Author's note : Hey, hope y'all are having a good day. Here's the new chapter, sorry for taking so long!
Disclaimer : Joker-chan no own Naruto desu~ See how bad my Japanese is? There you have it, I don't own Naruto. Just the plot of this story, ne?
Inherited Will of Fire
"How did you manage to get these?" Sakura suspiciously asked raising up a pouch that was filled with Senbon
"Clan supplies, my clan obviously doesn't need them anymore" Shisui easily answered
"Hmm" Sakura was still suspicious, but she trusted Shisui well enough.
She grabbed a Senbon only to blink as it easily slipped out of her grasp.
"Eh?" She asked grabbing another only for it to slip again
Frowning she tried again grasping the tool tighter only for it to break in her grasps
"...this is hard" she stated
"One must know how to properly hold a weapon before properly throwing it" Shisui recited, "This will probably take you a few weeks before you can properly hold them. Then a few months before you can hold them without thinking about it"
Before Sakura could respond...
"Kon, kon, kon. It's snowing kon"
"What was that?" Sakura asked trying to locate the source of the noise
"Over there" Shisui pointed behind the trees where another clearing lay, Sakura silently walked over to the trees keeping herself hidden as she spied at whoever was there
Her eyes widening briefly seeing a younger kid in the clearing.
A small and skinny boy with tan skin and a constant blush. He had spiky waist-length, brown hair with short bangs hanging over his eyes and chin-length strands framing both sides of his face. He had green eyes with no pupils. A sharp tooth was sticking out of the right side of his mouth.
He was wearing a dull green robe with a dull brown cloak, wooden geta, and bandages on his head and wrists, with a purple headband
He had a wide smile "Kon, kon, kon. It's snowing. Kon~!"
And to both Sakura and Shisui's amazement it started snowing.
"EH?!" Sakura couldn't help but gasp in amazement earning the boy's attention
"Be cautious, he's suspicious" Shisui warned as Sakura stepped into the clearing
"Forehead!" The boy exclaimed grinning happily
Sakura couldn't help but fall back in surprise "..say that again?" She requested clenching her fists tightly
"Forehead!" The boy now stood in front of her grinning widely
"Sakura, don't lose your temper!" Shisui warned seeing Sakura's face become redder. He swears he saw some steam escaping her ears
But then the color returned when she held out her hand as it snowed, "Snow..." she muttered
"And it's sunny. This is definitely this kid's doing" Shisui said
"Who are you?" Sakura asked raising an eyebrow at the kid in front of her
The kid stopped dancing around her, "Me..Yota" he answered
Sakura blinked noting that he used the pronoun 'watashi' which mostly girls use.
"Are you a boy or a girl?" She asked just to be sure
"I'm a boy!" Yota exclaimed
"Okay, you're not from the Leaf are you?" Sakura continued prying
"I'm different" Yota informed
"Does he like pointing out the obvious?" Shisui wondered
"Where did you come from?" Sakura asked
"From all over the place" Yota happily said
"No village then" Shisui summed up
"So a traveler?" Sakura guessed
"Yes!"
"Merchant family then" Sakura said
"No!"
"Then what?" Sakura asked raising her eyebrows
"Wait here!" Yota ordered running back to his log
"Sakura, you should report him" Shisui immediately said
"Eh? But he doesn't seem like a bad kid" Sakura defended feeling a sudden wave of protectiveness over the boy
"He could be a spy" Shisui pointed out
Before Sakura could respond a worn out poster was shoved in her face. She could barely make out the words "Weather for sale?"
"Uh-huh! Kon, kon, kon. It's snowing, kon~!" Yota began dancing again
Sakura was only mildly surprised at it began snowing. "Then you travel the nation and offer up a change in weather for a price?" Sakura knew the answer, but she wanted to be sure
"Yep!"
Sakura hummed, "That can make some pretty big profit." She would know, her parents are merchants after all "But then how come I've never heard of this before?"
