A/N: I know, I know. But Shinzo is mine.
Life is more than smiles, laughter, and happily-ever-after's. Because we, the Shinobi, make sure it is so for the normal citizens.
It is fate that everyone haves there ups and downs. Even Shinobi, Shinobi have the most ups and downs.
We live in constant fear of dying; we go out fight for our lives and for the lives of those who trust us to protect them. We fight and sometimes we don't succeed.
But that is okay, because no one lives for ever. And we have to learn to expect that, even if we don't there is no turning back for us.
They made us believe that being a shinobi means to have honor, and respect above everything else our morals. They showed us Shinobi coming back from missions and being greeted by everyone with smiles; see how happy everyone is to see them.
And we fell like we want to become like them.
We are tools, weapons for the higher people to control us. We don't have a choice; we do as we are said to.
Or atleast that is what I thought before I met Uzumaki Naruto. Having met him, I realized that life wasn't meant to control us; we were meant to control life. We couldn't live our life taking whatever fate throws at us.
And then I met Haruno Sakura.
It was on a mission, a simple C-ranked. We all had to go, Sakura-san, Inuzuka Kiba, Akamaru Kiba-san's dog and ofcorse me.
The first time I had ever properly spoken to her was on that mission, before that I had only heard about her and only ever talked to her once and with only a brief 'Congratulations'.
Kiba-san and Akamaru had gone to find some fire wood, Sakura-san and I had already finished putting up our tents and I was sitting down staring up at the faint stars and watching the sunset.
And that was hen she joined me. She sat down beside me and said "What a beautiful sunset," She smiled and said as if she was talking to someone else, "Only Kami-sama can make something as beautiful as this."
"And the stars look beautiful too, I wish I could reach them, but even if I can't I think Naruto can and I'll do my best to help him, right Neji-san?" I didn't answer back then, but I couldn't help agree with her. If anyone if going to reach the stars, it would probably be Naruto.
And since then I have always looked at Sakura as someone important, I don't know what she did back there but I did care for her.
Maybe just maybe I could have been her friends. Kami-sama knows I wanted to.
My name is Hyuuga Neji and I am seventeen years old and I just lost one of my precious people, or atleast I thought I did.
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Ake Ame: Red Rain.
-By Dark Angel Heart.
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Chapter 2: Red Ribbons.
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15th March,
2: 38 pm,
Hokage Tower, Konohagakure
The Godaime hokage drummed her fingers onto the table in front of her. Her face was framed into a scowl and her eye-brows were knitted together.
Right in front of her stood the last survivor of the great Uchiha chan. He looked uncomfortable but the hokage was not making any move to make him comfortable.
She saw Hatake Kakashi sigh, and shift his gaze from his beloved book to herself and then to the Uchiha. Naruto was currently staring out side the window, looking bored.
The hokage brushed the bangs of her golden hair that had fallen onto her face. Her fingers brushed against the diamond on her forehead.
"Well, what do you want to do now, Uchiha?" she watched as Sasuke shifted in his seat and looked annoyed. He seemed to contemplate to himself about what to tell her, about how to answer her.
Good! She was making him nervous.
"I want to become a shinobi of Konoha again."
Tsudane scowled again, the scowl made her face look older than how it was suppose to look. Her hands automatically fisted into a small ball.
"After doing all this, you betrayed Konoha and now you come back and ask for forgiveness? But I am curious Uchiha have you destroyed your older brother yet?"
She saw the boy's hands fist up just like her, at the mention of his older brother's name. She watched his eyes turn into those of anger and hatred. How, someone could posses such vengeance to their own older sibling, amazed her.
"No, I haven't."
Tsudane sighed; the anger that last resided in her face was completely washed off. At least he was telling the truth. Staring at her, she made up her mind.
"One year of serving the Konoha citizens, no missions except D and E ranks but if you are lucky I might just send you on a mission. No training at all. You'll be constantly being looked after by ANBU."
Sasuke nodded, it was fair anyway, and he deserved it.
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27th September,
1: 34 pm,
Uchiha residence, Konohagakure
The apartment was cold and dusty. The wall and furniture was covered in dust and grime. It was so thick that it looked like you would get a coating of dust on your hands it you brush it against the furniture.
