Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 56: Accountability
Sarina looked at the pink-haired medic completely and utterly stunned. "What?"
Sakura was shaking. Her eyes were barely staying open.
"You're going to give me a c-section." She explained through ragged, erratic breaths. She looked certifiable and her words were making the aesthetic all that more genuine.
"I've never done one before." She was too shocked to be anything other than honest. "I've only seen one being done."
"I'll walk you through it." Sakura looked like she was going to pass out any minute.
"I won't be able to stop the bleeding. You'll die." Sarina pointed out one of the glaring flaws she saw with Sakura's plan.
"You just worry about getting him out safely. I'll worry about the rest." Sakura said with morbid levels of determination. There was conviction coming off of her in waves.
"How can you trust me?" Sarina's brain was not processing any of this.
"I don't trust you," Sakura said vehemently. She took a breath as if reminding herself to be calm. "I trust that your love for your daughter is either the same or more than the hatred you have for me." She was panting more aggressively.
"You do this for me and I'll let you go. You'll never have to worry about me or Konoha. You can be with her." Sakura promised her. "The only other person who knows where your daughter is is Minato." She added hastily.
"If that is really the case, I could just let the both of you die." Sarina crossed her arms.
"You could," Sakura winced. "But then you'd have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life. They already know about the poison. They know that it was Spider behind everything. They know she has a daughter. I figured it out. Someone else is bound to as well. It's only a matter of time." She smirked. "You've met my friends. Team Minato. They won't let this go. I'm offering you peace and anonymity. I'm giving you a clean way out." Her arm holding the kunai lowered to the ground.
Sarina's eyes narrowed. Her break worked quickly. Shun was dead. The seal was deactivated. He was not capable enough to remove it on his own. She saw no reason for anyone to help him. That only left the possibility that he was dead. He could no longer control the Kyuubi. Her insurance policy of escape was out. Still, Sakura's offer seemed a little too good to be true.
"I tried to kill your husband. I put seals on your entire family. I tried to rip him from you. I broke the seal and nearly killed your friend. I destroyed your village. Why are you offering me this?" Sarina asked her with ample suspicion and distrust.
"I'm not interested in revenge!" Sakura screamed in a mix of exasperation and pain. She did not need a reminder of Sarina's actions. She lived through it. She would be living with the consequences if Sarina cooperated.
"I'm going to die, this baby is going to die, if you don't help me right now. My husband is going to die. I can't leave Naruto alone. I need your help!" Sakura begged her. It was all she had left. No one was coming for her. It was now or never.
Sarina froze at the desperation both on Sakura's face and in her voice. Her short locks whipped across her face. They plastered against her sweaty cheeks.
"Sarina, now!"
Her command caused something in her to move. She walked over to Sakura. The woman handed her the kunai.
"What about infection?" Sarina asked her in a quiet voice. Her hand shook slightly.
"Do you know any fire jutsu?" Sakura asked her through gritted teeth.
Sarina nodded. She wordlessly sanitized the kunai. She waited until it was cool enough to touch.
Sarina helped Sakura hike up her dress up past her stomach. Sarina tore off a scrap of fabric from her shirt. She used it to secure her hair out of her eyes. Sarina scrambled to take off her gloves.
Sarina stared at the extended stomach in front of her. For some strange reason, her eyes were glued to Sakura's belly button. She had an innie just like her. Sakura brought her hand to the bottom of it and she moved down her abdomen right before her bikini line.
"Cut here." She instructed before she fully lowered onto her back. She was completely vulnerable. Sarina could easily slit her throat and there would be nothing she could do about it. Or she could take the baby and run. Sakura would be too busy bleeding out to chase after her.
"Once you're inside, don't cut too deep, you'll need to locate my uterus. You might need to separate some muscles. Don't worry about it. Just do it. Once you find the uterus make another cut but be really careful. Horizontal or vertical it doesn't matter. Just don't knick him." She said with a calmness that was utterly ridiculous. "You have around three minutes before I bleed out. Try not to push it too close." She left off the part where the procedure normally took twenty minutes and that was with a team of people.
Sakura ignored the voice in her head screaming at her. There was nothing Akemi could do. There was nothing anyone could do. Only Sarina could help her now.
"What are you waiting for?" Sakura snapped at her as she pressed a hand to her forehead. Sakura stared grimly at the sky.
Sarina willed her adrenaline to settle down. She took a couple of calming breaths before she pressed the kunai right where Sakura had shown her. She saw a thin red line open up on her pale skin.
"Deeper," Sakura instructed. She clenched her teeth.
Sarina did not allow her brain to think. She followed Sakura's instructions. She applied more pressure. Sakura grunted but she did not make any other movements. More blood began to seep through the incision.
Sakura curled her fingers into fists. "Good, now find the uterus."
Sarina nodded. She focused on the task at hand.
She breathed evenly through her mouth. She trained her ear on the sound of Sakura's breathing. She slipped her hand through the opening she had just made. Everything was incredibly tight. She ignored the grunt Sakura made as she pushed her arm in deeper.
