Hello people! Hope you guys like this chapter. Thanks to Mrs.MonkeyD.Hitachiinx3, Valinor's Twilight, Tateno Atsukino, Mayan, Mizu Hime, lovingo0Kawaii0oGirl, unknown player, The Memories of Old, uchiha black, Lyris88, MissDramalicious, and xXx.Murakami.xXx for reading and reviewing. Please review if you have the time. Now on to some announcements.
A lot of you guys asked me in reviews or in messages what would happen with the story. Some of you guys are concerned about the story ending soon while others think there's a sequel coming up soon. Others asked if it would carry on to Shippuuden so here are a few answers.
1. The story won't end for a while and to be honest I'm starting to wonder how many chapters it will end up with.
2. There will not be a sequel unless you guys ask for one once the story ends. It would be troublesome so I will continue the story under the same title. However, if you guys want a sequel, extra chapters, side stories, etc. just tell me and I will consider your suggestions.
3. After this chapter there will be a few more chapters before the Shippuuden arc begins. They will not be fillers, instead they will set up the story for the Shippuuden arc. You can look forward to a few twists.
Now that that's said on to the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the lovely Rei.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Water surrounded Rei as she sunk down into the river's depths. Her eyes were closing slowly and it was nothing but will power that kept her awake. Pain swept through her body concentrating on her left arm which Sasuke had kicked and her abdomen in which the kunai was still embedded. Her lungs stung as she ran out of air and she knew she had to do something, but her body wouldn't respond.
She pushed herself to move as she ran out of time and began to move up to the surface. Her muscles burned as she finally broke out of the water and gasped for air. She winced as she moved towards the shore and lay on her back as she coughed up blood and water. She winced as she grasped the kunai stuck in her body and pulled on it with all the strength she had left. She cried out in pain as she removed the weapon.
Rei stayed there for a moment as she tried to calm herself. Her hands were shaking and she closed her eyes as she tried to calm down. However, as much as she tried she couldn't push away the various feelings gathering inside her. She couldn't stop thinking of what had just happened it seemed like it was just a bad dream. She didn't want to believe that someone she had cared about so much would hurt her so badly. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. Her sadness had extended past that point.
She looked over at Naruto who lay a few feet to her side and wondered what he would say when she told him she had failed. It was hard to think that Sasuke had been able to abandon not just her, but also his friends and his home. Suddenly, she felt all the anger that she had been holding inside rush out. She growled as she struggled to her feet. She swayed as she stood there and panted as she held her wound which was bleeding profusely.
She felt weak from the lack of blood and chakra in her body, but she ignored it and began to move in the direction Sasuke had gone off in. She stopped as she sensed someone nearby. She looked up and saw Kakashi heading towards her and Naruto. She frowned knowing he would stop her.
Kakashi looked at her with concern in his visible eye. He moved towards her and she saw that Pakkun was with him.
"Rei, what happened?"
"Sasuke's gone…"
She could tell he was frowning even through the mask. She turned around and began to walk away.
"Where are you going?"
She stopped, but didn't look at Kakashi.
"I'm going after him."
"No, you're injured, we have to get back to Konoha."
"I'm fine, take Naruto, he needs help."
Even as she said that she knew he didn't need help as badly as she did, but she wouldn't let Kakashi stop her. She stumbled and fell, but Kakashi caught her and laid her on the ground. He reached into his kunai pouch and took out some bandages. Rei just laid there as he wrapped up her wound. She knew she wouldn't be able to catch up to Sasuke. Although she hated to admit it, she was too weak at the moment to go after him. She let her eyes close and she drifted off to sleep.
Bright light streamed in through the open window as the white curtains swayed in the wind. Rei groaned as she opened her eyes and saw that she was once again in a hospital room. For a moment she couldn't remember what had happened, but then memories from the fight flashed through her mind. She felt all of the pain from before return along with the anger and sadness.
She raised her right arm and saw that it was covered in bandages. Her left arm was in a cast, she knew it was broken. After a moment she braced herself and then tried to sit up. She flinched as pain spread through her body, concentrating on her abdomen. She lay down again and sighed as she stared up at the white ceiling. The last thing she wanted to do was stay in that room alone and think about what had happened.
