edited first time:
It seems that there has been a small misunderstanding, which I hope everyone will understand after this.
Note, that when I say "Love" it is never love love, it more friendly love. When Sakura tells Sasuke she loves him, it is not because she is IN love with him, it is a mutual feeling amongst people who you care about.
I am sorry if it confuses anybody, but I am just that type of person who only 'loves' me friends, and only tells that to my friends. So when Naruto say "I love you" to Sakura, she knows it is the friendly type, and the opposite of course. Love to me is not what love is to many, so I hope that clears up the many difficult things in this.
You will know when people love one another like 'love love' in this story, believe me.
2nd note: Naruto do not have a crush on Sakura, he is just concerned. Who wouldn't be if your best friend was in prison? He would say the same thing to Sasuke...
-
Tohru watched as Naruto exited the chamber, motioning the tiny girl to enter the room, which she did gladly. The door closed with a bang and Naruto rested his head against the wall, his fist touching his chest.
He had this strange feeling about Sakura, something wasn't right, she was way too calm in a situation like this. What confused him even more was his offer for her to escape….
She refused.
-
"Sakura…" his face turned serious and she looked at him surprised, she didn't remember him being like that when they were younger.
"I can help you escape…Gaara will-"
"no Naruto…" she interrupted, raising her finger as if lecturing him.
"I will not try to escape…"
"why? Sakura-chan, please don't be like that! " he said, "I don't want to be alone again…I don't want you to leave…"
She leaned back and crossed her legs, watching him. "Naruto…I will not try to escape…"
"Sakura-ch-"
"because I am a betrayer! And I have to be punished! You are the Hokage, you should know that of all people and not let your feelings interfere…!"
He slammed his hand into the madras, his eyes mad with furry. "you shouldn't be so careless Sakura-chan! I know you rescued the Tscuchikage but I don't want you to die…!"
"because Sakura-chan while you were gone I miss-"
"no Naruto!"
He looked startled.
"no!" she threw the book at him, which he blocked with ease. His eyes widened as he tried to figure out what he might have done wrong.
"don't say it! I don't want you to say it!"
"…" he stood numb at her words and didn't understand why she said that to him.
-
"Shikamaru I am going now…" Temari said as she stood in the doorway, a bag pack on her shoulders and the child secure in her arms.
He stood in the kitchen busy cutting cucumbers, which Temari thought as very strange since he preferred that she cooked the meals.
"hm…" was his only reply.
She narrowed her eyes and felt her heart clench.
"you are not going to say goodbye…"
"goodbye…"
She narrowed her eyes further. "are you made at me…"
"I overheard your conversation with Gaara…" he placed the cucumbers in a bowl and took another one, cutting is lazily.
She flinched and looked the other way, clutching the baby just a bit closer.
There was silence.
"I am sorry Shikamaru…"
"hm…"
"I said I am sor-!"
"I heard you already…" He turned his head around, to look at her. She frowned.
"Don't worry, I trust you…" a smirk on his face. "It isn't like you are stupid or anything, smart people makes mistakes too…"
He leaned his back against the table, gazing at her frowning face. "it is too troublesome dealing with a woman like you…"
She pointed her finger at him. "take it back…"
"…" he continued smirking.
"Shikamaru take it back!"
"…you sure are quite loud today…I take it back, I take it back…" he said, waving his hand lazily.
She frowned deeper and lowered her finger, adjusting the tiny human in her arms.
"Temari…"
She looked up, Shikamaru's face was serious. "expect that I will get missions to Suna and that I will come for a visit…unless you want me that far out of your life…"
Temari sighed, before smiling. "of course you can…I am not the master of your life…"
His lips curled slowly into a smirk. "see you…"
She nodded and walked towards the front door, opening with a click before she turned and smiled. "hey…don't be such a cry-baby when I leave…"
He rolled his eyes, the smirk still there. "you are so full of yourself…"
-
Raiki watched as the Tsuchikage examined the papers he had copied, his face went into a deep frown. "Haruno Sakura…there is no records about her whereabouts for six years? How come…?"
"she went on a trip…"
"a trip?"
"yes, it was after the death of Uchiha Sasuke, who ironically was in the same team as them in their gennin days…"
He raised an eyebrow. "them?"
"The Hokage, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke seems to have a connection…"
He leaned back into his seat, and stared into the ceiling. "is there any reports from the rock village about her?"
"yes…"
The tuschikage looked at Raiki.
"Haruno Sakura has been seen in the company of one Akatsuki member…however, it seems that she was more held captive than being there willingly…"
"who was it?"
"Uchiha Itachi…"
The tsuchikage's eyes widened and he slammed his fist into the desk. "Raiki! Give me all information of his current whereabouts, along with Uchiha Sasuke!"
