DISCLAIMER: This story is solely written for fanservicing. All known characters and plot lines belong to Masashi Kishimoto and the publishers of the Naruto series. I am merely a fan who wishes to write her alternate story to the Naruto manga. The title "In The Name of Life" is taken from Joe Hisaishi's soundtrack of the film 'Spirited Away', by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. This fanfic is not intended for lucrative purposes.
In The Name of Life
Chapter V
"Grow up... Death comes with being a shinobi... There are times when death is hard to accept, but if you don't get over it, there's no future..." Tsunade
Tsunade arrived in the Medical Division right after hearing the news. This war was already taking too many lives; one third of their soldiers were either dead or injured. The Medical Division was flooded with patients, and medic nins ran from one tent to another, trying to heal as many shinobi as possible.
He never thought that peace was going to return to him. The most interesting part is that it came personified as her. Her warm smile, her warm, hopeful soul.
His mind was finally at peace; however, his heart... his heart was still missing something. She was still far from him. There was a time when she would have followed his footsteps. But now, now she finally forgot his image. She finally found someone worthy of her constant watch.
And it hurt his heart like a thousand birds, one after the other, tearing apart every bit of his being.
Sasuke never thought that he was going to suffer because of Sakura. After everything, the only thing he wanted was for her to walk beside him, to reach out her hand, feel her presence.
But seeing her, enjoying the fire with that shinobi from Kumo, only made his heart shrink in anger. A heat of wave took over his chest as his blood started travelling faster around his body. His brow was sulking, his face was tensing.
That was jealousy. He hadn't felt jealous since... since he noticed how strong Naruto had become when they were gennin.
The guy beside her suddenly tensed up, and Sasuke could see Sakura's expression changing into one of fear. They knew someone –he— was watching them. Sakura gave a small nod with her head as the guy was giving her instructions. Sasuke could not hear what they were saying, but in less than a second he watched as they quickly took off. Too bad for them, he was faster.
Securing his katana, he followed their steps. He kept a long distance so that they would not notice him physically, but as his step quickened, he found Sakura standing on top of a brand without moving.
'What in the world do you think you are doing!?' She yelled with an irritated voice. Sasuke would have never imagined such a tone to match with her usually annoying attitude.
He remained quiet, one tree branch away from her, and watched her breathing become louder and louder as anger took over her face. He had barely seen her angry before.
Her voice increased in volume, 'I said, what do you think you are doing, Sasuke!?' She quickly took a senbon out of her belt and threw it at him.
Of course, he dodged it.
'Kabuto and Madara will not let you travel that far.'
He found it strange how he was acting as his ancestor's guard.
Sakura's nose wrinkled at his statement. He was not going to answer her question. He did not even have an answer.
'Why would you even care about us? It's not like you want me to come back so—'
'Like I said, they will not let you escape.'
She turned around and jumped on the next tree branch, running away from him. Always so annoying...
Without hesitation, Sasuke followed her steps until he caught up to his old teammate. He aggressively grabbed Sakura's arm and yanked it to stop her from moving any further. His other hand was about to grab her neck as a threat, but he held it back remembering the last time he committed that action.
'Let-me-go.'
He couldn't.
'If you leave, then Itachi will not be around that much longer.' That was true. He still needed to talk to his brother, but Madara and Kabuto were keeping him away from his brother and the other resurrected. It was making him take desperate measures such as this one.
'Sasuke, you can't talk to him. Itachi is dead. You killed him—'
'You've spoken to him, haven't you?' His grip on her arm tightened as anger resurfaced.
'He's dead, Sasuke. Move on! Leave him with the dead and move on with your life, goddammit! He will be controlled by Kabuto, why would he want to talk to you?'
She yanked her arm from his hold with unimaginable strength. Her eyes gave him a defiant look, but she did not move from her spot. 'His resurrection is for the purpose of killing my comrades and your old friends.'
Huh, he had no friends. His world revolved around the new purpose of destroying the village that took away every precious person he had. The thought of letting Sakura go now just like he lost his family and Itachi would haunt his mind until he died. He could not lose her. She had become too important to him. It was contradicting, really. She was his source of peace, yet the only messenger who could lead him back to his suffering.
