An: Thank you for the reviews and feedback. Hearing what everyone thinks really helps keep me motivated so thank you as always. S. o. t. A.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I'm doing this for fun not profit.
Chapter 9: Determination
Sakura watched as Konoha celebrated Naruto saving it from some unseen threat. She was in a pack of civilians trying to make her way towards him as they cheered him. Just as she was about to make it past the last spectator a red-head slammed into him latching her lips to his. Pulling back Sakura watched as he smiled down at the girl saying, "I'm glad to see you too, Tayuya." He then leaned down to capture her lips once more.
Sakura shot up in bed and noticed that she had beaten her alarm clock by a few minutes. Turning it off she said aloud to her empty apartment, "At least I'm sleeping through the night." Getting out of bed she prepared for another day at the hospital. As she locked up her apartment she thought, "I guess he was talking to Tayuya when he said 'I'll see you later."
It had been almost a week since Naruto had returned to the village and he had yet to come find her. She had been tempted to seek him out, but was afraid considering how well the last time had gone. Thinking of the red-head filled Sakura with jealousy at how close she had gotten to the blonde. On the other hand, she was thankful to the girl as she seemed to be the reason the women of the Five Element Village had kept their distance from Naruto as they tried to figure out just how close she was to him.
As she walked to the hospital she couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the situation she was in. Four years ago if she had wanted Naruto all she would have done was ask. Now that she did wish to be with him, she was once again in the mix of some large competition for his affection. Even though almost every unattached kunoichi in the village was targeting him, only two of them worried her. Tayuya was obviously one of them. It was easy to see that the time she had spent with Naruto had made her crave more. If what Sakura had heard was correct then the red-head had even become his partner of sorts. She figured the rumor was true as Naruto had spent the last week with her at the training fields. However, in a sense that worked for Sakura, since the red-head had no problem speaking her mind to the other kunoichi that had tried to seduce Naruto. Yet, she couldn't help the envy she felt every time she saw the two of them together.
The other person wasn't as big of a threat, but that was only because she didn't know who Kyo was and that was Hinata. Sakura had little doubt that if the Hyuuga learned who was behind the mask that Tayuya wouldn't be able to scare her off with a few insults and a glare. Despite not having interacted with her in a year Sakura was positive that Hinata still cared for Naruto. So much so, that she had been a steady presence on the border patrols only returning to Konoha when she was summoned by Kakashi or her father. Even then she would only stay in Konoha long enough to take care of whatever business that they had for her and then return. As a result she had built up a reputation as fearsome as Kyo's. But among the men of the Five Element Village she had a reputation as an Ice Queen since she blew off many of the advances that were directed towards her.
Reaching the hospital she prepared herself for another long day of treating injuries while hoping that at least one of her visitors was Naruto.
Konan watched Tayuya spar with Naruto with some amusement that never reached her face. She still couldn't help but marvel at how naïve the young man could be as he still hadn't realized that not only was Tayuya attracted to him. But her whole desire to become a mercenary revolved around him.
Although he knew about the bet that he was currently the focal point of he believed that the reason Tayuya reacted the way she did whenever one of the more brazen women came up to him was because it was interfering with her training. After Naruto had given his report to E the fiery red-head had told him she was going to join him as a mercenary. Naruto hadn't been able to tell her no and as a result found himself with a partner. But since he knew they were going to find themselves in some dangerous situations had insisted that she train to the point that he felt comfortable she could handle herself. Tayuya was quickly proving to have the work ethic and stamina of her unaware crush. But watching the pair Konan could easily see why, as his praise seemed to be what she strived for.
Konan could only smile as Naruto caught a punch of Tayuya's and then spun her around while wrapping his arms around her to hold her still. Tayuya instantly began to blush due to how easily he had manhandled her. Although the former Akatsuki member also suspected that it was due to their close proximity.
She heard Tayuya say, "Alright you caught me let me go."
"I don't know," Naruto replied, "The last time I did that you tried to slug me."
Tayuya's blush worsened as she remembered the previous time especially as Kyo had caught her fist and took her down to the ground using his body to hold her down. "I promise it's not a ruse," Tayuya said.
"Hmm, let me think about," the mercenary replied, which caused Tayuya's red face to change from one of embarrassment to one of anger as she brought her foot down on top of his.
Naruto instantly let go and then began jumping up and down holding his injured foot. "I thought you said you gave up," he said still hopping.
"You should have let go," Tayuya replied.
"I was just having a little fun Ta-Yu-Ya," he said stretching her name out in a way she found both annoying and endearing.
Turning away from him her cheeks once more brightening she had to turn once more when she noticed she was facing Konan who had a sly smile on her face. Calming she said, "So when are you going to get a mission so we can do something?"
"I planned to talk to the Raikage today," Naruto answered, "However I'm not taking you with me just yet."
Tayuya spun about to argue but Naruto held up a hand saying, "Look Tayuya, the missions I get are generally A-Class. I want to make sure you can handle yourself. That is why I asked Konan to oversee your training while I'm gone."