Raiki was slightly startled, but nodded none the less, quickly departing.
The tuschikage had this feeling that this was starting to get more complicated.
-
Sakura seemed mad and Tohru didn't like when she was mad. Not that Sakura showed it clearly, it was just the way she moved her finger along the slow edge of the knife as she softly cut the apple into smaller pieces.
It was a habit she developed during her years of travel, and it was one of the first things Tohru noticed about her. Every time Deidara fed her she glared at him and told him that the apples wasn't cut nicely enough.
Of course the blond man later, was so offended that he screamed into her face, that she should cut them herself. Tohru had spend hours outside the bars and watched as Sakura crew more and more annoyed with her situation. That is why she always stroked the slow edge of the knife.
"Sakura-san?"
"hm…?" she said, her voice too cheerful to be true.
"Don't you like the Hokage…?"
"Of course I like that Hokage, he is a nice man…"
Tohru raised an eyebrow and hugged her knees; it wouldn't take long before she got thrown out, despite her desire to stay with her teacher.
"then why do you always fight? "
Sakura sighed and gave her the apple.
"Tohru-san…sometimes…you just don't know what to say, when you don't know how to talk to each other you tend to get mad…" she leaned her head against the wall. "Naruto is a sweet guy, he used to be so annoying when we were younger, but he was nice and you couldn't help but love him somehow…"
"do you love him now Sakura-san?"
Sakura stared at the ceiling.
"you know that Itachi-san wouldn't approve of it, and neither would Zetsu, or Kisame or Deidara…"
Sakura stroked her pink hair backwards.
"I don't love him Tohru-san…"
"why?"
Sakura made a short sigh. "Because Tohru-san, if I loved him I wouldn't be here now…then I wouldn't be your teacher and you would still be with Zetsu-san…"
Tohru frowned, but bit into the apple to shut her mouth.
"However…"
Sakura looked out the small window. "…I think…"
"maybe you should be a bit sweeter to him!" Tohru exclaimed, her mouth full of apples as she pointed accusing at her teacher. Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"I have heard from Ino that you two were good friends, but you have never hugged him or said hi to him ever since you saw him…-"
Tohru crossed her arms. "- …and I think he likes you very very much…"
Sakura smiled and stood up, stretching her sore limps. "you might be right Tohru-san…"
The door opened and the stern face of the guard appeared. Tohru jumped down from the bed and to the door.
"Tohru-san…!"
The girl looked around and barely managed to catch the apple. Sakura smiled. "give it to him as an apology and say to him that I want the 'teme' to forgive me…"
Tohru looked at the disappearing face of her teacher confused as the door closed.
-
"Deidara!"
The blond boy looked up to see the face of Zetsu frowning, holding the screaming girl in his hand. Deidara quickly snatched the child from him and held her close.
"what do you think you are doing! Hmm!" he cuddled the screaming girl close to his chest.
"what I that? Why is the tiny girl in here…"
Deidara frowned and looked the other way and pouted offended. "don't be so mean to Tohru-chan…"
"you are sick…why the hell did you bring a child here…"
Deidara's hand licked the cheek of the giggling Tohru, his eyes downcast as if thinking of something very sad.
"Because Tohru-chan doesn't have a mother anymore…"
Zetsu sighed and sat down opposite from him, staring at the child. "she doesn't seem special to me…she wouldn't benefit us in any way I can tell you…"
Deidara glared at the older man and turned around and gave Tohru a small clay doll. "she wouldn't harm us either…she might be able to get trained…"
"I wonder where you found her…she seems familiar…"
"yeah…her mom used to tell me stories about her being related to a San-"
Zetsu snorted. "so it was the mother? Did you promise her that you would take care of this kid? Deidara!"
The blonde narrowed his eyes. "you don't know anything…she was like a living art…her face was just…and her movements…"
Zetsu glared at him in disgust, "you filthy…I would more like to eat her…and get rid of the kid…if the leader sees her you know what he is going to do…"
Tohru was only four but already knew that she didn't like that man at all.
-
Sakura stretched lazily as Ino picked up a kunai from her side-pocket. "Sakura…your hair has grown really long in these past six years…."
She hissed when Ino teacifully pulled her by the hair and whispered into her ear. "who are you keeping it long for…"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "just cut it okay Ino? Seriously, you haven't changed at all…"
Ino smirked. "I could say the same to you…still the usually bitchy girl about everything…"
She leaned in further and narrowed her eyes teasingly, a smirk placed on her face. "you know what?"
Sakura groaned. "no?"
"while you were away Naruto has had quite the fangroup…"
Sakura raised her eyebrow. "so?"
"let me see…TenTen, Hinata has been after him…just to mention someone you know…" Sakura decided to continue the game and smirked herself.
