A/N: Thank you all for your reviews!
Double uh-oh! Orochimaru is alive! Exactly how is Sakura and the crew going to be able to take care of this one?!
Read and Review, please!
Naruto-Heart of Honor: Thirteen
Several moments before Sakura, Neji and Shino had come running out of the tent, the remains of the landslide that Sakura had caused hours before began to shift around, as if something had been trying to push its way out of the rubble. After a minute, the boulders shifted and Orochimaru crawled out, wincing a little after being crushed for almost an hour. He couldn't believe he survived that fall though. It was a long drop, much less having so many debris fall on top of his head didn't help. But finally, he was free from the rubble and merely brushing dust off of his clothes. Until he looked around and spotted his now dead giant snake. It was a horrible sight to see such a beautiful creature dead right before him. The creature was half buried by the landslide, along with his entire army of Sound Ninja. There were dead bodies scattered every where, some half buried like the snake. Orochimaru realized that his campaign to conquer the Fire Country was at a loss.
Rage was the only thing inside the pale skinned Sanin as he looked around at the destruction all around him. He could not believe this. All of his hard work of planning for the Leaf Village's downfall, all destroyed by what? A girl! A pink haired girl! That girl had cost him everything! He swore that if that girl had survived his snake's bite, he was going to rip her insides out of her body for ruining his plans. He swore that he would hunt her down and kill her for everything! Not helping himself, he threw his head back and just let out his rage.
"AAARRRRGGGHHH!!" Orochimaru roared angrily.
However, not more than a few feet away from him, there was movement. Some of the boulders began to roll off to the side and a few of his remaining Sound Ninja crawled out of their would-be tombs. The Sanin jerked around when he heard the movement but relaxed when he saw how it was. The silver haired medic, Kabuto was alive, that was a relief. He was one of the better ninja serving him. The four Sound Ninja were alive as well.
"Hmm." Orochimaru hummed as he looked the five remaining Sound Ninja over. "Looks like it's just six."
The Four Sound Ninja and Kabuto glanced at one another before looking lazily back at Orochimaru. But then another movement caught their eyes. Someone leaning against the tree, shockingly, unscathed. Orochimaru didn't even need to look. He just smirked and shook his head. He knew who was by just sensing their energy. "So, you decided to play with your little brother's mind, didn't you," he slowly turned around and looked at the black haired Uchiha. "Itachi?"
Itachi didn't even have a mark on him as he just leaned against the tree. He wasn't even dirty from the rubble. But his dark eyes were full of dark amusement. "Figured it out already?" He asked in a very quiet tone. Orochimaru slowly nodded as he turned fully around to face him. "Yes. You are such a tricky one, Itachi. That's why you scare me. You are not very easy to control, you do realize that don't you? So, while the rest of us were fighting the Shinobi, you made a body double and let him take the beating of your brother. He didn't even see it because of you, didn't he?"
"…..yes." answered Itachi in a quiet tone.
Orochimaru slowly nodded as his eyes narrowed at Itachi. He looked almost annoyed as he let everything settle in. "You were hoping that the Shinobi would kill all of us, while you lived. That they killed me so that I would leave your little brother alone, didn't you?" He slowly shook his head. "Stop trying to protect that boy. He's sworn to kill you, Itachi. After all, you killed your parents, remember?"
The only answer was a dark look from Itachi before he looked away.
Orochimaru slowly nodded before he turned around and looked off into the horizon where he could see the village of Konohagakure in the far distance. His remaining men just lined up behind him, looking with him. None of them even seemed to realize that there were three pairs of eyes looking down at them. "The Shinobi believe we are dead now. I say we take advantage of that. By tomorrow night, the Hokage, my former master, will be dead and Konohagakure will have fallen to us." He tilted his head to look lazily at all of them, smirking coldly. "No more mercy. We kill all." And then he began to lead them down the mountain pass.
Far above them, on the edge of the cliff, all three friends were looking down with horror and shock. Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. She thought that this must have been a joke or that she was still out cold and she was living a nightmare. "No…..h-he's still alive!" She muttered breathlessly. Neji shook his head as he watched as Orochimaru and his men starting to disappear among the trees. He didn't say anything for a long time and neither did Shino. They didn't know what they could say about the problem. "He….he's truly what they say about him. He's an immortal, isn't he?" Shino asked in a quiet voice. Neji only shook his head as he glanced over at him. "They say that. I'm starting to believe it." He turned his eyes back towards the distance where Orochimaru had been a minute ago. "Worst thing is, it's obvious of where he is going. He's going to finish what he has started. He's going to kill the Hokage."
