Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 47: The Weight of the Truth
Flashback
Her almond-colored orbs stared at the panting pinkette that had all but burst into her office with a blank face. Sakura was worked up about something. Tsunade did not have it in her to react every time that happened. Sakura was known for being loud, unpredictable, and just downright strange at times. It was just who she was. She passed the mandated drug tests with flying colors every time.
Sakura's mind was working so much faster than her lips. "Tsunade-sama!" She exclaimed with large frantic eyes. Tsunade pressed her lips together. She had things to do. Watching Sakura try to figure out how to talk was not on her to-do list.
"Spit it out, Sakura," Tsunade said roughly. Her second cup of coffee had not kicked in yet.
Sakura's face flushed. She looked at the ground. She tapped the tip of her boot against the floor.
Tsunade's brows furrowed. That was not the reaction she was expecting. Sakura being demure was not too common of a sight.
Sakura cleared her throat. She licked her lips in preparation to speak. She opened her mouth only to close it again. The color of her cheeks deepened to a red.
Tsunade exhaled through her nose in an irritated manner. She was quickly losing what little interest she had in what the head medic had to say. It was not work-related that much she could tell. Sakura was being too indecisive for that to be the case.
"Either speak or get out." Tsunade gave her a final warning.
"IthinkI'mpregant" Sakura said in one breath so quickly that the words barely had a chance to get out before the next one was uttered. Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her hands as if she surprised even herself with what she just said.
Tsunade blinked slowly. "One more time. Like you're a normal person," Tsunade commanded.
Sakura took a deep breath. She looked at Tsunade's Yin Seal.
"I think I'm pregnant?" She said timidly. Her face was so hot that she thought it would melt off her skeleton.
"Are you telling me or asking me?" Tsunade asked with pursed lips and a furrowed brow. She paid no heed to the feelings forming inside of her.
"Telling," Sakura shook her head. "Asking…definitely asking."
Tsunade kept her face schooled. "Are you asking me if - judging from your current reaction - the unprotected sex you're clearly been having has successfully stuck? Her eyes shone mischievously.
Sakura's soul left her body. It was her fault. She never should have given Tsunade an opening.
"Can you please just check?" She pleaded.
Tsunade frowned. "Why can't you just do it?"
Sakura looked at her in disbelief. "Because I'm freaking out here!"
Tsunade could not help but smirk. "Actions have consequences, Sakura."
"Please, Tsunade-shishou." She looked at Tsunade with her big green eyes.
"Fine." Tsunade stood up from her chair. "Sit down."
Sakura nearly tripped over her feet as rounded the desk. Tsunade steadied her but not before rolling her eyes.
Sakura's heart was pounding in her ears. She fought to keep her breathing as quiet as she could. She watched intently as Tsunade brought her hands together. The blonde closed her eyes. She stood still as Tsunade's chakra felt around.
"Well?!" Sakura asked impatiently.
Tsunade shot her an annoyed look. "Sit still and be quiet."
Sakura sighed in irritation. What Tsunade was asking of her was near impossible. She tried her best to follow orders. She was a ball of frantic energy. She could hardly be contained. She did not want to put pressure on it given her mother's history and genetics and what have you. They had agreed to not worry about it unless they had to. It had not even been that long. They were just having a lot of fun. She was late. At first to curb the excitement she told herself it was just due to stress. She had forced herself to wait it out. But now she was really late.
Tsunade's hands stopped glowing. Sakura waited with bated breath. She stared up at her.
"Definitely pregnant." She grinned at Sakura.
Intense excitement flooded her. She shot up to her feet. "Tsunade-shishou!" She grabbed her mentor in a giant hug. She lifted her clear off the ground. Sakura was grinning from ear to ear.
Tsunade cleared her throat. "Put me down, Sakura."
Sakura blinked. The curt tone was like a splash of cold water. Reality set in.
"Sorry, Tsunade-shishou." She chuckled nervously as she put Tsunade back on the ground. "I just got carried away."
Tsunade sucked her teeth. It was mostly for show. The warmth in her eyes undermined her antics. She brought her hand to Sakura's head.
"Congratulations, Sakura." Tsunade smiled at her with genuine joy.
Sakura bit her lip. "Thank you, shishou." Her face was red for completely different reasons now. She grabbed her head. There was so much racing through it. She still did not believe it fully.
"I'll schedule some appointments for you." Tsunade began to jump into the logistics of it.
Sakura's face fell. Tsunade looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes. "What?"
"I have to tell Minato." She said in a mix of dread and excitement.
"Don't tell me, it's not his?" Tsunade asked her with a blank face.
"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura said sharply, in an octave that could rattle windows. She was absolutely scandalized, horrified.
"Relax," Tsunade held up her hands. "It was a joke."
Sakura opened and closed her mouth. No sound came out. She looked a lot like a fish out of water. She was just missing the flailing. But if Tsunade waited long enough it would happen.
Tsunade frowned. "Are you worried about him?" Her expression was incredibly serious.
Sakura shook her head quickly. "No. He's not the one I'm worried about."
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "You just got confirmation less than two minutes ago. Enjoy it for a little longer before you jump down the worry path."
"Yeah?" Sakura asked her. She hung to every word.
"Go," Tsunade straightened out some papers. "Get out of here. Take the morning off, it's an order." She looked at the smiling woman sternly. "No more hugs."
Sakura held up one finger. "Just one more, please?"
Tsunade sighed in defeat. "Fine." She did not fight it this time. She wrapped her arms around Sakura. She pressed her cheek against Sakura's forehead. "I'm happy for you." She said in a soft voice.
"Thank you, shishou." She hugged her tight. A single tear escaped her eyes.
