So, I remembered one of my reviewers asking if I could try giving out a song for people to listen to while they read my story, which hasn't turned out to be as easy as I thought XD I personally listen to a lot of Evanescence, Linkin Park and Three Days Grace when writing these chapters.
For that reviewer and others who want to, here's a list of songs to fit the eerie mood of this chapter (a lot of these songs are ones I happen to listen to as I wrote this too, haha):
I'll Keep Your Memory Vague- Finger Eleven
Vindicated- Dashboard Confessionals
Never Too Late- Three Days Grace
BlackBirds- Linkin Park (from the catalyst album)
Haunted- Evanescence
My Immortal- Evanescence
Wonderwall- Oasis (I find it just makes a good background song)
Story is rated T for violence ... and Sai's remarks XD
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!
Arisen From The Grave; A Friend Returns
"Let's rest up here for the night."
The konoha ninjas stood outside a hot spring and Inn building. Kakashi gazed at the sight with a pleasant smile etched on his face. His comrades simply stared at him, each of their young faces sharing the same expression of disbelief.
"Um, but Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura started to say.
"Listen," The silver haired shinobi pivoted to face the kunoichi. "Mitskuni Sao rarely leaves the village hidden in the mist. He's the type of man to have others do his own dirty work for him, meaning it's alright if we take a little break."
"But how long will it take us to get to the village hidden in the mist?" Sakura asked irritably.
"Three...maybe two days if we pick up our pace." Kakashi said smiling. "Lighten up, I think everyone needs to relax for a bit."
Unconsciously, Sakura glanced back at Naruto; a hopeful look in her big, jade eyes. She had a feeling he would back her up on this like he used to. Being around him a lot had made her pick up on some of his habits; one being wanting to complete missions as soon as possible.
Instead of protesting, the blonde shrugged. Sai didn't say anything either, but followed Kakashi into the hotel area. Naruto did the same, passing by Sakura in the process. The moment where he was next to her, Sakura felt something; she felt the cold tension. She could only watch as he disappeared inside the building.
Naruto had barely spoken a word after they had left the Hokage's office. The four ninjas had been travelling in a silence with the occasional wise crack from Sai. They had travelled through a thick forest which had lead them to this small village. Not once had the blonde even bothered to look at Sakura; his eyes were always downcast.
Shattered; broken into a million pieces.
"Where's Sakura?"
The sound of Sai's voice snapped the pink haired kunoichi back into reality. Realizing she was still outside, she hastily ran into the Inn. Inside an old lady greeted her.
"You're friends are in there, deary." The elderly woman said wearily, pointing to her right.
The woman had hair the colour of snow, wound up in a tight bun on the top of her head. She wore a simple lavender kimono, and had wrinkles carved all over her face. This lady definitely looked liked she had been around for a while.
"Thank you." Sakura said bowing her head, to show respect to her elder. The old lady simply smiled in response as Sakura slid open the Japanese styled door. The door had the design of purple flowers painted on it and it wasn't completely transparent. It showed the shadows and outlines of people and items in the room.
Inside, Naruto, Sai and Kakashi all stood in matching white, cotton robes. Behind them was a glass door with white curtains. The transparent door revealed the hot spring outside of the room.
"Wow, changed already?" Sakura marvelled, sliding the door to a close behind her.
"Would you like to join us?" Sai asked sweetly, gesturing over to the hot springs.
"No thanks." Sakura responded flatly, giving him a bitter glare.
"Thank goodness then. I was just being chivalrous, it's not like I'd want to see an ugly thing like you without any clothes on."
"What was that?" Sakura exclaimed, waving her fist violently at Sai.
"Well, to be honest you probably wouldn't have anything worth peeping at. From the looks of it, you're as flat as a board." The pale ninja said with a smile.
Kakashi quickly appeared behind Sakura, grabbing the furious kunoichi by her shoulders. "You ass hole!" She shouted angrily. She thrashed her fists helplessly as the copy nin held her back
There was a light knock on the door before it slid open. The old woman from earlier stood in the doorway, a tray of sushi in her hands. "Sorry to interrupt, but would you youngsters want some food?"
The group said their "thank you's" as the elderly woman left. Not having a decent meal for the past day, they all dug in greedily.
"Wow...it's all gone already." Sakura said astonished, looking at the empty tray and plates.
"I guess we were all hungry, but I thought Naruto would've eaten the most." Kakashi replied, turning his lazy gaze over to the blonde. His one revealed eye stared curiously at the big mouthed ninja, expecting a witty reply.
"I'm going to the hot spring." Naruto stated and then simply got up and left. Going over to the other side of the glass door.