The apartment was known to him, since he had spent five years of his life here instead of the Uchiha manor. He looked at her surrounding and sighed.
How long had it been since he had come here? He didn't bother finding out the answer, but instead walked further into the apartment.
"Hey, Teme, it is kinda dusty in here."
"Hn".
He turned and looked at his blond friend and watched as the blond tried to dust the filth away from the dirty couch. He opened his mouth to ask something.
"Where is Sakura?"
Naruto looked startled and jumped up from the couch he was sitting on, previously. His mouth opened, as if he wanted to say something but then closed before the words could even come out.
"H…Huh, what do you mean Teme?"
"I said, 'Where is Sakura, dobe?' Isn't that easy to understand because, I do remember using easy words."
Naruto looked dazed for a second before regaining his consciousness. He turned away and started at the broken photo frame which was standing on the table.
"Does it matter to you, Teme?"
Sasuke chose not to answer; he was the one to question him first so why should he be the one to answer? His eyes narrowed and glared at the blond man.
"Answer the question, Dobe."
"I….I don't know how to answer, Teme. Not yet at least."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, that I don't know how to answer that question you asked. I…"
Sasuke waited, his patience was one of the things that helped him in battle, and sometimes with other matter like this one.
"I….I don't really know."
"… What do you-?"
"I don't know, goddammit fucking shit, I don't know!"
Sasuke was taken aback; he had never seen Naruto so angry before. He, definitely, had never seen him act like this before, when did Naruto start to curse?
"I deserve to know."
"You deserve to know, what the hell do you mean by 'You deserve to know' Huh? You got up and left for two years and now you come back and demand to know what happen to Sakura-chan. You know what? You don't deserve to know anything!"
"Not that I don't like the fact that you came back, hell, me and Sakura-chan practically dedicated half of our lives to bringing you back."
"But… but what I mean is that, well, you don't have to know anything and don't you dare give me the shit of telling me that you deserve to know."
"Do you even know what you put Sakura-chan through, huh? She gave you everything and you just threw all that away. Do you have any idea, that I would have done anything to be you back there?"
"It had been a really long time, I miss her."
"After you left her on that freaking bench, she locked herself in that room of hers and refused to come out, you know. It was almost like she was a living ghost or something."
"Kakashi-sensei and me would always try and make her come out and train with us or at least try and make her come out and hang out with us, but she would just smile and tell us she wasn't going to come. Or just plainly tell us to leave."
"After like a month or so, she turned back to her old self again, she came out did… did stuff with us, you know what I mean? But that doesn't mean that we forgot about you, we came to get you remember from Orochimaru's layout? And then you did that eye thing on us."
Naruto's voice had gone soft; he himself hadn't realized that he was telling everything to the person next to him. Opening his mouth again, he continued.
"And then, that happen."
"What happen, Naruto?"
"Those fucking man, I will never forgive him for what he did to her, for what he did to her family…… not in a million years. Do you know what he did to her; do you know what he did to her family?"
"I'll tell you. Sakura-chan and I were returning from a mission and well… her parents and I were pretty close. They treated me like their own son, so they had called me over for dinner."
"He…he killed her family when we had gone for a mission and when we came back Sakura and I went to her house you see her parents called me over for dinner and…. and there we saw her parents ripped into pieces there hands, legs, heads all of there body parts scattered all around and some people laughing, two men were kicking her mother's head and that's when everything happened Sakura went insane she starter trembling and shaking violently" he paused and let Sasuke take in everything.
He looked up and saw him shaking with anger his hands were clutched so hard that his knuckles were turning white and if he would tighten his gripe then his hand would have surely start bleeding, Naruto looking at Sasuke and smiled thinking 'he really loves her' his thoughts were interrupted when Sasuke asked him to continue
"She started changing her eyes started to change into a golden color" remembered her eyes and flinched at the memory.
"I remember her words she said 'I will never forgive for what you did and as for your punishment I shall end your life' and then she started to kill them I have never seen her like that and I don't even want to see her like that every again"
"She killed them slashing there heads with kunies tearing there hearts out. It was terrifying, really terrifying the way she moved was so unlike her. Her clothes were covered in blood" he closed his eyes trying to remove that memory from his head.