"Why can't you just train me?" she asked crossing her arms.
"Because somebody needs to take missions and Konan stays here so that she can get in touch with me when necessary with mission requests," Naruto said, "Don't worry she was trained by Jiraiya so you'll be ready to go in no time."
"Fine," Tayuya said although not pleased that Kyo would be off on his own or more specifically without her. Although she figured, "At least with him out of the village all the sluts after him will have to back off for a while."
Naruto gave a wave before taking off for the Central tower in order to receive a mission. Tayuya sighed as he took off since she already missed him which both surprised and worried her. In Sound she had cared for no one but herself. But, finding that she had begun to care for someone frightened her, as before if she died that was it. Yet now she was worried about Kyo being out there by himself without somebody to watch his back. Although that wasn't quite true as she didn't want just anybody with him but her and especially not the sluts that had set their eyes on him.
Addressing Konan she said, "Alright so where do we fucking begin," while thinking, "Because the sooner I get done here the sooner I can be with him."
Naruto was still hobbling a little as a result of the cheap shot Tayuya had landed. He wondered why she had reacted so violently to his holding her as he had simply wanted to go easy on her. "Maybe she sensed that," he thought considering he knew he would be upset if people babied him while training.
Thinking of the fiery red-head made Naruto smile as she was almost like his shield from some of the other Kunoichi that had targeted him recently. When he had returned to the village he had been less than pleased to learn that not only did most of it know about his relationship with Konan. But that the blue-haired woman had pretty much given all the kunoichi an open license to try and get him for themselves. In a way it made him feel almost sorry for Sasuke as he had remembered the young girls acting similarly in his academy days. Which reminded him of the old saying be careful what you wish for you might just get it.
It may have taken quite a few years but he certainly got the attention he wished the young girls of the academy would have showered him with when he had been younger. Although to be honest there had only been one girl in the academy he had wanted to pay attention to him. Thinking of Sakura made the smile fade a little as he still had yet to talk to her. He knew if Tsunade was here she would be disappointed in his continued avoidance of the kunoichi, but he still did not know what to say to her. Especially since what he wanted to say was that he understood why she had done the things she did that had started him on his current path. He also wanted to tell her that she didn't need to prove herself to him as there was nothing to forgive since she did what she thought was best and therefore she didn't need to take stupid risks and that he still cared for her. But, it was the last thing he wanted to tell her was what kept bringing him up short. Which basically was that he felt it would be best if they limited their interactions with each other, in other words to cut her out of his life as cleanly as possible.
It wasn't that he hated her, far from that, but it was just that when it came to the pink-haired woman everything was so confusing. He had loved her from the academy till even now. As such she represented a weakness that he could never fully guard against. He had acted on instinct when he had taken the blow meant for her in Iron Country over a year previous. Despite how much her false confession had hurt and in spite of a part of him believing she truly had meant to leave with Sasuke. He had still almost died for her. Even when he had been intimate with Konan she had still been on his mind.
Therefore he reasoned that if he couldn't stop thinking about her. How could she ever truly give up Sasuke? That was why he needed to make a clean break from her. To limit the pain he would feel should she ever truly choose Sasuke over him and Konoha. However, he supposed that the part of him that loved Sakura didn't want to give her up, which was what held him back from talking to her.
Reaching the tower he put such matters out of his mind hoping to secure a decent job and figuring a few days out of the village would give him time to work up the courage to make his life altering decree. So he could start a life without Sakura.
Shikamaru was staring over a map of the Shinobi Nations in the apartment he shared with Temari. Although his operation in Rain Country had been a complete success, something about it still bothered him. Which was, why had they been amassing so many shinobi at the base they had destroyed? The answer he kept coming up with was that they were about to begin a massive offensive. Yet that didn't sit well with him as Konoha's borders were quite well guarded.
Had Madara been planning for them to pull forces from their border and if so why? The only way that would happen was if one of the other nations had been attacked. Looking over the map he knew it couldn't be Suna as they were almost better defended then Konoha in part to Kyo's work in the country. Kumo was a tempting target especially due to Iwa's defeat, however where would Madara get the navy necessary to attack since the border they shared with the smaller nations was so narrow it would make attacking over land very difficult. If he was to choose a country it would be Kiri due to its smaller size and forces. However what made it difficult for him to imagine Madara opening a new front in Kumo made it doubly hard to imagine one in Kiri since it was surrounded by water. Even with Iwa's defeat there had been no great standing navy among any of the shinobi nations. Kiri had quite a few ships but those were all used to get shinobi ashore as quickly as possible
He was about to light a cigarette when Temari said, "Don't even think about it."
Making an annoyed grunt he was about to disregard her when a small burst of wind blew it out of his mouth. Glaring at what his mother said was his better half he said, "Why can't you just let me enjoy a smoke in peace every now and then?"