"Back when I was alive there was a rumor about a traveling clan that could make it rain, snow or even make lightning strike. Then the rumors slowly faded, so maybe his family was killed off?" Shisui offered
"Where are your mom and dad Yota?" Sakura asked the happy go lucky boy
"They're gone"
Sakura couldn't help the sudden urge to hug the boy. "It's okay, I'll take care of you now!"
"Forehead..." Yota muttered
"Yes?"
"I'm hungry" and as if to prove his point his stomach started growling as well
Sakura eagerly took off her bag and took out a lunch box. She handed it over to Yota as offering.
The boy scarfed the food down quickly like a wild animal.
"More please!" Yota demaned pointing at the other box in her bag
"But this is Naruto's" Sakura said
Yota's eyes began watering before he started crying
Sakura gasped as it suddenly started raining, and then a huge splash of water hit her
"Snow when happy, rain when sad" Shisui summed up as Sakura handed Yota the other lunch box
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
"Good morning" Sakura dully greeted taking her seat between Shikamaru and Naruto
"Sakura-chan you're soaking!" Naruto exclaimed
"Yes, I fell into a river" Sakura easily lied
Naruto frowned at her, even Shikamaru who was a little bit interested in the answer seemed to narrow his eyes at her.
Sakura took out her drenched books and discreetly handed Naruto a note that said she'll explain it later.
Naruro seemed to glow at the fact that she was going to tell him the truth.
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
"Ninja training?"
Sakura nodded as she surveyed the Academy grounds where every kid was busy eating.
"Speed and stealth training, we have to gather some food" Sakura explained before sprinting quickly towards the other end of the backyard
Naruto stared in amazement as he saw the kids' foods decreasing without them even knowing. Sakura stood on the other hand with a full plastic bag in her hand and with her other hand she flashed Naruto a victory sign.
Naruto himself grinned and sprinted as well, he'd like to think of this as a friendly competition.
As the two gathered (read: stole) some food they didn't notice three curious pairs of eyes on them.
"Who's Sakura talking to?" Ino questioned, she wasn't jealous or anything. It wasn't like she wanted Sakura all to herself as a friend. No way.
"That's the kid my mom told be to stay away from" Chouji muttered
"Naruto Uzumaki" Shikamaru yawned answering Ino's question
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
Sakura motioned for Naruto to be quiet as they left the academy grounds entering a forest.
Although confused Naruto obediently followed
"Yota? Yota!" Sakura began quietly calling
"Yota?" Naruto repeated confused
"Forehead!" Naruto jumped in surprise falling back on his butt as a kid randomly popped out of a tree in his face
"I'm hungry~!" The kid whined
"Hai, hai. We brought some food for ya Yota!" Sakura grinned at the boy holding up the three bags she and Naruto managed to fill "How about a picnic?"
Yota happily cheered at the idea
"Sakura?" Shisui asked bending down to Sakura's height, he whispered something in her ears.
"Start the picnic without me, I have to go to the bathroom!" Sakura ordered
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
"Now what are you three doing here?" Sakura asked looking down at Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru who were hiding behind a tree observing the conversing pair of Naruto and Yota
The three jumped in surprise before looking up to see her perched lazily on a tree branch
"Your friend Ino and two others are following you. Right now, they're behind the second tree to your right"
"Sakura! How did you get up there?"
"I'll tell you later Ino-chan, first answer my question" Sakura persisted
Ino seemed surprised at her attitude change before sighing "I saw you hanging out with the loser and got curious"
"His name is Naruto" Sakura defended, "And he's my friend too"
Ino frowned "Why didn't you tell me?"
Sakura looked guilty for a moment before shaking her head, a small hesitant smile on her face "How about I introduce you now?"