Sasuke blinking, trying to put everything Naruto had said into his head, "Naruto, you aren't kidding about all this, are you?"
"I'm not kidding Sasuke. I would never lie about a thing like this, would I?" Sure Naruto was a person who liked to do pranks and all that, but he would never lie about something like this. So Sasuke nodded and Naruto continued.
"And then the leader appeared he started to mock sakura and started to fight her they fought and fought."
"Why did you not interrupt huh? Why did you let her fight by herself?"
Naruto sadly smiled, "They were too fast for me to help Sasuke-Teme. Heck! I could not even see them the only time I saw them was when Sakura fell down breathing hard and, and the man said something like 'get stronger and defeat me. You cannot defeat me you are too weak' tch! He called her weak when she killed all of his comrades within a few seconds and he said 'Only you can defeat me so get stronger and come to me' that man smiled I mean not a normal smile but a evil smile and said 'You can't defeat me if you stay here leave konoha and train these people can not help you but I am surprised that you could activate your power so fast I must say you are something' and then he disappeared and then it started to rain"
Naruto sighed, trying to control his sadness; he wouldn't be surprised if he broke down right then and there, in front of Sasuke.
Sasuke sighed and lowered his head, trying to clear his thoughts, why wasn't he here when it all had happen? Sakura had needed him back there.
Then trying to lighten the moment he muttered, "I'm surprised you remember so much, Dobe"
"How can I not, you don't think I can forget about something like that can I? It's almost like it's carved into my memory."
"Where is she now?"
"I don't really know, Teme, after all that happen, Sakura left without telling us anything, I think she left after four days or something. Baa-chan things that she might have died, but that won't have happen, Sakura-chan is strong."
"We will find her, Naruto"
"You bet teme! Dattebayo"
"Naruto did you ask Tsudane about who killed Sakura's parents"
"Me and sakura-chan went to her to tell her about that" he looked like he was trying to remember all that had happened.
"Sakura-chan was really quite, infact she did not talk at all," Naruto looked at Sasuke, "I am not surprised though I knew that she would not say anything, I mean how could she after all that." Naruto said and then scratched his head and then he suddenly turned serious "I think Tsudane knows who that was you know the guy who killed her family."
Sasuke stared at him and then raised an eye brow, "How do you know that, Dobe?"
"The day Sakura's parents were… um… you know, we went and told Baa-chan and she looked startled and then looked scared and then said something." Naruto now looked deep in thought and looked like he was about to say something when he was interrupted.
"Excuse me, Uchiha-san, Uzumaki-san. Hokage-sama wants to meet you right now in the tower."
"Hai"
The man disappeared and then Sasuke looked at Naruto and said, "Hey, dobe, thanks for that."
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27th September,
2:07 pm,
Hokage tower, Konohagakure
Uchiha Sasuke opened the door to the room and entered with Naruto right behind him. Naruto closed the door behind him and looked around the room.
"Ah, I see you are finally here."
It seemed that they weren't the only people there, Yamanaka Ino, Hyuuga neji, Hyuuga Hinata, Konohagakure no Ami, Konohagakure no Tenten, Nara Shikamaru, were also present.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Uchiha Sasuke moved his eyes to Ami, who was now turning to him with a big smile on her face. Her smile widened with she saw him looking at her.
"Sasuke-kun, you're here."
Sasuke didn't answer, even with his usual 'Hn' and the looked at the Hokage, wondering what she had called him for. Maybe it was because she had a mission for them, but what kind of mission would need so many people?
"Ne, Obaa-chan why did you call us here?" Tsudane glared at Naruto, getting ready to shout at him and maybe hit him on his head with she did.
"Obaa-chan!" Tsudane grinned and the leaned back into her chair.
"Sakura-chan used to do the same thing to Naruto-kun." The atmosphere went rigidly sad, even Hinata felt sad after she said those words.
"Sakura? You mean that pink haired girl who used to be one of Sasuke-kun's fans, and then she suddenly disappeared, didn't she?"
"How do you know of that?"
"Well, I do listen to the gossip around here, besides you don't need her right? You have me", Ami smiled not knowing what she had said had made everyone officially hate her.
"You can never replace Sakura-chan!"
