Chapter 2

Bid My Blood To Run

"What?!" Naruto outright shouted, while the other's simply gawked at Sakura. She remained limp, her head lowered, while every now and then the sparkle of a tear could be seen staining her sheets. She wrung the cloth that covered her tightly, and her emotion could be told by the Heart Monitor's quickening pace.

"Sakura, is that true?" Kakashi asked. Naruto clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, something Hinata noticed, and she furrowed her brow with concern for him. The other's still watched Sakura, astounded by the news. Slowly, the girl raised her head and lowered it a few times. No sooner had she done so, Naruto couldn't contain himself anymore.

"Sasuke?!! He...he's the one who...? HE did this to you?!" He barked. Again, Sakura nodded slowly. Finally she looked up at him, the tears suddenly finding resistance in their journey to her sheets, and proceeding to forge new paths down her cheeks.

"Naruto...I'm so sorry..." She choked, "I...I shouldn't have..." She trailed off, and Tsunade put a hand on her arm.

"Shouldn't have what, Sakura? What happened?" Sakura sucked in a breath, preparing herself both mentally and emotionally to relay the tale. Feebly, she lifted a bandaged arm and rubbed at her eyes, forcing her gaze to return to Naruto.

"About a week ago, I received a tip while on a mission as to the wherabouts of Sasuke. At first, I couldn't believe it myself, but the source assured me that it was true. He said that if I wanted to find the snake, I had to look in the rocks." Naruto blinked, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Look in the rocks? The snake? What kind of riddle is that?" Kakashi sighed audibly at this. Obviously, Naruto was the only one that didn't get it.

"The 'snake' is Sasuke, and the 'rocks' are..."

"Iwagakure..." Tsunade finished for him. Sakura nodded.

"The Village Hidden in the Rocks, in the Land of Earth." Hinata chimed in. The riddle finally dawned on Naruto, and he returned to Sakura.

"Right. That's what I figured too."

"And how did you know that your source was so reliable?" Tsunade asked. Sakura looked at her weakly, raising a small fist.

"Because...he was on his last breath." Both master and pupil smiled, and Sakura looked back at Naruto.

"I'm sorry I didn't contact you, Naruto. I'm sorry I didn't tell you..." Her face, which had been momentarily dried, was introduced to fresh tears now. "...I...I just...I don't know...I thought maybe...maybe I could convince him. And...there wasn't a lot of time...I thought..." She choked out a sob, "...I thought I was strong enough..."

That was one riddle Naruto understood. Sakura didn't mean just physical strength. She had hoped she was strong enough emotionally, not to break down in front of the one she loved. She thought she had been strong enough to maintain her composure, and show Sasuke how much she had grown. She thought that somehow, in these last three years, she had become smart enough to come up with enough reasons, with the right reasons, to make him come back of his own will. Obviously, she was wrong.

"Sakura..." Naruto started.

"But I wasn't! I wasn't strong enough! I...I couldn't convince him to come home....I was still...too weak..." There was a long silence in the room as Sakura worked up enough energy to continue.

"...So..." She sobbed, "When...I couldn't convince him with words...I tried...I tried to stop him...with my own power..." Her head, which had dropped again, now rose again at Naruto, "Just like...just like you did, Naruto..." Her lip trembled, "But...of course I couldn't stop him...I...I'm not even as strong as you were...at that time..." She lifted her hands to her face, crying openly. Hinata bit her lip, finding it hard to see someone so upset. Naruto just frowned, his eyes lowered, as the memories of that time flashed back.

"No, Sakura. You're much stronger than I was back then." She looked up at Naruto, her tear-stained face showing surprise. "But...so is Sasuke..." He finished. She suddenly thrust her right fist into the sheets beside her, causing the entire bed to shake violently.

"But I couldn't just let him go! I...I couldn't just let him leave when he was so..." The lump in her throat burned painfully and she was forced to pause, "He was right there, Naruto...I could touch him! I couldn't just let him go, even if I couldn't stop him by force! I had to try! You have to under...understand...!!" Her hand flew to her throat and she winced, clenching her teeth. Naruto was silent for a moment. But he wasn't the only one hit by her words. Hinata looked down at the floor, Sakura's words reminding her of what she had thought herself many times before. Even now, Naruto was right there. Just like Sakura said, she could touch him. And she too, couldn't just let him go. Not without doing everything she could to try...to try and tell him how she felt. She shook her head inwardly. This obviously wasn't the right time for a confession. But she did think of something she icould/i do.

"Sakura..." Naruto breathed, "I understand...more than you could know." He said grimly. "I don't blame you at all. In fact...I'm a little jealous..." Sakura's eyes widened, "Since that time...I've wanted to show Sasuke how much stronger I've gotten too. Even though you got hurt...you got to try..." Naruto fell silent, and the bond that he and Sakura shared also let Sakura know that there was more to Naruto's words than what he said. Sasuke was like a brother to Naruto, after all...like an older brother even. And like any younger brother who's constantly trying to surpass the older one, Naruto wants to show Sasuke how strong he's gotten these last three years. He wants to see if he can finally beat him. Somehow, that feeling was more powerful than even the wish for the third member of Team Seven to return to Konoha.

"Well, you might just get your chance, Naruto." Sakura replied, and this time Naruto's eyes widened. "He's coming here, to Konoha. He told me...that he wants revenge...on all of us." Everyone in the room felt their heart skip a beat.

"What? Why?" Naruto asked. Sakura shook her head.

"I...I don't know. He said that the blood of the Uchiha will drown even the tallest tree. I don't know what he means...does he think that Konoha had something to do with the Uchiha's massacre? Everyone knows that it was..."

"Itachi." Naruto spat.