"what about you Ino? Been on any dates with him…"
Ino smirked bigger. "you bet…!" she showed Sakura her hand and raised four fingers. "four dates to be exact…"
Sakura felt herself become angry.
"did you know that he is a good kisser?"
"are you talking about Lee or something, Naruto would never do that!"
Ino laughed. "you are very naïve Sakura. I asked him and he just followed me like a little lost puppy, and I was the one who kissed him first all the time…"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "doesn't surprise me…"
"but he seemed more than willing to kiss Hinata though…poor me…I wonder how he kissed her…must have been full of lo-"
"oh shut it Ino! Do I have to hear about every crush you have had in your whole life or what?"
Ino laughed even more. "someone is a bit jalous huh?"
Sakura narrowed her eyes dangerously and Ino just poked her forehead. "stop complaining and sit properly or your hair will get as ugly as your face…"
Sakura obeyed, despite the urge to kill her literally, and rested her head on her hands.
"Think that it has already been a week since you got imprisoned…" Ino said amused, the kunai cutting the pink edges with ease.
"When am I going to the trial?"
"Who knows…they are discussing it right now…and it has become the hot topic in Konoha…"
Sakura sighed.
-
Naruto scanned through the many pages of Sakura's file, adding bits here and there to fill out the empty spaces in her six year departure with the things she had told him.
There was a knock on the door, and Naruto groaned a reply, far too busy with his work.
"N…Naruto-kun…?"
He looked up and met the blushing face of Hinata, he grinned.
"hey Hinata…what can I do for you…?"
"…I…I…"
He closed the file, knowing that he wouldn't get any work done right now any way, and there wasn't anything he could add at the moment.
"I…uhm…wondered about…uhm…if you…I…uhm…"
"Hinata?"
The blush suddenly deepened several degrees and she took a deep breath.
"I wondered…if…you wanted to go visit Kurenai and Asuma-senseis grave…"
Naruto got a sad expression on his face. "ah, sorry Hinata…I would love to…but…" his face narrowed at the stack of papers on his desk, leaving only a small place available for his tea cup and ramen.
"…I am quite a busy man…" his face turned into a grin.
Hinata got calmer and smiled sweetly to him. "o…of course Naruto-kun…if there is anything I can help you with then…"
"Hinata-sama!"
Both of them looked at the open door to see Neiji panting as if he had run several miles.
"Neiji-san?"
"Hinata-sama…your father wants you to come and train with him…"
Hinata nodded and waved a goodbye to Hokage, and Neiji quickly apologized.
Naruto sat and wondered why he and Hinata never managed to get close at all. His eyes closed and he rubbed his temples. It was almost like fate was dragging them in two directions. However…
…Naruto never believed in things like that anyway.
-
Sakura stood in front of the large gate to the hidden village of Rock, her visa clutched tightly in her hand as she moved towards the entrance, her headband hidden far away into her bagpack.
"what can I help you with miss…?" the rock ninja said lazily as he watched her with dull interest.
Sakura frowned and handed him the papers silently.
He the noticed her then and smirked lecherlish, Sakura cracked her knuckles as a threat, wondering if looks was that deceiving.
"here you go!" he said and handed her the papers back, letting her walk into village.
Sakura really didn't have any reason to go the rock village at all. She wasn't there for medic studies…
She was there to find Uchiha Itachi.
-
Jirayia leaned forward and groaned. He hadn't imagined the older geezers to be so stubborn; didn't they know how dangerous Akatsuki were? They were right about Konoha being one of the strongest villages, but that didn't mean that the non-ninja part of the village wouldn't suffer major crisis.
As well as the ninja's for that matter of fact.
The door opened and a surprised Naruto stood in the doorway. "oh…hey Erro-sennin…! What are you doing here…"
Jirayia never really understood how Naruto could be so cheerful.
"I am sitting and staring into the air…"
Naruto looked at him in disbelief and Jirayia just shrugged.
"Are you going to Sakura's trial?" He asked him.
Naruto placed the papers on the meeting table and stared at him. "of course I am…I can't let them do this to Sakura…"
The old man looked at him.
"Naruto…"
The hokage turned his head.
"I think you should stay away…"
He blinked, not once but twice. "w…what? Why?"
"just do it…"
Naruto began to get mad. "what is wrong with people! First I can't see Hinata, now I can't see Sakura!"
Jirayia felt himself get annoyed. "trust me Naruto, it is for your best…"
-
"why did you lie to him Sakura?" Jirayia asked.
Sakura looked away, hiding the wound on her arm. "Jirayia-sama…"
"Tsunade-sama lied to you too right…"
He frowned. "yes?"
"those reasons are the same as mine…"
He leaned back. "so that is why he doesn't know about Akatsuki?"