She, herself, had a home birth but she had her mother there to coach her through it and keep her calm. Her hand shook as she looked for what Sakura was asking her to find.
Sakura bit on her knuckles to keep from moving. Tears stung in her eyes. She cleared her throat roughly.
"Did you find it?" She asked testily. She did not know how much longer she would remain conscious.
"I can't see!" She said in a panic. There was too much blood.
"Feel for it. Push things aside. You'll know when you find it." Sakura groaned. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest. She was so close to losing it but she kept a tight grip on her sanity along with consciousness.
"Please hurry, Sarina." She added almost softly.
Sarina closed her eyes. She did as Sakura said. She felt around with her hand."I found it!" She said in relief.
"Good, now cut. Be careful." Sakura blinked back at the dark spots that danced in her vision.
"I can't see!" Sarina reminded her.
Sakura moaned in pain. Panic was evident in her green eyes.
"I'll figure it out! Just don't pass out." Sarina said quickly in response. She took a breath before she cut vertically. There was more blood and other fluids that gushed forth; they mixed into the dirt by Sakura. The fabric of her underwear and dress was dyed in it.
Sakura grunted at the pain and the pressure that Sarina was applying.
"Did you get him?" She asked in pure desperation. "Sarina, what is happening?"
She was losing a lot of blood. She could feel herself growing weaker. If she did not regain access to her chakra soon, she would bleed out. Akemi would not dare flood her system with her chakra as long as the baby was still inside of her. Sakura would never forgive her, the Goddess knew that.
Sakura fought back the panic she felt. Rarely did anyone respond well to being screamed at. It did not matter that this was a high-stakes situation. She had to remain calm if she had any chance of survival. She felt more pressure. A lot of it. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming out.
"Sarina, tell me what's wrong." Sakura could not even risk pushing up to her elbows, more blood would flow from her. All she knew was that she no longer felt Sarina's hand inside her torso. There was only pain, no pressure. She refused to let her mind run with all the horrible things that could mean.
"Sarina please," she could not prevent the quiver from her voice.
'He's out,' Akemi's tone was gentle.
Sakura's heart sank. This could not be happening right now. Manato had to be fine. He just had to. She could not handle anything else. She needed him to be okay just as badly as she needed Naruto to be. She bit her lip. Tears slid from the corner of her eyes to her ears. This silence would be the death of her.
Sarina held the baby in her hands. Her heart was beating in her ears. She looked at him, through her blue eyes, numbly.
He was blue.
The face of her own daughter, when she was just born, red and rosy, was at the forefront of her mind. She ignored everything around her. What she held in her hands was her whole world right now. With steady hands and a heavy stone on her heart, she set to work.
Sarina quickly cut the umbilical cord that was wrapped around his neck. She gently uncoiled it from his neck. She hurried to pull off her cloak with the hand that was not holding the baby to her, she bunched it together. She put him gently in the center. She began to perform CPR with her fingers.
"Why isn't he crying?!" Sakura asked with tears in her eyes. "Sarina! Why is Manato not crying?"
Helpless despair. That was all she knew. She already knew the answer.
Sarina did not acknowledge Sakura. She breathed for the baby. "Come on," she whispered under her breath in between providing him some.
"Sarina!" Sakura wailed. She curled her fingers into fists beside her. "Sarina," she begged brokenly.
"Give him to me!" Sakura demanded after Sarina continued to ignore her utterances.
The silence this long could only mean one thing. She would use her forbidden jutsu. She would give him all her light release. It did not matter. She would give just about anything to save him. He had to be. He had to live. His father dying today was all the loss she could take. Consequences be damned. Her boys, their sons, had to be okay. Nothing else mattered.
"Give him to me!" She screamed out in anguish and desperation. "I can save him." She would will him to live if need be. "Let me save him!"
'Sakura.'
She completely ignored Akemi's voice. She was drowning in her thoughts. There was no lifeline, there was no flotation device she could expect to be thrown her way. She was lost. She screamed out of frustration and heartbreak. It was official. She had lost her mind.
Tears were continuing to come with no signs of relenting. Her lips moved as she brought her curled fists to her forehead. She began to pray. She did not know to whom she was directing it or if anyone was listening but she prayed all the same for her son to be alright. A whimper escaped her throat as she felt herself start to fade. She did not care, as long as he lived it would be alright.
Her eyes remained squeezed shut as she waited with diminishing hope for something, for anything to happen. It was quiet. The only sounds were of her labored breathing and her repressed sobs.
Any interest the Gods, and the universe had in her was gone. It was painfully apparent now. They did not care about her, or her family. They had moved on. She could not rely on them any more than she could rely on anything.
She only had herself, for whatever that was worth. She was all that was left. She lowered her hands to her side. She blinked up in a lethargic manner at the blue sky.
'I'm sorry, Darling.' She apologized in her heart and mind.
'You can't,' the goddess's tone was grave and her voice was strained.
"I know," Sakura let out in a hoarse whisper.
Her very existence was manufactured and ensured. For her to have stability, another had to go without it. The Gods condemned Sarina in order for Sakura to have what she needed. Her existence messed with the natural order of things. Just like Tukiko's existence did. Tukiko suffered because of a choice Sakura made years ago. It went against nature. It went against what was to be. So much conflict and chaos arose from that one decision.
