Ah ah ah ah aha!!!! (maniacal laugher) I'M BACK!!!!! (Dramatic music) No… seriously, I'm sorry for the delay, but I have a great surprise for you!!!!! Yes, yes!
Well guys, since you are so nice with your wonderful reviews, and since you have been so patient … I thought it would be nice to give you a longer chapter!!!!
I hope you'll like it, but before you read it, I would like to advise you that this chapter contains the Naruto manga 458 and 459, as well as some scenes of the manga 460-461, written by Masashi Kishimoto. So I disclaim all rights on that. If it's the exact text it's the creation of Masashi Kishimoto! As for the rest, well obviously, it's my creation!
So now that I have made things clear… Here is the chapter 8! Enjoy! OH! And… Thank you again for your reviews, they were really nice and I loved them!
See ya!
Chapter eight – The explosion…
"Right… I'll go first. Listen up." spoke the Kazekage
"The makeup of the five Kages sure has changed. You must be something special to be made Kazekage at your age. You father must have taught you right, but apparently he forgot to instil in you any manners." interrupted the Tsuchikage.
"I guess… That's why I'm here as Kazekage." replied Gaara without losing his cool.
"Hahahaha! Cheeky brat!!" laughed the Raikage.
"Tsuchikage, please stop interrupting. Kazekage, please continue." said the Mizukage with concern.
"I'm a former host. Akatsuki captured me and nearly killed me extracting the beast."
"Who does that Tsuchikage think he is!?" mumbled Kankouro with disdain.
"Be quiet." replied Temari.
"That's why I believe Akatsuki is extremely dangerous. I requested aid from the other Kages many times, but, they all ignored me. … Except for the former Hokage. Thought at this point, with so many hosts captured, it's too late for aid." explained the Kazekage.
"He got that right, we were there. The old Tsunade was…" started Naruto
"My warning goes for you too Naruto." said once again Temari.
"Huh!? Pffff… Women…" whispered the blond haired boy for himself.
"I heard that…" replied the girl.
"Ah aha ha…" laughed nervously Naruto.
"Hmph… If a country has had its host captured, it has no business giving other countries orders! It's an embarrassment! You should have tried to recover it in secret! Once it's stolen, you can't expect other countries to help you!" explained the Tsuchikage.
"Appearance… honor… I don't have time for that ridiculous old-fashioned thinking." retorted Gaara.
'Hmph… brat...' thought the old man.
"Just because the beasts have been stolen is no reason to be afraid. It takes time and knowledge and skill to be able to control them." said the Mizukage.
"The hosts must grow with the beasts in order to adapt to them. Even then control is difficult… It won't happen immediately… Right… Kazekage?" asked the Tsuchikage.
"In any event, the only ones who can truly be said to have controlled the beasts are Uchiha Madara and the first Hokage, Hashirama… and maybe the 4th Mizukage, Yagura… and Raikage's brother Killerbee. But…" try to explained the Hokage.
"Chojiro." said one of the Mizukage's protectors to the other one.
"Right!" replied the said man.
"Quit your yappin!!!" yelled the Raikage while jumping on the table and breaking it with his fist.
It didn't take much for everyone to get involved in a protecting stance before their Kage. Everybody was silently watching the other, not sure what to do. All of the protectors were armed and ready to kill.
"Damn… the Raikage sure got one heck of a temper…" murmured Naruto.
"We are here to talk. Please refrain from such displays of rudeness." spoke the Iron village leader.
"Stand down. Fu, Torune." ordered the Hokage.
"You, too, Kankouro, Temari." said quietly the Kazekage.
"Ao, Shojiro, it's alright…" explained the Mizukage with a smile.
The Tsuchikage also look at his protectors as a sign to return to their seat.
"Okay." replied the tallest one before leaving.
After a few seconds, everyone has returned to their respective seat and everything in the room returned to its previous setup… Well, everything except the poor smashed table.
"Konoha! Iwa! Suna! Kiri! Akatsuki is made up of missing nin from your villages! And that's not all!! I know that there are those among you, including former kages, who have used Akatsuki for their own purposes!!" accused the Raikage after being interrupted.