Unfortunately it seemed that she would have to stay there since she couldn't really move. She looked to the side and saw a flower in a vase on top of the bedside table. She wondered who it was from, she really didn't know many people in Konoha. She frowned as she thought of how different things would be now that Sasuke wasn't there. It would be hard for her to get used to his absence, but it would be harder still to sort out her feelings.
She was hurt about his decision to leave. Even though she knew it would be hard to change his mind she hadn't expected him to actually try to kill her. To be honest she hadn't fought to her fullest back there, and it was too late when she realized that she had to try harder. It was difficult for her to hurt him even after all he did because she still cared for him. Even at that moment she cared for him. Perhaps her biggest regret was not having fought to keep him there. She had been weak even after she had told herself to get a hold of her emotions.
Apart from the pain that Sasuke had caused her there was also anger. She was furious at him for leaving everyone. Naruto had probably fought very hard to keep him there but he hadn't cared. He hadn't cared about her even after she pleaded with him to stay. He had been so arrogant and selfish that she couldn't believe she had ever cared about him. As she thought about this the door opened and she was surprised to see Naruto walk in.
He was covered in bandages, much like her and she wondered how he had gotten there. She was glad he was fine, but she didn't want to see him so soon. She knew that he had fought hard and even after he had given her more time to get to Sasuke she hadn't been able to get him back. She looked away and Naruto frowned and walked over to the girl.
"Rei-chan, how are you feeling?" He asked quietly.
Rei sighed and looked at him. She could see that he was worried about her. She smiled a bit.
"I'm alright, what about you? It looks like you were beaten pretty badly."
Naruto grinned.
"I'm fine, I'll be out of here in no time."
Rei smiled, but Naruto could see that she was upset. He knew she would be which was why he was there.
"Rei-chan, I'm sorry. But I promise I'll get Sasuke back!"
Rei was surprised by Naruto's sudden outburst. She sighed and shook her head before offering him a small smile.
"It's alright Naruto. You tried your best, besides, I couldn't bring him back either."
Naruto frowned as Rei looked away.
"I'm sorry I didn't try harder, I should have fought harder…"
It was hard for Naruto to see his friend like that. He knew she cared about Sasuke so it must have been hard for her to watch him leave.
"Rei-chan, don't worry, I'm sure we'll get Sasuke back. I'm going to train really hard with the pervy sage and then I'll get Sasuke back. I promise."
Rei smiled and nodded. There was something about the way Naruto grinned at her that made her feel better. She knew he would keep his promise and she knew she would do it not just for her, but also for Sasuke. Sasuke was like a brother to him so she knew he felt the same way she felt. However, she didn't think she would deal with things in the same way he would. Still, she smiled as well as she could at the moment and was glad to see that Naruto was reassured.
"I know, Naruto-kun, I'll train hard too so we can work together and bring Sasuke back."
As Naruto stood there grinning a nurse entered the room. Both Rei and Naruto knew what was coming. Naruto paled a bit while Rei smirked. A minute later Naruto was dragged out by the nurse apparently he was still supposed to be in his room. Rei sighed as Naruto's loud complained stopped making the room completely silent.
Now that she had time to think she wondered what Naruto would do when he found out what her true plan was. She had lied about wanting to train and get Sasuke back. She knew that no matter how hard they tried, Sasuke wouldn't return to Konoha. It was hard to accept that, but she knew it was true. He was just too stubborn.
His determination to kill Itachi was too much and she doubted he would listen to her or to Naruto. She knew she had to get stronger and so she would train, but she wouldn't try to convince Sasuke to return. She would have to talk to Tsunade about what she wanted to do when she got out of the hospital.
A week had passed and Rei was glad that she was able to leave the hospital. Naruto had visited her often while she was there and surprisingly so had Sakura. Apparently she had been the one leaving flowers for her. According to her it was a thank you for having tried so hard to get Sasuke back. She was glad to have finally gotten on better terms with Sakura, even if they weren't the best of friends just yet, and even if she wouldn't have a change to take advantage of her willingness to put up with her.
She looked up at the bright blue sky as she walked out of the hospital and sighed. It was good to be back outside, but at the same time it was hard to think of what she was about to do. She had a strange feeling that day and she recognized it as the same feeling she had when she left Orochimaru.