He was not meant to be.
The circumstances of today did not change that. She had to accept it. She no longer had just herself to think about. A million things could go wrong in trying to make one thing right. The math was clear. She could not save him. She could do nothing.
She was all that Naruto had. So much was the same. But she was what was different. She had to be what was different. She had promised her son, Naruto before he was even born, that she would not leave him to be an orphan. It was the one thing she could do for him. She could not bring back his brother. She could not bring back his father. But she could live for him. She could endure for him. She could shoulder it all so that he did not become one again what he had been. They both could not abandon Naruto. If that happened nothing was different after all.
In the present moment of their reality, she was actually thankful that Minato was going to die. She was thankful that he was going to die without knowing that Manato never was. Minato would die with the conviction and belief that his two sons were alive and well. He was going to die with a picture in his head and in his heart. He was going to die without knowing the truth.
Her chakra was back. She could feel it. Sakura let out a breath of pain as the seal broke. The black markings moved down her body. She no longer felt herself slipping away as the pain of being cut open dulled until she could feel nothing anymore.
She was no longer dying. Not physically anyway.
'Sakura,' Akemi called out in a voice laced with pity and empathy. 'I'm so sorry.'
The woman closed her eyes. For the first time, she wished she could tune out Akemi. She wished the woman was not in her head; seeing what she was seeing, feeling what she was feeling, knowing what she was thinking.
Her mind went blank.
It was all her fault. She did this. She pushed her body and herself past its limits. Being pregnant with Naruto had been rough enough and that was with her having nothing else to worry about. She had been spoiled and doted on from the moment they both found it. Even with all that, it had been taxing on her. And that was over six years ago. When she was younger, full of energy, and in excellent health and peak physical conditioning.
It was nothing like now, this time. She was cavalier with her condition and her state. She hardly thought about being pregnant unless it was in the context of complaining about it or she was reminded about her limitations. Not once, not once since all this had started had she had a warm thought towards the baby. Not one that she remembered, anyway. She simply did not think about him.
She did not provide a safe place for him. She did not surround herself with happiness. It was the opposite. She spent nearly the entirety of her pregnancy miserable, struggling, drowning, fighting, and lonely. She had been selfish. She tried to save her relationship with her husband. She neglected to build one for her youngest child, for her son, for Manato.
She had filled herself to the brim with misery. It was not a nurturing place. Her womb was a hostile environment. It should not have come to her surprise that nothing could survive the environment she created. She filled her son with misery and resentment.
'I'm sorry, Baby.' Empty sentiments and hollow thoughts were all she had for him.
Sakura set her jaw as she pushed up onto her elbows. She took in Sarina's solemn face. She was sitting back on her heels. Her hands folded on her lap. She was not looking at Sakura. She was looking at a bundle of dark fabric on the ground. The only movement that showed signs of life for Sarina was the occasional blinking that she did. It was slow just like how time seemed to move. Sarina was in shock. Sakura recognized the far-off dazed look.
Her movements were not of her own. Sakura sat up. She got on her hands and knees. She crawled to them not caring that the fabric of her dress was getting even more soaked with the blood she had shed. She did not care about most things right now.
She just needed to see him. She needed to lay eyes on him once. Just once. Her arms needed to feel what it would have been like to hold him. She needed to know so that she could torment herself with the fact for the rest of her life. He deserved so much better than her. He deserved a mother who put him first. He deserved a mother who was capable of loving him to the fullest. He deserved a mother with a heart that was whole.
Her dress got caught in her knees. She grabbed the fabric roughly and tore it away. Nothing was going to slow her down. She continued her trek to see her son.
Her hair fell around her face, completely blocking her peripheral vision. It did not matter in the slightest. She had tunnel vision anyway. The bundle in the clump of black was all that she saw. It was where she needed to be.
She was getting closer. She could make out something poking out of the dark fabric. She leaned forward as she hovered over him. Her father's pendant dangled towards him, not unlike a mobile on a crib. He was not as tan as Naruto. She could tell that from here. He did not take after his grandfather in that regard. His complexion mirrored hers and Minato's.
She sat back on her heels as she took in his face. She tilted her head to the side, studying him. Babies, specifically newborns, all kind of looked the same. Their faces changed so much in just the first six months of their lives. Despite fully knowing this, all she could see when she looked at him was Minato. His nose, his chin, his facial structure, his hair. It was as if she were not anywhere in there anywhere at all; her genetics did not seem to matter in the slightest.
Sarina watched mutely as Sakura's hand came out and stroked the baby's face before she gathered him into her arms. The woman cradled him. Her head was bowed and her shoulders were slumped. Her blue eyes saw what her brain could not process. Sakura pressed her lips against his temple seconds before she let out a sound that was not human.
It startled her enough to snap her out of it.
Shikaku grunted. The strain from keeping ten shinobi from ripping an unconscious Uchiha apart was felt in just about every muscle of his body. His hands shook as he fought to maintain control. The suspended bodies fell to the ground one by one as they fell to the genjutsu that Kurenai put them under. He released his jutsu with a sigh.