"Hn… seems like the Hokage isn't the only who's hiding something…" spoke softly Sasuke in his hiding spot.
"You're right Sasuke. But I wonder why they used the organisation thought? said Karin.
"Used Akatsuki…?" asked Gaara not understanding the situation.
"I don't thrust you! I had no intention of speaking with you!" continued the Raikage as if he hadn't heard the Kazekage, "I called you all here to find out where your true loyalties lie!!!"
"What do you mean "used Akatsuki"!? asked again the Kazekage.
"You're the Kazekage, hasn't anyone told you anything!? Go ask your elders! You used Akatsuki in your own war!" replied the Raikage.
"The great countries are enjoying a time of relative peace… They are moving from military expansion to disarmament. As tensions ease between the countries, the threat of war grows smaller. Military villages are a drain on a country's resources… But there's a risk. What if a war suddenly breaks out!? They can't rely on untested ninjas in the heat of battle. They'd lose the war." explained slowly the Tsuchikage.
"So one way of dealing with that was to use a mercenary force… like Akatsuki?" asked the young Kazekage.
"It would take time and money for a village to build such a force themselves. But Akatsuki were professionals. And they could be hired for relatively little. Furthermore, they always had good results." continued the old man.
"I don't want to hear it, Tsuchikage!" complained the impulsive Kage.
"Hmph!" growled the said man.
"Well, that explains it." spoke Suigetsu to the rest of Haka.
"Suna used Akatsuki to try and destroy Konoha. Orochimaru…! It's unclear whether he was still a member of Akatsuki at the time! Both the former Kazekage and Hokage
ended up dying. … I can't help but think that must have been part of someone's plot." said the Raikage.
'… you old fox…' thought the man while looking at the Hokage.
"Kirikagure, you are the most suspicious! You have no diplomatic relations with other countries… and there are rumors that Akatsuki was formed there!!" continued the Raikage.
"To tell the truth…" started the Mizukage.
'Is she really going to…!' thought Ao, one of her protectors.
"There were suspicions that my predecessor… The 4th mizukage was being controlled by someone… It could have been Akatsuki… But I didn't want to make a big deal out of it…"
"You all…!!" yelled the Raikage accusingly.
"Watch your tongue Raikage! It's because you were continuing to amass power and techniques during this time of disarmament… That other countries were forced to hire Akatsuki in the first place!" said the Tsuchikage with authority.
"What?" asked the Raikage before he was interrupted by the Hokage..
"… before this devolves into more infighting, there's something I wanted to tell you all…"
"What is it?" asked the Raikage even more enraged.
"Akatsuki's leader is almost certainly Uchiha Madara." said casually the Hokage.
At that statement, the entire group was in total shock. Opinions and comments came from everywhere.
"What?" asked Kakashi, surprised.
"So he knows…" said the dark avenger.
"Who is that guy?" asked Naruto to his sensei.
"Yeah who is it?" replied Kankouro.
"He was the former leader of the Uchiha clan, isn't it Kakashi?" asked Temari, unsure.
"Yes…" answered the said man.
"I thought he was long since dead…!?"said the Tsuchikage.
"I don't understand it, either… but our source is certain." replied the Hokage.
"I never imagined he was literally a monster…" spoke again the old man.
"As a neutral country, I have to say, the leader of Akatsuki read the signs of the times… He used the stability… and the suspicion of the other countries to increase his own power… At this rate, even the land of Iron… But there's always a silver lining… It's rare for the five Kages to come together like this. What do you say…? Until Akatsuki is taken care of… What would you think of forming… a five-village alliance?" proposed Mifune.
"An alliance?" asked the Raikage, confused.
"… It's a good idea. We're in a state of emergency… we have to cooperate." stated the Hokage. 'I like where this is heading…'
"The chain of command should be uniform. We want to avoid any further confusion." continued the amoderator.
"So… the question is who will have authority over this new army…?" asked the Tsuchikage.
"You will only fight amongst yourselves… So I would like you to respect my position as a neutral party. I will decide who among you is best suited for the job." answered Mifune.
'Now Tsunade's time is over.' thought the Hokage.
