Sakura hit the floor hard when the Akatsuki threw her into the cell, which was hidden underneath the Hokage-tower. She yelped in hurt, and her face was turned downwards, not even bothering to rise. The metal door was shut with a loud slam. Deidara's voice didn't bring her any comfort either.
"don't try to escape. The door is infused with chakra resistant seals, you can't possibly open it without a key"
She didn't answer, and he could see how she lay defeated on the ground. Her body was lying in an almost painful way, but she didn't bother moving. Deidara stared at her, and remembered his fight with Itachi, how he had lost so easily. The cell seemed awfully cold – and it reminded him so very much of the time when he had found Ohuhru dead…killed by the way same person they had just revived.
"Sakura-san."
She didn't answer.
"Tohru-chan…she is twelfe now isn't she? She must soon be grown, her mother would have wanted to see this" he saw her body flinch at the mention of having a mother and she began to shake as if she was going to cry.
"…Ohuhru told me that Tohru is a descendant of the late Shidaime. I have heard that she has shown to have the ability to fuse water and earth like him. It seems that she might surpass even you" he saw water trail down the pink-haired lady's face and unto the ground.
"But, Ohuhru probably would never have wanted this. Wouldn't have wanted her daughter to become a ninja, she told me that herself. I can't see any art in what I am doing" he was surprised that he even bothered telling Sakura this.
Now the sound of sobs were heard, and she finally managed to move her body into a slightly more comfortable way. Her arms clutched her legs painfully tightly, and before he knew what happened – she was wailing.
Torture, intense Akatsuki torture couldn't break her, yet he found himself staring at her wailing by the loss of her parents. Her sobs sounding desperate, almost dying. Her pink hair dull and her face pale.
"they are not dead" he found himself saying. "their souls…merely resting within Uchiha Sasuke's body."
"GO AWAY!"
He flinched.
"I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU. GO! I HATE ALL OF YOU! YOU COULD JUST KILL ME – I WOULDN'T CARE!"
Deidara frowned. "hmm, we can't – we need Naruto to perform his rescue mission for you"
She hissed and glared at him, while sitting up. The hate in her eyes clearly evident. "you selfish being – what are you getting out of this? Watching other people's pain must be true art to you." She spat on the ground, the tears streamed down her face as a never ending waterfall. "HE SAID HE WOULD LET MY PARENTS GO! AND NARUTO ISN'T COMING! HE SAID THAT IF I EVER RAN AWAY AGAIN, HE WOULDN'T TRY TO FIND ME!"
Her voice echoed in the empty halls and Deidara stared at the broken woman. With a deep frown and eyes deep in thought he turned around quickly and walked away. Sakura didn't even hear her own cries as she drowned in her own misery of failing.
-
Ten days.
Ten days since she had mysteriously disappeared.
Naruto stood in front of his usually useless mirror in his tent, putting on his magnificent red colored cape. His expression was drawn into something very seriously and his hand tucked unto his white shirt underneath. He had left his trademark orange in his trunk, and replaced it with the brightly colored Hokage attire. It didn't feel right any longer.
He tried to stretch his mouth into what seemed like a grin, but it just seemed too forced to be right. His thoughts were on Sakura rather than on the battle he was going to face in merely a few hours. This battle would take days and days to completely, but he had the feeling he was going to win.
No, he was surely going to win.
There was no doubt.
Why wasn't he happy then?
The opening of the tent was pushed aside, and he saw a battle ready Tohru stand before him. She was dressed in an attire matching his, and had eyes carrying too much pain and sadness for a twelfe year old girl. He spoke. "try and cheer up please, I don't have it in me to comfort you now"
"Father"
He looked at her.
"Why?"
He knew exactly what she was talking about and quickly turned his face back at the mirror. "Because she chose to do it on her own – I can't save her all the time" Tohru then looked angrily. "what if it is Akatsuki!? What if they have killed her!? What if she was abducted!?"
"Tohru!" he yelled. She quieted down.
"She chose to do this on her own! She doesn't get abducted – if she doesn't want to be here with us, then I can't change her mind!" his hands seemed angry, not on Tohru, but on something far different. "We tried…Tohru, we really tried – but she doesn't have it in her to stay" his eyes became pained. "all there is left is to accept that and just stick together."
The smaller girl pursed her lips. "you're going to find another woman when we regain Konoha…aren't you?"
The Hokage went quiet.