"You've come a long way." Tsunade closed her eyes. She felt Sakura shake against her. "I'm proud of you." She cradled the back of Sakura's head. "I know she would have been proud too."
"Thank you." Sakura managed out between her sniffles. It meant the world. She squeezed Tsunade tighter. Her mother was long gone but she sure was lucky to still have Tsunade.
It simultaneously felt like both the longest and the shortest walk to Hokage Tower in her life. She was going back and forth on how best to tell him. Part of her wanted to do something cutesy like hide a onesie in the laundry hamper and have it be a surprise the next time he did the laundry or something. But she knew there was no way she could wait that long. She had zero cool. No chill as the kids were saying, or said. She had no idea what was in these days. It would never work.
Waiting another minute seemed next to impossible. She knew so she wanted him to know. It was not a complete shock. It was like Tsunade said, actions had consequences. She knew where he stood. She knew he would be ecstatic. She just wished it was as easy for her to live in the moment.
She was saddled with the burden of knowing how things could potentially turn out. So much had changed already and it would continue to do so. She was getting more and more invested in her life here. She could not help but wonder if there would come a day when she had to pay the price of losing focus. Madara was dead but the dead could be raised. She has seen and experienced that with her own eyes.
The nightmares of Madara, and the wars both the third and the fourth wars were coming more frequently as of late. She could not help but wonder if it tied in with anything. So much was the same yet nothing was. Looking forward, for her was difficult. It was like looking into the past, the one she lived and the one that would never come to truly be again. Would she vanish altogether one day? Would she forget how to do medical ninjutsu because this time technically she never learned? So many questions. So much uncertainty.
Akemi's voice in her head assured her it was fine. She wanted to believe it. That was the thing about happiness. It was a fragile state. She knew better than anyone how quickly it could change. In the blink of an eye, everything could be reset and washed clean as if it did not happen. Only she knew it did. She was the only one who did.
She was put here to do a job. She did it. At least she thought she did. She had no way of knowing. She was opening herself up to be vulnerable. The more people she let in, the deeper her roots went, she was scared the impact radius would be too great. She survived losing everything once before. But that has been different. She was unattached. She was just responsible for herself. Now, things were different. She had a husband. She had a life she built with someone else. A life that was only going to grow right along with what was growing in her. She could not survive that now. She could not be torn from them again.
Tsunade told her not to worry. But how could she not? She was not ignorant. There were times when she still felt like she was living someone else's life, that this was some elaborate experience for the last few years. She worried that a day would come when she had to go back, back to where she came from, surrounded by a world and circumstances she did not recognize. After all, how could she have been who she is if she did not go through those experiences?
She was happy. This is what they wanted. It was what she wanted. But her life was not simple. Her happiness did not come in a pure form, it was always tainted by worry. That was just the price she paid for her continued existence here. It was the tradeoff. She just had to learn to live with it. There was no alternative.
She walked up the steps slowly. Slower than she had ever moved in her life. She did not acknowledge the ANBU at the door. She stood there as one slipped through the door. She did not have to wait long. The ANBU held the door for her. Her stomach was in her toes.
Sakura offered a shell of a smile to Shikaku in greeting. He nodded back in response to his gesture. He gathered a handful of long scrolls under his arm. She watched him leave the room. She slowly raised her eyes to look at Minato. The look on his face brought her instant relief. He was such a calming presence for her. The smile that blossomed on her face was all because of him.
"Hi," she could hear the smile that she wore on her face in her ears.
"Hi," he looked at her. He was the picture of ease. He offset her worry without even knowing it.
"How's the new ANBU program planning going?" She asked the first thing that came to mind.
There was slight confusion that fluttered across his eyes for a moment. "Well. We're still about a year out of it being a reality but I think it will work much better than the current model. The concept of having a nimble, specialized tight-knit team just makes sense."
Sakura nodded. She sat at the edge of his desk. "You're still pushing forward with a team size of four?"
Minato nodded. "Four. Two at the forefront so to speak and two hidden away. More discrete. The Shadow Guard."
Sakura crossed her legs before she leaned back on her hands. "Whoever thought of that is a genius. You should listen to them more often. Just for the name alone, amazing."
He grinned. "I don't know. It's too short of a name. The Shadow Guard of the Hokage: Specialized Protection Unit had a ring to it. SGHSPU don't you think?" He wheeled his chair closer to her. She felt his hand on her knee.
She rolled her eyes. "Minato, we've talked about this. Less is more when it comes to names and acronyms."
"I don't know," his face looked less than convinced. She stared out the window. It was such a nice day. It was supposed to rain tomorrow. He followed her gaze. "Did you really come all this way to talk about the new ANBU directive?"
His question was rhetorical. The directive was a well-discussed topic. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her expression turned reflective. She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. Her feet dangled off the edge of the desk.
"There's something I need to tell you." Her jade orbs looked at his cerulean ones.
"Anything," he said without hesitating.
"Come closer," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. The chair creaked, and the fabric of his clothes rustled as he stood up. She sat up. His palms came to rest on the desk, one on each side of her. He moved closer to her. His nose brushed against hers.
She brought her hands to either side of his face. Her lips parted. He closed his eyelids. He lowered his lips down to hers. She kissed him slowly. He let the sensation wash over him. Everything around him melted away. There was only her and him in his world. Not even the awkward curve of his back was registered by him.
She slipped her arms under his. She hugged him close when they broke for air. She pressed her face against his, cheek to cheek. She fisted her hands in his jacket. Sakura counted to three and exhaled slowly and deeply.
"You're going to be a dad." She whispered.