Sakura glanced at him with wide eyes before her face hardened. She was not going to accept that. She refused to believe that Orochimaru was an immortal, or believe that Orochimaru was going to kill the Hokage. She refused to let him. With a stony face, she whirled around and raced back towards the tent, surprising Neji and Shino. They both turned and watched her go before quickly followed her.
"Sakura, what are you doing?" Neji asked as he entered the tent.
Inside, Sakura had already quickly changed back into her father's old clothes; her Shinobi outfit and was quickly gathering her things. She didn't even spare Neji a glance as she strapped her kunai holster onto her leg. "What does it look like I'm doing, Neji?" She asked seriously as she finished with equipping herself. "I'm going after Orochimaru and his men! Someone has got to warn the Hokage about Orochimaru!"
Shino frowned as he entered and stood right next to Neji, both not looking too sure if Sakura was even in control of her own mind. They both just gave her looks as if she was sick. "Sakura, there's nothing you can do. Kakashi told us to return home." He said quietly. Sakura turned around and gave him a stern look as she fixed her forehead protector. "Shino, I have to do something! We can't just let Orochimaru go! He will kill the Hokage and everyone in Konohagakure! We can't let them do that!" She told him.
Neji just frowned as he moved forward a step. "Sakura, we're not in the army anymore. We've been dismissed, remember? Kakashi……!"
"Kakashi will die if we don't go after Orochimaru, Neji!" Sakura said sharply. "He and all of our FRIENDS will die! They won't know that Orochimaru and some of his men are coming! We have to warn them!"
Both Neji and Shino just stared at her, only a little surprised. They weren't sure if that would work. They knew that if Sakura tried to tell Kakashi and the others that Orochimaru was still alive, they would not believe her. They would think that she was trying to get them to forgive her, but they would not believe that Orochimaru was still alive. "Sakura, you are a woman now. What makes you think that they will believe you?" Neji said, trying to be careful of not making her mad. Sakura didn't though. She just shook her head as she just stood her ground. Her eyes were a little hard and serious but she had a forced smile. "Then I will make them believe me. I will find Orochimaru myself and attack him in front of everyone. Forcing him to reveal himself. They will have no choice but to believe me." She paused when Neji and Shino gave her looks of disapproval. With a sigh, she placed her hand onto her waist and shifted her weight. "Look, guys! Are you with me or not? We are losing valuable time. The Hokage will die if we don't go now."
For a brief moment, Neji and Shino just stared at her before glancing at one another. They didn't' say anything but slowly, they smiled and nodded. "All right. Let's go then." Neji said in a quiet tone.
"Off to Konohagakure." Shino added quietly.
Sakura only smiled at them as she nodded. Then the three of them hurried out of the tent, not even bothering to take it down. It was no use to them anymore. They were in too big of a hurry anyway. They didn't have the time. They needed to reach Konohagakure before Orochimaru and his men did. Just so that they could be prepared. Sakura, Neji and Shino ran through the trees as fast as they could, not slowing down at all, no matter how bad the stitches in their sides got. They didn't stop once as they just kept their legs pumping. The pink haired girl's stayed forward as she ran between Neji and Shino. She really hoped that they would get to Konohagakure in time. And she hoped even more that Kakashi would believe her. She knew that Minato might, and Naruto. But who knew about the others?
'Kakashi, please believe me.' She thought before kicking it into full gear.
The three Shinobi reached Konoha by dusk, which was a relief. But to their dismay, the streets were packed with people, apparently celebrating the "Defeat of Orochimaru." They were full of stands and vendors trying to sell things to people. There were a lot of smiles on people's faces, for they believed that they were finally safe from any threat. They were celebrating the continuation of their lives. It was just a shame that Sakura, Neji and Shino had to burst their bubbles. They knew if they didn't tell everyone that they were in danger, they would all die. Every single one.
"There's so many people. How are we going to find Kakashi?" Sakura asked with worry.