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
"What are they doing here?" Naruto suspiciously asked as Sakura sat down on the blanket
Sakura pointed at Shikamaru "You already know our classmate Shikamaru"
"Troublesome" Shikamaru muttered taking a seat on the blanket next to Yota
"That's his best friend Chouji" Sakura pointed at the chubby boy who promptly sat next to Shikamaru
"And this is my best friend Ino" Ino quickly sat down next to Sakura
"Guys this is Naruto and the little kid's Yota. When we're done eating I'll explain" Sakura said not noticing the sparks flying between Ino and Naruto
On that day Ino and Naruto became rivals due to the tittle of "Sakura's best friend"
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
Naruto, Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino all gave Sakura skeptical looks when she was done explaining who Yota is
"I believe you Sakura, but I need some proof" Ino was the first to say
Sakura nodded before looking at Yota, "Yota, please make it snow" she requested
Yota grinned as he stood up and began dancing in circles "Kon, kon, kon. It's snowing, kon~!"
"Eh?!" The four exclaimed in shock when it really began snowing
"See?" Sakura asked with a cheeky smile that matched the one Yota gave them
"Kon, kon, kon, it's snowing kon!" Yota continued dancing
Ino opened her mouth to ask a question only to squeak as she felt something cold and wet hit her.
Everyone turned to the culprit to see a deviously grinning Naruto making another snowball.
"...it's on Blondie" Ino growled in annoyance, an evil smirk on her face "Winner gets to be Sakura's best friend!" She declared throwing a snowball at Naruto who rolled away
"I'm not losing now, dattebayo!"
Sakura glanced at Shisui who shook his head in amusement "Go ahead and play Sakura, it's okay to let loose with your friends"
Sakura nodded gathering some snow in her hand
"After all you don't know when you might not be able to anymore" Shishi muttered to himself remembering those days when he and Itachi would just let loose and hang out, but that was years ago...
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
Naruto crossed his arms with a scowl on his face as he stood protectively in front of Yota "What is he doing here?" he asked looking at a boy with brown hair who was holding a white dog
"Naruto, be nice" Sakura chided as she too looked the boy who stood between Chouji and Ino
Shikamaru, who had been a few steps behind the three yawned, "What a drag. This is Kiba, he's from Ino and Chouji's class and he followed us"
"We made him promise not to say anything about Yota" Ino quickly assured
"Yeah, I won't tell anyone about this Yota guy! So is it cool if I hang out with you guys?"
Everyone turned to look at Sakura who tilted hear head in confusion "Eh? Why is everyone looking at me?"
"You're the one who found Yota" Shikamaru pointed out
Ino nodded in agreement "And you got us all here to be friends" she said smiling as Sakura's eyes widened in realization and surprise
"So? Is he allowed to stay?" Naruto asked
Sakura ducked her head down letting her hair obscure her eyes, it was an old nervous habit of her "S-sure, the more the merrier, right?"
"Yeah! You hear that Akamaru? We can stay!" Kiba grinned at his furry companion
"Arf!" Akamaru barked
Sakura stared at Akamaru, for some reason she just wanted to hug the puppy. Akamaru was just so cute.
"Oi, what are ya looking at?" Kiba asked gripping Akamaru protectively
Sakura blinked, she opened her mouth to answer
"Can we BBQ him?" Chouji asked
"Chouji..." Shikamaru sweat dropped
"No!" Kiba yelled
"Umm may I hold him?" Sakura decided to ask
Kiba looked at her for a moment before giving her an apologetic look "Akamaru doesn't like strangers much"
"Oh.." Sakura looked down sadly
"Jeez, now you made her sad" Shikamaru sighed
"You made Sakura-chan sad!" Naruto accused pointing at a shocked Kiba
"Huh? Excuse me, who made Sakura sad?!" Ino asked cracking her knuckles
Yota looked between the kids confused before he pulled on Sakura's blue shirt "Forehead, are you okay?" he asked with a frown
Sakura looked surprised before she gave Yota a small smile, "Un, I'm okay Yota-kun"
Yota gave her a wide smile as he grabbed her hands "Dance with me!" He ordered as he began dancing
Sakura giggled dancing in circles with Yota "Kon!"
"Kon, kon, kon. It's snowing, kon~!" Sakura and Yota sung together
"No way, it's snowing!" Kiba exclaimed in surprise
"Yeah, keep it a secret, okay?" Shikamaru ordered
"Sure thing, can we play?"