Minato froze. His brain was still too preoccupied with the state of high that Sakura had left him in. He did not believe he heard correctly. He could not move even if he wanted to. Sakura was holding him in a vice grip. He would never get out of it.
"What?" He asked. His arms around the small of her back twitched.
She smiled against his skin. "You're going to be a dad, Minato." She said slightly louder. She loosened her arms around him. She felt herself being moved back by the shoulders. She looked into his eyes. There was only one thing swimming in them. Her smile grew in size. "I just confirmed this morning, just now." She explained gently.
"I'm going to be a dad?" The word left his tongue tinglingly. His expression was dazed.
She nodded her head. She let out a laugh as he pulled her into a tight embrace. She rubbed his back as he practically shook from his excitement.
"I'm going to be a dad." He repeated in elation.
Her heart soared. She completely forgot about all the previous trepidation she felt on her walk over. She would be alright as long as she had him.
End of Flashback
She groaned loudly. Everything felt heavy. Her limbs were not cooperating. Hell, even her head was being difficult, forget her extremities. There was a pounding like it had never been in her life before. She wondered if this was what it felt like to be dying. It had to be it. There was no other explanation for it. She was dying.
"Obachan!" Karin whispered not nearly quietly enough right in her face. Kushina felt some spit on her eyelids.
"Go away," Kushina groaned as she swatted at the girl. It was too much work. She abandoned the notion in favor of covering her head with a pillow.
"Obachan!" Karin whined. "We're hungry." She shook the pillow that Kushina was pining over her head.
She said the magic words. Kushina blinked her eyes open. The violet orbs were glassy. "Okay. Just give me a second." She said groggily.
"Are you sick?" She could hear the frown in Karin's voice.
"I don't get sick, Karin-chan," Kushina said with a grunt. She rubbed her temples. She slowly sat up. Her head was spinning from the action.
"You don't look so good, Obachan," Karin said with a frown.
She registered that Tukiko was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the interaction closely.
"I had too much fun last night." Kushina groaned. It was strange she did not even have that much last night. She was keeping pace with Mikoto. Even she knew that trying to match Tsume or Tsunade would be foolish. She may not feel the alcohol but her liver most definitely would.
"I want to have too much fun." Karin looked at her with envy. Kushina patted her head.
"Maybe when you're older." Kushina pushed up onto her feet. She looked at the girls. "Go get dressed. I'll start on breakfast."
"French toast!" Karin suggested.
"Okay." Kushina rubbed her forehead. It was as if her brain was trying to push through her skull.
Tukiko and Karin left the room as Kushina crossed over to the bathroom. She splashed cool water on her face. She felt marginally better. She looked at her reflection. She looked every bit as awful as she felt.
"You're getting old Kushina." She chided her reflection. "You can't keep up anymore." She dried her face. She told herself it was all those years of running ragged finally catching up with her. She pushed down the feelings churning in her stomach.
The air was stifling. He did his best to mimic the serious faces of the Hokage and Wolf - with Wolf he had to use his imagination on account of the pesky mask. Obito's hands - which were collapsed behind his back - clenched slightly. The look on his sensei's face could only be described as intense.
Minato pressed his fingertips to his forehead as he contemplated what he had just learned. It certainly did not alleviate the tension in his chest. It had the opposite effect, he felt worse now.
"Are you certain?" His cobalt eyes were trained on the Uchiha.
Obito cleared his throat. "I'm sure. The Man with a Thousand Faces is - sorry was - a mercenary, a freelancer, he did not take out hits unless he could make money. It is not in his procedure to pick a random name from the book on a whim. He was hired."
"He would have made money when he collected the bounty." Wolf pointed out in a level tone. It was detached and analytical. There was no emotion behind it. It was impressive how he was able to do that.
"From what I learned," Obito paused as he thought about how best to articulate the jumble of information floating in his head. "He preferred to do his business face to face. No paper trail. Money is the bottom line. There are other targets in the book that go for double sensei's rate and half the hassle."
"If he was paid by someone to target Sakura, he would be getting paid twice. Once for the bounty in the book and from the direct hire. That would be enough to be an enticing offer." Minato appeared to be speaking more to himself than either of them. "There was also the detail about Sakura's state that he seemed to know." He ran his fingers through his hair. "It just doesn't add up with picking her on a whim theory."
Wolf studied the Hokage closely. He read the subtle clues in his body language. "You think someone hired him."
"I do." Minato looked at both of them.
"So you think they are still out there?" Obito asked slowly. He felt his anger start to creep up.
Minato paused. He nodded his head after several seconds.
"What can I do, sensei?" Obito's eyes were as hard as stone.
"You can remain calm." He said in a low voice. "Both of you." His expression was stern. "Whoever hired him is lying low. They won't try anything. Not until the heat dies a little bit."
"The body is gone," Wolf's voice was colored in frustration. "Any trail is long cold by now."
"I'll keep digging around," Obito stated. "I'll be careful." He added when he registered the look in Minato's eye. "I'll keep it quiet."
Minato sighed. A small smile pulled at his lips. He regarded Obito with pride in his eyes. "Thank you, Obito. For doing this," his voice was woven with gratitude.
Obito shook his head. "No need to thank me, sensei. I meant it when I said I wanted more responsibility. This is a win-win for me. Not only will I find out who hired the Bastard I'm also getting exposure to intel-gathering missions." He grinned as he brought his hands to his hips.
"So pragmatic and insightful," Wolf said with a scoff.
"Be sure to stay within a half day's travel from the village. It's important that you come home every night not to raise suspicion." Minato spoke before Obito could respond to Wolf's act of instigation.
Obito nodded his head. "Yes, sensei."