She felt like a bit scared of what was going to happen, but she also felt like she had to do it. There was a strange sense of determination as she walked to the Hokage's office. She walked in calmly and Tsunade looked up at her with surprise.
"Tsunade-sama, I have a request."
Tsunade gave her a strange look. She frowned a bit and sat up in her chair, clearly curious as to what the girl wanted.
"What is it?"
"I heard that Naruto is leaving to train and I know Sakura is training with you. It seems that everyone in my team is working hard to get stronger and bring Sasuke back, but I know that if I stay here I won't be able to grow stronger."
"So what do you want to do?"
Rei looked at Tsunade seriously.
"I want to leave Konoha."
Tsunade frowned at the girl.
"No." She said decisively.
"I have to leave, there's nothing left for me here." Rei argued.
"You're a member of this village and a Gennin, I won't allow you to leave on your own."
"I'm strong enough to take care of myself. I've been alone for years now and I've traveled on my own before."
"Yes, and according to your file you almost died. It was only because we found you that you are alive."
Rei scowled.
"If you don't let me go I'll just leave on my own. You know you can't keep me here."
"If you leave you'll be a missing-nin."
"I don't care."
Tsunade frowned deeply and sighed.
"Where will you go if you leave?"
"I'm not sure yet, I thought that I would travel for a while and train. There is something I want to get back, you should be aware of what it is."
Tsunade nodded and looked at the girl carefully. She could see that she was determined to leave and she wouldn't order anyone to watch her as she needed all the shinobi to continue working on missions.
"So you want to get Sasuke back?"
Rei sighed and Tsunade thought she saw a saddened look cross her face.
"No."
Tsunade gave her a puzzled look and Rei got ready to tell her about her plan. She was aware that Tsunade would be unhappy about it, but she had to be honest to her.
"I want to get stronger so that I can kill Sasuke."
She watched as Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise. Before the Hokage could say anything she continued to explain.
"I know you disapprove and I know that I would be betraying my teammates, especially Naruto, but I've made up my mind. I know he won't return no matter how hard we try and so the only thing to do is kill him before Orochimaru uses his power to attack the village."
Tsunade fixed the girl with a scrutinizing stare trying to figure out why she would go so far as to want to kill Sasuke.
"I won't let you do that. I believe Naruto is leaving to train so that he can bring Sasuke back."
"I know that."
"He won't be too happy about this."
"That's why I don't want him to know."
Tsunade thought about what to do with Rei. If she told her she couldn't go she would just leave. If she let her go she would probably go after Sasuke and Orochimaru would probably kill her. She sighed and looked at Rei as she stood there with bandages on her left arm and neck.
"If I let you go I don't want you to go after Sasuke."
Rei was surprised to hear that Tsunade was considering letting her go. In truth she had expected the Hokage to refuse her request she just wanted to warn her of her departure.
"I don't plan on going after him until I'm strong enough."
Tsunade nodded.
"I'll allow you to leave to train, but you have to return before you even think of searching for Sasuke."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
"And you can't leave now you're still recovering so you should rest for a few days."
"Of course."
"Then you can leave." Tsunade sighed.
Rei was about to leave but stopped.
"Tsunade-sama, please don't tell the others about this. I want them to think that I want to bring him back."
"They'll find out eventually."
"I know."
"What will you tell Naruto?"
"I don't know, I guess for now I'll just tell him I'm going to train."
Tsunade nodded and Rei left.
Rei spent the next few days getting ready for her departure. She packed up her things and got her supplies ready. It was strange to think that she was leaving so soon. She hadn't been in Konoha for very long, but she loved the village. It was her home and she would miss the people there and the places that she liked to visit like the ramen shop. As she thought about that she decided to go out one last time to get some ramen.
She stepped out of her house and headed to the ramen shop. When she arrived there she smiled when she saw Naruto sitting there. He would also be leaving the village soon to go train although she would leave before him. She hadn't told him she was leaving and as he turned and grinned at her she decided that it was only fair to tell him. She sat down next to him and ordered her usual bowl of miso ramen.
"Hiya Naruto!" She said cheerfully.
"Hi Rei-chan. How come I haven't seen you around for a while?" He said through a mouthful of food.
Rei sighed as her food was placed before her.
"Well, I've been cleaning things up a bit back home. I'm getting ready to go on a trip."
Naruto stopped eating and looked at her.