She flinched and hid her head. "yes…"
"you should tell him…"
She shook her head, her pink hair hiding what could be hid. "no…"
-
Temari watched as the green areas slowly turned into sand and that Baki glared at the bundle in her arms. Her son had hardly complained, even when the weather turned up several degrees.
"must be the suna-genes" she muttered, Gaara turned his head and watched her with curiosity. Not because she seemed to be frowning, it was the exact opposite. Her mouth was curled into a tiny smile and he could feel the aura that usually accompanied a mother.
He didn't like it. She was happy in sad way. Her eyes were pained as if not wanting to leave Konoha in the first place.
Temari met his eyes and smiled. "We are going to make him a good boy, aren't we Gaara…"
He looked at her puzzled for a while and blamed her hormones, because she seemed very strange. With a sigh he nodded. "Yes Temari…we are going to treat him well…"
She grinned. "I have a hard time imagine you and Kankouru play with him…!"
He sighed.
-
Itachi sat in the small café drinking of his sake with no interest what so ever. The bitter taste didn't suit him and so did the after effects neither, he hated sake.
However, he just drank it out of habit. Spending days and hours in the company with Kisame something was due to rub off on you. To Itachi it was the alcohol and the need for it.
Deidara walked inside and sat at the same table as Kisame and Itachi, ordering a large cup of sake as well. It was something the Akatsuki had in common besides being missing-nins. They simply drank alcohol for the sake of just drinking it.
Itachi slurped the bitter taste and felt a warm feeling within his stomach, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the sensation, something he rarely did. Deidara watched him.
"I have news from Konoha and Tohru…" he said. Kisame's eyes lit up at the thought of the little mini-medic. It had been a few years since he had last seen her.
Itachi said nothing and took another sip.
"It seems that Sakura-san has been imprisoned…"
Kisame just waved it off. "so what? That girl is strong enough to make a building collapse; she will be out before the end of the month…"
Itachi took another.
Deidara's mood didn't lessen. "That's not it Kisame-san…"
The blue man looked at him confused.
"Sakura-san has been sent to the execution chair…they are going to have the trial tomorrow…"
Itachi opened his left eye, the cup resting at his closed lips and the alcohol burned the skin. He narrowed his eye.
Kisame shrugged and took the sake bottle and poured up some more. "We Akatsuki are individuals…Tohru-chan will be able to find another teacher soon…"
Itachi closed the eye and gulped the sake down, before speaking. "I wouldn't be too sure of that…"
The two others looked at him.
"If the child should benefit us in anyway as a medic a normal medic-teacher wouldn't be enough…"
Kisame chuckled. "So you are saying we should rescue Sakura-san?"
"No…"
Deidara narrowed his eyes; Itachi didn't take notice or just pretended not to care.
"I suggest that we find another purpose for Tohru-san…"
-
Naruto sat in his seat stiff, watching as the guards led Sakura the chair. Her pink hair was cut short again and he got a strange feeling in his stomach. She let her gaze drift towards him and quickly looked away, as if she was regretting something.
He turned his gaze towards Hinata, who looked sad and just nodded. Naruto sighed.
"Let the trial of Haruno Sakura begin!"
-
A/N:
1: I love Itachi!
So do I!
2: what? You are going to kill Sakura?
…
3: what is wrong with Shikamaru? Why isn't he stopping Temari? Or why isn't he mad?
Because Shikamaru is Shikamaru, he can be serious, but it is troublesome being mad all the time, and he knows it won't benefit any of them if he just pretended that he didn't know her at all. It might be my own opinion. But to me it is the closest reaction I thought I could get from him without making him waaay too OOC.
4: you have changed Tohru's personality!
Have I? Just think of her as a mini-Sakura. She respects Sakura very much, and also is very concerned about her, which is one of the reasons why she asks if Sakura hates Naruto.
5: Naruto and Sakura is way OOC! They would never fight like that! And why is Naruto a wuss?
Is he? Last time I studied the Naruto manga and anime, he never really yells at her or lectures her (the other time in this fiction was because Naruto was concerned about her…), and would rather just look at her with pity. And the reason why Sakura doesn't want him to say he missed her is from reasons I cannot yet reveal.
6: Sakura is hunting Itachi? What is going on?
Wait and see…(almost evil laugh)
7: aw! No ItaSaku?
It is tempting, but no…Sakura wants to kill him…and he might just kill her for being a pain in the ass.
8: Tsuchikage is just a tool for the story to progress right?
No…actually not, he plays are deeper role than you might think, will be revealed later on.
9: Kurenai and Asuma are dead? Didn't you say he was nearly dead?
They died of events that I might explain, which happened two years before Sakura returned, a short while before the death of Tsunade.
If you any other question concerning my style of writing or anything else for that matter of fact I will try and do my best by responding to it.
All rights to Kishimoto.
Flame or review if necessary (I sure love the nice ones….XD)