Disclaimer: I own nothing
l
Ch 17: Three Kages vs. Orochimaru
"Did you hear the Uchiha Princess has been courting the son of the Kazekage!"
"What no way! I had heard that she has been so faithful to our Royal Prince of the Uchiha?"
"No ladies, I'm afraid you're both wrong. The Royal family of the Uchiha have actually been in talks with the Hyuga family to marry our little Suki to their genius Neji Hyuga!"
"OoooouoOOOO" O.O
l
As soon as the premilimary matches were over all the genin had gone their separate ways and began training furiously for what was to come.
But for Sakura she had a little bit more drama to deal with…a little LOT!
Somehow everyone had discovered little tidbits of what had happened during the chunin exam.
How on earth did they find out all this stuff!
Even the men of Konoha were gossiping about her.
l
"Hey did ya'll guys hear the stuff about that Suki girl"
"Heh, yeah I hear that chick gets around, if you know what I mean"
"I heard she's done Gaara, Sasuke and Neji, at the same time."
"No way, All three in one go? Shiii- I wish she'd do me."
l
:Sigh: It doesn't matter anymore. Right now she isn't with any of them. After her little fiasco with Gaara, Sakura had taken him aside and talked to him.
They had just found out who they would be fighting and were dismissed until the final matches. Gaara had actually approach Sakura first in hopes of getting her alone. Which suited Sakura just fine except she wanted to get him alone for different reasons.
"Follow me" he said as he took her hand and led her to a balcony away from snooping ears.
He tried to draw her close to him, but she pulled away.
"Suki-chan, I know I shouldn't have been so hasty earlier kissing you in the arena-"
"No you shouldn't have." Sakura cut him off. "Everyone saw Gaara. Everyone." She said sounding stressed and somewhat embarrassed. It's uncomfortable kissing in front of an audience, much less someone whose supposed to be your best friend.
"I'm sorry it happened that way" he said as he took hold of the edge of the balcony and leaned on it, while crossing his arms over his chest. "But I'm not sorry I kissed you." Sakura :gasped: and looked up at him meeting his eyes.
Gaara continued his speech before he lost his nerve.
"For a long time now you have been back and forth between Konoha and Suna. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you my feelings for you have just arisen." He said as he took in a deep breath of courage, closed his eyes and came out with his confession.
"Suki,… I have cherished you since the moment I met you" he said and slowly looked up to see her reaction.
Sakura was stunned! She looked back at him with wide speechless eyes. No words. She had no words to say to him.
"I should have told you sooner" he said Neji wouldn't have hurt you if I had just been with you.
Gaara hadn't noticed that he had closed his eyes, when suddenly he felt something touch his face.
Sakura had gently placed her palm against the side of Gaara's face and encouraged him to open his eyes.
" You have been there for me when I needed you most. :grin: All of my most important moments have you included." He said with a smile on his face as he gave her an adoring look. "Before you came along everyone used to hate me. They would run away in fear and call me a monster. I didn't have any friends. No one would touch me or come near me…except for Yashamaru. But I was alone. Till you came along. You were my light in all that darkness."
"Gaara" Sakura whispered.
"That's all I have to say" Gaara finished.
Sakura stayed silent for a moment, then wrapped her hand around his.
"Gaara…you're important to me too,…but…at this moment it's too chaotic for me to start a new relationship." She said as a frown started to settled on Gaara's features.
"To be honest I really don't know what to feel at this point. With…everything that has happened" she couldn't bring herself to bring up Neji's name, :ugh: what a pansy.
That was just too painful for her right now. Neji…god_ . Just thinking about him brought tears to her eyes.
" I really just" aw dammit she's still thinking about him. How humiliating. She's talking to Gaara while thinking about another guy. Great…just great. If Gaara only knew he would be utterly disgusted with her. "I need sometime alone."
Neji basically called her worthless. WORTHLESS… A painful throbbing started to rise from Sakura's stomach to her chest. She brought up her arms to her chest placing one flat palm on top of the other in an attempt to sooth it…No such luck. Neji was a big blow to her. She would need time to recuperate and get over him. Even though she didn't want to. It's so typical of her. A guy comes along and treats her badly and she doesn't want to let go of him. But he didn't always treat her that way.
.
While Sakura had been lost in her thoughts, Gaara had also been thinking about her words.
Oh… It had just clicked to Gaara that he was rushing Sakura. Of course she doesn't want to start a relationship right now. She just ended her first one and not in a good way. That Bstard.
"I understand" he said with an sympathetic look on his face "You've just been through something difficult. You need to heal. I'll wait for you and I'm here if you need me" he finished as he pushed back a strand of Sakura's hair and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
With those final parting word Gaara stood up and made his way for the door.