'Itachi needs to answer me.'
'Dammit, Sasuke, he will not!'
She pushed him out of her way. Sasuke felt his feet leaving the ground as he was pushed out of the tree branch. However, he quickly recovered and before he hit the ground, he sped up and came back to Sakura's side as she was about to take off again.
This time, Sasuke decided to grab her two arms and twisted them behind her back. She grimaced in pain but did not try to fight back. He knew she was not using her full potential; it was obvious. Knowing that she will not escape a second time, Sasuke loosened his grip.
Sakura turned around and looked directly at his eyes. 'Please, Sasuke-kun, let us go.'
Everything spiralled in front of him. They were no longer in the middle of a forest, but back at his old house in Konoha. It was the same scene as before. Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi knelt down side by side, while Itachi stood behind them. He slashed the members of Team 7 into pieces, letting their blood create a large pool in front of Sasuke's eyes.
'No, stop! They're innocent!' his seven year old voice screamed. He ran, he ran as fast as his short legs let him. But it seemed that Itachi and Team 7 were too moving farther away from him with every step he took.
'You can't kill them, please!' Tears were rolling down his eyes. Crimson red tears.
tap!
Two fingers connected with his forehead, and suddenly the scenery took another turn. Itachi's last smile before his heart stopped beating appeared in front of Sasuke.
'I'm sorry, Sasuke, this is the last time.'
And everything enveloped in darkness.
Sasuke woke up with a swallowed breath.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The bandages were still around his eyes, but judging by the atmosphere that his other senses picked up, he realized he was in his room. Those dreams kept coming. They confused him to no end. The feelings, the reality of it. This dream made no sense in his head; it was probably a scare result from his encounter with Sakura. He really needed to get his information together. The lengthy process of his eyes' recovery was making him an inpatient person. He couldn't afford to sit in the shadows for much longer. The flames of darkness needed to consume him, but his eyes weren't ready to use Amaterasu yet.
That dream haunted him for the rest of the night. He hoped that the following night would not bring another dream.
The Division was set up in the Land of Lightning, near the First Division. It was found in a small valley surrounded by the characteristic mountains of the country. There were several tents set up, with shinobi waiting outside for their turn. The sounds of suffering and agonizing soldiers filled in the air in the small valley, causing every medic nin to become ten times more impatient.
She had taken care of organizing the Division's tents based on the level of injury. The number assigned on the tent reflected the severity dealt inside; 1 meant minor injuries, and 10 meant being on the brink of death. Obviously, tent number 10 was packed with screaming, agonized shinobi. They had to improvise with a new arrangement, where tent number 9 lent half of its space for the healing of those found in tent 10. Medic nins ran in and out of every tent. The ones who noticed her arrival bowed shortly before continuing with their duties. Although she was familiar with the faces of her own team of medical ninjas, Tsunade did not want to think of the other villages' medic nin as having different capabilities. When she had organized the team members in every tent, she made sure that each team was composed of shinobi from different villages. It was all based on talents and specialties, not on one's particular affiliation.
Due to her years of fighting in wars, she already knew what was necessary in order to have an efficient team of medics. However, Tsunade's experience came from organizing the Konoha medics, not medics who allied themselves to other villages. Of course, the agreement of forming a Shinobi Alliance reflected how much things had changed since Third Shinobi world War. She was proud to be part of the change; it allowed the future generation to build on stronger ties. The idea of a unified shinobi world was not the aim of the Shinobi Alliance; Tsunade believed that separate villages were necessary in order to avoid authoritarianism.
She knew politics just as well as she knew the human body. Growing up with as the First Hokage's granddaughter and the Third Hokage's student, Tsunade had been surrounded by the political affairs between Konoha and the other villages since she was a babe. Unfortunately, she never got to have her own biological heirs; hence, her knowledge of human life would never pass down alongside her genes. However, she did have two ideological heiresses: Shizune and Sakura. Shizune had come many years before Sakura, so her mind collected a wider knowledge. Nonetheless, Tsunade was aware that her youngest apprentice caught up with politics just as quickly as she learned medical jutsu.
Haruno Sakura was truly a smart and well-rounded student.
