Chapter Nine

It had already been two fucking days, and still no sign of Kakashi. Sakura sighed, pulling her cloak tighter against her body. Land of Rain…ugh.

She looked up at the grey, stormy clouds overhead and frowned. They had been her constant companions for the last two days, leaving her drenched, unhappy, and cold. Damn it…it's going to rain again…

Almost as if on cue, the clouds let go of their barriers and unleashed chaos on the town below. With a heaving sigh, Sakura did the one thing she could do: find shelter and wait until the rain calmed some.

Flipping her brown hair from her face, Sakura ducked into the nearest store. Glancing at the books on the shelves, she pushed back the hood of her cloak and thumbed through a random book. But her mind was somewhere else, even though she steadily flipped through the pages. Kakashi…finding him is like searching for…well…a dead person! But I'd bet a dead person would be way easier to find! It's impossible! Not only is this town full of lots of tiny stores and houses, the constant rain makes it hard for me to search without getting glared at for dripping water everywhere. Besides that, Kakashi and I are both using transformation jutsus to conceal our true identities. Damn it!

As Sakura began to flip quicker through the pages, her frustration mounting, a voice called out from somewhere near the back of the store. "Uh…miss? You break it, you buy it."

Looking down at the book in her hand, Sakura was shocked to see it torn, crumpled and crumbling. Relaxing her fisted hands, she blushed, embarrassed at her lack of control. "Ah…right. Sorry." She walked to the counter and sheepishly put the book down.

"No problem. You'd be surprised how many people do that in this town," said the man, with a smile. "That'll be eight dollars."

Finding her money pouch and pulling out the exact amount, Sakura handed it to him. As he printed the receipt for her, she snuck glances at him, a slight blush on her face. He's so handsome! But there's something about him…I don't…I can't figure it out. He seems so familiar!

Putting the book in a small back, he handed it to Sakura with another smile. "Enjoy!"

With a weak smile, doubting she'd be able to read let alone enjoy the ruined book, Sakura turned towards the door. Still trying to place the man, Sakura nearly collided with a busty, scantily-clad woman.

"Watch it!" the woman snarled to Sakura, eyes narrowed. With a slight sniff at the travel-weary Sakura, the woman flipped her dark hair and sauntered away from her.

"Sorry," mumbled Sakura and, once out of earshot, began muttering quietly to herself about the dangers of empty-headed whores so close to books without pictures. But then, the woman cried out in a high voice that caused Sakura to stumble. But it wasn't the amazing pitch that caught Sakura's attention; rather, it was the name that the woman called out. "Obito!"

Obito?! That name is oddly familiar…I could swear I see it almost every day…but where? thought Sakura, her footsteps slowing slightly.

Shaking it off, Sakura tried not to eavesdrop as she continued on her way. But then another outburst from the tramp made her heart stop. "Uzumaki Obitio! A girl can handle only so much rejection! It's not like I'm asking for your soul or anything! I'm just inviting you to a good time, that's all."

Mouth wide open, Sakura turned slowly, mind spinning as she tried to comprehend the name she just heard. No way. No other Uzumaki existed besides Naruto…and Obito was one of Kakashi's teammates…the one who died… Putting two and two together, Sakura's eyes widened. Is it possible? Can it be?

Slowly making her way back to the counter, Sakura looked at the man with different eyes, searching his face for any similarities he might have with Kakashi. She looked at the plain brown hair that almost failed to defy gravity, gray eyes full of kindness, chiseled handsome features… It's possible, thought Sakura. It would be simple for Kakashi to conceal his hair color and his Sharingan…and he wouldn't need to worry about the rest, since he always covered them up…It could be Kakashi…

Noticing Sakura's return, the man asked, "Is there anything else that you wanted, miss?" and smiled.

With a gasp, tears began to form in Sakura's eyes. With that smile came something that Sakura had not seen in three years, something that had remained clear in her memory while everything else faded. It's Kakashi's infamous eye squint…

"It's—it's you…" Sakura whispered, a tired smile on her lips, the floor racing up to her as her consciousness disappeared into the darkness that crashed around her.


God, I feel so completely terrible. It's been months since my last update, and this chapter is extremely short. And it ends with a cliffy. Oh well. Don't worry. The next chapter is super long...well...longer, anyway. Sorry for not updating in so long. I'll just make lame excuses like school and work and hope they'll suffice. (Although, I doubt it...). Later!