"How are the Kuramas?" He asked her as they moved the bodies to the side so that they would not be caught up in someone else's fight.
"Recovering," Kurenai answered as she dragged the last of the unconscious shinobi to the pile. She dusted her hands. "The genjutsu they were under was not the same as Yakumo." Her red eyes darted to the side. She nodded at him before she disappeared into the fray.
That was the first piece of good news he heard all day. His dark eyes scanned the scene in front of him with a heavy heart. He cracked his neck. It almost felt as if all the shinobi, the surviving ones, had descended on the Senju Clan Complex. Things were bad. They would have to arrest half the village at this rate. It was a full-on civil war, only the other side had no qualms about killing.
He saw from the corner of his eye as Obito and Kakashi stood back to back holding off the masses. Guy was carrying the incapacitated shinobi away from the compound. He looked at the light sky. The fires had all but been put out. But the war waged on.
They needed Minato to unite them again. They needed their leader to pull them all back together but he was busy. What he was doing was equally important if not more. They would all be dead if he failed.
There was not a single cloud in the sky. Shikaku sighed deeply. He turned to look at his teammate who had two shinobi in his expanded hands. They were struggling but it was futile. They would lose consciousness soon enough. This was his chance.
"Cover me!" Shikaku gave his teammates next to no warning.
"What are you doing?!" Choza asked him in shock.
"I'll be back soon!" He shouted over his shoulder. He ran down the street. He disappeared around the corner.
He had an idea.
She swayed with the wind as she held him. She was a jumbled mess of nerves. Her emotions were on the end of a pendulum. She swung from one end to the other. She wanted to scream, cry, shout, jump up, laugh, run around in a frenzy. She wanted to do it all and she wanted to do nothing.
She did not know what to be. She did not know what thought to entertain. Her head was muddled. Her heart was not completely dust. Not yet anyway. She could hear the Kyuubi in the distance. He reminded her that he was still very much a problem.
A problem that she could not ignore for any longer.
Sakura tore her eyes from her newborn son. She had watched his chest rise and fall several times. She had counted ten fingers and ten toes. He was fine as far as she could tell. The quick chakra scan revealed nothing out of place. There was nothing standing out to her to be a cause of concern. He was okay. He was alive. That was more than good enough for now. Sakura pulled the cloak around him slightly tighter.
"You need to go to the hospital," Sarina told the medic who was back on her feet.
"You need to get out of here." Sakura looked her dead in the eye. The previous softness she held in them was long gone. "Leave the village. Don't look back. If I see you after today, I will kill you." Sakura's expression was gravely serious. It was not a threat. It was a promise. There would be no mercy.
Sarina regarded her sister and her new nephew. She felt herself hesitate. "You don't hate me?" Sarina surprised herself with the question.
"I don't know," Sakura said with a sigh. "I don't know what to think, how to feel." Her eyes were as hard as emeralds. "Because of you, I will never be whole again." She closed her eyes briefly as the smiling face of Minato filled her mind. Her heart ached.
Sarina swallowed the lump in her throat as Sakura's eyes pinned her with a withering look.
"You saved my life. You saved my son's life." She chose not to dwell on the fact that Sarina was the one who endangered them in the first place. "You didn't choose your parents. Your childhood is not your fault."
Sarina let out a shaky breath. Her impassive mask was nowhere to be found.
"But what you did here is." Sakura's expression was frigid. The look froze Sarina's insides. Her heart sank. "Your mom did not do this. Our dad didn't do this. I didn't do this. You did this." Sakura's eyes bore into hers. "This was all you."
Sarina stared at her with her lips parted and her eyes blank.
Sakura was not done. She was always very thorough in dressing someone down.
"You can't keep blaming everything you do on someone else. You can't always be the victim, Sarina. You're not a victim." She said harshly. Sakura licked her chapped lips. "Learn to take accountability for yourself if not for your sake then, your daughter's." Sakura narrowed her eyes. "That is if you're still interested in setting a better example for her."
Sarina did not say anything. Her eyes were as cold as ice. Her fingers, the ones still covered in Sakura's blood and bodily fluids, curled into fists. The skin was tight.
Sakura looked back at the village. "This is my life. I didn't take it from you, from anyone. I built it. I made it. I'm not going to apologize for it. I'm done apologizing for it." She said adamantly. She looked at the sleeping newborn in her arms. "You've been given a second chance. Don't waste it." She smiled softly. "I hope you find peace, Sarina." Sakura raised her eyes to the woman's face.
Sarina pushed down the emotions swirling in her. She looked into Sakura's eyes. She only saw one thing being reflected back in them: pity.
"If I find out this is a trick of some kind -"
"It's not," Sakura vowed. "Stay away from my family and I'll stay away from yours." She squared her shoulders. She took a deep breath. The edge to her demeanor was gone. "I'm sorry. I wish we could have gotten to know each other under different circumstances." She looked at Sarina. She held Manato further away from her and wrapped the fingers of her right hand around her cherry blossom necklace. She pulled it over her neck. Manato was held tightly against her once more.