Ami looked taken aback by Naruto's out burst and then hesitantly looked around the room at everyone, only to meet with their glares.
"Uh…"
"Yeah, how dare-"
"That's enough, you have a mission. You all have no time to sit around her arguing about anything."
"Uh, Hai!"
"Okay, now your mission is to act as ANBU members and give back a forbidden scroll to Sunagakure. It is a very important scroll and many people will want to get their hands on them. It is very important that you don't let them, do you understand?"
"Obaa-chan, why are you so worried? You know we are the best." Naruto grinned and then pushed him hands up into his blond hair.
"Yeah"
"Fine, now Shikamaru is going to be the captain for this mission. You shall leave immediately, go pack your back and get out of my office."
She gave the scroll to Shikamaru and then leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, not watching them leave. She so needed some sake right now, her head was hurting.
Little did she know what was going to happen soon?
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27th September,
2: 41 pm,
Near the Northern dessert of Sunagakure
Konohagakure no Uchiha Sasuke saw from the corner as Ami approached him, and groaned mentally and resisted the urge to move faster.
"Uno, Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke blinked her voice was serious so there much be something important.
"What do you, Ami?"
"I can sense eight powerful chakras up ahead."
"Hn," Sasuke smirked, it had been a long time since he had a serious fight with anyone, not including Naruto ofcorse.
Once they reached the small clearing, they noticed who they were. And tired not to be intimidated by them. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.
The Akatsuki.
Sasuke growled they probably are here for Naruto; there is a new member there, wonder who she is. I don't think Itachi is here because I can't sense his chakra signal.
"Took you long enough."
All of the Konoha Nin moved their eyes towards the person who had just spoken, her blue hair could be seen and she had a small smirk on her face.
Amegakure no Konan.
"So, tell us who the new member is?"
"Where is Itachi?"
Deidara grinned wickedly, "Hold on now, Itachi isn't here right now, so you will have to deal with us." Fake sadness was evident in his eyes, his grinning didn't stop.
"So let atleast us enjoy killing you," Kisame muttered with a grin that could rival Deidara's. Kisame shifted, moving hit large sword and liked his lips in anticipation.
"You still haven't answered our question." Tenten stated. Neji turned his head towards the new Akatsuki and muttered, "Who might you be?"
"Who I am does not concern the likes of you." The girl shifted and leaned back against the tree she was sitting close to.
Hidan grinned, "I think the only fucking thing that fucking concerns you in your own fucking safety."
"Yes, and they I think I am going to collect the bounty on your heads", Kakuzu just stayed still after that, not moving. They couldn't see his face properly because of his cloak.
"Tobi wants to know who that is. Tobi never seen her before", Tobi jumped and then pushed his hands behind his back.
"My name is Ami. And I am the new recruit instead of that pink haired girl", Ami said with pride evident on her face, she grinned and moved hoping to remove the mask on her face. It was getting hot in there and this time it wasn't because of Sasuke.
All of the Konoha Nins glared at her; besides there masks were for them to keep their identities secret.
"No wonder, I though that you were in a different quadrant. And what is this about replacing that pink haired girl?" Zetsu said, and the proceeded to keep it in his memory.
"I was, not I am here to replace that girl. I am so much better than her. I won't be surprised if you don't know her, besides she was so weak," Ami grinned, "I can defeat her with my eyes closed."
"Weak huh?" The girl, whose identity was hidden, got up from her place and stood silently, "I'll handle that one." Her voice seemed familiar but none of them dwelled on it for long.
Konan grinned, "So can we get that scroll now? No on second though I want to kill you all before I get my hands on it."
The Akatsuki member all disappeared.
Within seconds, Ami was sent flying through the trees and the new Akatsuki member was standing between all of them, with one hand holding her straw hat so that her identity could not be reveled.
I'll fight her.
Naruto charged towards but was stopped by Konan, "I am going to be your opponent, so don't bother with her."
The battle started without anyone knowing who the new member was.
Neji activated his blood line and then stood with his back to Hinata who had also already activated her Byakugan. The puppet master and the artist, stood before them, grinning.