"Good. Keep us posted. Dismissed."
"I'll walk you out," Wolf looked at Obito.
The Uchiha nodded. Minato watched them leave with a soft smile on his lips. It did not stay in place for long. Minato sat down at his desk. He went through the mental list in his head. The list of people who could possibly want Sakura dead.
One name seemed to stand out amongst the rest. His navy eyes narrowed as thought about the best way to deal with them.
"I'll check in on you later, Mori-san." Shizune smiled at her long-term patient over her shoulder while stepping out of the room. She filled out the chart and put it back in the metal basket overhead. She still had five more patients to look at before she could conclude her rounds. It would put her close to lunchtime.
"Just two more hours until lunch." She encouraged herself. "Just have to get through ten minutes twelve times. I can do that." She sighed as she pulled out a snack from her pocket. She was always hungry lately. Always. Her food and snack budget were eating into a good chunk of her paycheck.
Her shoes squeaked slightly against the polished floors. They reflected the recessed lighting overhead. It made the whole space that much brighter and sterile looking. Her eyes brightened as she spotted a familiar head of hair and face. A smile blossomed on her face.
"Rin-chan!" She waved. She had not seen the woman since last night. Rin did not show up at her door for their morning steps either.
The brunette had a stack of files under her arm. "Sorry, can't talk now." Rin barely looked at her as she stepped into a room.
"Oh okay," Shizune's face fell. It would not have taken Rin even a fraction of a second more to smile at her, to acknowledge her. Shizune pushed her lips to the side as not-so-pleasant emotions turned in her gut.
"Maybe she'll be free to eat lunch together," she told herself brightly. She ignored the voice in the back of her head as she continued down the hall to finish the rest of her rounds.
She was running behind. It had been disorientating, to say the least, to wake up on Tsunade's sofa. Between hurrying back home to get ready for work and getting Nartuto to agree to go to daycare on a weekend she was monumentally late. Things did not get any easier at work. There were so many things she needed to have a certain state before she handed them off. She had just finished the final approvals for the Land of Iron trainees that would arrive in a couple of months. She had finalized the date for the first round of the Alzheimer's study. Mai and she needed to do another round of interviews with three promising candidates. The new prospective medical-nins were enrolled in their supplemental classes at the hospital. She had to get back to the Kazekage on his request for sending someone to do a refresher course for those working in the children's mental health clinics in Suna. So much was happening. The months had gone by in a blink.
She did not even notice him until she almost barreled into him. She would have if he had not moved out of the way at the last second.
"I'm so sorry, Joben. I didn't see you there." She apologized profusely.
He waved it off. "I was going to ask if you were slowing down but I think I just got my answer." He joked.
She smiled tightly. She just did not have time for much right now. "Walk with me?" She asked him.
He nodded. The smile that was on his face was nowhere to be found. He must have sensed she was not in the mood for chit-chat, not that she was subtle. She opened the door to her office. He stepped through.
"I didn't notice anything wrong with Minato." He said quickly just as soon as the door had closed.
Sakura did not let the disappointment she felt at the news show on her face. She nodded slowly. She knew deep down that was a very real possibility. It still stung. It was still devastating. She was just as culpable as him in all of this. She could not spiral right now.
"I'm sorry," Joben said with sincerity.
"Thank you for your help." The smile did not reach her eyes. "And the other thing?" She asked him with guarded optimism. Compartmentalizing. She had gotten very good at it.
"You're going to want to sit down." He said simply.
Sakura's heart started beating faster in her chest at his words and serious demeanor. She sat at the edge of the sofa seat. She put down the papers and files she had in her arms on the table. She folded her hands. She gave him her undivided attention.
"I found her." Joben sat across from her. His arms were crossed.
That was good news. She was real. They could use her to find out Spider's true identity. She did not understand how the look on Joben's face was warranted.
"What's wrong?" She asked him impatiently.
"She died eleven months ago." He said slowly. He watched her face closely. "Heart attack, no foul play suspected."
Sakura's heart skipped a beat. Just a little over two months before the attack. Her death could have been the trigger to Spider's behavior. So the woman was real. There was at least some truth to her story.
"What about the granddaughter?" Sakura asked him, suddenly remembering her.
"She is living with a neighbor. She's five." He said in a voice riddled with complex emotion.
"Word won't get out about us poking around will it?" Sakura asked with her heart in her throat. This was their ace. Spider had no idea.
Joben shook his head. She relaxed marginally. "I used my most reliable contact. You have my word."
Sakura let out a slow breath.
"Thank you, Joben." Spider had spoken the truth to gain her sympathy but it also exposed her to the potential of being found. They could explore this angle. If Minato ever trusted her again.
"There're more," Joben said tightly.
Her stomach dropped. She closed her eyes. She grabbed the edge of the armrest. Something about him told her she was not going to like what he had to say. She opened her eyes. She nodded at him.
His mouth moved. She heard the words. Her ears buzzed. She furrowed her brow. Her lips parted. He was not making any sense. The buzz became a ringing sound. She no longer could hear him. She stared past him. She blinked slowly. She was numb. She could not breathe. Her head spun. He was lying. He had to be playing some sick joke on her. She reached for her necklace. She felt the petals against her palm. Her fingers tightened around the armrest. She dug her nails in. She squeezed the fingers of her hand. The ground was ripped from underneath her.
"Sakura!" He called out her name forcibly. She blinked in surprise. She could see the concern in his dark eyes. She exhaled.
"I'm fine," she said numbly, mechanically.
He looked at the crumbled-up remnants of the sofa armrest on the ground in a state of disbelief. It had exploded into dust and debris in her hand.