Crossing her arms she said, "I just finished taking a shower and do not want to start smelling like smoke." Noticing that the map that he had been obsessing over lately was out again she added, "Most people that plan a successful operation generally pat themselves on the back and move on."
"I wish I was most people then," he replied, "But I can't help shaking the feeling that I'm missing something."
"Maybe the increased forces were there due to Iwa's defeat," Temari supplied, "With Iwa out of the war they would be able to shift more personnel to their border with Fire Country."
"I considered that," Shikamaru said, "But why then did all the medicines we tracked via the Aburame end up there. No I believe Madara was about to unleash an offensive on Fire Country from there. But…"
"…That would be foolish considering how well the Rain/Fire border is defended," Temari said looking over the map as well.
"Agreed, but what if he had been preparing for something he believed was about to happen," Shikamaru said, "Like a new front opening in a country that had yet to be touched by the war."
"Kiri…" Temari said skeptically, "But where would he get the boats necessary for such an invasion?"
"I don't know," Shikamaru said, "Maybe Iwa had a secret navy. I know Kurotsuchi's report of the assets that may have fallen into Madara's hands didn't list one, but she may be covering up a few."
"I don't think so," Temari said, "She seems pretty forthcoming and after the mission she has just been through I would imagine that she would want to see Madara stopped more than anyone."
"I suppose, but I have a feeling that we'll get our answer sooner rather than later."
Taiki was a chunin from Kumogakure and was currently assigned to patrol the southern border of the Land of Lighting. His squad was currently resting and as far as border patrols went. It was rather easy due in part to the border they were watching was made up of nothing but coastline. However despite the lack of risk from the shinobi forces of the Lesser Country Alliance there was still the risk of pirates that would attempt to take advantage of the shinobi world's preoccupation with the war.
Border Patrol was one of the most dangerous tasks that a shinobi could be assigned. Mostly due to the ambushes that Akatsuki's forces would spring on them especially along the borders of the smaller countries. As such many shinobi would only remain in Border Patrol for a few months at most before being reassigned to a less dangerous task. There was one person who had been in it for almost an entire year and had remained on the most dangerous patrols. He just couldn't understand why the beautiful Hyuuga woman would want to remain on them. But she did, and she also seemed to want to be alone as he had made the mistake of approaching her once. She had rejected him kindly the first time, but when he had pushed harder her rejection had also became fiercer. He remembered laying a hand on her, merely trying to prevent her from leaving, only to find himself on his back staring up at her. She had simply replied coldly. "Don't ever touch me. You aren't him."
Considering that it had happened in the communal mess hall of the Five Element Village the Hyuuga had promptly earned a reputation as an Ice Queen especially since he wasn't the first to be rejected so forcefully.
"Quit daydreaming," the jounin in charge of his patrol said angrily. "Just because we have an easier route than normal doesn't mean you can drop your guard."
"Ah he's dreaming of the Ice Queen," said the female chunin who had been busting his balls since the beginning of the patrol.
He was about to tell her where she could stuff her opinion when he felt several kunai impact with his back. He could hear the jounin shouting out orders to the rest of the squad but saw him cut down moments later. He saw the rest of the squad fall as well. Rolling onto his back despite the pain he wanted to catch a glimpse of what had attacked them considering they had been resting in a wide open field near the coast. A shadow passed overhead, focusing on it he saw a blurry image of a flying craft of some sort before several more kunai impacted with his chest. Before the world went dark Taiki's last thought was, "I wonder who she had meant by him?"
E was looking over the costs of the recent success in Rain Country. Although they had completely destroyed the base, since it had been more heavily occupied then original guessed. They had lost more shinobi than planned. He would have to ask for more forces from his fellow Kages. Before he could compose a letter to request the reinforcements a knock at his door drew his attention.
When the mercenary stepped in he said, "What can I do for you?" Ever since the mercenaries return he had been quite welcoming to the man.
"I'd like a mission," Kyo said without preamble.
Standing from his desk E said, "I'm afraid that I don't have one for you at the moment."
"You have to be kidding," Naruto said disappointed, "I see Shinobi leaving on missions all the time."
"Granted," the Raikage replied, "But the truth is that I don't have one for a man of your skill and want to keep you close at hand in case something does come up."
"So what are you saying, I'm too skilled to be sent out on mundane missions now?" Naruto said upset.
"Basically," E said, "Why do you need to go on a mission so bad anyway boy? Surely after the mission you just had you don't feel the need to prove yourself so soon."
Returning to his desk the Raikage said, "Take some more time off. Trust me, before too long you won't have nearly enough."
Naruto groused a little under his breath but accepted the Raikage's suggestion. He nodded his head to the man before leaving figuring perhaps now would be the best time to talk to Sakura, but found his feet were taking him away from the hospital instead of towards.
Admiral Yato watched as the most recent patrol landed. As the officer on deck talked to the pilot of the glider, he waited for the man to finish before patting him on the shoulder and moving to a speaker box to relay the report. The box squeaked before saying, "Sir, the pilot found an enemy squad near Refueling Point Six. He took care of them all before they could discover it."