Sasuke activated his Sharingan too, and then got into a fighting position getting ready to fight Kisame. Ino removed her katana from her sheath and faced Zetsu. Tenten sent a swirl of kunai's towards Hidan. Shikamaru braced himself for the in coming attack of Kakuzu.
Ami received another terrifying punch from her opponent.
It had all started.
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27th September,
2: 42 pm,
Konohagakure
Hatake Kakashi stood in front of the desk with move had a photo frame of his former students and sighed. He gently picked it up before him and examined it.
It seemed to be such a long time ago, back then when they had took the picture, everything was alright. No one knew what was going to happen to Team 7.
Back then, they all had smiles on their faces, even if Sasuke didn't but he knew that Sasuke was happy to be there.
Back then he had promised himself that he wouldn't let anything happen to them. He had already failed once; he wasn't going to let it happen again.
Back then, Sasuke was still a boy who wanted revenge and had a horrible past which he might just never forget, Naruto was a small boy with really big dreams and wanted to become Hokage, Sakura was just a girl who didn't have anything special about her and chased after her hopeless love dream about a boy.
Back then she didn't notice that Kakashi didn't pay attention to her.
Back then, Kakashi was a man who was late for everything because he was still trying to get over the death of his friends and couldn't even hate his own team because they were just too good.
Back then, Kakashi wanted to believe that everything was going to go well.
Kakashi ran a finger over the glass of the frame, looking at Naruto and Sasuke's scowls and Sakura's happy face. It was taken before the Chunnin exams.
But then in the Chunnin exams everything just went wrong, Orochimaru came: Bit Sasuke and gave him the cursed seal. Naruto battle his first fight in which Kakashi wasn't there to come along and save him. And Sakura broke inside.
And then, after some time, Sasuke decided to leave. Sakura became miserable and then finally Naruto left to train, and when he came back everything was suppose to become okay.
But then, Sakura's parents were slaughtered and killed and she disappeared too. And none of them found her later, she had just gone. Without a single trace, it was almost like she had vanished into thin air. There were no traces of her anywhere.
Now that he thought about it, Kakashi glared at the frame and rolled hit other hand into a tight fist.
If only he had cared more, if only he had taught them more, if only he had more time, if only he had paid more attention to Sakura, then maybe just maybe they all would have still been together.
Now he hated the fact how he had treated her, like she didn't mean much to him at all, but back then she didn't seem to care about anything expect her beloved Sasuke-kun.
Kakashi sighed, he knew it wasn't going to be a help if he just sat here doing nothing and just reminiscing about the past.
He sighed again, and gripped the photo frame closer to himself and looked out of the window. He had a bad felling about something.
The last time he had a bad feeling was when his best friends had died.
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27th September,
2: 56 pm,
Northern Dessert of Sunagakure.
The Akatsuki member stepped back, and the Konoha Nins moved behind Sasuke trying to regain their breathe.
"Had enough?" the Akatsuki member seemed not to have even broken a sweat, well not only her but everyone else, too.
"Never", Naruto glared at her before regaining his posture and then standing straight.
"Oh, I am not talking to you; I was talking to Ami-san over there." All of them turned to see Ami on the ground struggling to stand up or atleast sit up properly. She had many scratches and bruises on her body and it also seemed like she had a broken leg.
"Who… who ah! Are you?" she managed to say.
"Now what was that you said about that girl being weak, she is surely much stronger than the likes of you." Konan grinned and turned muttered something to the girl beside her.
"How do you know about her?" Sasuke managed to maintain an unreadable posture.
"Oh, we know about everyone and we also know where everyone is," Konan leaned forward trying not to laugh at the looks on their faces.
"If you do know about her, then you will tell us," Naruto glared at him and then gripped his kunai harder just to make sure he doesn't lose his composer.
"Tobi think all of you are blind."
"Blind, how is that?"
"Because you cannot see what is right in front of your eyes," Ami glared and opened her mother and shouted, "Who the hell are you?" Everyone seemed to have forgotten her.
"Ne, don't you think you should tell them?"
The akatsuki member nodded and then proceeded to remove her hat, and then everything seemed to go in an extremely slow motion. Her long hair blew gracefully in the soft breeze that was move brushing against them.