"You're bleeding." He said blankly. "Your hand." He pointed.
She followed his finger. She uncurled her fingers. The sharp ends of the necklace, the petals, had dug into the skin of her palm. She flattened her hand. She watched the rivulets of crimson flow out of her. Her blood.
She closed her hand and shook her head. "I'm fine." She held up a hand to prevent him from addressing her cut.
"Sakura," he said firmly in protest.
"Thank you, Joben." She said in a tone that was not to be tested. "You can see yourself out, right?" She asked him curtly.
His eyes searched her face. He stood up slowly. "Absolutely." He answered the rhetorical question. "Is there anything else I can help with?"
"No, thank you." She was looking past him again. She did not even notice when he left. She was too busy sinking deeper into her own inner turmoil. Joben had just blown up her life. He just exposed a lie she believed for decades.
Dream-Nagato was right, her blood was tainted.
It was one thing to think it was another to know, to see with her own eyes. The barren greenhouses that greeted her in the hospital said it all. Her secret was out. Her access to the resources was rescinded. They moved the plants. There was nothing left to slather on a burn much less make more poison.
It was alright. She had no intention of making more. She did not have the time to think of a new base, test its potency, and tweak the formula. They would have their hands full in a few days time. They will completely forget about her. It was what she was counting on.
Bat was awake. She knew that. She had no interest in him. He had served his purpose. Part of her was relieved that an innocent person did not get wrapped up in this. It was one less mark on her soul. It would make washing her hands of this all that much easier.
Sakura had been more of a factor than Sarina had anticipated. But that was okay too. It made things interesting. The Haruno was keeping Naruto close. She knew that the woman would not take kindly to her dropping in for another impromptu visit. She had made it clear that that bridge was burned forever.
It was strange. Sarina had spent her whole life hating Sakura, the very idea of her. She had built Sakura out to be this completely developed person in her mind. She imagined the way she looked, the way she walked, the way she talked. Sarina had thought of it all. In reality, Sakura was nothing like she imagined.
She was not hideous. She was not cruel. She was not evil. Nothing about her outright spoke to her being a bad person. Maybe if the circumstances were different they could have been friends. But that was neither here nor there. Sakura was very much the enemy, she was her enemy. She was a threat to her way of life. She knew too much. She knew about the existence of her daughter. For that alone, she could not get away unscathed.
They were circling the wagons. It was fine. Things would soon be out of her hands. It would be up to the Uchiha to take it to the next phase. She just had one more loose end to tend to, to check on. Her boots creaked on the floorboards. The dark cherry wooden planks complained as she applied her weight.
She looked at the shadowbox on the wall. It was beautiful. It seemed new, like it was carved out of a living breathing tree not too long ago. She looked at the pottery lining the shelves. A wooden bird caught her eye. Spider opened the glass door. She lifted it with gentle fingers. The tail was no longer attached. It was a pity. It was beautiful.
"Can I help you with something?" Her voice cracked through the air like a whip. Spider supposed she had a good reason to be outraged.
"I was in the area," Spider said slowly. She turned the bird in her hands. She saw Koharu's reflection in the glass panel of the door. "I wanted to see how you were."
Koharu's reflection frowned. "Doesn't the Hokage pay you for protection?" She asked dryly.
Spider smirked under the white mask with magenta markings. "He's very much safe, for now." She said in an airy tone. She turned around.
Koharu watched as she played with the wooden bird in her hands. She kept her face slack. She was not one to be intimidated, not in her own home of all places. This was her domain, her sanctuary, Spider would not take it from her.
"For how long?" Koharu asked her in a level voice. Her eyes were barely open.
"What would be the fun in me telling you?" Spider asked in a mock scandalized tone. She readjusted her hood.
"Why are you here?" Koharu asked her in a nonplussed voice. She had better things to do than interact with a psycho.
Spider put the bird down on the dresser. It made a solid sound.
"I just wanted to make sure that we are still in an understanding." She said in that distinctive voice of hers.
Koharu scoffed. "We are. I've been keeping my distance." It was true. She was barely engaged with Minato during their last few meetings. If the blond noticed he was not giving any indication of it.
"Good, good," Spider said almost distractedly.
"Something on your mind?" Koharu asked her with forced casualness.
"Nothing that concerns you, Utatane-sama," Spider said pleasantly. "Enjoy the rest of your evening." She was gone.
Koharu let out a slow breath through her nose. She emptied her lungs. She slowly walked to the bird figurine. She turned it over. She opened the wooden plug at the bottom. She let out a breath of relief as she saw the white pills packed tightly in the cavity. She turned it upside down. She put the plug back in. Her mind wandered to a conversation she had with the pink-haired medic not too long ago.
Flashback
Koharu stared at the woman sitting across from her, in her very home. The medic looked ridiculous against the dark exterior and furniture. The white dresses she was wearing coupled with the loose styling of her hair gave the impression that she was literally glowing against the darkness. Even Koharu had to admit that she looked less like a human and more like the goddess she housed in her.
"What do you want?" Koharu did not mince her words. The sooner Sakura got out of her space the better.
Sakura clutched her white bag closer to her. She had laid her jacket across the seat next to her.
"I need your help."
Koharu hid her surprise well. "How could I possibly help you?" She had no shortage of people to turn to.
"I don't trust you," Sakura said flatly.
Koharu raised a brow. Her intrigue was piqued. Sakura certainly knew how to start a conversation. She gave Sakura her undivided attention.
"Oh?" She asked casually.
"You want me gone. You see me as a problem." Sakura's eyes were devoid of everything.
"I don't care for what you're implying." Koharu's eyes hardened as she peered into the Haruno's face. She willed her heartbeat to remain calm.