"We should go too." Kakashi said to Sai abruptly.
The raven haired boy nodded and just like that, Sakura found herself alone in the quiet, small room of the traditional Japanese inn. She let her eyes scan the room, taking in everything she could see. Four beds were spread out in the middle of the room. No mattresses, but simply sheets, blankets and pillows lay on the floor. On the wall, three samurai swords varying in length from shortest to longest, hung. Beneath the swords were two large wooden wardrobes with golden coloured handles. Near Sakura there was a small desk in the corner that had scrolls, ink and pens on top of it.
The kunoichi got up, hearing the sound of Naruto and Sai's voices coming from outside. She claimed the bed farthest away from the glass door as her own. Sitting down, she pulled off her black boots and set them aside by the bottom of her bed. It was only around nine o clock, but the exhaustion from the travel had worn out her body. Lying underneath the warm white sheets, Sakura stretched out her long, aching legs. A pang of relief hit her as she snuggled into the warmth, letting her head sink into the soft pillow. Kakashi's idea hadn't turned out to be all that bad.
"I see it's still the same." Sai said smiling. Even in the steam, his porcelain body glowed a pale, ghost white.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, slowly entering the hot water.
"Your dick of course, it's still as small as ever."
"You're a disgusting pervert!" The blonde grumbled, sinking so low that the water level was just under his nose.
"I hope you haven't let Sakura seen it. Then again, that could explain your relationship with her now." Sai said with a smile.
Naruto's face flushed a bright red. "Shut up!" He shot out of the water, giving Sai another look. Noticing the pale ninja was studying his lower regions, the blonde sunk back into the water and turned his back. "Stop looking at it!" He yelled angrily.
"Would you two cut it out?" Kakashi asked lazily. Even in the hot spring, he had his face concealed. This time though, he had a white cloth wrapped around his face.
"It's not my fault! He keeps looking at my-"
"I'm starting to question your sexuality." Sai interrupted, placing a hand on his own chin.
Naruto swam away slowly, an annoyed expression plastered on his face. "Go to hell, Sai." He muttered into the water, causing bubbles to form near his face.
"Why is that?" Kakashi questioned amused, glancing over Sai.
"Because his-"
"Shut up!" Naruto shouted. "Stop talking about it while I'm right here!"
Sai smiled. "Okay, if it makes you feel better."
"Hey boys, mind if I join you?"
The three shinobi turned their heads in the direction of the female voice. On the concrete, a rotund, old woman stood. She had a white towel wrapped around her round frame and her hair was tied back in a grey braid.
"I hate to admit it but, I'd rather have Sakura in here with us than that old hag." Sai remarked.
"Uh-Uh..." Kakashi stuttered, his eyes twitching. "Oh, we were just leaving, ma'am..."
"Nonsense, you all should stay for a while! Here I come!"
Everyone's eyes widened as the woman began to let the towel fall. "NO!" The boys yelled in unison, but it was to late. The towel sat at the old woman's feet, and she stood proudly in her birthday suit.
Inside the inn, three screams of horror could be heard. Sakura sat up in bed startled, watching as Kakashi, Naruto and Sai ran into the room with towels wrapped around their waists.
"What...happened?" She asked, blinking in confusion.
They were all panting, water dripping off their bare upper bodies and onto the wooden floor. Sai looked even paler than usual (if that's possible) and the other two were quivering, their eyes bulging out of their skulls.
"N-Nothing," Kakashi replied, trying to recollect himself. "We've all decided to go to sleep, but Sakura...there's another woman in the hot spring if you want to go now."
"Another woman?" Sakura looked puzzled, glancing at each of the boys relieved faces.
"Never mind, do you mind leaving why we change?" Kakashi asked smiling, pointing to his towel.
"Yeah, you'd better leave, Sakura. You're going to be in hysterics when you see the size of Naruto's-"
"Shut up, Sai!" The blonde wailed angrily.
"I'll...be outside then." Sakura replied, leaving the room.
Once everyone was decent and changed, the kunoichi returned. The curtains over the glass door had been drawn and everyone was lying in bed already. Kakashi was the closest to the glass door. The order went Kakashi, Sai and then Naruto. Sakura let out a quiet groan, realizing that she would next to the blonde. Reluctantly, she lay down in her bed, turning her back to the blonde.
"Sai, why don't you trade spots with Naruto?" Sakura asked, glancing over at the pale ninja.
"But, If I did that I would be sleeping next to an ugly girl." He responded cheerfully.
Sakura was about to blow her top, when Naruto interrupted. "If it bothers you that much, Sakura-chan, I don't mind sleeping outside."