"Of course!" Ino grinned
They were carefree children, all united by a mysterious child. They easily became friends as if they knew each other their whole lives. But it wouldn't last.
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
Three days later...
"I'm bored~!" Ino whined resting her back against the tree house that they had built for Yota
"Me too" Sakura agreed taking a seat next to Ino
"Oi, get back here!" Kiba yelled chasing after Naruto
Naruto laughed loudly "You can't catch me!" he taunted waving around Chouji's bag of chips
"What a drag" Shikamaru said as he too chased after Naruto
"GIMME BACK MY CHIPS!" Chouji yelled
"Run Naruto, run!" Yota laughed easily keeping up with Naruto
Ino and Sakura both giggled at the scene
"I guess it isn't so bad being bored" Ino mused
"Yeah, I'm glad we're all friends" Sakura said
"I get the feeling that we were all meant to meet and become friends, that us meeting like this is fate..."
Sakura glanced at the blond who was looking at the loud boys fondly "Ino-chan.."
Ino chuckled "I sound weird, don't I?"
Sakura hugged her knees "A little," she admitted quietly, "But I feel the same too"
"I'm glad you brought us all together" Ino stated
"This is all thanks to Yota" Sakura replied
"Yota, huh? I wonder how he managed to get by without a family. It must have been hard" Ino mused
Sakura nodded in agreement, her eyes trailing on Yota and Naruto "I guess that's why he and Naruto gets along so well. Naruto also got by without family. They both understand the others' pain"
"Naruto?" Ino questioned in surprise, "Maybe I misunderstood him"
"Most do" Sakura assured
"I'll have to apologize" Ino said
"Don't, it'll only make things awkward. I think to Naruto, it's enough that we're all his friends"
"Hmm, I wish this would last forever"
"I do too"
°•○●○•°NARUTO°•○●○•°
"Shh!" Naruto shushed Yota as the two stood on a tree branch, his blue eyes surveying the area
"Sorry Naruto" Yota apologized
"There he is..." Naruto mumbled pointing at Sasuke Uchiha
"He's the teme?" Yota questioned
Naruto nodded handing Yota a balloon filled with paint, "Throw it" he ordered grinning deviously
Yota nodded and threw the balloon at Sasuke hitting the boy's back. Naruto snickered "Nice Yota!" he gave Yota a thumbs up before throwing another baloon aimed at Sasuke's head
Exactly at that moment Sasuke turned and it hit him straight in the face
"Pink and purple don't suit the teme" Naruto noted as he grabbed Yota and made a run for it
"That was fun!" Yota cheered as they made their way into the forest
Naruto stopped placing Yota down, "You bet it was" he said as the two began walking to their hideout "You're a natural at pranking"
Yota grinned at the compliment as he and Naruto began whistling
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
"I wanna play!" Yota whined
"Play what?" Chouji asked
They were all sitting at the tree munching on some snacks, courtesy of Chouji.
"I don't know! Something fun!" Yota demanded
"How about hide and seek?" Shikamaru suggested
"You just want to go sleep" Ino accused
Shikamaru shrugged in agreement
"Then who wants to seek?" Sakura asked
"Me! Me! Me!" Yota yelled raising his hand
"Then we'll hide and you seek, okay?" Sakura smiled
"Yeah!"
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
"Shisui, you're kind of quiet, are you okay?" Sakura asked as she hid herself high in a tree, she wanted to hide in a different locations from the others so she could talk to Shisui freely
"Hey Sakura, how do you prove who you are to someone?" Shisui suddenly asked
Although confused at the question Sakura took a moment to think "Presenting the person with something he or she knows that only you would have? Or telling them something that only you two know? There are different ways to go about it"
"Hmmm"
"But why don't you just show yourself to the person then? It's the most sttaight forward approach" Sakura informed
"Sakura! You won, you can come out now!" Ino's yell echoed through the clearing
Sakura looked at Shisui who seemed conflicted "Are you okay?" she worriedly asked
"...no," Shisui admitted taking Sakura by surprise, "I just don't know what to do. I don't know what's right or not anymore."