"I'm not implying anything." She said without blinking. "I don't have any proof. That would be incredibly irresponsible." She threw some of her hair over her shoulder. "I'm merely stating a fact, Utatane-sama. You do not like me and to be honest I do not care for you either."
Koharu regarded the woman. She was brazen. She was straightforward. There was something to admire about that.
"Then why are you here?" She asked.
"As I said, I don't trust you. That is why I'm here." Sakura said patiently.
"I don't follow," Koharu said. She hated to admit that, especially to Sakura.
"We don't see eye to eye on pretty much anything." Sakura's green eyes glittered with certainty.
Koharu scoffed. It was something that she agreed with Sakura on.
"But I do believe we have one thing in common. Despite how we chose to go about it," Sakura continued. "We care about Konoha. We love our home."
Koharu stared at her for a moment. She blinked slowly. "Go on," she instructed.
Sakura put her bag on the table in between them. "In this bag is the antidote to the ANBU's poison."
Koharu's eyes widened. "Impossible. I just spoke to the Hokage yesterday and he did not mention such a thing." She searched Sakura's face for traces of deception. She found none.
"Forgive us Utatane-sama, the circle had to remain small." Sakura's flat cadence and tone continued. There was no emotion coloring her words.
"You know who the ANBU is," Koharu said in accusation.
"I do. But again I do not have proof so it would be irresponsible to officially point fingers." Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly. Koharu's insides froze.
"I could throw you in jail for lying." Koharu narrowed her eyes into slits.
"You could." Sakura nodded. "Or you help me. You could help Konoha."
"What do you want?" Koharu asked her in a short manner.
"I need you to keep it safe. Until I can come get it." Sakura's gaze was unwavering. "There's no place that I can think of that will be safer."
"Because you don't trust me." Koharu's lips pulled into a smirk. She saw it now.
"Exactly." Her expression was slightly unnerving. The blank mask.
"Is this all of it?" Koharu asked as she looked at the bag.
"It is," Sakura admitted.
"Has the Hokage taken it?" Koharu watched her face closely.
"He has. He is unaware of that fact." For the first time, she saw something on her face, regret.
"Have you taken it?" Koharu narrowed her eyes. It could be a trap. A way of killing her.
"No," Sakura brought a hand to rest on her stomach. "I could not risk it harming the baby."
Koharu believed her. "I will be taking some."
Sakura nodded. "I figured. One pill a day for seven days. Take it with food. It will help the bitterness."
"How long does the immunity last?" Koharu asked her.
"My best guess is six to eight months." Sakura crossed her ankles.
"Guess?" Koharu raised a brow. Her expression was unimpressed with the medic's verbiage.
"It is a very good guess," Sakura said firmly. "Do we have a deal?"
Koharu mulled it over. "What is to stop me from sharing the existence of this antidote?" She was handing her everything.
"If the ANBU finds out about it we are as vulnerable as we were in the beginning. We would be at their mercy. If you share this fact with others then I was wrong." Sakura swallowed thickly. "Then you don't care about Konoha as much as you'd like everyone to believe. It proves you only care about yourself."
Koharu bit back a snarl. Sakura's tone was not appreciated any more than her words were.
"The antidote will be safe with me." She assured the woman.
Sakura nodded. Sakura grabbed her jacket and she stood up. "I'll take my leave then."
"Haruno," Koharu met her jade orbs with her dark ones. "This does not change anything between us."
Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly. The impassive mask slipped revealing her disgust with this all.
"I agree." She left without another word.
End of Flashback
Koharu began the process of checking all the other containers in the shadow box. All the pills were accounted for. She let out a relieved breath. Her hands shook slightly as she rearranged the contents on the shelves.
Sakura, despite her many faults, had been right. Spider would never think that Sakura would turn to Koharu for help.
He looked out the window. The tree on the other side of the street was a far better view than the wall of another home. His mind was branched and forked more than the tree itself. Much like the tree, all this thought seemed to originate from one place. He did not move a muscle as the door inched open. He had not responded to the knock earlier. His dark listless eyes continued to ponder the branches of the tree.
He heard the chair being pulled from the desk. He could see a mass of pink and black lower into it from the corner of his left eye. She did not have much time. They did not have much time.
He turned his head slowly. His dark eyes registered her simple, black dress. It went just past her knees. Her somber expression matched the aesthetic of the dress perfectly.
"We're about to leave," she said in a gentle voice. It was soothing. "I'm sorry for your loss, Itachi-kun."
"Thank you." He answered impassively.
"Shisui-kun and you were close at one time, I don't know the details as to what happened but I think he'd like for you to be there." She studied his blank mask closely for any hints of cracks.
"I can't." He said without emotion.
Her lips pressed into her bottom lip. She wanted to say more but she was physically stopping herself.
"Okay," she sighed. She looked at the dark clothes hanging on a hook on the back of his door, on a hanger freshly ironed.
"I'll leave this here," she put down a program on the desk. "In case you change your mind later."
He nodded his head.
There was a small tap on the door. Both turned to look at the Hokage, also dressed in all black, standing in the doorway. He was holding a black umbrella in his hands.
"It's time." He looked at his wife.
"Right," she clapped her knees before rising to her feet. Minato had crossed the room to help her.
"You sure you'll be okay?" He asked her.
"I want to pay my respects," she said with a small nod. She looked at Itachi. "Itachi-kun?" Her eyes said what she did not allow her mouth to say.
"I'll be fine." Itachi turned back to the window.
He could feel the heat of her gaze.
"Come on," Minato guided her out of the room but not before sparing one sidelong glance over at the dark-haired teen. Itachi was too lost in his thoughts to notice the action.