Sakura calmed down, looking at the saddened expression on the blonde's face. He had sounded sincere and his gaze was not directed at her, but at the floor.
"No...it's okay." Sakura said lying down. "Just forget it." Once again, she turned her back to Naruto. Everyone then fell into a deep silence, until Kakashi decided to break it.
"Well, Good night everyone!" He said happily. No one replied, causing the copy ninja to sigh heavily. "You guys all need to lighten up." Kakashi whispered before closing his eyes.
Naruto's POV
It had felt like hours had passed by, yet I still couldn't sleep. Frustrated, I sat up. Everyone around me had fallen into deep slumbers, their breathing all steady and quiet. I glanced over to see that Sakura was still turned on her side; facing away from me.
"Don't you dare say another word to me. Talking about our relationship in the past is taboo. We are just teammates now, so let's focus on the mission."
"Just teammates." I repeated quietly. I closed my blue eyes, letting my thoughts wander.
I had wanted to fix everything in that one moment, I wanted her to forget about all that had happened; just like I had wanted to forget. It seemed now that somethings couldn't be forgotten, but only formed into grudges. No matter how hard I wanted to, I couldn't erase the past.
"You idiot... you really think it's that easy?"
Sakura-chan's right, it's not that easy. I have to tell her my reason; my real reason. But, will I have the chance to talk to her? Will she believe me, or even listen to me? I lay back in his bed, eyes directed straight at the ceiling. Things seemed to be only getting worse between us.
"We are just teammates now so let's focus on the mission."
"Fine. If that will make you happy, Sakura-chan." I muttered softly to myself.
About to close my eyes, I noticed a shadow by the front door. Someone was standing just outside the Japanese styled door, trying to peer into the room. I got up, slowly making my way towards the door.
"Old lady?" I asked cautiously. "Old lady, is that you?"
The figure didn't answer. I let my finger wrap around the side of the door, ready to open it. With one strong pull, it slid open. My eyes widened as I recognized the person in front of me. My voice cracked as I stared back at the person in shock.
"You're...You're alive?"
"Thank you very much!" Kakashi said to the elderly woman before leaving the inn.
Sai, Naruto and Sakura waited for him outside. The pink haired kunoichi touched her cheek softly, as if something was lingering on her skin.
"Is something wrong?" Sai questioned; noticing her dazed expression.
"No", Sakura responded, letting her hand fall. "I just had the strangest feeling when I woke up..."
She returned her attention back to her surroundings. The villagers passing by gave her a variety of looks, some cold, terrified, friendly, angry and even sad.
"What's up with the people here?" Naruto mumbled.
"So he notices it too", Sakura thought, glancing over at the blonde. While looking at him she noticed something else; he was carrying a sword on his back. "Could that be one of the samurai swords from the room?" She thought curiously. "But... why would Naruto take a sword?"
"This is a small village that has been through many hardships."
Everyone turned around to see Kakashi standing with his hands jammed in his pockets. "Don't mind the people here", he said scanning the area. "A lot of them don't trust ninjas."
"Why sensei?" Sakura questioned.
"Well," Kakashi said burrowing his brow. "This village and along with many others, have had a lot of goods and items stolen from them. They're usually robbed by travelling ninjas who over power them or threaten them. But then again, the strong generally do take advantage of the weak in this world."
"That's ... awful." Sakura returned her gaze to those passing by. The village itself didn't look very rich, with a lot of the buildings looking run down and dull. "That inn was probably the nicest place here", she thought to herself.
"Otto! Otto!"
A little girl ran into Sakura's leg, tumbling backwards onto her rear after the impact. "Oh, are you okay?" Sakura asked, bending down to look at the child.
The little girl looked up, sadness evident in her large, brown eyes. She wore a grey, dingy shirt that had many cuts and rips. She also wore black shorts and brown, worn out sandals on her tiny feet. Her long chestnut hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her blunt bangs covered her small forehead. The girl was also covered in scrapes and bruises, and in her hand she held the collar of a dog.
"Otto..." She said quietly. "Otto."
"Heh?" Naruto said scratching his head. "Who is Otto?
"Oh," Sakura exclaimed, noticing the burgundy, dog collar clutched in the girls right hand. "Is Otto a dog?"
The little girl nodded. "P-Please help me, I can't find him." She looked at each of the ninjas faces slowly, her eyes brimming with tears.
"...Sensei?" Sakura looked at Kakashi who was holding the little girls gaze. The silver haired nin closed his one revealed eye and then opened it. "Why not. Where did you last see Otto?"