Neji just frowned before he held up two fingers and activated his Byakugan eye. For a minute, he searched the crowds before he quickly pointed to his right. "Over there! They're heading towards the Hokage's Palace!" He yelled. Immediately the three Shinobi bolted into the crowd, ignoring as some shouted angrily after them. They didn't really have time to just stay and apologize. They could do that later. Right now, they needed to get to Kakashi and the other Shinobi. Sakura pushed her way through the crowd, with a determined look on her face. She really wanted to get to Kakashi before anything happened. She wondered if Orochimaru was there yet. She really hoped not.
WHAM!
Sakura yelped as she accidentally ran into someone, nearly falling backwards if Neji and Shino hadn't caught her. The other person she had run into also yelped and fell back against a few others. But after a second, the blonde girl whirled around and glared at Sakura. "Watch where you are going, you stupid……..! Sakura?!"
The pink haired girl blinked out of her confusion before looking at who it was, only to stunned to see her old friend, Ino. She would have stepped back if only Neji and Shino weren't holding her in place. "Ino! What the…..! Wh-what are you doing here?!" She gasped as she looked at her old friend with astonishment. Ino just stared right back at Sakura, looking almost shocked. Her eyes were almost as wide as saucers as she looked her over. "Sakura! You……! What has happened to you?! I heard that you ran away from home! And so many people has been looking for you! The matchmaker Tsunade was furious when she found out that you ran off! I heard she went to your house to announce your match! And then…..why are you dressed like a guy?" She asked tilting her head with dull curiosity.
"Uh…….! I can't explain right now! I'm in a hurry!" Sakura said before she was running off again with her two friends behind her. Ino just stood there for a minute before she frowned and ran right after her. She wanted to know what was going on and she refused to let "Billboard Sakura" brush her off like that.
However, Sakura was almost where Neji told her that Kakashi and the others were when she felt a shiver go right up her back. It was as if someone was watching her. And trusting her instincts, she stopped in the crowd with Neji and Shino before looking around. She wasn't sure where the feeling was coming from but then she turned to keep going, only to freeze. There were people between them and he was wearing a disguise but those eyes no doubt belonged to HIM. There was a tall thin man wearing an ANBU mask, the marking of a snake. He was completely garbed in black but she knew it was him. She could see those eyes through the snake eyes' slits.
And worst, those eyes were on her.
"Neji….." Sakura said in a dark tone as she glared towards the disguised Sanin.
Neji moved closer to her, his eyes also glaring towards Orochimaru, along with Shino. He understood what she was getting edgy for. "I know. I see him too." He murmured, before glancing over at the blonde young woman who joined them. She was out of breath but annoyed as she looked at Sakura, who glanced back at her. "Sa-Sakura! What in the heck is going on with you?!" She exclaimed. The pink haired girl just shook her head as she turned to glare back at Orochimaru, who had vanished. She looked around with alarm but he had vanished completely. "Come on, guys! We've got to find Kakashi before it's too late." She said before she was quickly pushing through the crowds again. Neji and Shino nodded, while Ino moaned and followed after them.
The entire group of Shinobi were sitting at the Ramen shack, trying to get something to eat, which was free to them because they had saved all of the Fire Country. But none of them could eat. Not even the wacky blonde, Naruto, who usually loved ramen. All of them just stared sullenly down into their ramen cups while a few kept glancing over at the silver-white haired Shinobi Commander, who was trying to read his Icha Icha book but he looked rather distracted. Every time he saw a flash of pink, he would look up almost as if he was expecting HER to come jumping at them. But when Kakashi saw that it wasn't who he was expecting, he just looked back into his book.
"He's upset too, isn't he?" Sai asked in a low voice to Sasuke, who only glanced at him.
Sasuke only shook his head before looking down into his sake glass, looking moody. He hated to admit it, but he was almost as upset as everyone else. He felt like a traitor for not standing up for "Zaku", more than less Sakura, when his conscious was screaming at him to do it. Every one of the young Shinobi recruits had wanted to say something on Sakura's behalf but they were all afraid to. They all felt like cowards. "Wouldn't you?" The young Uchiha muttered into his drink.
