me. She begged me to take her away from you Naruto, ha! Where's your grin now Naruto, you treated her better than anyone I know, and she wouldn't have had a second thought about leaving you. How does it feel Naruto, huh? How does it feel to be dead last even in the eyes of the one you love?"

" It feels just fine to me you bastard. You said it yourself I have always done what I can to see her happy and a few revelations won't change that. I'd gladly be dead last forever if it meant that she could smile like she used to. And that means taking you back home so shut your mouth for once and let's do this, either we're both coming home or neither of us are!" With that theblonde threw the head of Orochimaru to the ground and a familiar ball of chakra began to form in the blonde's left hand.

" Fine then, Naruto Uzamaki even without my curse seal your life will end here!" Sasuke screamed as the sound of birds erupted.

" CHIDORI!!!"

" RASENGAN!!!"

As they closed in on each other eyes locked, one could make out the form of tears falling out of the eyes of one, Naruto Uzamaki. As they reached striking distance Sasuke lunged for the heart of his former teammate. His eyes widened when, the blonde shinobi used his rasengan as a shield and diverted the chidori away from his heart and into his shoulder. A flash of light enveloped the two warriors.

There they stood Sasuke with his hand through Naruto's shoulder and Naruto with his hands holding the Uchiha by the collar.

" Why?" the shocked Uchiha asked. Naruto just smiled.

" Because there's a promise that I intend on keeping." With that Naruto landed a knee to Sasuke's gut. "That's for this hole in my shoulder." Before Sasuke could react Naruto used his good arm to uppercut the Uchiha in the face. " That's for the village!" Naruto kicked the now reeling Sasuke in the face. " That's for all of our friends." Naruto kneed Sasuke again in the stomach and then a second time in the head. " Those are for Choji and Neji, who both almost died trying to drag your ass back home." Naruto then connected with a right hook. " That's for Kakashi, Tsunade, and the third who you've deliberately disrespected by pulling something like this." Naruto then unleashed a sickening head butt on the Uchiha sending him crashing to the ground. " That's for every ounce of pain, and grief you have caused every single person who has cared about you as a person or as a fellow ninja. Sasuke at this point in time you are the saddest thing I've ever seen in my life." Naruto then walked over to the now unconscious Sasuke and gently hoisted him on his good shoulder. " And this…this is for Sakura-chan." the mumbled weakly as he began to walk away.

The seen disappeared into the haze leaving the two kunochi shell shocked. After a brief moment of silence Ino broke down, while Sakura just sat staring into the haze. " Lies… it's a lie." was all the pink haired kunochi could mumble.

" Sakura what are you talking about?" Ino managed to ask in between sobs.

" There lies they have to be!" Sakura shrieked

"Enough! I'm tired of the both of you. Yamanaka, I hope you've learned something from this, about the boy and about messing with innocent minds. Pinkie, you want to think they are lies then go ahead, what ever helps you sleep at night, bitch. Just know that if I am ever freed from this place, your going to be the first one I visit and every ounce of physical as well as emotional pain that you've caused this boy, will be repaid two fold. But Hey…Have a nice day." With that the red strings of chakra released the girls and with a flash of red they awoke inside their own bodies. Next to a very angry looking Shikamaru Nara.

Inner Sakura awoke to find her self in a meadow of flowers as far as the eye could see. " So this is Hinata's mindscape huh? Some how I kind of expected the cutesy little flower meadow." She then looked up to see a dark and stormy sky. " Wow, didn't see that one coming. I don't know what the two idiots did but I'm not going to miss this opportunity." With this she stretched out on the grass and sighed contentedly. " Welcome home me!"

Another chapter down, so what do ya think? I'm looking to end this story in about 3-4 more chapters depending on whether or not I give you guys two alternate endings. Decisions, decisions...