The girls mouth twisted upwards into a smile. "Here, come!" Getting up, she ran deeper into the village, her pony tail swaying from side to side.
"Let's go." Kakashi commanded. The others obeyed, following behind. It was a long run until they reached the border that separated the village from another deep forest. The little girl stopped, pointing towards it.
"Otto...Otto ran in there."
"If he ran in there, what were you doing in the middle of the village?" Sakura asked the girl softly.
"It's because..." The girl looked down at her right arm. A large purple bruise had formed around her tiny wrist. "Because there are bad men in there. They hurt me and they took Otto." Tears fell from the girls large eyes, and landed on the ground.
"Bad men..." Sakura glanced at the forest, trying to looked within it.
"We will get back your dog for you and get rid of the bad men!" Naruto said triumphantly, determination gleaming in his big, blue eyes.
"R-Really?" The little girl sputtered.
"You should wait in the village where it's safe." Kakashi ordered. "We will return your dog back to you once we find him."
The girl's face brightened and she bowed in front of the four shinobis. "Thank you kind people, thank you very much!" She then ran back into the village, disappearing within a crowd of people.
The group of ninjas entered the forest, leaping from tree branch to tree branch. It was similar to the forest they had travelled through earlier, big, deep and eerie.
"Stop." Kakashi commanded and everyone did. They all looked below, yet there was nothing there. "I haven't found anything", Kakashi continued. "I just think from here we should split up into two groups to search for the dog and these so called thugs. It will make our search more effective. Sai, you come with me. Naruto and Sakura... you two keep going ahead."
Sakura was about to protest, but in a flash, Sai and Kakashi disappeared. "Bastards." She cursed under her breath.
"You lead, Sakura-chan."
Sakura turned around, shocked Naruto had actually spoken to her. "W-What?"
"You lead, I"ll follow?" He said smiling. It was a fake smile, that concealed other emotions; Sakura could see right through it. It was just like the ones Sai used to wear.
"U-Uh, sure." Sakura continued forward, jumping quickly from tree to tree. Below, no humans could be seen. No dogs either, the forest looked eerie and empty. Only the sounds of squawking birds and leaves rustling from the wind could be heard. Then she saw it, it was a blur, but she had saw someone. Coming to a quick halt, Sakura studied the area below her, the presence had disappeared just like that.
"What's wrong?" Naruto called, he was standing a few metres ahead.
"I could have sworn I saw someone...must have been my imagination." Sakura was about to move forward when Naruto's voice stopped her.
"Wait."
Sakura stopped. "What is it, Naruto?"
The blonde looked below, his eyes surveying the ground. "I think we should trying searching down there, dogs can hide in bushes. We could have passed him and not known it."
"I guess that's true."
The two jumped down, adjusting to the lower level of the forest. Naruto trudged through the bushes, looking for any signs of a dog having been there. Sakura did the same. "At this rate, it might take forever to find it." She said with a sigh.
"If we find the thugs we might have a better chance. After all, they might still have the dog."
"But, Naruto", Sakura replied, turning to face the blonde. "What use is a dog to some thugs? Also, they might not be thugs...they could be shinobi. The girl didn't specify..."
"It doesn't matter", Naruto said reaching his hand back. "I can use this to defend you." He pulled the steel sword out of it's black sheath slowly. Naruto swung it around with one arm, letting the blade gleam in the sun.
"You can use this...wait", Sakura said hesitantly. "That isn't the sword that belongs to-"
"It is." Naruto interrupted, glancing at the blade. "This is Sasuke's Katana."
Sakura's eyes widened with shock and her lips began to quiver. "B-But you didn't have the sword when we came...how did you-"
"Don't worry about it," Naruto shut his eyes. " Sasuke's Katana brings back bad memories, but I still want to use this sword."
"That...that's stupid!" Sakura cried, shaking her head. "All that Uchiha did was bring pain and suffering, how could you wield the very thing he used to kill?"
"Sakura-chan, I'm going to use this sword to do Sasuke some justice. The blade has been stained with the blood of many people, but I'm going to use it for good causes. I'm going to use it to protect my comrades."
"You're doing it to serve Sasuke some justice?" She asked bewildered. "He doesn't deserve that! You should let that sword be destroyed, let it die like the hundreds it's killed and the one who used to wield it!"
"I can't. Sasuke wouldn't have wanted that." Naruto said quietly. "He would be happy with my decision. I'm going to repent for the lives he took, in his place. This sword will be used for good."
"Idiot, h-how do you know what he wants?" Sakura stammered. "He was crazy, he brought his own path upon himself. You have no reason to be doing this for him."
"Best friends forever, Sakura-chan!"