"Excellent," Yato said before turning to the captain and ordering, "Captain set course for refueling point six."
The captain relayed the order to the helmsman before returning to ask, "Is this really the best course of action Admiral? That squad may be missed before we even arrive at the refueling point let alone while we refuel."
Turning to the severe looking woman Yato said, "You are correct to worry, Nagisa. However, since Konoha made sure to destroy most of the refueling points we had in Fire Country after our last raid if we are to reach our target we'll need to refuel there, so we'll have to chance it."
"Yes sir," she replied, "I didn't mean to question you."
Giving the woman a grim smile he said, "Don't ever hold back your opinion Captain. You have ascended to your position for a reason and I value your judgment. When should we arrive at Refueling Point Six?"
"In twelve hours Admiral," Nagisa replied. "It'll take a few hours to take care of all of the ships however."
"No matter Captain," Yato said folding his hands behind his back, "Once the ships are ready we'll be taking our place among the New Five Great Nations as we've long dreamed."
Shikamaru made his way to the Raikage's office. Upon entering the man looked up from the file he was reading before asking, "What is it?"
"A patrol in Lighting has stopped reporting in," Shikamaru said.
"I see," E said calmly before asking, "I take it you have already sent out a search party then?"
"No sir," Shikamaru replied stepping closer to the desk and saying, "I was hoping that you would consider sending Kyo on this mission."
"That is a rather unusual request and don't you think a little overkill," E said raising an eyebrow. "I mean, it may be they have only run into pirates and haven't been able to check in."
"That is possible sir," Shikamaru said walking up to the desk and unfolding his map. "But would you mind listening to another theory?"
"Proceed"
"Thank you sir, I believe that the patrol has run into a force that was meant to open up a new front in the war," Shikamaru said.
Before he could elaborate further the Raikage cut in, "That is kind of a stretch don't you think Shikamaru? I mean we've lost contact with patrols before."
"Yes sir, I know," Shikamaru replied, "However something about our success in Rain Country has bothered me."
"The increased forces that were encountered," E said hazarding a guess.
"Yes and the only thing I have been able to come up with is that they were preparing to attack us directly. But that would be foolish in light of how well our border is defended. Yet, if Madara knew that we would need to suddenly shift forces…"
"A direct assault makes more sense all of the sudden," E finished for the strategist suddenly seeing where he was going. "Still it's a bit much to ascertain from one patrol going missing. Where would Madara even get a large enough navy to open up a front in Lighting Country?"
"I don't think Lighting is where they would attack," Shikamaru said pointing to his map, "The patrol was operating in this area. I believe they may have had a supply area there. I believe the true target is Kiri." E sat back in his chair crossing his arms over his chest which Shikamaru took as a sign to continue, "The only way Madara's plan works is by making us divide our forces in such a way that we can't easily defend and help each other. The hardest country to get our forces to and from would be Kiri making it the most likely target."
"What about attacking us here?" E asked believing his strategist, but wanting to here the reason why Madara wouldn't go for the knock out punch.
"We are a tempting target sure," Shikamaru said lighting a cigarette, "But Konoha could have forces here in a few hours. But it would take upwards of a week to get help to Kiri."
"I'll inform the other Kages of your suspicions," E said after giving the matter some thought. "Now why do you want the mercenary to go in search of the missing patrol?"
Smiling Shikamaru said, "Kyo has a habit of causing havoc for Madara. This plan of his has to have been carefully crafted. The destruction of the base in Rain may have thrown a wrench in it, but I believe Kyo is what we need to bust the machine for good."
"Alright, I'll send word for him to come here. He wanted a mission I guess he should have been more careful about what he wished for."
Sakura was sitting in the basement at her desk writing down the report for the patient she had just treated. It had been a young chunin assigned to the Grass/Fire border. They had been ambushed and although the enemy had been driven off he had been injured. The sad thing was, which she was writing down in her report was that she believed the wound was self inflicted. Her reason had to do with how deep the Kunai had pierced the man and the wound itself didn't match what she had been told by him.
He claimed the kunai had been thrown and that it had caught him in the shoulder missing his flak jacket. When she had asked he said that the shinobi who threw it had been too close to dodge. That generally meant the shinobi was at least twenty feet away and throwing it at about thirty feet per a second. That would at the very least mean it should have penetrated more than the inch that the wound had been.
It was sad but it sometimes happened. Shinobi who wanted to get out of defending the border due to the constant ambushes would try and get sent back by inflicting wounds to themselves. In any case her report would mean an inquiry would be made and if found guilty the man would be lucky to escape jail time.
Finishing up she sat back in her chair rubbing the bridge of her nose. She became aware that she wasn't alone by the smell of smoke. "Am I needed?" Sakura asked Avaron.