But before he could leave Sakura called out to him one more time.
"Gaara, I really don't deserve you" she said with sad eyes.
Gaara shook his head and replied "No Suki. It is I who does not deserve you
.
.
30 Days later...
One month has past and by now Sakura has found 'the Neji topic' to be more bearable.
Although if she's honest it was a bit more difficult seeing him in person again.
Right now, however she needed to focus on the big battle ahead of her and she's not talking about her match with Dosu.
She had trained hard along with everybody else. Over the years as Sakura had pretended to be 'Suki', her other techniques had become rusty. She had asked Itachi for training grounds that would be blocked off from everybody else. Of course he had complied and she was able to practice her advance jutsu again. While practicing her jutsus of old, something had begun to stir in Sakura once again.
Now the showdown was beginning.
Neji's match was first. Neji was explaining to Naruto about the Hyuga clan and what happened to his father. During his explanation he had momentarily paused and diverted his eyes for a moment to look at her. He was staring at her as if he wanted to tell her something, but couldn't. He had continued on to fight hard, but Naruto's fox had made an appearance, which was too much for Neji to handle. In the end Neji still lost and was taken away to recover.
Oh Neji...I miss you. Sakura mentally scolded herself and chased Neji from her thoughts.
Next up was Shikamaru, because Kankuro had forfeited his match making Shikamaru fight earlier than expected. He was reluctant at first, but eventually went down to fight after Naruto had pushed him off the stands. He used his skillful mind against Temari's deadly winds and turned out to be the seemingly champion. After finally trapping Temari with his shadow technique he gave up and quit the match. What a lazy bum.
Next up was Suki; who won her match just a few seconds after it started. It was an really an uneven match; Sakura had used a genjutsu technique which rendered Dosu helpless. You never stood a chance. Without a scratch on her she traveled back up to the stands to see the last match.
The last match between Gaara and Sasuke's began. Sasuke had showed up with Kakashi at the last minute. Yes, I said Kakashi; Sasuke had originally asked his brother first if he would help train him, but Itachi was busy as always and couldn't be there to train Sasuke. "Sorry Sasuke another time"
Gaara's match with Sasuke had begun. It was exactly the same as last time blow by blow, when finally Gaara retreated back into his little sand ball shield. Sasuke powered up chidori and rushed at Gaara at full speed. The whole time Sakura's anxiety was through the roof. Who to cheer for? She cares so much about both of them. Then with Sasuke's chidori he broke through Gaara's sand ball and started the battle between Sound and Konoha.
Kabuto started his genjutsu on the crowd, signaling the other forces to invade Konoha. A big smoke bomb goes off obscuring the Hokage and Orochimaru from view. Orochimaru took the Hokage captive as the Sound 4 created a barrier allowing them to fight without interruptions.
The sand siblings had told Sakura of what was to happen earlier and as friends they had pledged their loyalty to her. So Gaara would be fighting on their side.;)
Orochimaru wasn't fazed by this betrayal. He didn't really see Gaara as a threat.
Hm. It looks like the One tail Jinchuriki has decided to fight against me.:Smirk: No matter I'll dispose of him easily.
"So you're after Suki Uchiha and Konoha" Sarutobi said breaking Orochimaru out of his thoughts.
"You really believe that Konoha is that important?" Orochimaru said sounding amused.
"More importantly once Gaara had awaken you should have seen something interesting. But anyway…Your ignorance has driven Konoha to it's end. I win." Orochimaru proudly declared with a big smile on his face.
"You don't know the result until the very end. I believe I taught you that…Orochimaru" Sarutobi warned as Orochimaru ripped off his mask of disguise and showed his true self.
"I believed that a day like this would come…but" he didn't finish his sentence and changed the topic.
He settled for "You cannot take my head so easily" and burst into action.
Sakura also sprang into action helping Kakashi dispose of some Oto nin and then woke up the entire audience in one go.
Kakashi had never seen Sakura use so much chakra or any type of advance technique until the preliminary matches. He now knew that she was capable of so much more and was extremely thankful she was on their side.
Gaara had been training with his Shukaku for the past month and could now fully transform into him and have some control over it.
Gaara transformed and went off to face the three headed snake that had been summoned by Sound ninja. It was such a surprise to them because up until now they had believed the Shukaku would be on their side.
But that wasn't the biggest surprise of all…
The Hokage was fighting against Orochimaru throwing elemental attacks left and right. When Orochimaru pulled out his trump card and summoned the Shodai and Nindaime Hokages. Sarutobi was having a difficult time fending all three of them off when he decided to pull his trump card out.