That was why her heart ached so much when she found out that her young apprentice had been kidnapped. Shizune gave her the news when she first arrived at the Medical Division. Tsunade told herself that her right hand woman was lying; that they would find Sakura if they searched every corner of every tent. The shock that came with the news of Sakura's abduction still lingered on in her mind as she walked around the Division.
"We do not know where they might have taken her, Tsunade-sama," Shizune had said. Her expression was just as worried as the Hokage's.
After all, if her two apprentices were like daughters to Tsunade, then Shizune was like Sakura's older sister. They were a trio made of women, for women, by women. Tsunade only wished to know where her youngest apprentice might have been taken. It was obvious that Madara was behind her capture; he was their number one enemy. But what for? Sakura was one of her best medics and knew the ins and outs of Tsunade's political life. Was it possible that Madara might have captured Sakura to extract information? Not to mention that her closeness with Naruto was hard to ignore; the girl held a strong bond with the Uzumaki boy.
The thought of her student being tortured with the Mangekyou Sharingan frightened her; she still remembered Uchiha Sasuke's state after his experience with Itachi's Sharingan. And Madara was definitely stronger than his descendants.
If she had been an apathetic and merciless leader, Tsunade could just block out all of her emotions in relation to Sakura. However, her natural self prevented her from feeling any sort of numbness when it came to her students.
Tsunade knew how much Sakura meant to so many people, especially her team. What she was about to encounter was probably going to break the link that kept the Shinobi Alliance strong.
As she entered the tent where Hyūga Neji lay, with Shizune taking care of his wounds, she analyzed the faces found in the room. There was one kunoichi from Iwagakure and one from Kumogakure, along with Neji's cousin Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba. Finally, she analyzed Uzumaki Naruto's worried expression and wondered if it was the right time to break the news. Before she could open her lips, Naruto noticed her standing in the entrance of Neji's tent.
"Baa-chan, it was a good idea letting me in the battlefield! The First Division was able to stop Zetu's clones' attacks once I came to help them, and my clones helped the Divisions before I got too tired," he informed her excitedly.
Naruto, albeit his worried expression, still demonstrated the pride he took in his work. After all that training, he was finally able to put to use everything he learned with Killer Bee. He was such a strong shinobi, stronger than she, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had been at his age. Naruto was the link that kept the Shinobi Alliance tied together. He had proven to care about others, regardless of their village of origin. He showed elder, more experienced shinobi, that common goals had no boundaries.
Naruto was the symbolof the Shinobi Alliance.
And she hated herself for bearing the news that would break him apart.
When Naruto finally noticed that Tsunade was not speaking, he decided to walk towards her in slow steps. He was trying to figure out her facial expression, but she could not guess what type of message her body language was conveying. She tilted her head towards the outside of the tent, ordering him to follow her to a more private space.
Maybe he'd already noticed that his best friend was missing. The Sage Mode enhanced his tracking abilities; however, Naruto's eyes were not surrounded by the signature orange highlights. Nonetheless, tracking a chakra as familiar as Sakura's would not have been hard for him. But had he realized that she was absent, he would not be waiting in the Medical Division for Neji to recover.
Once they were out of hearing reach from the camp, Tsunade spoke, "Naruto, Sakura has been kidnapped."
Her voice was calmer than she expected. It was as if she was trying to comfort herself more than to announce the news to Naruto.
The boy's eyes became opaque. It seemed like he was analyzing every word she had said, trying to understand what she meant. All the pride that was found in his demeanour quickly disappeared and the worry that was superficially found in his face became engraved in his aura. Tsunade could feel the sudden shift in his chakra flow; now it resembled the one of a wounded, depressed person. She could relate to him. Sakura was also important to her. She wanted to stretch out her arms and comfort Naruto, but the current state of the war did not allow her to show much compassion for the loss of a shinobi.
After all, people disappeared and died in every war.
"We have not found a clue of her whereabouts, but it is believed that Madara has kidnapped her," she continued, but could not speak for much longer.