Sakura extended her arm out. The four light pink and one dark pink petals shone as a ray of sunshine reflected off it.
"Take it."
Sarina stared at the cherry blossom necklace. Her hair whipped around her. She swallowed audibly. She slowly reached for it with a shaking hand. Her fingers curled around the fived-petaled flower. The weight felt significant in her hand. She did not hesitate to put it around her neck. It came to rest heavily against her chest.
"Now there's nothing left for you in Konoha." Sakura's eyes were almost forest green. "Leave."
Sarina nodded. She vanished.
Sakura stared at the spot she had previously occupied and let out a slow breath. Manato stirred in her arms. She pressed her lips against the crown of his head. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.
"I'm good to go." Jiraiya got up slowly. His joints popped and creaked as he did so.
"I'm going with you." Tsunade rose to her feet. "He's going to need all the help he can get sealing it."
"He doesn't plan on surviving it, Tsunade," Jiraiya said in a tight voice. His expression was stony.
Tsunade stared at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw. "How could you possibly know that?"
Jiraiya smirked humorlessly. "It's happened before."
Tsunade pressed her teeth to her bottom lip. "Kami," she said breathlessly. "How long have you known?" Her almond-colored eyes searched his face.
"A while. Not too long after Sakura got here." He looked off into the distance. The tails of the fox were visible over the tree line. "I promised him I would not get in his way. He's doing this." His vocal cords were stretched to their limits. He cleared his throat. Tears stung in his eyes but he held them back.
"If you know his plan, why are you going?" She asked in a voice that was heavy with emotion.
"Someone has to bring his body back." He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "It should be me this time."
"This time?" She asked him hollowly.
Jiraiya sighed deeply. He put both his hands on the railing. His long white hair swayed gently in the breeze.
"I let him down, Tsunade." Jiraiya closed his eyes as he recalled the conversation he had overheard. "I let down Minato and I let down Naruto. In the worst possible way."
Tsunade's brow furrowed together. Her face was set in the lines of confusion.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked him in a voice that she had not used in years. She was hesitant.
He leaned forward on his forearms. Outwardly he was a picture of ease but the internal struggle and conflict were very much real.
"When he died I was not there for his son. I did not meet Naruto until he was twelve. I abandoned him. I left him to be ostracized by the village. I let that happen." His throat was tight. He tried to unsuccessfully clear it.
Tsunade's eyes filled with sadness. "That was not you," she offered.
Jiraiya laughed bitterly. "It was. I could see myself doing it." He paused. "Hell, I want to do it right now too. It's my natural instinct." He held his head in his hands.
"I know exactly what that version of me was thinking. I know how he would have justified it to himself. He would have claimed that he was looking after the boy by keeping an eye out on the Akatsuki. That was his way of keeping Naruto safe. Sure. The boy was safe but he was also alone and miserable. He did not know what love was until he graduated from the academy." His tone was laced with disgust.
Tsunade clutched the crystal around her neck. She felt the magnitude of his words right on her chest. She could not imagine it. It was too horrible. That Naruto deserved better.
"That version of me probably assumed that Kakashi - who by the way was the only known survivor of Team Minato - would look after the boy. I never should have put the burden on his student. Minato was my student. Minato was like a son to me. It should have been me. I should have been there for Naruto." He had to stop to prevent his voice from cracking.
"I ran away. The truth is that I ran away, I was weak. I probably could not handle looking at his face. It probably reminded me of my failures. It probably reminded me of my greatest loss. I don't know how much Minato knows," he lowered his eyes to the ground below him. "He never said anything to me to give me any insight. But she never called me out on it." He turned to look over his shoulder at the face on the mountainside. "She had every reason to."
"What's more," he chuckled wryly. "She trusted me enough to be alone with him. She let me be a part of his life despite knowing everything." He shook his head. "She let me get to know the kid. She let me experience his love. I don't deserve that kindness."
Silence settled over them. Tsunade bowed her head. She shed a tear. She wiped it as soon as it appeared. She cleared her throat.
"I was not there for him either then. If what you're saying is true, I failed him too."
Jiraiya tilted his head back. "You were not close to Minato or Kushina. You were better than me. You raised Shizune."
Tsunade shook her head. "Don't make excuses for me." She paused as resolve filled her. "It will be different this time. We'll be different this time. We are different." She could not fathom abandoning him now.
"It is a heavy burden to carry, knowing the future. Knowing all the mistakes you made. Having to live with it." He said after a long sigh through his nose, the air left his lungs.
"You've grown, Jiraiya." She looked him dead in the eye. "That's the only reason you are so bothered by your other self's behavior."
Jiraiya looked at her with an unreadable expression. "Maybe," he said in an unconvinced tone. But there was the presence of something in his eye that captured her attention.
"My last words to him were angry," he rubbed his face with his hand. "I was too harsh."
"You couldn't have known." She shook her head. "No one could have known."
"I was so angry. I was seeing red." And as far as Jiraiya knew he did not have an excuse.