The Emo-like Shinobi slowly looked away, frowning. "I wouldn't know. I only know the meaning of the word. But….." He paused as he lowered his head more. "I feel….a strange sensation in my chest. Pain. A dull ache."
"It's called guilt, dumbass." Kiba growled as he scratched a whining Akamaru behind the ears. The puppy was even saddened by what had happened. His tail was between his legs and he hadn't stopped crying since they left Sakura, Neji and Shino on the mountain. Everyone had expected Kiba to be a little angry because he hadn't caught on like Neji or Shino did but he wasn't. Not at Sakura for her deception. He was angry at himself for not speaking up for her. He was a little annoyed when he found out that his puppy had known and hadn't told him but he did his best to comfort the poor dog. Lee sighed as he slumped in his chair, his head bowed. He was looking the sorriest out of the bunch. He looked as if someone had died and he had cared about them very much. Beside him, leaning against the pole, Gai was looking down at the ground. The only ones that was not there with them were Minato and Ibiki. They had gone to see the Hokage to report to him about the war results. Neither one had been happy, especially with each other. Right after they had left the mountain, the two had had a heated argument, right before the entire Shinobi Army. Minato scolded Ibiki about the way he treated Sakura. He told him it was foolish to treat her like that. Ibiki, of course, defended himself with saying that Sakura had been a lying woman and that she should have been punished. Of course, Minato's next words struck every single one of the Shinobi.
"And yet, she was the most determined Shinobi we had. She was the first one up the tree and she went through more hardships than all of us put together. She risked her life and honor to save her father's life and she helped defeat Orochimaru. All of us," Minato said in a low and dangerous tone. ", should be ashamed of ourselves for treating her with such disrespect because she is a woman. How pathetic are we to not acknowledge someone who has enough potential that matched a man's. And not any man's. A Shinobi." After that, he didn't speak to anyone else, not even when they reached the village. He just completely walked off, with a forlorn looking Ibiki stating that they would see the Hokage.
After that, everyone just wandered together and joined the celebrations, yet they were not exactly celebrating. They were so gloomy while everyone else in the village were happy. "They don't even know that it wasn't us who saved them. But a beautiful, pink haired girl." Muttered Lee as he dipped lowered into his chair. A few of the others looked over at him, sharing his feelings. Gai reached over and patted his son on the head, trying to be comforting but he felt as bad.
SNAP!
Kakashi slammed his book shut before looking away. He was growing tired of listening to everyone complain about that girl. Why were so they so concerned about her?! She had lied to them! She had lied to him! She had lied! She had made them all into fools and for what?! That made Kakashi stop as he felt a painful twinge inside his chest. He couldn't finish his own thoughts. He couldn't stop the feeling of guilt as he tried to be bitter about her. In a way, he felt the guiltiest out of the men. He knew it had been his duty to punish a deceiver like Haruno Sakura, but he didn't. Why? Why hadn't he been able to? He remembered as he tried to lift his Kunai to kill her for what she did but to see that painful look in her eyes, to even look at her, he couldn't do it. He remembered hearing his own heart pounding and the sound of the first crack. He could not take Sakura's life.
But why?
Kakashi's thoughts led him back to that night when he had first spoken civilly with her. He remembered how he had startled her out of her thoughts while he was sitting in the tree and reading his book. He had almost laughed when "Zaku", Sakura had nearly jumped out of her skin. And then he remembered the genuine smile on her face. It made his face soften when he remembered that smile she had given him. Even though the last thing he had thought before fleeing from her that night had been how much he wanted to kiss her.
"Kakashi!"
Kakashi lowered his head and sighed as he closed his one eye. He could swear that he was hearing her voice now. This was torture to him, he thought. It wasn't fair to him that he was hearing her voice and he was trying to forget her.
"Kakashi!" came Sakura's voice again.
"Sakura!" yelped Naruto, knocking his ramen all over the place. But he hadn't been the only one. Several of the men jumped to their feet when they saw her running towards them, pushing through the crowds with Neji, Shino and Ino right behind her. Kakashi's eye had snapped open and he looked at the pink haired young woman who he thought had been a figure of his imagination a minute ago. He was surprised to see her, which was obvious. He straightened against the pole he had been leaning against as she stumbled towards him, almost falling forward if he hadn't reached out and let her catch herself onto his arm. "Sakura." He murmured in surprise.