Naruto almost lost his balance, and was rocking back and forth, looking dazed. He held on to the nearest tent, trying to decipher what he had just been told. Tsunade had never seen him so desperate, so fragile. Not even when Jiraiya died. Currently, Naruto was breathing hard, his hands were shaking, his knees were slightly bent. He looked as if someone had just stabbed him in the stomach. However, Tsunade knew that the news was far worse for him than any type of physical injury.
"Wh-what are you talking about, Baa-chan?" he asked, still not fully understanding, "Sakura... she should be out there fighting if she's not here healing the wounded. She would not get kidnapped, that's a stupid idea!" He chuckled softly, lying to himself.
Tsunade had to close her eyes, take a deep breath, and open them again. She could not take the role of a comforting friend right now; the war demanded her head to keep her emotions number than usual. However, she could not avoid feeling the pain that Naruto was feeling. The boy was only sixteen, and he had already lost his two teammates to an enemy. It proved how sacrificing the life of a shinobi was; one could not count on the same friends from the early years to the last ones.
She remembered her own account with her gennin team; her, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. They'd been one of the best teams Konoha had seen since its inception, but in the end they still broke apart. Jiraiya had been killed by his former students; Orochimaru had been absorbed by his last apprentice; and Tsunade was now facing the war that stemmed from the consequences of their actions. As the last survivor of her team, she had to take responsibility of what her former friends did. Yes, it made her stronger, but the emotional burden was almost unbearable.
And now, Naruto had to experience what she experienced many years ago. The end of his hopes of having a reunited Team 7. The end of his childhood.
Shinobi did not experience adolescence; they were trained as children and became adults as they realised saving one's life meant killing another's.
Tsunade wished she could tell Naruto how sorry she was. She truly was; the attempt of keeping her close confidante and the Jinchūriki's best friend safe had never been considered. Madara just showed that he knew what strategy to take in order to make Naruto vulnerable.
In that moment, she did not only fear for Sakura's life, but also for Naruto's. He was most likely going to run away in order to find his best friend. He would also find the Uchiha boy, who had caused her so much trouble and paperwork. Yes, Naruto was not going to stay in the sidelines while the enemy possessed the ones he loved. The kid was going to run straight into Madara's trap, as it was obvious that Sakura was being used as a bait to bring Naruto closer to him.
This was not good, she thought. An emotionally unstable Naruto could weaken the Shinobi Alliance. She considered the steps that had to be taken as a Konoha diplomat; hence, not many could know about Sakura's disappearance. Her apprentice's abduction could lead to a disobeying Naruto. In consequence, a disobeying Naruto could lead to the lack of a strong symbol for the Alliance. The lack of a strong symbol could resurface hostility among the villages.
She had to take political measures in order to keep the villages' bond intact.
Nonetheless, Tsunade's heart had to feel the hurt that came with losing one of her very best kunoichi when she noticed that Naruto was on his knees. He was softly weeping, and she realized that the boy was on the verge of breaking apart. At the same time, she was surprised at his ability to keep the Kyūbi's chakra away from his emotional vulnerability; usually, when a Jinchūriki was an emotional wreck, the beast tended to take advantage of the situation.
Naruto was getting stronger by the second, but Sakura's disappearance halted any further development of his power as a shinobi. Hence, she decided to take on her role as a friend, and knelt down beside the sixteen year old.
"We will get her back, I promise," she said. However, the words did not even sound completely honest.
She touched his shoulder, trying to comfort Naruto, but he quickly stood up and sprinted away from her. She saw him enter the tent where Hyūga Neji was being treated before starting to scream at the top of his lungs. Tsunade could feel his anger as she was slowly starting to tremble due to all the emotions held inside. She wanted to scream as loud as he did, to tear a mountain apart with her fist like she had taught Sakura. A lump in her throat appeared at feeling guilty of breaking the news to Naruto. It was not her fault, she told herself, but she felt responsible for not keeping an eye on those who Naruto loved.
It was his turn to experience the loss of his loved ones. Jiraiya was already gone, now it was Sakura's turn. There were slim chances of seeing her apprentice ever again.
Naruto's screams had delayed the medics' duties, many tried to help Inuzuka Kiba hold him down. He had trapped Naruto in his arms while the kunoichi from Kumo punched him in the stomach to shock him. Tsunade witnessed how Naruto had to swallow his scream as three more medic nins helped Kiba with the task of holding him down. They were able to lay Naruto on the ground, each shinobi holding one of his limbs. His facial expression was one of shock. He was breathing heavily.