"He knows you. He probably needed to hear it. He'll see that. He sees that." She bit the corner of her lip. "I'm going with you." She repeated firmly after some tense moments spent in silence.
Jiraiya shook his head sadly. "She'll need you. You need to be with her."
It was a punch to the throat, his words. Her stomach turned. Tsunade could not help but wonder which one of them had the taller task. She truly did not know. He was right, however. She took three steps to stand next to him. They both looked off into the direction of the Kyuubi. She gripped the railing. They were both too engrossed in their own thoughts of their burdens to speak.
The hair on the back of their necks stood on end. The sound of a pair of feet landing behind them registered in their ears. Both of them turned around sharply. They looked at the pink-haired medic. There were red streaks on one side of her face, smudged across her skin. Her choppy locks swayed in the breeze. She was surrounded by a white light. She was holding a bundle of black fabric in her arms. She smiled at them. It did not reach her eyes.
"Tsunade-shishou, Jiraiya-sama," they barely recognized her voice. "I need you to look after Manato until I get back."
The Sannin exchanged shocked looks. Tsunade was the first to move. She hurried over to Sakura. She pulled back the fabric with careful fingers. She inhaled sharply. A tiny face with blond hair was revealed.
"He's beautiful," Tsunade smiled softly. She stroked his cheek with a fingertip.
Sakura smiled. "He really is," she passed him carefully to Tsunade's arms. "Please take care of him."
Tsunade cradled him. Her sharp eyes noticed the ample blood on Sakura's face, legs, and dress, as well as the fact that it was missing a third of its length. Not to mention the woefully uneven hair.
"What happened to you?"
Sakura looked from face to face. "It's not important. I need to go to Minato." She had to get there before he started the sealing process. She was the container. She could still prevent Naruto from shouldering the responsibility. She spared them a glance before she jumped from the tower. She was off running.
Jiraiya walked slowly to Tsunade. He peered down at the very new newborn.
"Do you want to hold him?" Tsunade did not look up from the baby's face.
"No," Jiraiya said gruffly. "His dad should be the first man to hold him."
Tsunade smiled at Manato. She was completely enamored. "He will be."
Jiraiya set his jaw. He looked back out in the direction of the Kyuubi.
She sank down to the floor next to him. Asuma held his head in his hands. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail and shook her head. Her dark locks brushed her shoulders. She leaned her head back against the wall with a deep sigh.
"You did well." She told him in a tired voice.
"That was crazy." Asuma's voice sounded far off.
"It was," Shizune mused. She managed a four-person surgery all by herself. A slow grin pulled at her lips. She started to laugh.
Asuma looked at her like she had officially lost all her marbles. "What's so funny?"
"This!" Shizune gestured vaguely at everything with her hands. "You should have seen your face!" She burst into another fit of giggles.
Asuma took a moment to consider it. He rubbed the back of his neck. He chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose it is absurd when you think about it."
Shizune sobered up. If she continued on she would be crying soon. "I should get back out there." She watched the screen of the heart monitor. His vitals were strong.
"Me too," Asuma said in agreement. He flattened a leg. His arm rested on a bent knee. "Will he be alright?"
Shizune nodded. She unwrapped a snack bar and took a bite.
"He'll be spending a lot of time in the hospital for a while but he'll be fine." He would never look the same but something told Shizune he would not care. His new look might even help make him even better at his job.
Asuma's lip pulled up in slight disgust. "How can you eat right now?"
Shizune shrugged. "I work in a hospital. I wouldn't have survived this long if I was grossed out by every little thing." She reached into her pocket. She procured another bar. "It's yours if you can stomach it." She pulled it back and pressed her lips together. "If you throw up I'm not going to clean it."
Asuma shook his head. "I better not then." He stared at Ibiki. The longer he looked the less bad it got. And his stomach was burning a hole through itself. He had gone a little overboard with the drinking last night.
"Shizune?"
She blinked at him.
"I'll take the bar." He held out his hand.
She pressed it into his hand. "Cheers," she said dryly.
"Cheers," he mumbled as he took a bite.
The clock ticked the seconds away. They just needed a minute.
She brought her fingers together. The familiar pull and hum of her chakra filled her with a great sense of ease. This part of her was dormant for too long. She felt next to invincible. She needed every ounce of the feeling she could muster. Physically she was a powerhouse. Mentally she was about as strong as a wet napkin. She stilled her mind. She pictured her destination. Sakura filled her lungs with air.
'Flower-chan' Akemi called out just before she could pull the trigger.
"I feel them," Sakura answered under her breath. She was close. She came to a stop just outside the Hyuga compound. It had fared better than the rest of the village. Only one wall that surrounded the compound had crumbled. She stared at the precariously learning structure right next to the main house. It would come down soon. She stepped over the rubble and walked through the front gates.
Her heart was heavy as she registered the scene in front of her. She walked closer and closer to the body in the middle of the compound. There were three more lying face down nearby. She took in his unmoving face. He was bloodied and battered. He had been gone for a while. She could tell from the stiffness in his neck and jaw. Sakura crouched down to the statue next to Hizashi's corpse. Neji did not so much as flinch when she touched his shoulder.
