-1------------------------------------------------------Sakura's True Feelings------------------------------------------
After Gara had finished debriefing them everyone had sat in silence for a while. No one really wanted to fathom the meaning behind Gara's words, but they all knew what they ment. After a while Gara spoke up.
"Naruto…I'm sorry but I have to leave. Temari will have my hide if she doesn't see me in the next hour. So if you'll excuse me I'll just…" Gara finished lamely as he stood up and walked towards the door.
"Alright Gara. It was really good to see you again….Oh and if its alright with you I'll have Sakura and Sauske accompany you…we wouldn't want anything bad to happen to the Kazakage while he's in the hidden leaf village now would we."" Naruto replied casually. As Naruto mentioned their names Sauske and Sakura stood up and walked towards Gara, then turning the three of them headed out the door. Waiting several minutes Naruto stared out of the window near his bed. Then catching a glimpse of the three of them he shouted. "Good bye guys." and waved to them as they stepped out the giant compound doors.
After the three had left, Naruto let out a sign. 'So its war then,' he thought as he opened the chest containing his inheritance. Rummaging around he removed the final three weapons his father had entrusted to him.
"The Infinite Sais, The Uzumaki armour, and the Uzumaki shield," he spoke each of their names as he retrieved them from there places in the chest. 'Alright its time to go to work,' he thought as h stood gripping each of the weapons tightly. Then with out a sound he used the Body Flicker to once again return to his training place in the Konoha mountains.
-----------------------------------Konoha Mountains------------------------------
'Alright time to begin training' Naruto thought, as he reappeared in the crisp night air. Placing the Uzumaki shield and the Uzumaki armour down he moved to the center of his training chasm. Looking down at the pair of sais in his hand He thought about what they truly could be. 'The Infinite Sais are suppose to be able to slash anything within a 20 meter radius. So I'm gonna guess it has a wind element jutsu added to it, and then its contained to only that space for how far the wind blade can reach out. That's a pretty simple one for me to follow. 'Naruto thought as he began to swing the Sais in a circle about himself. As he did he felt the familiar rush of wind, and then heard the clear whizzing sounds as he twirled them above his head.
"Yep just like I thought." Naruto said as he watched the sais make deep gouges in the stone as he spun them about himself.
'Alright on to the shield,' he thought as he placed down the Sais. Then picking up a small black armguard he placed it over his wrist. Immediately a blinding shield of light formed. On the shield however was a wolfish face that had gapping jaws and hair that seemed to move.
"Humph I was expecting something like this." "The scroll told me that it is an indestructible portable shield. It seems that it uses a jutsu that was derived from the summoning technique Rashoumon. Although it never mentioned it was a light jutsu. This will be my first time seeing this style of jutsu since the hellish training Jiraiya put me through in order to make me surpass my father. However I have to say that this isn't too shabby. Not bad old man…you really knew your stuff."
Removing it caused the shield to vanish as quickly as it came. Then replacing it Naruto picked up the final item he had brought with himself.
"The Uzumaki's Armour" He spoke its name aloud. " It is said that if a person wears it they are bound to it body and soul. It will give them the ability to shape-shift to any disguise that they want, all they have to do is think about it and the change will take place. After every use the wearer must re-seal it so that its powers remain inactive, otherwise they will never be able to remove it. The armour itself seems to radiate genjitsu, as well as the combination of the art of transformation." 'I won't be putting you on tonight though,' he though as he placed the armour back down with the shield. Then reaching down he once again retrieved the sais for their place on the ground. 'Alright. Now that I have figured out the rest of their powers, its time to combined the Wind jutsu to the other weapons.' Then picking out one of his kunai Naruto pricked himself with the tip and let two droplets of blood fall onto the other special weapons he had begun to carry. Then focusing with all his might he forced wind manipulation jutsu to cause the blood to turn into a small cyclone. Suddenly he felt his arm go limp and he ducked as his bloodied kunai stabbed viciously at his throat.
Before it had another chance to strike Naruto formed three one handed seals, and shouted. "Combine through blood and will the line of the Uzumaki!"
Then driving his hands down kunai and all towards the other weapons, he laid the newly formed seal onto the weapons in a flash of glowing white light. Panting, Naruto retrieved the other items and vanished leaving only the slash marks in the stone around him as any sign that he had been there.