Some of the others were too busy smiling and looking at the three with excitement as they stood in front of them. But the three didn't smile back. They just looked directly at Kakashi, looking very serious.
"Ka-Kakashi!" Sakura gasped as she looked up into his one eye.
Kakashi frowned as he looked down at her, still way too surprised to be angry to see her again. He was wondering why she was there. Had she come back to apologize again? Why didn't she go home? And why in the hell did it look like these three had just been running a mile dash? "Sakura, what are you doing here? I thought I told you……"
Sakura shook her head as she straightened and gave him a serious look as she held up a finger to him to shut him up. "Look, Kakashi. We don't have a lot of time! All I will say is I'm sorry I lied, okay? I am SORRY! But if you were me, if you were in my position, you probably would have done the same thing! I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth but would you have let me stayed if I did tell you what I was?" She didn't even let him answer as she shook her head. "No, you wouldn't have. You didn't even approve of me when I was Zaku, because I had pink hair. But you have to believe me now! Please, just believe me! But Orochimaru is alive and he is in the village right now!"
That came as a shock to everyone. All of the Shinobi went deathly quiet as they looked at her with shock and alarm. Even some of the people standing around them went quiet, and that was a lot of people. Several eyes shot towards the one who just said that. Even Ino looked at her old friend with wide eyes.
"What?" Kakashi asked in disbelief. He was already starting to doubt her.
Neji and Shino shook their heads as they moved forward. "She's telling the truth, Kakashi. We all saw him. He, Uchiha Itachi, Kabuto, and the Sound Four survived the landslide." The serious black haired Noble said. Murmurs began to rise up all around the group, some people shaking their heads or looking around with fear.
There was a long silence before Kakashi looked around at the people, then his face darkened as he looked at Sakura. He did not believe her. He had no reason to believe her. Even if Orochimaru had survived the landslide, he couldn't have come out unscathed and he had lost all of his men. "Go home, Sakura! You do not belong here." He said sharply before turning away. Sakura froze there for a moment before her face hardened and she grabbed Kakashi's arm, whirling him back to face her. The motion seemed to surprise him, especially when she grabbed the front of his vest and yanked him to her eye level. "Now you listen to me, Hatake Kakashi! I know I lied to you! I already I said I was sorry! But if you don't believe me right now, all of these people will die!"
"Stop it, Sakura! You are scaring people!" The silver-white haired Shinobi said as he grabbed her wrists and made her let him go. "Orochimaru is dead. The people are safe."
Sakura just frowned at him as she stared up into her former Commander's eye. "Kakashi, I know I lost your trust, but you have to trust me now. I swear I am not lying to you." She told him. Kakashi still looked very doubtful so she sighed with frustration and yanked her hands free from him. "Kakashi! You are the biggest, pig-headed man I have ever known! If you won't believe me, I will find someone who will!" She shouted at him before she whirled around and barged through the crowd. She paused to look back at Neji and Shino, who looked like they wanted to go after her. "Guys, stay there and try and convince that idiot!" She told them before she was gone. The Shinobi and the blonde young woman only stared wide eyed after her, not knowing what to say. Kakashi looked rather stunned to have been insulted like that without being able to retort. Especially by her. But after a minute, he glanced around, as if looking for something, or rather someone. He looked rather serious as he was doing so. He didn't even spare his men a glance before looking at the Shinobi. "Come on, men. We're suppose to go meet the Hokage for the ceremony." His eye flickered over to Neji and Shino, who were still looking unsure of either to stay with the others or go after Sakura. "Neji, Shino, you too. Stay with us." He told them before he turned and began to make his way through the crowd. Ino, on the other hand, just frowned before she whirled around and took off on her own.