-
"I'm curious" Zetsu spoke, as he looked at the circle in the middle of the Hokage's room. "how is it possible to bring back memories and even personality from your other life?" Orochimaru looked up, and then back down again.
"well, to bring back memories you need a soul as a sacrifice, who can reach out and collect those memories." He licked his lips satisfied.
"then why did you use two souls?"
"Sasuke would be rather useless in a child's body am I right?" he chuckled and looked at the soon to be ready battlefield.
Zetsu frowned and started to mix with the floor. "this will be your end Orochimaru"
-
Three days had passed ever since Sakura was thrown into the dungeon. Sasuke had to be honest when he said that he expected her to be crying loudly when he came, and throw herself over him. What met him was an almost unbearable silence and a sense of remorse. He stepped up the celldoor and looked through the bars – in this silence he had thought that she would be dead.
She was sitting on the bed, back against the wall, staring at her open hands with a dull and empty expression. It was everything he didn't expect to see. He waited for her to say anything, and took his time to notice her looks. Her hair was longer than when he had left this world, but not by much.
Her whole figure much more womanly and her arms carried scars from many battles. Her hands showed even from a distance that she was a master in the art of fighting and that she had punched more than a few bastards with those dangerous fists of hers.
She was an adult.
Then her eyes met his. Ever those green eyes, but instead of an innocent and inexperienced gaze, he met years of pain, wisdom and knowledge. He felt so…different.
"How long?" his familiar voice sang through the room.
She blinked dully, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She was brokenhearted.
"Eight years"
The surprise was clearly written in his face, and his face came even nearer the bars. "What?" his hair fell into his face, and he felt himself grow angry. "Eight years? Then you are…"
"…twenty five" she finished for him, as if she really didn't care.
There was a silence, and then she could hear his hateful voice through the bars. "You…you incompetent woman! You took eight years from me!" his fist slammed into the door in anger. His voice ran through the chambers. He saw her eyes shiver, as if being surprised to see his usually calm nature react in such a violent matter. He hit the door again…
However, before he knew what happened she stood in front of him, behind the door, her fist slammed into the metal, which didn't even budge. He had never before seen her glare at him. "You took my parents away! You took Kozuki away!"
"You ran away! You attacked us! You've made my life miserable!" he could see she was about to cry again, her green eyes showing her emotions so clearly. "I hate you…I wanted you to rest in peace…" she bent her head forwards, resting it against the bars. "You told me I would never understand the pain of being alone."
"You were so wrong" her eyes gazed into his. "I have spent eight years trying to kill Itachi because of you. I've spent the last eight years running for my life because of you! I have lost my parents so Orochimaru could bring you back, because of you!"
"Because of you I have had to leave Naruto!"
She saw his eyes widen, and then narrow. "…"
Sakura felt her hands start to shake, and Sasuke's face was almost touching hers, if it wasn't for the bars between them. His words brought forward a fear she had not wanted.
"You took my life – now I will take his life in exchange, and then I'll get Itachi"
Sasuke then saw it, a flicker of emotion going through her eyes when he mentioned Naruto and then Itachi. His eyes narrowed even more. "What do you know of Itachi?"
"Kozuki" her soft voice spoke, her hands shaking more than before. "Please, go back to Kozuki, he has a family, a brother and…"
"My family is dead, and I'll kill my brother for it"
"Sasuke. Please – you're not supposed to be alive." Her voice was weak, but still had traces of being strong in it. "this is wrong" then she felt his dark eyes stare at her, and she looked at him directly in hers. His mouth was drawn into a tight line, and she saw it…the hate.
"no – you killing me was wrong. I was supposed to fulfill my dreams, and you took it away from me. You are no better than the dope and Itachi"
It tricked something within her. "HE IS NOT A DOBE!" he was taken aback. "NARUTO ISN'T A DOBE! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HIM – HE…HE IS THE BEST HOKAGE THAT HAS EVER LIVED! BECAUSE OF YOU…BECAUSE OF YOU BOTH HE AND I HAVE SUFFERED!"
"you know something of Itachi don't you?"
Sakura began to sob and let herself fall to the ground, holding herself tenderly, as if trying to comfort her. She could feel his eyes on her, and she knew – Orochimaru would tell him if he asked. It was no secret. Sakura had broken Itachi's neck and nearly killed him. Itachi was as good as dead, since he was unable to fight in his state. His chakra connections to his eyes had been broken, and therefore he was incapable of using the sharingan. However, Sakura had never felt so disgusted with the circumstances her assassination had taken place.