"Oh… this will be fun!" whispered Suigetsu with a devilish look.
'If they choose that monster, I swear…' thought Sasuke, his aura darkening even more.
"The only host left is Konoha's nine-tailed beast… I think it will be the key to all of this… What do you say? Will you allow the Hokage to lead the alliance?" asked again the Iron village's leader.
"No way in hell! He did it…" whispered Sasuke
"WHAT? He based his decision on me?" almost yelled Naruto.
"Quiet Naruto!" said Kakashi
"What?" said the Raikage.
"Wha?" spoke the Tsuchikage.
"If you'll have me, I'd be honoured to take the position." stated Danzo.
"Why him? He is the embodiment of the darkness of the ninja world! We can't trust him!" yelled the Raikage.
'Damn right.' thought the dark haired boy.
"Then who?" asked Mifune.
"No one from our village is involved in Akatsuki! I am the only one trustwhorty enough to…" started the Raikage.
"I do not agree." interrupted the amoderator while pointing the hole in the table.
"What?" asked the Raikage dumbfounded.
"It's true that some amount of emotion and power is necessary to lead so many strong warriors… But someone like you who let's his emotions control him will destroy the alliance as surely as you destroyed that table. I am simply offering my suggestion as a neutral party. The Kazekage is too young to lead… the other countries will never accept it. Even addressing him as Kazekage is hard for some. The Tsuchikage on the other hand, is too old and is seen as having mobility problems. Furthermore, he has been used by Akatsuki too many times… He is the least trustworthy. Kirigakure is the seat of Akatsuki. If the Mizukage were in charge, there would be worries about information leaks. There would be concerns about spies, too. I don't know what Akatsuki plans with the tailed beasts… But we can't let them have the nine tailed beast… And the nine tailed beast belongs to Konoha. It's only right that the Hokage should undertake this…" concluded Mifune.
"I refuse to be a part of any alliance that would require my village to reveal it's intentions!!" replied the Raikage.
'… Something doesn't feel right… I… need to take a closer look at this situation.' thought Ao. "Chojiro… prepare for battle."
"Huh?" replied the said boy.
'Byakugan!!' thought Ao while activating his byakugan.
After a moment of analysing the Hokage, Ao had come to his conclusions and he jumped down near the meeting table.
"Hokage, let me see the eye beneath those bandages!"
"What's going on?" asked the Tsuchikage.
"Apparently his right eye… was stolen from Uchiha Shisui and implanted. Shisui had the power… To get into his opponent's mind and control them… It's one of the most powerful eye techniques! His opponents wouldn't even realize they were being controlled…" explained the Mizukage's protector.
"Hokage… Are you controlling Mifune!?" asked the Raikage.
"My own right eye is a souvenir of my battle with a Hyuga… So I can't judge you on that account, But my right eye saw through the illusion placed on the 4th Mizukage, so you can't fool me. And…" started Ao.
"You bastard!!" yelled the Raikage.
And then, at this precise moment, a huge swirl forms on the ground and soon transform into a human being, well... kind of human.
"Hellllooo!!!" said Zetsu with a smile.
As soon as he has spoken those words every protector jumped in front of their Kage, while Kakashi and Yamato took a protective stance in front of Naruto.
"Huh!? What is he doing here? Aren't we suppose to remain hidden?" asked Suigetsu, a bit confused.
"Sasuke?" asked Karin with a frighten look.
"Now what?" asked the Raikage.
"Akatsuki?" proposed the Hokage.
"So it would appear." answered the Tsuchikage.
"Uchiha Sasuke is here somewhere. The question is where?" stated Zetsu with a devilish expression.
"No way in hell…" said the shark like boy.
"Sasuke?" asked again Karin.
"Madara…" whispered the dark haired boy.
"What? Sasuke is here?" spoke Naruto surprised.
"Hmmmm…" growled Kakashi.
"Let's all search for Sasuke! Come on!" replied the member of the Akatsuki.
"What?" said the Raikage dumbfounded.
"Sasuke?" asked Gaara.
"He…" started Temari.
"What's he doing here?" continued Kankouro.