Meanwhile-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sakura, having completed the task of returning Gara to Temari, bid a good night to Sauske and Ino, and headed back off towards the Anbu's training facility. She lived there now, along with Sauske and all the other members of the Anbu. She had her own little house with a view of the forest surrounding the estate.
Sitting outside the door to her house, looking at the forest she started to think. 'Jeese I had no idea that there was a possibility that we would be at war in a few months,' thought Sakura. 'What do I do??? It's been two years since I last saw Naruto, I don't really know what sort of changes he went through, how strong he's become. I don't even know if he still likes me the way he use to. After he brought back Sauske, he became very distant, never wanting to look me in the eye or talk. He shut himself away from the world, and lived like that for almost half a year. When he finally started to open up to everyone again, Jiraiya decided that they would leave to train for a while. I want to really get to know him. I don't know when these feelings started to develop but I lost my love for Sauske, and then it was replaced by an empty place while I waited for him to return.' Laughing to herself as she remembered telling Ino she could have Sauske, that she didn't really care anymore. Sakura began to remember it all.
Flashback----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sakura! I won't lose to you, Sauske will be mine." Ino cried as she rushed up behind Sakura, while she's sitting on the ground outside of her house.
"Huh? Oh yeah, that…Um Ino sit down, there's something I want to tell you." Sakura said moodily. Then pointing at the spot beside herself she indicates that Ino should sit.
Puzzled by Sakuras request Ino decided to sit down, but she isn't there for long. As Sakura turned and whispered something in her ear Ino jumped to her feet as fast as she could.
"WHAT?!!! You mean!….YES!!!!!!" Ino shouted pumping her fist in triumph. Sakura just stared at the ground. Noticing this Ino stopped gloating and started to worry.
"Sakura?? What's wrong? Why have you decided to give up Sauske all of a sudden? Weren't you determined to have him no matter what??? So why now that he's returned are you…?" Ino questioned.
"Well…..I just stopped loving him, I guess. He was away for so long, and then there's "him"." Sakura breathed, then looking out to nowhere she sighed.
"Him? Who's….WAIT you can't mean…." Ino asked startled. Sakura just nodded her head in agreement. Then before Ino could comment on it Sakura replied "I know he's not as handsome as Sauske or as powerful, but he's kind, and he's always been there trying to protect me, and everyone else for that matter. Even though he was despised and picked on, he still managed to raise himself as a decent human being, A little perverted, but nobody's perfect."
"Wow I never though you would fall for "HIM" of all people. But you do know him better than almost anyone else. I think the only one who may know him better than you his that toad hermit he hangs around with…Jiraiya-sama wasn't it?" Ino reasoned as she tired to understand Sakura's new found feelings for Naruto.
"Yes but at the same time I know so little about who he truly is, What sort of pain he's really been through…How can I help him if I can't even understand that." Sakura said her voice cracking, as it strayed on the verge of tears. Then losing control Sakura began to sob, letting tears of bitter sweet feelings fall down on her lap. Ino draped her arms around Sakura and whispered kind word of support in her ear until Sakura could finally get a hold of herself.
"Sakura I know that if there's anyone who can heal the wounds that his life has created, its you. Be strong, wait for him to com back, and when he does, show him what a fine ninja you have become." Ino said as she held Sakura close.
Smiling now Sakura once again nodded her head. 'I'll wait for him…No matter how long it takes.'
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"Well he's returned now. But now I find out that he's the son of the greatest Ninja that Konoha ever had. And what's more is that I still don't even know whether he likes me or not. He's grown so handsome, and yet I can never find the right way to tell him how I feel." Sakura said quietly to her self.
"ARG damnit why did that stupid country pick now of all times to start a war." She screamed as she thought about her feelings towards her blonde team-mate.
"Why is this so hard. Now I know how Naruto probably felt all those years ago. While he was chasing me, I paid no attention to him, and only though of Sauske. How many times did Naruto risk his life protecting one of us. Hell he even trained till the point where he would collapse from sheer exhaustion, all to fulfil his promise to me that he would bring back Sauske."
Starting to sob a little Sakura continued her rant at the heavens. "He e…even risked h..his life creat..ting his ultimate jutsu all to m..make me happy. He wanted to see Sauske back too, but he did it for me most of all." Sighing Sakura broke down to a light whisper. "I should just go there right now, and tell him how I feel." Then noticing she ha been talking to herself, Sakura looked around sheepishly. 'Alright,' she thought. 'I'm gonna tell him.'
And with that she stood and took off running, back towards the main building of the Uzumaki Estate.