Sakura stayed quiet, seeing Shisui with a frustrated look made her sad for some reason
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's yell echoed, but neither Shisui nor Sakura heard
Shisui looked at her making her suck in a deep breath...
He had such a desperate look "I don't want to get you involved, but you're the only one who can help me! So, what should I do? What do you think I should do?"
Sakura processed his words, this was the first time he was opening up to her like this. She would have cheered if the situation wasn't so sad. "I don't mind getting involved if it's for you Shisui" she admitted
"But what if it all turns out badly?"
"You're not the type to worry over the if, so don't start now. Because frankly you'll make me worry too much over you and start acting like a mother hen" Sakura bluntly said
"Sakura..." Shisui seemed surprise
"And who has the right to say if something was right or not? No one. No one knows what will happen, we can only hope that it was the best choice. You'll just have to take a risk and see what happens, sometimes that's all we can do"
As she spoke Sakura couldn't help but think back to the past months. Sometimes risking is the only thing they could all do. And Sakura didn't think that meeting Shisui was a bad thing.
"Take a risk..." Shisui repeated, "Thank you Sakura"
Sakura smiled at him "Anytime, I'm always here for you Shi" she said before looking down from the tree to see her friends looking for her 'After all I owe all this to you'
"Let's go" Shisui said jumping down
Sakura jumped down without any hesitation as well, using her chakra to cushion the fall.
She landed with a small thud in the middle of the clearing surprising all her friends.
"Sakura!"
"Sakura-chan!"
She was barely able to keep her balance as Ino and Naruto tackled her into a hug.
"Sorry, I fell asleep" she easily lied, somehow she didn't feel guilty when she was lying to keep Shisui a secret
"What a drag" Shikamaru stated
"Looks like you won" Chouji informed
Sakura nodded as her two friends released her, her eyes seeking out Yota who looked sad "Is something wrong Yota?"
"...I lost.." Yota mumbled
"Yeah, better luck next time" Sakura said
Yota frowned, "But I wanted to win!" he yelled
"Yo-" Sakura was cut off as a bolt of lightning struck, it was only her reflexes that saved her as she jumped back, barely avoiding the purple bolt.
"Yota!" The other kids gasped
Sakura took in uneven breaths, still shocked about what had just happened. Her heart was racing in fright as she realized that she was almost hit.
"S-Sakura, are you okay?" Ino stuttered
Slowly the pink haired girl raised her head, her eyes wide in surprise as she looked at the surprised and guilt filled eyes of Yota.
But she wasn't seeing Yota
She saw a medium sized white snake coiled around Yota. The snake had a very ominius feeling to it, but then it looked at Sakura straight in the eyes.
Sakura yelled in fear feeling like she was prey to the snake, someone tried to touch her but she was too busy kicking and screaming to notice.
It was only when she felt a splash of water fall on her that she stopped screaming and regained her senses.
She realized that it was raining harder and harder as Yota kept sobbing. But the thing that made her shocked was the fact that the snake was gone.
"What?" She mumbled in surprise
At the same moment Ino and the others began crying as well snapping her out of her trance
"Yota, stop crying!" she ordered
"B-but Forehead is mad at me!" Yota cried harder
"I'm not mad!" Sakura exclaimed walking over to the boy, she wrapped him in a hug "I'm not mad" she repeated gently
Yota wrapped his small arms around her "I'm sorry" he apologized
Sakura resisted the urge to shiver as she nodded mumbling sweet nothingness to the hiccuping boy
'What was that?' She wondered
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
"See ya!" Yota waved at his friends
They waved back at him before exiting the forest and entering the academy playground.
"So what now?" Kiba asked as they all walked out of the academy grounds
"I have clan training" Chouji said
"Curfew" Shikamaru added
The two said their goodbyes before heading in the same diretion
"I have to help out at the shop" Ino sighed waving tiredly at them as she too went her own way
"Then it's just me, Akamaru, Naruto and Sakura" Kiba concluded
Sakura gave him an apologetic look "Actually I have training too" she informed running away
"Just me, Akamaru and Naruto then"
Naruto sheepishly laugh "I have a prank to plan"
Kiba shook his head "It's cool, next time then."