As all of the Shinobi stood before the Hokage Platform, a fanfare began to explode from horns that musicians were playing. It was time for the Great Hokage to make his appearance. The crowd began to cheer, the moment of the crazy pink haired girl already forgotten, even though she was still in the crowd, trying to convince someone to believe her. No one was listening though. It was because she was a girl again, no longer a man. She was brushed off by moody men before pausing to look at Ino as she approached with a few women she knew. Hyuuga Hinata, Tenten, a foreigner that they had met a while ago, Temari, a slightly older woman, Anko, and a wild looking beauty who had some resemblance to Kiba. She only sighed and shook her head while the blonde rolled her eyes. But then those eyes turned to look as the Hokage was now making his way down the steps. The crowd went wild now when they saw him. The Third Hokage was surrounded by masked ANBU, including a forlorn looking Minato and Ibiki. Both were wearing their traditional Ninja clothing and standing on each side of the Hokage, and a young teenage boy that Sakura didn't recognize. She was sure she had seen him before but she wasn't sure from where. "Hey, who is that?"
Ino gave Sakura a dull look. "Oh, please! Don't tell me you don't know about that brat?!" The dull look that was returned to her told her that Sakura didn't know who it was. "Ugh. That's Konohamaru, the Hokage's Grandson and the Shinobi Elite, Asuma's nephew." She then frowned as they walked together closer to where the Shinobi were, yet not joining them. "Though, I didn't know he was back from his trip so soon. I thought he was going to be visiting the Land of Waves for the entire summer."
Sakura glanced at her with a confused frown but then shook her head as she looked forward, only to catch Minato's eyes. He looked surprised to see her in the crowd but then a gentle smile appeared on his face as he looked kindly at her, then offered her a wink. Sakura smiled back and winked right back, which earned a very weird look from Ino and the other girls, for they had seen it. "Don't tell me you're flirting with that guy. He's way older than you!" The blonde said.
"What, jealous?" Sakura asked smirking at her old friend, only getting a jealous glare.
In the front, Kakashi and the remaining Shinobi moved closer to the Hokage before bowing down to one knee before him, showing him their respect to him. The Hokage just smiled gently at them as he moved forward with his grandson and approached Kakashi. He motioned for all of them stand, which they all did and looked up at him. Then the Hokage looked around the entire crowd of Konoha Village. "My great people of Konohagakure, we shall sleep soundly tonight for Lord Orochimaru and his army have been defeated! All thanks to our brave Shinobi of the Fire Country! Few lives have been lost and those lost souls will forever be remembered! But let us celebrate this grand day of life! We shall live on and in freedom!" He bellowed so that everyone could hear him.
Cheers immediately broke out as hands were thrown up into the air. All except Sakura and a few of the Shinobi. They were just shaking their heads as they looked around, as if searching for Orochimaru.
The Hokage then turned to Kakashi, who still looked a little sullen after the little fight with Sakura several moments before. He wasn't even meeting the Hokage's with his own. "Kakashi," The elderly man said getting the silver-white haired Shinobi's attention. "I heard about what was going on during the Camp and all of your hardships while training the new recruits. Though it is hard, you should not be so hard on yourself for what had happened. You were an excellent Commander for the Shinobi Army, everyone trusted you and you did what you had to do to ensure your men's preparations for battle. Your father would be proud of you if he was here."
Kakashi looked at him, slightly surprised but then his face softened as he looked at the Hokage. He almost looked thankful to hear that from the old man. And he really was. He really was proud to receive such a comment from the Hokage, himself. But then something caught his attention, or at least, he overheard what the blonde young woman told Sakura. He frowned as he glanced over his shoulder at the young women, only to see that Sakura now looked very alert as she looked at Ino before looking back at Kakashi, her eyes growing wide. He saw her mouth his name and he knew that was a warning. His head turned slowly and looked directly at Konohamaru, frowning. "My lord, that's not your grandson, is it?" He asked, dryly. The Hokage frowned with surprise as he glanced down at the boy, who looked calmly back.
But that was the que for the strike.
As Kakashi stared at the calm boy and started moving forward, there was a loud explosion, which seemed to be some kind of sign because the ANBU lunged forward and into action. One of them as right next to the Hokage in seconds before lashing out and kicking Kakashi hard in the chest, sending him flying backwards into the Shinobi, who were immediately pulling out Kunai or looking sharply around for what was happening. Another ANBU roughly grabbed the boy and shoved him off to the side while two more were now taking on Minato and Ibiki, who had tried to leap forward to defend the Hokage. There were more explosions, making the crowds scream with horror. Another ANBU roughly grabbed the Hokage and began dragging him up the stairs. All the while, the Hokage seemed to be too stunned to do anything. Then all of the ANBU who had attacked Kakashi, Minato and Ibiki rushed up the stairs and into the building, slamming the door and locking it.