Chuckling, the woman said, "Not by me. The Raikage's assistant was here saying she needed a medic for a mission. Apparently a patrol went missing and the mission is to find out why. The Raikage wants a medic in case somebody is still alive."
"And you thought of me?" Sakura said.
"Well you look like you need to get out of the village for a while," Avaron said her tone worried having noticed as the week went by Sakura's mood had dropped.
Sighing Sakura said, "I guess you're right. When do I need to report?"
"Like five minutes ago," Avaron said pulling the girl out of the chair and pushing her towards the stairs to the first level of the hospital. Just before she reached them and with a final push, Avaron said, "Remember to thank me."
Wondering what her superior meant Sakura made her way to the central tower.
Naruto was glad when the Raikage's assistant found him telling him of the mission to Kumo. He had been hiding out in the forest surrounding the village. The assistant had spent several hours looking for him so told him to hurry to the tower. Arriving as fast as his feet could take him he knocked on the door receiving a gruff, "Enter."
Opening the door he froze for a moment spotting Sakura, but covering it as best he could and made his way to the center of the room. Once he stopped the Raikage said, "I thought you were in a hurry for a mission."
"I'm sorry, but I was under the impression you had meant to use me only in emergencies and you wanted me to take some time to myself."
Scowling at his own words being used against him the Raikage said, "Right, well in any case an emergency may be in the process of developing. I want you to take Mrs. Haruno here with you on a mission to Lighting Country and to locate a missing patrol. Failing that, to locate what attacked them."
Naruto stared at Sakura which the Raikage noticed causing him to ask, "Is that a problem?"
"No," Naruto said calmly despite the turmoil he was feeling. Addressing Sakura he said, "How long do you need to get ready?"
"Twenty minutes," Sakura said barely containing the elation she felt. Finally after so long she was positive that on the mission she would be able to convince Naruto about how she felt about him.
Naruto headed to the training fields to see Tayuya a sweaty mess that appeared to be barely alive lying in the middle of the field. Walking up to Konan who was reading a book while Tayuya collected herself he said, "Are you planning to kill her?"
"No…"
"Yes…" the red head shouted.
Walking up to her, he dropped down to his haunches near Tayuya's head and said, "Be sure to listen to your sensei while I'm gone."
Grabbing his leg Tayuya said, "Please don't leave me with her."
Smiling beneath his mask he said, "Trust me, the harder your sensei goes on you the stronger you will become. I can attest to that."
Tayuya blinked which he took as she understood and he said, "I'll look forward to seeing how far you've progressed by the time I get back."
"And when will that be?" Konan asked looking up from her book.
Not wanting to be left alone with Sakura for long he said, "Hopefully by the end of the week at the latest."
After saying good-bye to the two women Naruto then headed to the room he had been given after returning from the mission. Although he had shared a room with Konan before he wanted to have a place to himself for a while. Having had a bag packed and sitting next to his door so that if he ever needed to leave quickly he could he proceeded to the Main Gate.
Sakura was already waiting on him at the gate by the time he arrived. When he walked up she smiled saying, "I'm glad to be with you again."
Naruto nodded to her before leaving taking off in a run. Sakura frowned at the less the warm greeting she had received, but she wouldn't let it deter her as Naruto was worth not giving up on. Strengthening her resolve Sakura took off after Naruto intent on not letting him getting any further away from her.
Yato was angry upon arriving at the refueling point. As soon as his ship had docked a genin had ran up to him with a message from Madara. In short it had informed him of the destruction of the force that would have divided the Shinobi Alliance's forces while they conquered Kiri. Now however if they attacked it was likely the Alliance would be able to concentrate on preventing them from taking the island nation.
Pushing the anger away he called for a meeting of the ship captains. Madara's message had asked him to continue with the attack. However without the forces attacking on the western front of Fire Country he wasn't sure they would be able to take the country. The meeting had been less than productive as his captains were divided on the matter. Half of them wanted to go ahead with the attack confident that if they hit Kirigakure hard and fast enough they could force their surrender. The other half, which included the captain of his flagship The Indomitable, Nagisa, had been against it. They argued that it was too likely that no matter how hard they attacked the shinobi of Kirigakure would fight on which would create a necessity to fight and possibility that they would get bogged down long enough for the Shinobi Alliance to respond. In the end he had to tell the captains he would continue to think on it and had sent a message to Madara telling him he was delaying the operation.
Madara must have sensed that Yato was leaning towards simply walking away since the man appeared in his personal cabin several days after he sent the message. Despite his sudden appearance Yato remained sitting behind his desk saying, "I have yet to decide so you may leave."
"Yato, we made a deal," Madara said sounding calm but with a hint of anger.
"We did," the admiral replied, "However that deal included you attacking at the same time we did. Now the only ones at risk are me and my men. We have to approach Kiri undetected and then completely remove them from play. If they get even a hint that we are on the way we will be forced to fight a bloody battle and without your assault on the western front the Shinobi Alliance will be able to reinforce Kiri."