"Where are you going? Do you have a mission?"
"No, it's not a mission. I just thought that with you gone and with Sakura training with Tsunade there really isn't much to do around here."
"So where are you going?"
"I don't know yet, but I'm heading out for a while to train. I figured it would be better than staying here."
"But isn't it dangerous?" Naruto asked, clearly concerned for his friend.
Rei smiled at the boy.
"I'll be alright. Besides, a little danger will push me to get stronger."
Naruto frowned and Rei sighed.
"You know if I train hard when I return we might be able to bring Sasuke back."
Naruto smiled at her.
"We'll definitely get him back."
Rei grinned.
"Yeah, besides, since you're leaving with the pervy sage we might run into each other someday while we travel."
"Yeah, when are you leaving?"
"I'm leaving in two days, first thing in the morning. I want to see how far I can get before it gets dark."
Naruto nodded.
"Oh, there's something I wanted to give you. I was going to visit you afterwards." He said digging into his pocket.
Rei watched as he pulled out a Konoha headband. It was scratched where the leaf symbol was and she knew who it belonged to.
"It's Sasuke's. I thought you would like to have it."
Rei smiled and shook her head.
"No, that's alright, you should keep it. It'll motivate you to train harder."
"Are you sure?" Naruto said uncertainly.
Rei nodded. The last thing she wanted was something to remind her of what she had lost. She knew she couldn't tell Naruto that just like she couldn't tell him her true purpose for training.
The days passed quickly and soon the day Rei would leave arrived. She sighed as she got up and that morning there were no groans or complaints from her as she quietly got ready to depart. There was no rush to get ready because she was going to meet someone that day and there was no feeling of excitement for what the day would bring. There was just a hollow feeling as she wondered through the house gathering her things.
She stepped out of her house and gave it one last look as she headed out to the main gate. She walked quietly and quickly through the busy village as the people around her hurried and went through their morning routine. She stopped at the gates as she saw Naruto and, to her surprise, Sakura standing there.
"Good morning Rei-chan!" Naruto said happily.
"Naruto-kun, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you off, Sakura-chan came too."
Rei smiled.
"Thanks, I guess I won't see you guys for a while."
"But you'll come back stronger and then we'll be able to bring Sasuke back." Naruto said.
"Yeah, I promise I'll get stronger so you better train hard."
Naruto grinned and Rei hugged him.
"I'll miss you Naruto-kun."
"Yeah, me too."
She let him go and turned to Sakura.
"Thanks for coming, I really appreciate it." She said with a smile.
"I'll train hard too and when you come back I want to fight with you. I want to show you how strong I really am." Sakura said with a determined look on her face.
Rei smirked.
"You better train hard, because I'll definitely get stronger."
Sakura nodded. Rei sighed as she turned back to face the forest that lay before her.
"I guess I'll see you guys in a few years."
She looked at Naruto and smirked.
"You better get stronger."
"Of course I will."
"Take care Naruto."
"You too." Rei smiled and headed out.
She looked up at the sky while she walked. The sun shone brightly above her and the wind blew gently and made the trees around her sway. She sighed and tried to calm the nervous feeling in her heart. Again, there was that strange feeling inside her and now she knew what it was.
It was anticipation of what was to come. It was a sense of nervousness and excitement of what she would encounter during her travels and of what she would learn. That day was both a new beginning for her and a return to her old life. On that day she would leave her old life and return to where she left off.
There was no one with her to depend on or lead her in the right direction. There was only her instinct that told her where to go and the sound of the leaves rustling in the trees. She sighed and thought of where she would go next, but she had already made up her mind.
"First stop's Kirigakure." She said to herself.
She wasn't too fond of her home village, but there was something she had to do. Long ago she had left something very important while she ran from Orochimaru. Now it was time for her to get it back as it would be of great help to her in her future goals.
Even as she walked she had to appreciate the irony in her situation. Even after changing her outlook on life and finally finding someone that she thought would make her happy it had just resulted in her returning to her old ways. She was back to her initial goal of vengeance and this time it wasn't just Orochimaru she was after.
End Chapter Fifty-Six
Well, hope you guys liked this chapter. Looks like Rei is back to her evil old self again. Although you guys never did see that side of her. Kinda gives me an idea for a side story. Anyways, please review if you have the time. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Sayonara!