"The one with the sharingan…" stated the Mizukage.
"The one who killed Haku and Zabuza?" added Ao.
'Sasuke's here? Impossible…' thought Danzo.
"Who's he?" asked the tallest protector of the Tsuchikage.
"A member of Akatsuki… I'm pretty sure…" explained the Tsuchikage.
At this moment, the Raikage lose all patience he had still left and jump on Zetsu while holding him by his throat.
"Where is Uchiha Sasuke? Answered me!" yelled the Kage, "If you don't answer me, I won't go easy on you!!"
Zetsu was surprised by the speed of the Raikage but he wouldn't give up that easily. He was going to enjoy this.
"Oh, fine… I'll give you a hint."
But unfortunately for the poor Zetsu, the Raikage wasn't planning to play for a long time and in less then a minute he killed him.
"Shi! Let's get started!!" continued the Raikage.
"Yes sir!" replied the said man.
"There's no reason to kill him!" said the Mizukage, "If you have captured him you might have been able to get some intel on Akatsuki out of him… !"
"There's no one in Akatsuki who would betray it. They're all hardcore." explained the Kazekage.
"Okisuke, Urakaku, give the order for everyone to search for Sasuke. And to prepare for battle." ordered Mifune.
"Yes, sir!" answered one of the said men.
"You with the white eye. Keep an eye on the Hokage! Shi! Darui! Let's go!" ordered the Raikage before punching the wall and passing through it.
"Sorry about the table… and the wall." said Darui sheepishly.
"Hey darui, forget about that. Let's go!" replied Shi.
"Good grief. How rude. He always was an unruly child. That hasn't changed since he became the Kage…" noted the Tsuchikage.
"What? … Kakashi we can't let that happen, we have to do something." complained Naruto.
"I know Naruto, but we can't. If Sasuke is here, it's because he is attacking the meeting which mean that he has reach the point of no return. I'm sorry but if we do anything now, we will be considered missing nin too."
"WHAT? I can't believe you, at least we could try to talk to him, ne?"
"I don't know… as long as Danzo is here…"
"I doubt he'll realise, Kakashi and let's face it. He has more problems then we have right now." said Yamato.
"Fine, let's go." decided the grey haired man.
In less then 2 or 3 seconds, team Kakashi was outside following discreetly the samourais in hope to meet Sasuke before he did anything stupid.
On Sasuke's side
"Gather all the forces and look everywhere. If Sasuke Uchiha is here, we will find him." said the leader of the samourais.
"Yes captain." replied the group.
It didn't take long for the samourais to spread everywhere near the meeting building. They were running everywhere, and a smaller group was closing in on Sasuke's hide out. Karin, who was following everything to ensure that her team was safe, knew they had spotted them.
"Kyahhhhh! Sasuke, the samourais are coming our way, what do we do?" yelled Karin.
"Would you just dropt it with yours samourais Karin, we have way more important things to worry about right now. Do I have to remind you that the Raikage wants to kill Sasuke?" answered back Suigetsu.
"Shut up both of you…" said calmly Sasuke.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Juugo.
"Just stay quiet." growled the dark haired man.
"Huh!?"
'What's happening to him?' thought all the members of team Haka.
Not caring about the confuse look of his teammates, Sasuke jumped off the roof and hide himself behind a row of pillars, followed by Juugo. He took off his cloak and pin it on the pillar they were hiding behind, with a kunai and move swiftly elsewhere. Juugo, quickly understanding the plan, followed him. One minute later, a samourai erupted in front of the pillar.
"Here captain! Uchiha is here!" yelled the guy while bypassing the pillar.
What he saw though, wasn't what he expected. The cloak Sasuke have pin to the wall was floating in the air.
"Huh!?"
"Chidori nagashi!"
An electrifying light pierce the samourai through the chest and throw him ten feet away.
"Over here! He's there!" yelled another one.
"Shoot him!" ordered the leader of the samourais.
A volley of arrows was launch right after that order, but Sasuke didn't even flinch. With one swift move of his katana charged with the chidori, all the weapons were thrown off everywhere.