Sasuke looked at her.
"you're still so weak" he spoke, and he left, but not without a strange expression on his face.
Left was a broken woman with a broken heart.
Knowing that she had sacrificed her life in vain.
-
Itachi looked at her as she stood there in the doorway of the Inn. Her pink hair was drenched with water and he saw her stare at him with a defeated look. He turned towards the waitress and asked for another bottle of sake. He saw the waitress look at Sakura and then went into the kitchen.
Sakura sat down, opposite from him.
"they figured it out, am I right?"
She stared at the wooden table, stroking the tree almost tenderly. Itachi's red eyes watched her, and then he heard her speak. "does that matter even more?"
"giving up doesn't suit you Sakura-san. Talking to the enemy like this? You might break the Hokage's heart"
"he hates me"
She looked up surprised when he heard him give what seemed like a chuckle. Their eyes connected. "the Hokage is incapable of hating anyone"
Sakura's eyes shimmered slightly as if thinking deeply about something. "Itachi-san."
"why did you keep Sasuke alive?"
He looked at her, and brought the cup of sake to his lips. "what matter does it make now, when he is dead?"
There was silence.
"it matters everything" she whispered.
Itachi's red eyes reflected hers, as he slowly placed the cup on the table. "if it matters that much, then kill me Sakura-san"
Her eyes widened.
-
Rin looked up startled and Kakashi turned to her. "you felt it too?"
Her brown hair fell into her face. "it can't be possible…"
Kakashi then turned his face back towards the capital of the fire-country. "Uchiha Sasuke is alive?"
-
Naruto stood on the gamabunta in front of the large capital of Konoha. In front of him, on a large bird, the Tsuchikage looked down upon him, with his large army of rock ninjas behind him, along with sound ninjas too. The Rokudaime raised his sword and pointed it towards him – no words were spoken.
Then he flicked the sword and sent it flying towards the ground. With a loud slam it shook the ground underneath them, and it was the sign.
Cries, yells, screams could be heard from behind him, and thousand of Konoha ninjas stormed forwards, towards the army of the rocks, who stood ready with their swords and kunais.
Naruto yelled. "forward!" and the huge frog underneath him jumped high in sky, towards the equally enormous bird. The Tsuchikage brought forward his sword and readied it for the impact. The Hokage folded his hands and yelled. "kage-bunshin no jutsu!" and beside him appeared more then one hundred clones.
They landed on the bird that began to fell due to the new burden on it. The Tsuchikage drew his sword through them, turning every single one into stone, before they puffed. He then felt a fist collide with his face.
Brown eyes met blue.
-
Sakura sat with her head between her legs, not noticing the chaos in the hallways. People running back and forward, kunais colliding – then a gigantic explosion that must have destroyed at least some of the walls out there. Her eyes were closed and she slowly fell to the ground.
-
Naruto's hand trusted forward, having created a rasengan faster than ever before. The Tsuchikage tried to block it, but was blasted backwards, and landed near the bird's tail. The hokage hovered in the background, and raised himself. His eyes red as the purest blood.
It didn't scare the Tsuchikage, and he rose too. The bird was falling towards the ground fast, and screamed at the Tsuchikage to lighten the weight, or else he would disappear. It didn't seem to reach his ears though, as he jumped towards Naruto with an almost scary speed.
Swords collided, and on top of the bird, two kages fought to gain control of the other. He slashed, cutted, evaded and blocked, but yet, he couldn't hit and neither could Naruto.
The battle underneath them was already busy, and full of screams and cries, that was overshadowed by the sounds of jutsus and swords slamming into the other. The brown eyes of the Tsuchikage was too much for Naruto to look at – he couldn't bear it.
Slowly, ever so slowly, a red chakra formed itself around him, and one tail emerged. Naruto cried out his misery, and it could be heard miles away.
-
Shizune snapped her head upwards. She had been busy making sure the innocent people of Konoha was hidden away within the chambers in the mountain. Iruka looked at her, and both of them knew.
Naruto was back.
-
The bird disappeared underneath them, and both of them fell to the ground. Swords clinged against each other, as they both struggled to gain the upper hand. Then the Tsuchikage saw something rather strange. Naruto jumped back and landed in something. That something was merely a tree that grew one thousand times faster than a normal tree. Within that tree sat a small girl, not much older than twelfe.