She approached the group as Hinata and Shizune exited Neji's tent. The Hyūga girl was frightened, whereas her assistant was already holding a syringe in her hands. Knowing its contents, Tsunade gestured Shizune so that she could hold the syringe and once again knelt down beside Naruto. This time, however, he was looking at her with intense red eyes. Those were the eyes of the Kyūbi.
"I promise," she repeated quietly.
Before Naruto could start releasing the Kyūbi's chakra, she injected the sedative in his right thigh and he instantly calmed down. His face relaxed as his eyes closed. It was fortunate that they were in the Medical Division; it meant that they could have constant control of his physical and psychological state. She would have never imagined that Naruto would react like he did. The bond he shared with his team was stronger than she thought.
"Take him inside Hyūga's tent. I will send two jonins to watch over him."
Kiba lifted Naruto off the ground and took him inside, with the Kumo kunoichi behind him. Despite her brief emotional display, Tsunade had to return to her serious composure. After all, she was still the Hokage and a leader of the Alliance. Her main responsibility was to protect the Jinchūrikis and to keep everything under control.
"You shall not mention this event to anyone else, is that clear?" she ordered, with a serious expression. The Medical Division was already startled by Naruto's condition; there was no reason to jeopardize the state of the other Divisions.
Maybe Tsunade was not being true to the Alliance by keeping Sakura's disappearance a secret, but desperate times meant desperate measures. She had to think and act quickly. And since she was the only Kage present in the Medical Division, she had to take full responsibility of the camp's affairs.
Shizune called her name, and the Hokage ordered her assistant to accompany her to the same spot where she had broken the news to Naruto. Once they were both alone, Tsunade spoke.
"Sakura's disappearance has caused an emotional wreck in Naruto. I will need you to pay full attention to his current state."
"Tsunade-sama, we just got a message from the headquarters. A sensor shinobi from Kumogakure has also been kidnapped. He is one of the Raikage's best, and a medical nin, named C," Shizune inform
Tsunade wrinkled her brow in confusion. Why would Madara need two medical shinobi? If he wanted to gather information from the Alliance, he could have kidnapped someone like Shizune or Darui, who were just as close to their respective Kages. Her assistant was trying to figure out their enemy's plan as well; her expression reflected her own, analyzing the situation. Maybe he would use them to make his body stronger?
"Whatever he wants with them, it will only give us more trouble."
"Yes. Shizune, I will need you to stay on constant alert now. He may decide to abduct another ninja who is close to a Kage, and you fall into that category. I will order Inoichi to send an intel to all the Kages' personal assistants and students with the alert, but will not disclose the names of Sakura or C."
Shizune looked at her seriously. Tsunade knew that the girl was well capable to fighting off her opponents, but she could not hide the worry that came with losing another protégée.
"Now, I will need you to take watch over me for a bit," she ordered Shizune.
"Tsunade-sama, are you sure about this?" Shizune asked, worried over her Hokage's actions. She was accustomed to Tsunade's sudden acts, but being in the middle of a war limited their time to rely on impulse.
Tsunade bit her thumb and made signs with her hands. She summoned a small blue and white slug, which found its place right on her shoulder much like it always did.
"Katsuyu, I need you to find Sakura's trail as fast as you can," Tsunade ordered, setting the slug on the ground.
"Is it true that she's missing, Tsunade-sama?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I will connect my chakra with yours, but still keep watch."
Katsuyu dug into the ground, slugging along the cracks found in the earth. Tsunade joined her hands in front of her forehead, creating a chakra link between her and her summon, while Shizune took watch to ensure that no one noticed their impromptu mission. Sakura and C needed to be found immediately. There was no time to waste.
The slug decided to split into smaller fractions in order to extend its tracking capacity. It was able to spread its perimeter and pick up more clues. Several fractions were already out of the Land of Lightning, and into the Lands of Hot Water and Sound. A normal shinobi would take several days in crossing all the land, but slugs had the advantage of travelling quickly through the underground passages of every landscape.