"If you are tired of wandering aimlessly without a homeland then you will attack Kiri as planned," Madara said. "I am already in the process of finding a way to provide you some assistance."
"Really and where would this assistance be coming from hm?" Yato asked intrigued.
"We have made a deal with a pirate gang in order to get a combined Waterfall and Rain force from Iwa to Kiri," Madara said. "That way should you fail to knock Kiri out of the war and have to fight for the Island you will have reinforcements of your own."
"How long would we have to wait?" Yato asked.
"We can have them on their way by tomorrow, so about a month," Madara answered.
"Very well we will leave in week's time," Yato informed the ancient Uchiha. When it became apparent that Madara was about to protest he said, "That is not up for negotiation. It will take another week to arrive in Kiri from here. If your force leaves tomorrow and the worst should happen then we will only need to hold out for two weeks."
Recognizing that was probably the best he was going to get Madara said, "They'll be on their way by this time tomorrow."
"Good," Yato said getting up and pouring a drink he was about to toast to the fall of Kiri but when he turned Madara was gone.
The mission was not going nearly as well as Sakura had hoped it would have. They had just crossed the Kumo border on their second day out and had been searching for the patrol for three days. Also thus far Naruto had managed to avoid every try she had made to really talk to him. It was amazing that the boy that never knew when to be quiet was so adapt at shutting down a conversation. While they traveled he always remained several feet in front of her. Not far enough that he was pulling away, but far enough that speaking was ill-advised. Then when they rested he would assume a meditative position while telling her that he needed to concentrated. Therefore all that had passed between them were a few theories about what they would fine and who would take first watch during the night.
Crossing into Kumo had made her task even more difficult as even though the country was more secure than the tiny country that bordered it now their focus was required to find signs of what happened to the patrol. Nearing where the map they had been given said the patrol should have been Naruto called for a stop.
Sakura ran the few extra feet so that she came to a rest near him. "Are we there?"
"We should be," Naruto replied to her question, "We'll move slower so that we don't miss any clues as to what happened."
Not wanting to ask because she feared the answer she said, "Should we split up?"
Naruto stared at her for a moment and Sakura feared he would say yes. Not because she would be on her own but because it meant he wanted to be away from her. Finally after what seemed to be an exorbitantly long time, but was in truth on a few seconds he said, "No that probably isn't wise. As whatever hit them probably did so fast enough that they couldn't get a message off."
Sakura nodded in agreement even if she was less than pleased by his reason since it showed just how far she had fallen in his eyes. As there had been a time when he would simply not want her to be off where he couldn't protect and watch over her.
The search was slow going as they had to be aware of the fact that if the team had been attacked and killed by a group that didn't want to be discovered then the attack site would probably have been cleaned up. Naruto was walking ahead when Sakura told him to stop having smelled a scent that she had a lot of experience with as of late. Dried blood, which she had learned to distinguish since most of the wounded shinobi she dealt with from the patrols often, arrived bearing old and crusty bandages.
"What is it Sakura?" Naruto asked turning towards her.
Not liking the emotionless way he had been using her name Sakura paused for a moment before focusing on the mission, "I believe this is the site where the attack happened. It's faint but the smell of dried blood is around us."
Naruto nodded and a more thorough search of the area revealed that a battle had indeed taken place there. There were drops of blood on some of the smaller rocks of the area and the larger ones bore the nicks from where kunai had hit them. What was strange about the nicks was that they appeared to have been the result of the kunai being thrown downward. Considering that the highest place to throw kunai from was a lone tree about a hundred yards away from the site. he reasoned that either the enemy had been jumping or flying.
Sakura arrived to the same conclusion and even supplied the name of the enemy he was thinking of saying, "Do you think Sky Country did this?"
"Either them or somebody has come across a cache of their weapons," Naruto said turning to look at her. His breath caught in his throat, as the sight that he saw was breathtaking as the setting sun highlighted her in all her glory and the small cliff she was standing near sent up a rather large wave. However, the scene also hardened his resolve since if just the sight of her could affect him so. It proved just how much of a hold she had over him.
Sakura unaware of Naruto's thoughts asked, "Do you know any earth jutsus?"
He shook his head no, as earth wasn't one of his strong elements so she said, "Stand back." When Naruto cleared the area she slammed her fist into the ground causing the earth to react violently. As she suspected the attackers had used the headhunter jutsu to make the bodies disappear. Naruto helped her pull the dead patrolmen from the ground before giving them a quick inspection. Finding a kunai that had been left in one of the bodies she pulled it free to hand it to him.
Looking at the kunai Naruto saw that it indeed was the kind that Sky Country used since it bore the marks that showed it had been shot from one of the launchers they carried with them. Telling Sakura, he noticed that she had pulled out a scroll and unraveled it along the line of dead bodies. Helping her place them on the scroll he watched as she sealed them into it.
Rolling it up she asked, "What should we do?"