Orochimaru had used the first hokage to created a great forest and trap Sarutobi within it when Sarutobi had summoned the Monkey King Enma! But that's not all who came to the Hokage's aid.
"Hello Orochimaru" Itachi said as he had crept up behind Orochimaru.
"Wha? How? The barrier is still up"
"Yes, it sealed everything inside preventing anyone from coming in. However a good friend of mine had already warned me that you would be making an appearance. So I waited for you." He said in his calm voice.
Itachi lashed out against Orochimaru as the Hokage and Monkey King Enma fought hard against the 1st and 2nd.
It was chaos. Every shinobi around was fighting another, giving it there all. Sakura had decided upon saving as many lives as she could and didn't hold back at all.
Orochimaru didn't want to accept it just yet, but this battle was already over. With Gaara betraying sound , Sakura also at Kage level if not beyond it, and now Itachi showing up on the battle field fighting for Konoha need I say more?
Sound and those few Sand nin who had helped them were brought down easily.
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The Konoha ninja gave a roar of VICTORY!
They were singing and cheering for their triumph. Now they just had to help those who had been injured and see what casualties happened.
.
The List of major Sound/Sand casualties are as followed:
Orochimaru: Status dead
Kabuto: Status dead
The sound four: Status dead
Several random Sand and Sound ninja: dead
.
For Konoha the casualties are as followed:
Many Konoha ninja were harmed, some severely
However there were no casualties…no wait
One casualty
The Ichiraku Ramen Bar has been murdered.
Naruto is devastated.
But Naruto intends to invest all his money and efforts to rebuild it.
He is even considering placing it as high as a priority as becoming Hokage
.
There was one more important injury against Konoha.
Orochimaru had been pushed to his limits and turned into his true white snake self. Although the Hokage and Itachi had defeated Orochimaru they were both severely poisoned by him.
When Sakura found out she rushed to the hospital to see if there was anything that she could do, but she was much too late to save Hiruken Sarutobi, third Hokage of Konoha.
Now I've got to focus on Itachi and see what I can do to help him.
"I'm sorry Ma'am but there is nothing you can do for him. We have no cure for Uchiha-san, only the great Tsunade could cure him at this point. There is no other medical ninja in existence that has that medical knowledge. I'm afraid all we can do is make him comfortable." The head doctor of Konoha hospital said in a sad voice.
Sakura's inner world was in turmoil, but the decision was simple. This is it. : sad smile: She knew this day would come eventually and accepted it. She just didn't know exactly how she was going to be found out. Her disguise had already start to become unraveled during the preliminary matches anyway. Might as well declare to the world what kind of bloody murderer she was by saving someone special to her.
"There is something I can do" Sakura said in a serious tone.
"What?" the doctor said confused as to what on earth this girl could do to save him.
Sakura walked up to Itachi and put her hands over his chest. "I'm going to miss you Itachi-san" she sadly whispered.
Then she used her medical ninjutsu to extrapolate all of the poison within Itachi's body.
:Gasp: How on earth! It's not possible! Only Tsunade can... no wait. Thought the head doctor. There was that one case about 6 years ago…! It couldn't BE!
The head doctor decided to remain quiet for now and allow Sakura to help them heal all their wounded, but eventually she was going to inform ANBU about her little discovery.
"Suki-san?" Itachi whispered as he started to regain conscious. "What happened?"
"Shh" Sakura told him in a soothing voice "It's alright, we've won. You rest now Itachi-san. You fought very bravely" and just like that Itachi went back to sleep. He had been so drained and exhausted.
l
Sakura continued on to helped heal all of the severe cases that day leaving only those that had minimal wounds left for the other medical ninja.
At night she went back to the Uchiha compound knowing it was going to be her last time there. It was so late that the others had already gone to sleep. Silently Sakura went to her room and began to pack only the necessities and looked around the compound one last time. I didn't think it was going to be this difficult. I'm so sad… I've thought of this family as my own and now…
She didn't want to leave, but had to.
It would be best to leave tonight; everyone was still preoccupied with the attack that they wouldn't notice her leave.
Sakura closed the front door to the compound and left. She aimlessly let her feet guide her to the main gate.
As Sakura soundlessly made her way out Konoha one shinobi did notice her abrupt departure and was waiting for her by the exit.
"Suki..."
l
l
l
Author's Note:
DunDunDun…I wonder who it could be waiting for her? Lol
But you guys probably already know.
So Sakura has left Konoha. I wonder where she's going to go now. Where do you guys want her to go?
I feel as though I sort of rushed things a bit, so I probably will be checking back to correct or add to the chapter.
Well I hope you guys enjoy it and as always please let me know what you think or if you have any ideas.
Sincerely ~Claja