"Sakura-chan", Naruto was the first one to act, first one to regain his composure. All the others were just staring at her like they had seen a ghost.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto moved getting ready to grab her and take her away from all this, but then he was stopped by a bunch of kunai's aimed at him. He moved back and started at her.
'Sakura would never join Akatsuki'
"Don't come near me." Disgust was evident in her voice as well as her face, "Now give us the scroll and maybe you will die a not painful death."
"I don't know what this is but we are not going to give you the scroll," Tenten tried to stop herself from shaking her head.
"Sakura, is that really you?" Sasuke blinked.
"Yes, so I see you have returned."
"Sakura-chan is can't be you, you would never go such a thing." Naruto shook his head; he wasn't going to believe such a thing.
"Oh, it is me Naruto."
"Come back with us, Sakura," Tenten whispered and closed her eyes, and a smile came on her face. She tried to stop herself from grinning.
"No, I won't," Tenten looked shocked and then she opened her eyes only to receive a glare from her used to be best friend. Sakura looked like she was losing her patience.
Kisame glared and then seemed to be getting irritated by the long wait and the rest looked like they were losing there patience too.
"Give us the damn scroll."
"No way in hell"
"Oh! Trust me; you will be going to hell after we are finished with you."
Naruto blinked, not daring to remove his eyes from Sakura's small and petite frame which was covered with the Akatsuki cloak. He was afraid that if he does, then Sakura might just disappear again.
"Sakura-chan? But how can it be you? You would never in a million years join Akatsuki!" Naruto shook his head, not willing himself to believe that the real Haruno Sakura was standing in front of him.
"Well then, I guess you don't really know me so well, Naruto."
"Sakura? Forehead?" Ino asked, "It is you, I know it. We waited for you for so long and even the ANBU couldn't find you. Where were you? We were so worried. And then Sasuke-kun came back but you weren't there to greet him, were you? So come back with us, Sakura."
"Does it matter if she comes back of not?" Sasori asked, opening his mouth for the first time, "You have already replaced her, haven't you?"
"If you really think that we would ever replace Sakura-chan, then you are dead wrong." Naruto glared at all of them, but still not moving even though he wanted to take sakura and run away from here.
"That is what the girl had said, hadn't she? She said that she was Sakura's replacement."
Ami glared and then ran towards Sakura aiming a punch to her face. But even before she could reach her face, Sakura tilted her face towards one side and then pushed a punch into Ami's stomach.
Ami coughed and tried to do an uppercut, but Sakura moved, making Ami fall forward, and lightly hit her on the back. The sounds of cracking bones could be heard.
Ami let out a piercing scream as she clenched the ground desperately trying to stop the pain in her back. Sasuke moved towards them and aimed a punch at Sakura's face, he hit his target making Sakura move away.
Sasuke gathered Ami into his arms and just as he was about to make a move to get up, a kunai pushed against his neck.
"Now put her down, un" Deidara said and then narrowed his eyes as Sasuke didn't obey but didn't move either. Deidara pressed the kunai closer into Sasuke's skin making a long dash of blood flow down.
"Now if you don't listen, both you and the girl die, un." Sasuke placed Ami on the ground and then stood up, "Good, not give us the scro-" but he couldn't finish his sentence because Sasuke had already delivered a terrifying blow to Deidara's torso.
But Deidara disappeared into a puff of smoke.
Hinata and Ino rushed to Ami's aid, "Two broken bones, we can still heal her"
Neji walked towards Sasuke, "Why do you even think that I'll let you have all the fun?"
Naruto grinned.
Sasuke muttered under his breath, "Believe me this ain't fun."
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27th September,
2: 58 pm,
Kazekage Tower, Sunagakure
"What is going on?"
The Sunagakure Shinobi turned towards the source of the voice and what meant their sight made their eyes widen.
"Kazekage-sama"
Gaara blinked, and moved forward and Kankuro grinned, "There people are saying that there are reports of fighting going on the outskirts of the Northern Dessert. Should we do something about it?"
Gaara stared at the men in front of him, all of whom were lowering their heads, "Between who and who is the battle going on and how does it concern us?"
"It doesn't concern us, Kazekage-sama but there are powerful blasts coming and we are yet to know of who are fighting."
"Then find out," Gaara's expression didn't change.