"Probably head back to the village and inform the Raikage that it appears that Sky Country may be working with Madara," Naruto said before turning to head back since they probably still had an hour of sunlight.
Sakura stopped him, since she imagined that he would act the same on the way back as he did the way here said, "Naruto…"
Sensing that she wanted to talk about what had happened between them Naruto sighed but figured it needed to be done. Turning to face her he reached for his mask but decided to leave it on and said, "Yes…"
Finally receiving the conversation she wanted Sakura was horrified when her mind went blank. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it fearing that she would say something stupid or worse upset him further. Naruto seeing Sakura struggle said, "Do you mind if I go first?"
Sakura shook her head so he began saying, "Well first Granny Tsunade told me what you attempted to do to get on the mission to Grass Country." Sakura looked horrified but he said calmly, "You never needed to do anything so foolish Sakura. I understand why you did the things that you did and I can appreciate that you thought lying to me about your feelings would free me from pursuing Sasuke." Sakura tried to speak but he stopped her saying, "Therefore there is nothing to really forgive. Even though it turned out a mess I know you didn't do it to hurt me intentionally."
"Naruto…" Sakura tried to begin but was cutoff as he said, "Please let me finish. A large part of me wants to be angry with you Sakura and a lot has passed between us." Laughing sadly he continued, "It seems despite all our best intentions we keep on hurting each other doesn't it. That's why I think it's best that once we complete this mission we try and keep our distance from each other. I'm sure we can work together, but I think it would be best if that is the limit to how often we see each other."
Sakura was crushed as he turned away to begin heading back to the Five Element Village. In all the scenarios that she had run in her head, none of them had so utterly destroyed her. She imagined him laying into her, yelling and screaming at her past treatment of him, for her ignoring him in favor of Sasuke. But never a calm dismissal from his life and that was what hurt her the most as she watched him begin to walk away. That he had reached a point where he could just say good-bye to her like Sasuke had. That all the feeling and passion he had felt for her had dried up.
Time seemed to slow down as her vision grew blurry from the tears that she couldn't stop. She finally understood the role that Naruto and Sasuke had filled in her life. Sasuke was like the moon Sakura decided. Much like the moon controlled the tides and was thought to be what stirred up the ancient seas enough that the first organisms began to grow he had stirred up the first feelings of love that the young Sakura had possessed. Naruto however was the sun which was warm and bright and necessary for life to grow. While the moon was often thought of in the more romantic terms, it only shined the way it did because of the sun. Remembering how Naruto was always there to cheer her up after a rejection, or when she had told him about her concerns for Sasuke abandoning the village and he had tried to tell her everything would be fine, or the time he had cheered for her during her match with Ino giving her the strength to tie her rival. It was at that point that she knew that she could live without the moon, or Sasuke. But if the pain she was feeling was any indication as Naruto walked away, much like the planet, she couldn't live without the sun.
She tried to channel all of her feelings into what she wanted to say. To find some magical combination of words to make him stop, but due to the sobs wracking her it came out all choked up as she pleaded, "Please…Please don't leave me Naruto. I don't want to lose you again…please."
Naruto could hear that Sakura had broken down into tears but fought the temptation to comfort her. He knew it may hurt her, as he was hurting a great deal at his decision. But he was confident it was for the best as that way neither of them would have to live a lie. Sakura wouldn't need to pretend that she cared for him as anything other than a friend and he wouldn't need to live with the fear of the day Sasuke came to claim her. While he didn't believe Sasuke cared for her he couldn't shake the feeling that as he was now, his old friend would use her to hurt him in any way he could. However hearing the pure desperation in Sakura's voice caused him to stop and despite trying to prevent himself from doing so turned towards her. What he saw was something he wished never to see again ever since the day at the gate when she had begged him to bring Sasuke back. Except if anything the sobs seemed even worse. When he turned towards her, he saw that her eyes opened wide and that hope shown in them. She then took a shaky step forward reaching an arm towards him and a desperate, "Please…," escaped her lips.
Naruto didn't know what to do. In his head, he had imagined that Sakura may get mad and in the end just give up and agree. But seeing her so overwhelmed by emotion at his decision he wanted to believe that perhaps he did mean more to her then he thought. Yet it was the fear that it wasn't true made him hesitate about backing down from his decision. However noticing something behind her, he saw a black dot trying to hide in the setting sun. Realizing what it was he immediately ran back towards her.
Sakura was so afraid that her words didn't reach him. But when he stopped and turned she felt hope begin to return. He did still care she was sure of it. She took another step towards him when he failed to move towards her. Her heart began to beat with elation when he began to run at her. When he tackled her to the ground and he rolled them up to his feet holding her in his arms. She was about to say how glad she was when she noticed that where she had been standing was covered in kunai.