"K-Kasumi..." Sakura fell to her knees, thinking about her best friend.
"After I return from this mission, I have a very important secret I need to tell you. One I've wanted to tell you for a long time. So, wait here, Sakura-chan!"
"She never had the chance to tell me!" Sakura cried, driving her fist into the ground. "He killed her for no reason! She wasn't even going after Sasuke, she never knew who he was!"
"S-Sakura-chan, what are you talking about?"
"He's dead, Naruto!" She felt the tears coming down her face. "He's dead and you still care about him!"
"I'm so glad I met you! I've never had a friend I could trust before, Sakura-chan. You make me so happy!"
"You're the reason he's dead! Why do you want to help him when you killed him in the first place?" Sakura snapped angrily. "Kasumi never did anything wrong, she didn't deserve to die!" the kunoichi thought furiously, her tears falling to the ground. "He had a choice...he chose to kill to her!"
Naruto's eyes widened and his grip on the Katana loosened. Slowly the blade fell to the ground, Naruto saw his own stunned expression from the reflection of the blade. It felt like it was all happening in slow motion.
"I'm the reason...Sasuke's dead?" The sentence repeated continuously in his head. "I'm the reason... I'm the reason..."
"I have reasons... for doing this, Naruto."
Sasuke.
"First, you plan to bring me back to the Leaf village. Bringing me back to Konoha...you can't imagine how awful that will turn out. Second, you believe that I, Sakura, Kakashi and yourself will be a team again. That is nonsense, it would never happen."
"All those things... he said all of the things I wanted before he died." Naruto whispered. He kept going over the conversation until it made sense. The blondes jaw clenched as he realized what Sasuke had been trying to tell him the whole time.
"And lastly... I can see that you have the potential to be Hokage someday. That is why I have to do this. Forgive me, Naruto..."
"He killed himself, so I could live...I am the reason Sasuke's dead."
The sword hit a rock, making an awful clang. The noise scared away birds in the trees above. It also caught Sakura's attention, so she looked up at Naruto. He was trembling, his eyes widened and he had beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Recollecting herself, Sakura stood up; a worried look in her eyes. "Are you okay?" She placed a hand on Naruto's cheek.
"It's true... I can't believe it." He muttered before swatting her hand away. He threw the sheath to the ground and ran in the opposite direction.
"Wait! Naruto!" Sakura shouted, but the blonde had already disappeared. She was left alone, with Sasuke's Katana at her feet. "Was the memory of killing him...that painful?" She whispered, looking down at the reflection of jade eyes in the steel of the blade.
She bent down, letting her fingertips graze the sword's handle. Sighing, the pink haired kunoichi picked it up, holding it the same way Naruto had. "He looked so upset." She thought sadly. "What have I done?"
Sakura swung the sword downwards, pointing the blade at the ground. She held it to one side of her body and let her head hang. Her pink bangs fell forward, concealing her eyes with a dark shadow.
"I-I'm sorry, Naruto." She whispered. "I didn't mean to bring back your pain."
The sound of a snapping twig broke the kunoichi's remorseful state. Sakura got alert, pointing the blade of the Katana in the direction of the sound. "Who's there?"
There was rustling from the bushes, and then a creature emerged. It was a small little dog, with curly red fur. It looked filthy, like it had been rolling in dirt. The dog whined at Sakura, it's eyes focused on the sword.
"Otto?" Sakura dropped the Katana and crouched. "Otto, come here!" She coaxed. "I hope this is the right dog."
The dog responded happily to the name, running toward Sakura with it's tail wagging. "You're kind of cute," Sakura said petting the dog's head. The dog sniffed her hand curiously, it's ears perked up. The kunoichi abruptly paused, she could sense another presence lingering.
"Who's there?" She repeated, standing up. "Come out, I promise I won't hurt you."
Slowly another figure emerged, this time from behind a tree. Sakura nearly fainted, as she took in the sight. Her whole body began to quiver with shock, but her eyes remained on the girl.
The girl stood metres away from Sakura, She wore a green kimono styled top with a white skirt. On her waist she had a thick black belt and a bag of shuriken strapped on her thigh. Her long, wavy, light brown hair stopped just below her bust. Her eyes though, were the colour of blood. They held Sakura's gaze intensely. She possessed the sharingan.
Sakura dropped to her knees, bringing a hand to cover her own mouth. The girl in front of her was a friend she could never forget, one she had thought had been dead all this time. The girl standing before her was Kasumi Kimora.
The next chapter is titled "Kasumi; The story of the female Uchiha." Although, the chapter name may change when I actually start writing it.
Please review for a quicker update! :D
~XOXO~