He felt his presence before he saw or even heard him. Itachi pushed onto his feet. He turned around. Shisui stood there. He blinked his eyes slowly. Completely detached from everything.
"He's gone," Shisui said in a hollow voice.
"I know." Itachi attempted to combat the tightening of his throat by swallowing. It was painful.
"I saw you at the service," Shisui stated in the same tone. It was only for a second but had been enough.
"I know."
"Shun was there." Shisui's hand curled into a fist. "Shun has no shame, no decency."
"We'll get him," Itachi promised.
"The whole clan was there. Even people my family has not talked to in years. Unity," he let out a wry chuckle. It sounded rough and forced. "It's true what they say about death. It brings everyone together." He scoffed in disgust. "It's all a show. It's bullshit. They did not care to ask how he was when he was alive. Yet they show their faces now along with their condolences. It's all empty gestures." His tone was filled with bitterness.
Shisui exhaled slowly. He looked at the midday sky. The smell of the damp earth filled his nose. The first rain of the fall. It lasted no more than thirty minutes. It ended before the service had. Right around the time the casket was lowered into the ground.
"He looked like he was sleeping." Shisui sat down. His knees were starting to go weak on him. "I kept thinking he would wake up any minute." He was starting to get misty-eyed.
Itachi sat next to him.
"He's not in pain anymore." The older teen looked over at the village. "It doesn't feel real."
The wind rustled the trees and the brush. It moved through their hair.
"He didn't even remember me." Shisui's voice wavered.
"I'm sorry." He kept his head trained on the village all the while Shisui's sniffles reached his ears.
Mikoto clasped and unclasped her hands in front of her as she watched Fugaku pace. He was frantic. He was tense. He was bordering on erratic. He had been this way since the service ended and he was only getting worse as time went on. Shisui and he had been closer lately. She noticed it. Ever since Itachi left the house. She had not thought much of it but now seeing her husband's state she wondered if it had to do with Shisui's father's passing.
Fugaku was dangerously close to being unhinged. She was not fully convinced he even knew she had entered his study. It was time for dinner. He knew that. If he was planning on being late or taking it in here he always told her beforehand. He had not done so today.
"Dear?" She called out in a timid voice.
He stopped immediately. He looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. Her stomach dropped.
"Mikoto," he gripped her shoulders. Her words died in her throat. She had never seen him look so shaken. "I need you to pack your bags. Sasuke's too. Go to your aunty's family in Tanzaku Quarters until I can come to get you both."
She was terrified now. He was not making any sense. She struggled to keep up with him and her own thoughts. She grabbed his forearms.
"Fugaku, what is going on?" She asked him with a sense of calm that she had no idea from where it came.
His eyes glazed over. "I need you to trust me."
"I do trust you." She said firmly. She swallowed it and bought her some time. "I need to know what is going on so I can understand what you're asking of me."
"I'm asking you to take our son and get to safety. Is that not enough?" His eyes flashed with hints of anger.
"No." She looked at him unwaveringly.
He stared at her in a state of shock. "Mikoto," he said her name like it was forbidden. He whispered it out. He was crumbling. "I don't know who to trust." He said hollowly.
She cupped his face with her hands. "Trust me." She forced him to look at her. Her eyes were sure and steady while his were lost and frantic.
He took a breath. "There is an attack planned against the village by a faction of Uchiha. Itachi's been trying to learn as much as he could but we've run out of time." He looked at her.
The color drained from Mikoto's face. She pressed her hand to her forehead. Fugaku grabbed her. He was concerned she would faint.
"Is that why Itachi left home?" She asked him with tears in her eyes. "Is that why you and Shisui have been spending more time together?"
Fugaku swallowed the guilt. "Yes. I wanted to tell you. We all did but…" he trailed off.
"It's not important right now." She pulled herself together. "Who is leading this?"
"Shunsuke," Fugaku spat out.
"I don't believe this," Mikoto covered her mouth with her hands. "Is the clan behind him?"
"Enough of them are for it to be problematic." Shame laced his words.
"How many?" She asked him curtly.
He avoided her eyes. "As much as a third."
She took a step back. She knew things were bad but she never would have thought they were this bad. She brought her hands to her temples as she self-soothed.
"Okay, we have to warn Minato."
"He knows," Fugaku clenched his jaw. "He knows what we know, it's just not enough."
"How do you know we are out of time?" She held onto hope that they could still stop it before it resulted in a bloodbath.
"The fire," Fugaku said tersely. "It was the base of the operations. One that we knew about anyway."
"He's destroying evidence," now she was the one pacing. Her mind was racing.
"You need to leave as soon as possible. He will be coming for me, for you, for Sasuke." Fugaku's voice lost its gruff edge.
"We are not going anywhere." She looked at him sharply.
He stared at her with an agape mouth. "Mikoto -"
"No, Fugaku. The day we got married I made a promise to be where you are. I am not breaking that promise." She looked at him with fire behind her eyes. "I would sooner die than go back on my word."
"Think about Sasuke," he was practically pleading with her.
"I am thinking of him. I am thinking of both our sons. What kind of example am I setting if I take him and leave? What lesson am I teaching him in that?" She challenged him. "It is better to die standing tall than on our knees." She touched his face. "If they win they will not rest. They will kill us both. I'd much rather die in my home than anywhere else."
Fugaku bowed his head. "I may not be able to protect you, either of you." He was breathing raspily. He was struggling to keep it together. "What if we're wrong?" He looked at her. "What if we are on the wrong side of this?"