"Neji-kun," she did not have the words. Neji's fists were curled on his knees as he sat on his heels. There were dried tears on his face. He was in shock.
"Neji-kun," she began again. "We need to move. It's not safe here." She looked at the eight-year-old boy with worry in her eyes. He was unresponsive. He was disassociating. "I'm going to pick you up now," she said gently as she slid her shoulder under his chin. She lifted him up into her arms as she rose to her feet.
He was completely deadweight. She heard sniffles to her left, right next to the Main House. Sadness chewed away at her as she looked at the tear-stained faces of Hinata and her mother. Sakura brought her hand to cup the back of Neji's head as she lowered both of them down to the ground. Her hands were covered in a green glow as healed the injuries on Hinata's palms and her knees.
"We need to move, it's not safe here," Sakura said to Hinata's mother. Part of her knew that her words were being wasted. The Hyuga Matriarch was in shock just like the rest of them. They probably saw the whole thing.
She did not need the story. She knew the original. This was just some variation of it. Hizashi sacrificed himself for the Main House. Again. He saved Hinata and her mother. Only this time Hizashi did it out of his own free will. Neji witnessed his father die. He took down three Uchiha with him.
Sakura locked eyes with the woman. "Can you carry Hinata?"
The woman stared at her blankly. Sakura sighed. "Come here, Hinata-chan." She gathered the girl into her arms. She was shaking uncontrollably. Sakura looped her other arm around the boy who was now sitting on the ground. She lifted them both up as she rose to her feet once again.
If worse came to worst she could get the children to safety first and come back for the woman. Sakura did not think she was capable of latching onto her back so that they could all leave in one go. The Hyuga was still not responsive.
"I'll be back for you," Sakura assured her. She had not even taken a full step before the ground under them shook as another aftershock made its way through. Debris from the building next door fell. Sakura shielded the children with her frame.
The structure collapsed.
There was a loud rumble as the slabs of stone and concrete pelted the main house. A dust cloud taller and wider than the building itself rose into the air. The sound was deafening. Water rained down from the burst pipes from what remained of the adjacent structure.
The wet dirt fragranced the air.
There was shouting and panic as civilians - the ones that did not evacuate - ran from their shelters and onto the street. Hands started to pull away at the mountain of debris. Their faces were grim as two lines formed. Rocks were being handed off between pairs of helping hands. Two men lifted and turned and they repeated. Two small piles of rocks began to form at the sides.
Ban pushed through the crowd that was watching with their hands on their faces. He hurried to help. He skipped the human assembly lines and started to dig through the rubble with his bare hands. If the rocks did not kill them already the lack of oxygen would. They needed to move quickly. He set his face in a determined line. He ignored the water pelting his back as he threw the rocks behind him as his desperation grew. He cut his hands on some rebar but he kept pushing through.
His yellow eyes widened. "G-g-et b-b-back!" He shouted. The civilians moved hastily back. Ban grabbed one by the arm who had stumbled and fallen to his knees. They all stood at what was deemed to be a safe distance. He pushed his orange hair glued to his forehead from his eyes. He watched with narrowed eyes and an anxious mind.
The ground shook again. The rock was being pushed aside. A dome of white light became visible to the eye. Ban brought his hands to cover his eyes. It was too bright. The light dimmed. He blinked as two women and two children came into focus.
Sakura jumped down from the pile. She lowered both the children in her arms to the ground. Thankfully they were able to stand on their feet. She turned back and climbed over the debris. She put the Hyuga matriarch on her back before she carefully moved down the pile once again.
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked her as her feet made contact with the ground.
The woman nodded mutely. The cool water raining down on them seemingly brought her system out of shock. The woman moved from out of the spray's range.
The water also washed the red and sweat from Sakura's face but it heightened the smell of iron from her clothes, she was oblivious to it all. Sakura looked around at the civilians. She spotted a familiar face in the crowd.
"Ban?" She asked with surprise.
The orange-haired man with yellow eyes all but ran to her. "S-S-Sakura-san are you alright?"
"I'm fine, how are you?" Sakura asked him with the same level of concern. She saw the red marring his skin. She looked at him carefully.
"I'm f-f-fine," Ban said, growing flustered with the attention that the scene was garnering. "I'm okay," he said as he showed her his hand.
"May I?" She asked him gently.
He looked at the look on her face. He held out his palm for her. Sakura's hand hovered over it for no more than a couple of seconds. The pain was gone.
"Thank y-y-you," he flexed his fingers.
Sakura spared him a small smile. She looked over her shoulder. "Ban, can you help me?"
"Yes." He nodded his head.
"I need you to take the Hyugas to the evacuation area." She looked back at him with a solemn expression.
"Okay, leave it to m-m-me." Ban's eyes darted to the three shell-shocked faces. "I-I'll kee-keep them safe."
"I know you will." Sakura smiled at him. He was doing better. "Thank you, Ban."
She could not wait any longer. She already lost too much time. She focused her eyes on the orange tails of the fox. She pushed her legs to move forward. She was learning some things were simply unavoidable but that did not mean she had to accept that without a fight. She formed the seal with her hands. The whole world shifted around her.