"Uh hu huh…" chuckled the dark avenger "Come and get me…"
"UCHIHA SASUKE!!! DIE!!!!!!" yelled suddenly a enraged voice.
The last Uchiha only had time to dodge a powerful electric punch before the entire ground crumbled under his feet.
"SASUKE!!" shrieked Karin from the roof.
"Damn, that was close." replied Suigetsu with a shock face.
"Sasuke, we should…" started Juugo before the avenger run past him and charge back at the Raikage, "Wait Sasuke! Don't rush there alone!"
But it was too late; the lone Uchiha ran at full speed toward the Raikage and land a punch in his gut. Backing up a little he took out his katana and when he was about to slice him, one of his protector, Darui created a suiton jutsu that pushed Sasuke away.
'What's going on with Sasuke's chakra? It's not like it is usually. It seems darker… Sasuke, what's happening to you?' thought Karin a bit worried.
"KARIN! Stopped daydreaming and try to keep tracks of Danzo…" ordered Suigetsu.
"But what about the samourai and the Raikage, I have to look for them too…"
"Forget about it will you! Sasuke's main target is Danzo, keep that in mind you idiot!"
"Suigetsu you damn fis…" started Karin with an angered look, when something suddenly stopped her.
In fact, something was bothering her but she didn't know what. Concentrating a little more she finally found the source of the interference.
"What?" asked the grey haired boy, worried.
"SUIGETSU! THERE'S A TRACKER AMONG THEM!" yelled Karin, "If he find me, I won't be able to track Danzo!"
"Alright, I'll take care of it!" answered back the said boy, "Which one is it?"
"I'm not sure…"
While the two of them where trying to figure out which one of the Raikage's protector was a tracker, Sasuke and Juugo were still waiting for the first move of the Raikage.
"I'll make you pay for my brother, Uchiha." spoke menacingly the Raikage to the mute Sasuke, "I'll destroy you!"
In a blink of an eye, the Raikage lunged at Sasuke and punch him in the ground with so much force that the raven haired boy ended up buried in the ground. The Raikage continue to punch the ground with all his might, but Sasuke wasn't moving anymore, indeed, he wasn't there anymore. Sharingan activated, Sasuke was standing three feets away from the Raikage ready to kill him.
'Genjutsu…' thought the powerful Kage.
Unfortunately, the Uchiha didn't have time to put his plan to execution, Shi who had witnessed the scene have put the dark haired boy into his own genjutsu. Sasuke, who was using his sharingan, didn't fall for the trick, in fact, he was preparing himself for the blow he was about to get from the Raikage and his friend Darui. As he was about to receive the said blow, Juugo, who had activated his next stage of his cursed mark as jumped in front of the Raikage's protector and have tried to protect Sasuke, while Suigetsu have jumped down from the roof in front of the Raikage and held his sword in front of him. Seconds later, both the Raikage and Darui were pushed away by the impact, Juugo fall on his knees and Suigetsu's arms turned into water by the force of the impact, holding a now broken sword.
"Rahhhh… damn! My sword!" complained the shark like boy.
"Sasuke are you alright?" asked the tall member of team Haka, a bit worried.
"What are you two doing here? I don't need you…" stated coldly the avenger.
"What? Hey! Do I have to remind you that we save your life?" said Suigetsu.
"Stay away!" growled the Uchiha.
"Sasuke?" asked the grey haired boy, confused.
"Suigetsu, there's a tracker among them…" started Juugo.
"Huh!? Oh! I know… Karin has spotted him. She'll try to focus on Danzo, but we must make him unable to look for her if we want her to work…" explained the said man.
"Which one is it?" asked Sasuke, suddenly interested.
"I think it's the one who is able to cast genjutsu." answered the orange haired man.
Sasuke's stare slowly turns toward the man Juugo was talking about and in a fraction of seconds; Shi was immersed in the genjutsu that the dark haired man was inflecting him. It didn't take long for the poor protector to end up broken on the floor, trapped in a world of horror. And it's at this precise moment that Naruto and the rest of the group decided to make their appearance. The poor blond haired boy couldn't believe what he was seeing, Sasuke, his friend, the guy he had fought so hard to save, was there fighting with the Raikage himself and had put one of his protector into a genjutsu. To complete the picture, there were some samourais bodies lying here and there. At this sight, all his rage and deception collided in his heart and for the first time in a long time, he looses his coolness.