Naruto gave her a thumbs up. "okay! Tohru! Forward!" she nodded and slammed her hands into the thrunk, and both of them flew with the newly created branch towards the Tsuchikage, who raised his sword. However, before he noticed what happened, the smaller girl slammed her fist into the three trunk and it broke into a million pieces – making the Tsuchikage fall.
Naruto then trusted his rasengan into the body, but it only turned into solid rock. He looked at Tohru and then at the battle underneath them. They were inside Konoha already.
He jumped down from the branch while holding Tohru and landed on the ground, which were full of corpses and discarded weapons. He held unto the girl tightly, and then sprinted forward. "I'm going into the Hokage-tower, I have a weapon in there I have to use"
Tohru nodded, and before she knew of it, she found herself flying over the Konoha wall. The archors began to shoot their arrows at them, but Naruto merely used his chakra tail to melt them all away. He landed on the house roof, and sat Tohru down quickly. "Tohru! You go down and help all the others, shield them with your trees if possible"
She nodded again and jumped away, while he jumped across the buildings – merely brushing every ninja away he met. It didn't take him long before he stood outside the hokage building and ran as fast as he could up the stairs, while avoiding every trap.
The door to the hokage room was already open though.
And Orochimaru lay on the floor dead, with a very familiar sword through him. Naruto's eyes widened. It was the sword Sasuke once used.
The window was open and he saw to his surprise a strange circle in the middle, which Orochimaru had been busy erasing. He bent down and sniffed to it. It smelled strangely like Sakura's parents, and a boys odour too. He narrowed his eyes. There was no sign of murder, but Orochimaru probably was able to kill without spilling blood.
He then quickly walked towards the wall, and drew a sign on the wall with his finger. The wall disappeared and he saw the weapon. The yondaime's sword.
Naruto then grabbed it in his hand, and ran out the room and down the stairs, but didn't stop at the exit, but kept going, until he reached the very strange cell rooms. Orochimaru might have kept some of his warriors in the cells – it would be so like him.
A ninja appeared in front of him, and hit him with his kunai. Naruto avoided it though, and slashed him down with the sword, which went through him smoothly. He didn't have time for this.
He kicked the door open and killed the ninja carrying the keys. He quickly ran from one end to the other, opening the cells. People came out, praising him, some even wailing at the sight of him rescuing them. The Rokudaime was back.
He was back.
Naruto grinned when he was embraced by a very grateful woman, who continued to kiss his cheeks, even though they were tainted blood. He pushed her away. "hey hey! Don't worry, Konoha will be ours before long! Right!" and he continued down the many hallways.
He opened one of the doors, expecting yet another person to exit and embrace him, but the cell was strangely quiet. Naruto narrowed his eyes and opened the door fully. His hand burned slightly when touching the metal – the door was chakra infused.
On the floor lay a woman, her face hidden from his sight, and he could barely make out her figure in the darkness. He noticed though that she was still breathing. He ran over to her side, quickly trying to help her. "hey! Wake up!"
He shook her hardly, but there was no reaction. He looked around and saw plenty of plates full of food, none of them touched. He groaned. "listen, wake up!"
She mumbled something.
Naruto groaned again, and helped her up. "hey, Konoha is going to be ours, so please stand up – we need all the help we can get" he then felt tears on his arm, and turned her curiously to look at her more clearly.
He felt his breath stop for a second.
"…let me be" she mumbled.
"Sakura" he hissed, but stopped when he saw tears trailing down. "why are you here?" he asked. He could hear her whisper. "I was deceived…"
"Orochimaru told me he would kill my parents if I did not bring Sasuke's reincarnation. He lied…he killed them" Naruto couldn't help but get angry. "why didn't you tell me!? Damnit!" he then saw her eyes open, and he saw it…she had known it was him all along.
"because…you wouldn't let me go."
"of course I wouldn't! it is a suicidal mission! You could've died – Orochimaru could have done all these terrible things to you! Damnit! Have you become stupid!"
She didn't answer, and looked away shamefully. Naruto cursed and put her on the ground. "I don't got time for this, regain your strength and come and help us out!" she grabbed his arm, but he merely shook her off.
"Sasuke is alive"
It made him stop when she said those words.
-
Woah, I sure update fast, huh? One chapter written within twelfe hours – I am sort of proud of myself. I am bit weird about the Sasuke scene, and I don't really like it. One chapter more before the epilogue! Bwahahaha!
Ask me questions, I'll answer them as good as I can. Btw, this chapter is not beta'd - none of the lately chapters are, because my beta-reader has mysteriously dissapeared, and too busy working. So - cha ne!