It took her a while before she could find a small clue. Katsuyu and Tsunade concentrated in the spot that seemed to carry a familiar chakra, sensing it as it became stronger and stronger. The slugs had already crossed through many battlefields and deserted villages before arriving to the final destination. The chakra was very familiar to Sakura's. She was in a weak state, which worried the Hokage immensely. Nonetheless, Sakura was still alive. For now.
Tsunade felt relieved knowing that she could find her apprentice's whereabouts so easily, but her small victory was quickly ruined as she sensed another chakra through Katsuyu.
This chakra was dark, reptile-like, and it reminded Tsunade of a very old teammate of hers. Her heart almost stopped when she felt Orochimaru's presence near Sakura, and she heard how Shizune gasped at her shocked expression. However, after focusing for a few more moments, she realized that this chakra was not entirely her ex teammates. No, this chakra was a blend of different shinobi, but the main personality that she could recognize was already familiar to her.
Tsunade realized that Kabuto was also behind Sakura's abduction.
However, she could only figure out up until that point, as Orochimaru's former apprentice noticed Katsuyu's presence near him. Although neither the slug nor Tsunade had a visual image of Kabuto, they could feel that he had been modified by the acquisition of other shinobi's cells. She felt Kabuto threatening Katsuyu and feared that her slug was being tortured. She could hear his voice, slithering every word he said.
"Hokage-sama, what an honour. I see you have obviously ventured into finding your apprentice. How disappointing, as the chakra you feel is none other than one of Zetsu's clones. Pity, Sakura-san has such a nice chakra signature, doesn't she? Oh but do not worry so much, legendary Sannin. It is quite unfortunate to announce that she is now working for me, along with the Raikage's assistant. You will receive Haruno-san once she is no longer needed. And she will be in one piece –unless our other guests decide a different fate for her."
After his message, Tsunade felt how Katsuyu was trying to retreat from the cave before Kabuto could get a hold of it. A hissing chuckle invaded Tsunade's mind, proving to her that Kabuto had taken a hold of the slug. Unfortunately, it was incapacitated by an unknown sort of poison and could not escape. Abruptly opening her eyes, Tsunade looked over at Shizune, whose face reflected the worry that washed over their faces. They could no longer keep secret. Kabuto was involved with Madara as well. He had been Orochimaru's apprentice, and Tsunade was familiar with her ex teammate's obsession with forbidden jutsus. This war had just taken another twist.
"Shizune, go and announce to all the divisions that we must have an emergency meeting in headquarters. Do it now!"
Her assistant gave her a worried nod before running towards an intel. Five second later, one of Katsuyu's clones appeared from the ground, taking its place on Tsunade's shoulder once again. The Hokage's worried stance invaded every cell in her body. There were so many strategies they needed to change now, so much to worry about. Kabuto didn't keep his secret for long, which only proved to Tsunade that he wasn't in with Uchiha Madara for any reason.
She wondered what Sakura and C could be working on. It was a strange feeling, to think that Sakura was forced into using her abilities to work against the Alliance and her teachers. It wasn't correct. But that was how the shinobi world worked. Perhaps that was how Jiraiya felt before Nagato killed him.
Kabuto's words still lingered in her mind, raising every question she could find. He had been so vague yet so upfront with what he said, knowing that it would only throw off the Alliance's leaders. He was a smart man, who knew how to use his intelligence and his language.
But the worst part was that she did not know whether Kabuto meant that they would get Sakura back alive or dead.
Another week, another chapter! I will be taking a little longer with the next update because my life is starting to get a liiiiittle hectic. Do not worry, I am not abandoning this story.
What did you think of Tsunade's point of view? Ahh I love to write her as a strong female character; she can be underestimate in the manga sometimes *sigh* like most women. But that's why fanfiction exists, right?
And what about the quote? Tsunade thinks about death and war a lot in this chapter, so I found it fits with her concerns.
I love all the PMs sent back and forth, it's such an inspiration :) I'm also really happy with the number of hits and favourites and alerts! Thank you so much everybody! Since a lot of people have this story marked already, I'd like to know what everyone thinks of it. So review your thoughts and concerns!
Sincerely,
MSM