As Naruto broke out into a full out run, she realized he hadn't changed his mind, but had merely saved her life. A life she was no longer sure she wanted if it meant living in the eternal winter that Naruto's leaving her would make it. She realized that now wasn't the time to be thinking about such things not with a glider chasing after them but she couldn't help it. However she did take some satisfaction in knowing that he had stopped. That on some level he hadn't been able to just walk away as Sasuke had. That maybe, just maybe, she still had a place in his heart. Cradled in his arms she vowed that she wouldn't just let him walk out of her life. That even if it took the rest of her days she would show him how much he meant to her. Even if in a sense she would have to become like he had been when they had been younger. Constantly asking for dates and just like he had always come back when she had rejected him she would continuously come back. Until that little piece of his heart that was still hers had grown strong again.
"Sakura, I need to put you down now," Naruto said urgently.
She merely nodded so he tossed her. She easily landed on her feet and began running alongside him. Naruto jumped into the air creating a shadow clone that he stepped on before jumping away and creating another. Doing it over and over again he managed to reach the same altitude as the glider forcing its pilot to concentrate on him. Getting above the pilot who climbed to meet him head on he allowed himself to fall back to the earth.
The pilot lined Naruto up with his kunai launcher and pressed the trigger. At the same time Naruto launched a kunai which looked like it would miss, however the pilot's didn't. His shots hit the blonde in the head and shoulders, causing Sakura to gasp. But as the kunai Naruto had thrown passed over the glider it transformed into the blonde who grabbed a hold of it as the shadow clone dispersed.
Forming his Wind Chidori which he called the Typhoon Fist he slammed it into the back of the glider which it passed through effortlessly. Unfortunately the man's chest didn't offer much resistance either. "Oops," Naruto said aloud not having wanted to kill the man. Due to the man's death and no more chakra being fed into it, the glider began to crash. Naruto rode it down jumping off at the last minute and rolled to a stop. Grumbling as he got back to his feet he said, "I think I'll lose points for that landing."
He turned to see Sakura running up to him. He tried to wave her of saying that he was fine, but she sent a glare at him that said, "I'll be the judge of that." When she finished her scan, she looked at him and he saw her vision getting watery for a moment till she pushed her feelings down. Now wasn't the time for their previous discussion and they both knew it. However, before he could change the subject to the more pressing topic Sakura said, "I won't let you."
Naruto knew what she meant so didn't comment on it despite how it made him happy to know she wouldn't just let him walk away from her. Focusing on business he said, "Sky Country has to still be nearby if they are watching for patrols."
Sakura nodded in agreement before unfolding the map they had been given. Looking it over she said, "If I remember correctly Shikamaru said they have an operating range of a hundred kilometers."
Kneeling down next to her Naruto said, "That still leaves a lot of ground to search."
"Maybe not as much as you think," Sakura replied drawing a few X's on the map. "They are probably in the cove around here," she said pointing to the first X she drew, "They aren't here to attack Kumo or they would have already. Since they can't dock just anywhere it needs to be a place where they can unload and load their ships away from prying eyes."
"Alright give me a minute," Naruto said assuming a cross-legged sitting position. As he allowed the natural energy to filter into him he sensed that underneath Sakura's calm exterior laid a great deal of worry as well as sadness. However mixed into it was an equal amount of determination. Forcing himself to focus on locating the Sky Country base he picked up a large number of people about where he guessed the cove Sakura was talking about was at.
"They are there," Naruto said, having sensed an urgency among the Sky Country forces, "But I don't think they will be for long. It seems like they are preparing to leave."
"We need to find out where they are heading," Sakura stated.
"Right," Naruto agreed, "Do you think you can find your way to the Village safely?"
"Yes, but I won't," Sakura said folding her arms in front of herself and preparing for an argument.
Naruto stared at her and sensed her determination to argue with him on the subject. Sighing in defeat before it even started he said, "Alright lets go."
Sakura was surprised that he just gave up but wasn't about to argue so followed Naruto as they made their way to the Sky Country Base. When they arrived it was apparent that the fleet assembled was in the final stages of casting off. Moving quietly they made their way through the base towards the docks. Along the way they came across a building that was used to wash the clothes of the Sky Country Shinobi. Sneaking inside they procured a set. Naruto was shocked when with a gentle smile Sakura simply began to strip right in front of him.
Sakura was somewhat pleased when Naruto quickly spun around as even with the mask on she could tell he was blushing due to the color of his neck. She was especially glad for the uniforms when after changing into them and even though Sky Country Shinobi all wore masks, she saw Naruto's eyes for the first time since learning he was alive. They were as clear and blue as she remembered like a warm summer sky. She also realized why he needed the mask to be Kyo as she knew despite how calm he had sounded when he had said he wanted to cut her out of his life his eyes wouldn't have been able to hide the truth. Since when his eyes had landed on her they had softened and held all the warmth that she remembered.
However that was for later. Right now they needed to sneak aboard one of the ships in order to find out where the fleet was going and how they could stop them. But as she followed behind Naruto as they snuck out of the laundry facility she swore that she would show him that she wanted her place in his heart back no matter what it took.