"SASUKE!! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" yelled the young blond, angered.
"SHUT UP DOBE! I HAVE HEARD ENOUGH OF YOUR STUPID MORALS!" yelled back the dark haired boy with as much venom as his friend have used.
"But idiot, they'll kill you!"
"Not if I kill them first." growled the Uchiha as he run toward the Raikage.
"Wha...aa...t?" asked Naruto, incredulously.
"There it goes, you son of a bitch!" yelled the Raikage, while running at top speed toward the dark haired boy.
"Sasuke watch out!"
On Sakura's side
"Come on Tsunade we're almost there!" yelled an excited Shizune.
"Ohhh. I told you I wasn't ready for climbing! My back is dead!" complained Tsunade.
"Stop whining, people might started to think you're becoming old!" sing song the brown haired girl.
"Shut up Shizune! That's not nice. Beside we're already late, it has begun." concluded the Gondaime with a serious tone.
"I know, but we can't continue like that. Maybe we should take a little break then. It would give you enough time to relax and after that we can head there at running pace?" suggested Shizune.
"Why not..." replied the Hokage, sitting on a rock, "Sakura, do me a favour... drop that book please. I'm tired for you."
"Huh!? Yes Shishou! Sorry I was too concentrated!" explained sheepishly the pink haired girl.
"Tell us, what were you reading?" asked Tsunade with a smile.
"Oh! I was learning a ..." started the pink haired girl before being interrupted by a foreign voice.
"Sakura…"
"KYAAAAAHHHH!!!" yelled the three girls.
"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING SAI, I ALMOST HAD AN HEART ATTACK!!" yelled again the Gondaime.
"Old…" whispered Shizune.
"SHUT UP SHIZUNE!!"
"Sakura, I'd like to talk to you… in private…" asked the silent boy.
"Huh!? Oh! Okay, but don't take too long okay… We… we have something to do." said vaguely the pink haired girl.
"Don't worry, it won't be long." reassured the boy.
Sai stepped aside and started to walk toward the forest, Sakura on his heels. When they were out of ear shot (No he didn't jumped her… Stop your perverted thoughts, you bunch of Kakashis!!), he stopped a few feet away from her and look at her with a strange look.
"What is it Sai? What do you want to talk about?" asked innocently Sakura.
"Naruto…"
"Huh!? Why?" asked again the girl, confused.
"Sakura… back in the village with the guys from Kumokagure, Naruto…" started Sai.
"Got beat up by them for the sake of Sasuke? I already know that…" interrupted unemotionally the pink haired girl, while looking away.
"Huh!?" said the boy, surprised.
"I heard you in the tent… I was looking for Naruto…" confessed Sakura, still not looking at him..
"Okay…"
A small silence was install, Sai trying to find the right words and Sakura preparing for the storm that was about to be unleash.
"Sakura… I may not be the best suited person to tell you this, because I don't understand people or team 7 past, but… Since I have joined this team, I have started to understand you guys better and…
"Where are you going with this, Sai?" asked suspiciously the girl.
"…Naruto loves you Sakura." answered straight the boy.
The pink haired girl's face fell, the blood in her veins ran cold and a sad expression slowly crept up on her face. All the memories she had with Naruto started to float back in her mind. All the time she had thought he was acting like a supportive friend, like he was her brother… All this time… He has done it because he loved her and once again, she has disappointed him…
'So, he hasn't changed his mind…' thought sadly the girl.
"I don't know what promise he made to you, but I know it's killing him. I can see it, Sakura. It's like a curse… you are killing him just as much as he is killing him…"
Tears started to roll down her rosy cheeks, her heart have stopped beating for a fraction of second, her head bowed to the ground. She was devastated… but that wasn't the last blow.