With that Naruto too left the scene leaving Kiba and Akamaru
"Looks like it's just you and me boy"
"Arf"
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
"I thought you said we were going training" Shisui spoke up as Sakura walked aimlessly on the streets
"Shisui, I know that this sounds crazy, but when Yota almost hit me with that bolt I saw a white snake coiling around him..." Sakura muttered quietly, fear still coated her voice.
"Did it have yellow eyes?" Shisui asked
Sakura's eyes snapped to Shisui "How did you know?"
"The first time we saw him, I saw it. I didn't say anything because I thought it was just my imagination"
"What was that snake?"
"I have some guesses, none of them are pretty."
Sakura gulped at the almost murderous look Shisui had
"What I do know for sure is that the boy is dangerous to you and your friends" Shisui informed
"Yota isn't like that..." Sakura protested
"What do you think would have happened if that bolt hit you?" Shisui asked making Sakura go quiet
"..."
"You almost died! He almost killed you!" Shisui answered his own question "And over a stupid game. Who's to say he won't lose control and kill one of your friends?"
"What should I do?" Sakura quietly asked looking down in defeat
"You already know the answer"
"But then my friends would hate me..."
"It's your choice Sakura. Either have them hate you or one of them dead"
Sakura already knew the answer
Without wasting a second she broke into a run towards the T&I
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
Anko pointed at the poor receptionist "See? I wasn't even here this morning!" she victoriously exclaimed
"You're the only one who have enough balls to spike my drink" Ibiki stated
"Ibiki-taichou, I would have poisoned it instead of spiking it!" Anko pointed out loudly
Ibiki paused, then he nodded at the statement "Then who would have done it?"
"Oi, kids aren't allowed in here!"
Ibiki and Anko turned towards the person who suddenly yelled to see a Chunin lecturing a panting girl with pink hair.
Wait, pink hair?
"Sakura!" Anko called walking over to the still panting girl, ignoring the Chunin who was still ranting about how dangerous the place was she grinned at the girl "You look like you ran a marathon" she noted
"Kids aren't allowed in here" Ibiki told Anko as he observed the girl, 'So this is Sakura Haruno'
"Sakura's a good kid, she wouldn't come here without reason. So something must be up" Anko defended turning back to the girl "What's wrong Sakura?"
Although she was still panting Sakura opened her mouth "...Yota...dangerous...white snake...yellow eyes...scary...scared"
Anko's blood went cold at yellow eyes, the curse mark on the back of her neck seemed to burn her, she was about to shake Sakura and demand answers but then reminded herself that being so rough with someone like Sakura would only make the obviously shaken girl more scared
She took in a deep breath composing herself as best as she could "Sakura calm down and explain"
Sakura nodded inhaling and exhaling before she stood up straight and opened her mouth
"This sounds like sensitive information"
The two turned to look at a thoughtful Ibiki who was looking at Sakura
"H-hai?" Sakura stuttered
"You two come to my office. We'll dicuss this in there. The rest of you get back to work"
It was then that the two noticed that the other ninjas had stopped to stare at them
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
The next day...
"Yota!"
"Yota!"
Sakura glanced away from the scene of her friends calling out for Yota.
'I did the right thing.' She repeated to herself
"Guys! Look!" Chouji gasped pointing at the back of the tree
The group walked over to the tree, everyone gasping at the note stuck on the tree with a kunai.
Yota has been brought to our attention and has been taken prisoner under suspicion of being a spy among many other criminal acts
Forget about him or else
-T&I department
"No way..." Ino mumbled
"Who told them?" Shikamaru asked making everyone turn to him
"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked
"They wrote Yota's name, the only people who knew his name was us" Shikamaru explained
"Are you saying one of us here told on Yota?" Kiba asked frowning
"Exactly" Shikamaru nodded, "Who was it?"