She looked at him sternly. "We are not." She shook her head. "Change is coming. There is hope. I have hope. Minato is not like the rest. I truly believe that. He does not have hate in his heart."
"He would have ruled against us in the custody case." Fugaky pointed out without emotion.
She shook her head. "Dear, can you honestly say you are upset with the ruling?" She looked him in the eye. "Can you look me in the eye and say that?"
He lowered his gaze. He peered at her shoulder. He set his jaw. "All I have is his word about Obito." His whole belief system was being challenged.
"Then trust your son. Trust his judgment. He trusts Minato. He trusts them." Mikoto stressed.
"He is a child," Fugaku's hoarse voice pointed out.
She took a step back. "That has never stopped you before."
He winced at her tone. It was as if she had struck him with her words. "Mikoto, I -"
"No, Fugaku. They are good people. I trust them. We are not on the wrong side. Not with who the Yondaime is." She said firmly.
"You seem awfully sure," he said gruffly. "For someone you do not know all that well."
"I know his wife. I know the type of person she is. I know she would not be standing by him if he were like the rest, like the others." Mikoto said with conviction she pulled from her bones. He could see her will, it would not bend.
"What does that have to do with anything?" He asked her with genuine confusion.
"We cannot choose who we love, that is true. But who you choose to stand by tells you everything about someone's character. Just like I would not be standing by you if I did believe you to be a good, honest man." She wiped the lone tear that spilled out of the corner of his eye.
"They have been caring for our son for months now. Do you really think they are like the rest? Do you think that Minato would not hesitate to lay down his life for Itachi? For Sasuke? The same way he would for Naruto? He would do the same for you, wouldn't he? Hasn't he?"
The edge in her eyes softened slightly as she saw his face slip slightly. The old, painful memories were being pulled to the surface and he was being forced to relive them. Minato had died. That day during the invasion. He had died so that Fugaku could live. Minato had no way of knowing he would be revived. Mikoto was right, he had already sacrificed himself once for him.
He looked away from her. The shame came back tenfold. He could not face the disappointment in her eyes. He was the reason behind it.
"Sakura has been looking after her sons long before this," Mikoto clutched at her heart. Fugaku looked at her in a mix of surprise and confusion. "She's been working tirelessly to make sure she catches Itachi's illness before it causes him to deteriorate." Her bottom lip quivered. Her voice barely held on.
Fugaku's stomach dropped to his toes. He stumbled a couple of steps backward. The wooden chair caught him in the small of his back. He gripped it. It was the only thing keeping him from sinking to his knees.
"I-Itachi is…?" Even asking the question was impossible. He looked at her with fear in his eyes.
Mikoto nodded sadly. "She approached me when I took Sasuke for his first check-up. She's been monitoring him since then." Mikoto rubbed her arm. "Even after you tried to blackmail her."
"She told you?" Fugaku looked at her in shock.
"She did. She knew I would not believe her otherwise," Mikoto pressed her lips into a firm line. "Our sons will live long lives because of her. She is doing that for no reason other than she cares about them, about us." She looked at Fugaku with unbreakable conviction. "We are not on the wrong side. There is no question."
Fugaku looked at the ground. It was a lot to process. It was as Mikoto said. Right now was not the time. They had a crisis to deal with.
"What I said does not leave this room." He looked at her.
"Same goes for me." She matched his expression. Fugaku dipped his head slightly. His eyes darted to the door. Mikoto turned around to follow his gaze.
"Sasuke-kun," she smiled at her son.
He lingered in the doorway. He knew he was not allowed to step inside without permission. "Dinner is getting cold." He said in a volume they could barely hear.
"Come here, son." Fugaku beckoned him over.
Sasuke did not hesitate. He walked quickly to close the distance between them. His small feet slapped against the wooden floor. He looked up at Fugaku with his big eyes.
"Otosan?" He asked him in a voice with hints of hesitation.
Fugaku pushed him towards him from behind. His palm was flat against Sasuke's back. Sasuke stood there frozen for a second, confusion was etched in his face. He wrapped his arms around Fugaku's legs. His face broke out into a smile. Mikoto blinked back the tears in her eyes. She could not help but wish that Itachi were there too. He would have been so pleased to see his father embracing his brother.
Sasuke closed his eyes. The smile never left his face. He felt safe. He was happy. He was blissfully ignorant of the immense worry in his parents' eyes.
Sakura pulled the covers to her chin. She looked at the three smiling faces frozen in time. The photograph was taunting her. She stared at the pink-haired green-eyed woman in the photo. She was so happy. She was so ignorant. In her mind, the world was so simple. She knew where she stood.
She dabbed her red eyes with a tissue. She threw it over her shoulder to join the others. The woman in the photograph's past was a lie. The woman in the photograph's present was a lie. Her red-rimmed eyes wandered over to the joyous face of the little boy. He was smiling so big, that his eyes were practically closed. Her heart went out to him.
She had about three hours before Naruto, Itachi, and Minato would be home. And she had every intention of making the most of that time. She hid her face in her blanket. She blinked into the dark. Her thoughts kept her company.
The shame she felt did not allow her to look up. The letter in her hands was crumpled. Her tears had caused the ink to bleed to the point the words were indiscernible. Not that it mattered much anyway. The only thing she could work through her throat now was unintelligible sounds and raspy breaths. The paper crumbled even more in her shaking hands.
'I'm so sorry.'
She repeated the thought internally over and over again. She was a broken record and that was the verse she was stuck on.
She brought her hands, with the crumpled-up letter and all, to her heart. She closed her eyes, tears tracked down to her chin.
The comforting touch of the wind she was waiting for never came.
"I'm sorry, Okaasan," she whispered brokenheartedly.