"We can't Kazekage-sama, there is a powerful sand storm and our special team isn't prepared to move!" the man squirmed uneasily under the glare of his Kage.
"Are you telling me that-", he was interrupted by a man who entered the door, not expecting the Kazekage there. He straightened up and bowed.
"Kazekage-sama there is a Konohagakure Nin wanting to meet you… urgently"
"Bring him in"
"Hai!" the man left to call the Nin in and Gaara turned asking Kankuro to follow him, and then entered his office and sat down on his chair. Kankuro stood boringly next to him.
After a few minutes, a man entered his face covered with an ANBU mask but his brown hair could be seen easily and he bowed lightly in front of Gaara.
"Kazekage-sama, I give you my respect." Gaara nodded and the man continued, "I have come with urgent news."
"And that would be…" Kankuro leaned in forward and folded his arms as he listening to what the man had to say. He wasn't surprised by the ANBU member not mentioning his name, it was a rule anyway.
"Continue" Gaara shifted himself forward and put his hands on his desk which still has a lot of paperwork. He didn't think he was going to finish it soon.
The man then said only one word and Gaara understood everything, "Akatsuki"
Gaara's eyes narrowed and Kankuro set her arms by his sides, his eyes narrowing too, "So that was all the explosion, it was by them"
Gaara ignored his brother, "Does your Hakage know?"
"No, she doesn't. I was on a mission near here and saw them, I wasn't match for them on my own and it would be too late by the time I reach Konoha and tell Hakage-sama, so I came here, hoping that you would do something about it."
"Have you any idea on who they are fighting?"
"No I haven't, but I was hoping you would." The man raised his head and eyes stared into Gaara's eyes with determination.
"We don't have any one going on missions today."
"I see"
"But, we were supposed to receive a forbidden scroll from Konoha, and the shinobi coming were supposed to come from the same direction."
The man's eyes narrowed and he moved from his place, "I shall report to Tsudane-sama but…" He trailed off and then shifted his gaze towards the ground, thinking about what to do now.
"We shall help but there is a sand storm in the Northern Dessert. It will hold us up" the man smiled and bowed.
"Thank you for you cooperation, Kazekage-sama. I hope I can reach Konoha in time. Shall I leave thing in your hands?"
Gaara nodded and looked towards Kankuro, not watching as the ANBU left his office, "Make sure the special teams are ready and sent in time."
"Yeah…"
The man smiled as he left the room, they had fallen for it.
…
…
…
…
27th September,
2: 59 pm,
Northern dessert of Sunagakure
"I'll bring you back, Sakura-chan. Even if I have to go though a hundred Akatsuki members to get you," Naruto closed his hands tightly.
"Well, then I am afraid that there are only ten of eight of us here and you can't even seem to get through us. And I don't even think you little friend wants to come back."
"Sakura, why are you doing this? I don't want to fight you."
"Don't want to fight a weak and annoying girl, Uchiha-san? And I have my reasons for doing this."
"But Sakura-chan it isn't the same without you, so please come back," Naruto's baby blue eyes plead with her own.
"Come back, Sakura"
"Does it matter if I come back, Uchiha? All I ever was, was a stupid fangirl to you, wasn't I? And what does it matter, you don't even care-"
"Like hell I want you back Sakura. And you meant so much more than a 'stupid fangirl' as you put it. And how would you even know if I cared huh? Everyone deserves a second chance."
"I gave you-"
"No, you didn't," he was talking over her now, "You left even before you could give me a second chance! You left even before I came back; you weren't there for the first time. Do you even have any idea how that felt like?"
"Shut up-"
"I won't. You have got to hear me out this time, Sakura. Couldn't you fucking see what you meant to me?"
Sakura opened her mouth to shout at him and Sasuke took a beep breath. It was now or never huh?
"Couldn't you fucking see that I was in love with you, too? I always was because you cared, damnit, you fucking cared. No one ever cared for me before you guys came. I fucking loved you!"
He didn't even seem to want to take back what he said.
A/N: There finally done. How was it? Better than the last one? That rhymes. The Gaara thing was for my friend Awesome-chan.
I would like to thank all of the people who kept by me,
LALA Thank you, I mean how can you review all the chapters, how awesome can you get?
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Review? I'll write faster!