Everyone glanced at each other suspiciously. No one glanced at Sakura who ducked her head down to let her hair obscure her face
She couldn't stand her friends acting tense around each other like this.
"...me, I'm the one who told on Yota" Sakura spoke up after a moment
Gasps echoed through the clearing
"No way..." Ino mumbled
"It's a lie. Sakura-chan wouldn't-"
"I already did!" Sakura cut Naruto off, hysterical tears welling up in her eyes that were dillated "I had to do it! There wasn't any choice, I...it was the right thing!"
There was a stunned silence at Sakura's confession.
"Why?" Naruto was the first to ask
Sakura glanced at him "Yota was dangerous" she stated earning surprised looks "I had to protect you guys!"
Everyone looked away from Sakura, their eyes all clouded with hurt and betrayal.
Sakura looked at each of their faces "I ..you guys... I had no other choice I-"
"Choice? You were just being selfish!" Kiba yelled
Sakura winced at the harsh words, but she didn't deny them "You're right. I just wanted to protect my friends!"
'Even if it wasn't the right choice'
"I understand why you did it Sakura-chan" Naruto spoke up surprising everyone
Sakura gave a weak smile "See? Naruto under-"
"But wasn't Yota your friend too Sakura?!"
Sakura's eyes widened as she finally realized what she did. Because yes, Yota was her friend too.
'What have I done?!'
"Y-yes..." Sakura answered looking away in shame
"It doesn't seem like it" Shikamaru stated
"Guys, we don't have time for this. We have to go get Yota!" Ino exclaimed
The others nodded in agreement
"I-I want to help too" Sakura said
Everyone looked away averting eye contact with her
"Haven't you done enough?" Chouji asked
Sakura's eyes widened at the question as her friends began leaving.
"I'm alone again..." she muttered in the empty clearing
"I'm here Sakura" Shisui said
"Now I know why you were conflicted about doing the right thing. I just wanted to protect them, but I ended up hurting them and betraying all of them"
"Sometimes a choice seems bad, but in the end it's better than the other" Shisui said
Sakura fell to her knees, a weak smile on her face "It's funny, I thought I was ready for them to hate me. I thought my resolve was strong enough. But why does it hurt so much to see that look they had? Why am I so sad even though I managed to protect them?"
"By protecting them you lost them just like he did" Shisui muttered loud enough for Sakura to hear
And that was the third time Shisui saw Sakura broke down crying.
°•○●○•°°•○●○•°
The next day
Sakura rubbed at her still puffy eyes as she walked on the streets of the village.
At this time she would normally be hanging out with the others.
'But I can't anymore..'
"Sakura!"
Sakura froze before mechanically turning around to face a grinning Ino
"I-Ino-chan?" She stuttered in surprise
'Isn't she mad at me?'
"Why are your eyes all red? Were you crying?" Ino worriedly asked
Sakura dumbly nodded
"What's going on?" Shisui asked also as surprised as her
"Why were you crying?" Ino seriously asked, "If it was Ami, I swear..." Ino trailed off cracking her knuckles with a menacing look
"Aren't you mad at me?" Sakura blurted out
"Mad? Why?" Ino asked in confusion
"Don't you remember what happened to Yota?" Sakura nervously asked
Ino stared at her even more confused "Who's Yota?"
Sakura's eyes widened "Yota is...don't you remember who he is?"
Ino slowly shook her head, "Are you sure you're okay?"
Sakura herself was confused, was Ino acting? Yes, that had to be it "Hahaha, very funny. Is this payback? I said I was sorry..."
"Sakura, maybe you should go home and rest" Ino worriedly said
"I-"
"Forehead!"
Sakura's head snapped to the left in the direction of the academy. "Yeah, maybe you're right" she agreed
"See you Ino-chan!" She yelled running in that direction following the wind
"Sakura?!"
"Your house isn't that way!"
Sakura ignored Shisui and Ino's yelling as she picked up the pace
"Forehead!"