"NO!" Kakashi gasped as he climbed to his feet.
The younger Shinobi who had been knocked down also climbed to their feet, looking horrified. They couldn't believe what just happened. But what was more alarming was the man standing on top of the Hokage Building, arms folded and grinning evilly as he looked the crowd over. "Oh my kami!" Naruto yelped as he pointed towards the roof. And when the others looked, they realized exactly who it was.
"Orochimaru!" Gai gasped as he looked wide eyed up at the Sanin.
Kakashi swore loudly as he bolted up the stairs towards the doors, followed by Minato and Ibiki. Several of the Shinobi Elites quickly followed and they began attempting to try and open the doors but they were locked. The silver-white haired Shinobi swore even louder as he began banging on the doors with his fists. "No, no!" He yelled. "Lord Sandaime!"
Sakura was horrified of how fast Orochimaru's men had attacked. But she was more worried about the boy that everyone thought might Orochimaru. She hurried up the stairs to him and helped him stand, while the women she had been standing with all looked just as horrified as the entire crowd, though Anko was swearing up a storm and acting very un-lady like. Ino hurried up to where Sakura was standing with the boy. "Sakura! What in the heck is going on here?!" She gasped.
"Orochimaru is alive, Ino! I told you all that he was!" Sakura yelled over the crowd's screams before she looked at Neji and Shino who quickly joined her side and looked the boy over. "We have to get to the Hokage before it's too late! We have to help him!"
Neji nodded as he turned and began scanning the building with his Byakugan Eye before he looked back at Sakura with a frown. "We need some kind of plan! The doors have been bolted and there seems to be some kind of Jutsu on the doors." He told her. Sakura slowly nodded before she looked at the boy. "Stay here! You'll be safe while out here!" She then ran up the stairs with Neji, Shino and the women after her, going straight to the other Shinobi who were attacking the doors and trying to break it open. "Kakashi!"
Kakashi's head jerked around but then he went back to trying to break the doors open while swearing up a storm. "Sakura! I'm sorry I doubted you but right now we have to get inside! The Hokage will die if we don't!" He yelled as he kept banging on the thick wood. Sakura only frowned before looking up at the high window where she saw Orochimaru was standing. She knew that if they didn't get inside right now, the Hokage would die. "They'll never reach the Hokage in time." She murmured before she sharply looked to where Shikamaru was studying the building with a serious frown. She hurried over, looking directly at him. "Shikamaru, can you find a way in?" She asked.
"Shhh." Shikamaru shushed her before going back to observing the building with such a hard look before he closed his eyes looking as if he was trying very hard to concentrate. Sakura just watched him with a firm line for a mouth. She knew that he was trying to think of a strategy to getting inside. And she knew that he could figure out a way to get in. He was the smartest out of the entire group of recruits. She hoped that he would hurry it up though. They didn't have a lot of time. But she didn't interrupt. But then Shikamaru's eyes snapped opened and he looked back up at the lower balcony under where Orochimaru was. He had found it. "The balcony!" He said sharply and jabbing a finger upward. "We need to climb the walls and get up there!"
Sakura nodded with a determined smile as she looked up at the balcony then back at him, as he looked at her. They both smirked at one another before turning to look at the other frantic Shinobi. "Hey!" They both shouted, catching their attention. Even Kakashi turned around to look at the pink haired girl. "Guys, we have an idea! Come on!" Sakura said as she turned towards the building and began to concentrate hard on transporting her Chakra to her feet. The others only watched her as Shikamaru followed suit. After a few seconds, they ran at the side of the wall, pausing to look down at them. "Well, are you coming?!" Sakura called to them as she just stood vertically on the wall. The other Shinobi recruits just froze with surprise before they looked at one another. Slowly, one by one, they smiled and nodded. They knew exactly what Sakura and Shikamaru had in mind now. So they rushed towards the walls and followed suit. Kakashi just stood there stunned for a minute at what they were doing before looking at Minato when he touched his shoulder and looked at Gai and Asuma. "Go, Kakashi. They'll need your and Gai's help." The golden haired Shinobi said.
"Master, aren't you coming with us?" Kakashi asked with a frown.