"Sasuke is causing Naruto pain, but I think you do too." spoke unemotionally the dark haired boy, "Sakura… I'm not putting all the blame on you but lately… I can feel it… I can feel his sadness… it's devouring him as well as the anger… every time you two talk about Sasuke. It can't continue like that, he can't continue like that and we can't… Since he has defeated Pain, Naruto is tired, not physically but emotionally. He looks like a broken man, you can't let him like that, and we have to do something… I think… I think that the best thing that would happen to Naruto would be… would be to make Sasuke disappear…"
Sakura was broken… All those times… All those times, she has put all her worries and her sadness on Naruto's shoulders in hope he would bring her back the cause of it. Moreover, she didn't love Naruto like he did with her, she have always seen him like a friend, a brother. Her heart was taken, maybe by the wrong person, but that was not the point. And Sai was right, she has been selfish and now it was the time to pay back what have been given. She knew what she had to do and she would do it even if it means to destroy her entire life. All the emotions she kept inside suddenly leaked out. She cried and she cried silently for some minutes, her heart was broke beyond repair, but she knew what she had to do.
"Sakura…" tried to speak Sai.
"Don't… say anything more…" replied the said girl, while drying her eyes.
"…!"
"I know what I have to do…" she said bypassing him.
Sai turn and looked at Sakura's retreating form in the forest, he didn't know if he had made the right decision, but he couldn't go back now that it was said.
On Tsunade's side
"You think they're okay?" asked the brown haired girl, worried.
"Why wouldn't they?" replied Tsunade.
"I don't know… Sai seems serious…"
"He is always serious, Shizune.."
"Hummm… if you say so Tsunade."
"Yeah! Well if you don't trust me, ask her yourself! There they are…" said the Gondaime, pointing in the direction of the teens.
The pink haired girl was slowly walking toward them, head bowed with Sai trailing behind. Something was wrong Tsunade could tell, but Shizune didn't seem to notice until she sees the girl next to her…
"Sakura! I hope you are ready to go, Tsunade is feeling better, I think… Sakura? Are you alright?" asked Shizune, worried.
"Humm… Yeah! I'm fine!" answered Sakura with a fake smile.
'Here we go again with the fake smile… what happened in those woods?' thought sadly Tsunade.
"Sakura is there some…" started the Gondaime when a huge explosion interrupted her.
The explosion was coming from the Iron village, they were at fifteen minutes away from it and they could still feel the effects of the deflagration. There was smoke everywhere near the village, the samouraï were running everywhere weapons at hand and they were all converging at the same place
"What was that?" asked Sakura.
"I don't know." replied Shizune with a look of pure horror.
"The kages summit is under attack..." stated Tsunade.
"What?" questioned Sai
"What an idiot… I mean who could be stupid enough to attack the kages summit?" spat the Hokage with venom, "It's suicidal!"
"Huh? Who do you think is attacking the meeting Tsunade?" asked Shizune.
"I don't know yet but it's a powerful ninja." replied Tsunade while scanning the chakra signature.
"Is it Akatsuki, Shishou?" questioned the pink haired girl.
"We could say that, but unfortunately for you, Sakura, I doubt you'll like to know who's doing this." replied the blond woman in a serious tone.
"What do you mean?"
"The Uchiha is down there." explained the Gondaime.
"Sas... suke!? Sasuke is attacking the meeting? yelled Sakura with a surprise tone.
'It's impossible, Sasuke couldn't be attacking the kages. He knows the consequences of doing such a thing! But... What am I thinking... If he had joined Akatsuki... I supposed I shouldn't be too surprised.' thought sadly the young woman.
"What are you suggesting now Gondaime?" asked the dark haired boy.
"We don't have a minute to waste. Grab your things. We are on the move. Sai… You're coming with us…"
"Alright." replied the said boy.
"Huh!? H-hold on Tsunade! We can't bash in there like that, you're not in the right condition!" yelled Shizune.
"There's no time for this right now, let's go! Sakura can I count on you?" asked seriously Tsunade.
"Of course Shishou." answered honestly the pink haired girl without breaking the eye contact.
After a few seconds of analysing, the Gondaime nod her head and start to run toward the Iron village, Shizune and Sai on her heels, Sakura following slowly after.
'Let's do this…'