Hey guys! So sorry about the delay, life has really caught up with me. I finally found the motivation to finish the chapter and continue the story! Thank you all for reading, it makes me more than happy to see people like it so far!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.
Sakura panted as she was crouched down, her fist poised in the ground, creating a ten-meter crater around her. Thoughts raced through her mind of the events that unfolded for the past few weeks. Sakura couldn't help but remember the first time Sasuke had left the village, and as he was staying with her and Naruto, the images popped into her head at random times. She never forgot the hurt on Naruto's face when Sasuke had left to join Orochimaru, and whatever were to happen, she would protect Naruto from that hurt once it happened again. Sweat trickled down her forehead as her memories flooded her brain.
Sakura looked up at the now crater filled training field that laid before her, all three wood posts on the ground as an effect of her temper. She knew she would have to come back tomorrow to fill the craters with more earth if Tsunade commanded her so. As she peered around at her handy work, she saw a bush rustle in the distance. Smiling despite herself at Naruto's attempts to cheer her up, she called out to him, "Naruto, I found you, you can come out now."
But there was no response like there usually was. Slowly Sakura rose from her crouched stance to go see why Naruto didn't come out of his hiding place, but she immediately froze in place when instead of orange and black, she saw purple.
"You've gotten stronger." Sasuke stated as he stepped out of the bushes.
Sakura glared at him leaning on a tree with his arms crossed, "Yeah? Why do you care?" She basically spat at him.
Sasuke looked at her with his unnerving onyx eyes, "Maybe I don't."
"So why haven't you left yet? Need to linger around longer? Gain all of our trust before you betray us again?" Sakura shot questions at him like bullets.
Before Sakura knew what was happening, the breath left her lungs as her back slammed against the ground, Sasukes arm was on her throat.
"I am trying to amend my actions of the past." He said through gritted teeth, "Stop making it hard for me."
"I hate you," Sakura growled as she stared into his eyes.
Eyes filled with darkness just like his soul. Sakura used to love his eyes, the mystery behind them, she would always wonder what he was thinking or how he was feeling because his eyes never gave anything away. Now she stared at them with anger, she now knew how far he would go to avenge his family, how much he would risk, and most importantly, how dangerous Uchiha Sasuke really was.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Sakura before standing, allowing Sakura to get up. She stood with her arms crossed ready for their encounter to be over.
"Look, hate me all you want, but the only logical option for Tsunade is to put our team back together for financial benefits of the land."
"And why would I want to be on the same team as you?" Sakura asked with bitterness in her tone.
"Naruto."
Sakura sighed as she realized Sasuke was right. The blond was jubilant to have Sasuke back in the village much to Sakura's dismay. In no time Naruto would find the Hokage herself and demand that their team be reassembled immediately. Sakura didn't know how well Team Seven would get along, now that they were all older and so much has changed, but if being apart of Team Seven would make Naruto happy, Sakura couldn't help but to go along with the plan, if she was extra cautious. She cursed under her breath.
"If squad seven is put back together, I won't make the same mistakes I did when we were genin." Sakura said as she walked away from him.
Sasuke stood in the Hokage's office with his arms crossed. After he left the training field he walked to the outskirts of the Uchiha clan section of the village, and after all these years the place stood like he remembered from when he was a child. There was yellow tape strewn across the entrance, but it held no threat as one side had fallen to the ground. Sasuke glared at the tape with distaste and he walked over it and into his clan's home.
The pain Sasuke felt after watching Itachi leave after his monstrous deed still lingered and Sasuke wished more than anything Itachi didn't spare him either. Sasuke didn't even really know why he visited this part of the village, but for some reason he had to face his past after everything that had happened recently. His whole childhood had revolved around becoming stronger to beat his older brother, and now that he completed his mission, Sasuke was empty.
His feet carried him while his mind was visiting the near past, the will to become stronger, the hatred that burned deep inside him, the incredible loneliness that followed him everywhere he went.
"Naruto may have been right…" Sasuke admitted to himself.
Sasuke's feet carried him to his childhood home. Once glance and the pain of that horrid day came back to him.
"Mom… what am I supposed to do now?" Sasuke asked to the ground.