Minato just shook his head as he looked over his shoulder at the boy still standing right where he had been left. "Someone needs to protect the boy, Kakashi. I will do that." He turned back to his former student. "I've already had my glory of saving the day. It's your and Sakura's turn. Now, go help her or she will get killed."
Kakashi frowned at the way he said that but then whirled around and hurried to join the young Shinobi and the other two Shinobi Elites while the others would try and protect the people or settle them down.
"Hey, forehead!"
Sakura felt a vein starting to pulse under her forehead protector when she heard Ino call her that, again. She had only taken a few steps up the wall with the others when the women called out to them. So she turned around and gave the lovely blonde a dark look for her traditional nickname. "What, Ino-pig?! Can't you see I'm busy trying to go rescue the Hokage?" She asked impatiently. Ino and the other women just frowned up at her, a few still a little uneasy to see that the pink haired girl was actually standing on the wall, looking down at them. "How in the heck are you doing that, Sakura?! Why are you dressed like a guy and what in the hell have you been doing for the last six months?!" the angry blonde asked placing her hand onto her waist before she pointed at Sasuke who was still walking up the wall. "AND DO YOU KNOW SASUKE-KUN?!"
That made several people, including the Shinobi turn and look at Ino, some looking rather wide eyed. Even Sasuke had turned around, looking at the blonde, yet rather dully. It was almost as if he was asking what the whole big deal was. Sakura glanced over at him before rolling her eyes as she shrugged. "She's a huge fan of yours, Sasuke. Don't pay any attention to her." At that, several of the Shinobi rolled their eyes and started walking up the wall again. Some of them just muttered about how stupid it was that Sasuke had so many female fans. Even he looked annoyed. Sakura turned her eyes back onto Ino and shifted her weight. "Look, Ino. I don't have a lot of time. I'll explain everything to you later. But right now……"
"Hey, Sakura. Let us help you then. Maybe there's something we can do." Tenten said as she shifted her weight.
Sakura looked down at the black haired girl, frowning. She didn't know how the women could help at all. They didn't have any fighting experience, at least not that she knew of. She knew that all of them were from clans who all had Shinobi in them but she wasn't too sure if they had actually been taught anything like her father had. But as she just looked the girls over, noting that they were wearing nice kimonos, she was struck with a sudden idea, making her smile as she slowly nodded. She turned around to look at her friends, giving them a nod. "Let them come. I have an idea that might get us past Orochimaru's men. If they do it right."
"What's that suppose to mean?!" Ino growled at her.
Sakura only smirked at her as she folded her arms, while the other Shinobi looked rather interested too. "Don't worry." She then looked at her friends, her eyes stopping on Kakashi who was walking past her. "Kakashi, can't they come?" She asked. Kakashi frowned at her before glancing over his shoulder at the girls. He just stared at them before his sighed and shook his head. "Bringing them along will only slow us down. Right now we need to hurry it up or the Hokage will die." He said as he turned and hurried up the wall. Sakura just frowned as she folded her arms. She felt very annoyed that he wasn't even interested in what her idea was. She couldn't believe this man. He was so stubborn. So instead of looking to him for support, she looked at her friends, which to her relief, they were moving down the wall and offering hands to the girls.
"It's all right, Sakura. We're on it." Naruto said grinning as he held out his hand to a blushing Hinata.
"Yeah." Choji said as he offered his hand to Ino.
Ino, however, gave him a dark look as she looked at his hand then slapped it away. "Hey, no way! I want Sasuke to help me!" She looked to the black haired stoic Shinobi, rather hopefully. But to her utter disappointment, Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked on, following after Kakashi. With a pout, she looked back at Choji, who offered his hand again. So Ino gave him a dry stare. "You drop me, fatso, and I'll kill you."
"I am not fat." Choji said just as dryly as he pulled her up and onto his back.
Soon enough, everyone was heading up the large wall, with Naruto carrying Hinata on his back; Neji with Tenten on his; Shikamaru, looking somewhat bewildered that the foreigner Temari managed to get him to carry her. Anko had somehow bullied Gai into carrying her. Sakura was hurrying up the side of the wall with Kakashi beside her, with a look of firm determination. They were not going to let Orochimaru kill the Hokage.