"I'm coming!" Sakura yelled
She ran fast not caring that she hit into a few civilians, she could only think about Yota.
Maybe it was only a few seconds or minutes later that she reached the hideout.
And there stood Yota in the middle of the clearing.
"Yota..." she breathed out in relief, "I-I'm so sorry..."
"It's okay" Yota assured
"So it was all a prank..." Sakura said
"He's dead" Shisui stated
"Eh?" Sakura asked looking closely, her eyes widening in horror
"He's right" Yota nodded
"It's all my fault..." Sakura muttered
"No, I was dead from the start" Yota informed walking to Sakura
"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked
Yota smiled and flicked her in the forehead
Sakura felt a sudden surge of burning hot pain, but at the same time a surge of memories.
She realized that they were Yota's.
Yota was a traveler along with the rest of his family during harsh time. His family was killed off one by one forcing him to fend for himself.
Yota died due to starvation only to wake up one day. The images became blurry showing the face of a snake-like man and a glass wearing teen.
Then the image faded to Yota meeting Sakura and the others.
Then the image went to a group of ANBU kidnapping him and interrogating him before Shikamaru and the others busted in and saved them
An image of Ino and the others trying to get Yota out of the village via a wild river and Yota saving a drowning Shikamaru, Chouji and Naruto
And finally an image of Yota dying again after erasing Chouji and the others' memories of him
"Yota.." Sakura gasped
Yota smiled at her "See? I was already dead"
"Those two, were they the ones who brought you back?"
Yota nodded "Be careful. They're evil" he warned
Sakura nodded at the boy, then she noticed something "Yota, you're fading..."
Yota smiled "Now that I warned you about them I have no more regrets. I can finally go back home"
"I don't understand..." Sakura told him
"I'm passing on" Yota explained
Sakura's eyes widened "Already?"
Yota gave her a sad smile "I wish we could have had more fun. But I'm happy with these fun memories of all of you"
"No..." Sakura reached out to touch Yota only for her hand to pass through
"I've never had friends before until I came here. I'll always remember all of you. I'm sorry that you have to remember me"
Sakura shook her head "I don't want to forget.."
Yota nodded as his legs faded away
"Please don't cry Forehead, I don't want to remember you crying." Yota requested
Sakura forced herself not to cry as she plastered on a weak smile for Yota "This is bye-bye then..." she stated
Yota smiled sadly at her "Will you sing for me Forehead? Just like my mom used to.."
Sakura nodded as she began singing "Kon, kon, kon. It's snowing, kon..."
"Thank you for being my first friend Sakura"
"K-kon, kon, k-kon...it's...goodbyes are sad..."
"Not all of them, the saddest one is when you know you won't see that person again" Shisui mumbled
"K-kon, kon, kon. I-it's snowing, k-kon..." Sakura's voice quivered as tears streamed down her face
°•○●○•°CHAPTER END°•○●○•°
A/N : Done with this~!
For those of you who don't know "Weather for Sale" is based on two filler episodes during the 4th war that follows young team ten and Naruto and Sakura and Kiba.
One day Team Ten meets the mysterious Yota who can control the weather thanks to an anime kekkei genkai.
Yota one day misunderstands Naruto and thought Naruto was mad at him resulting in Yota being captured by Leaf Shinobi
The rest was explained in Yota's memories that he gave Sakura
I know some of you may not be a fan of fillers (even I only like a few fillers) but this was important to the story
Why?
1. These events helped to shape Sakura's mindset and will be one of the reasons for Sakura's future personality
2. Now Sakura knows how to get rid of the ghosts by helping them move on
3. Sakura has a reason to befriend Kiba, Chouji and Kiba
See? Everything I write is for a reason unless I say so.
Question Time!
1. If you are a fan of filler or have watched them, which is your favorite?
2. Which kekkei genkai would you want?
My answers :
1. My favorite is a tie between the episode where Team Seven tries to see Kakashi's face and one of the newer ones in the war arc that gave Karin's background story, episode 431 I think.
2. I would either want the Uzumaki chain or the bone one that the Kaguya clan have