'Flower-chan there's something we should talk about'. Akemi said with a sense of urgency.
'I'm listening,' Sakura answered back grimly. She already knew she would not like it but she was trying to keep an open mind.
Her breathing did not change as she continued her inclined trek up the dirt path. Her limp from her injury was slowing her down. There was a large elm up ahead. She continued her movements towards it.
Her magenta-maroon ponytail twisted in the wind. Her feet halted in their tracks. She turned around and spared one last look at the village where she presided for the last several years.
This was her victory lap. Her eyes continued to take in the scene in front of her.
She knew this day would come, she had done all this to make sure it would come. She had dreamed of this moment when she left the village depleted and on its knees. In all the renditions and versions she was always triumphant as she was now. Konoha would never be the same. It would take years to recover from the kind of devastation she had dealt it. She was able to do something that Iwa and the Akatsuki had been unable to do. She had crippled Konoha.
She had completely turned Sakura's life into shambles in the process. Sakura had given up. She was letting her walk out of there without retribution. She crushed her sister. Sakura had admitted it out loud herself. She was devastated. There was nothing hanging over Sarina's head anymore.
She was free.
She could be with her daughter. It would just be the two of them against the world. She had achieved her dream.
She was victorious.
Sarina's blue eyes took in the landscape. It was past eight in the morning. The village would have just started to go about their days. The barkers would be pulling loaves of bread from the ovens. Naruto would have been getting out of bed and excitedly looking forward to having his birthday celebration with friends and with both his parents. Like the years prior he probably would have been too excited to sleep the night before. She could practically hear the sound of his feet as he ran through the house with giddiness. They would have all been eating breakfast together as a family.
She broke that family apart, just like she always wanted. It was over. She could move on with her life. She did not need to look back. She was out from underneath the Haruno shadow. They were even. Sarina took everything from Sakura just as she had taken from her. The scales were balanced.
She was the same.
She thought all of this would fill the holes in her heart. She thought it would make it worth it, the pain she suffered. She thought the anger and hate she had for her sister would make today all that more satisfied. But she was not satisfied. She was not even remotely happy. She was the same. In fact, she might even be worse. There was this level of tightness in her that was not there before.
What she did today did not change the fact that she did not know her father. It did not change the fact that her mother did not outwardly show love for her. It did nothing to alter the truth that she had not seen her own daughter in three years. Today changed nothing about yesterday. Right now did not alter the past. She was still alone. She was still without the love of a mother and father. She was still essentially a stranger to her child.
She had spent nearly her entire life being mad at someone who according to her sister had no choice but to leave. Would it have changed anything if she knew that he was pining and suffering because he could not be with his eldest daughter? Would her life and reality have been better if she knew Sakura was suffering because she was raised by a father who was neither here nor there? Would she have been more fulfilled if he was in as much pain as her?
She regarded the necklace in her palm. Sakura's blood was still underneath her fingernails. Sarina's blue eyes looked off at the Hokage Monument.
Sakura was wrong.
Sarina's hands curled into fists as she remembered the last look directed at her by her broken sister. Her lip pulled into a snarl.
"Who do you think you are pitying me?" She let out her question through clenched teeth.
Sarina was not done yet.
The Kyuubi dug in his heels as he braced himself against the wall of wind the Yondaime had shot in his direction. He snarled as he was pushed back a couple of feet. The blond was a pest. He just did not know when to quit. He kept struggling to prolong the inevitable end.
It was only a matter of minutes if that. He was fully aware again. The Uchiha boy was done. He was out of chakra. The blond had sent him and the girl the healer away. Along with the samurai.
His previous jailer was stubbornly remaining. He was saving her for after he killed the blond. He wanted to take his time with the Uzumaki. He wanted to be perfectly clear about just how he felt about having to put up with her incessant rambling for more than twenty long years. She was holding a smaller blond, the Yondaime's son, in her arms. Their plan was laughable. They wanted to make the pipsqueak his next vessel. The boy was barely old enough to wipe his own nose properly and they had the audacity to think he could contain him.
He was not worried. Even if they managed to seal him in that boy, he would enjoy ripping through him to get back out. He narrowed his eyes. He felt something coming fast. He threw his head back. He gathered energy in his mouth. He released another tailed beast bomb. He knew the Yondaime did not have the chakra to teleport it away and perform the sealing. He would have to choose. Either he could attempt to seal him in the boy or he could save his precious village, the one he worked so hard to protect from being decimated.
His black lips pulled up into a sneer. He watched with great anticipation as the horror crossed their faces. It seemed he was being indecisive. The black and purple sphere moved at a rapid rate. Or maybe he had decided after all.
His crimson eyes widened. He recognized a familiar presence.
He snarled.
Sakura pulled her blue glowing fist back and let out all her emotions.
"Shannaro!"
It was a guttural yell as her fist collided with the bomb. All the nerves in her hand and arm screamed in agony as the demon chakra burned through her protective chakra barrier and melted her skin completely off. The sounds of her bones cracking reached her ears. It was perhaps edged out to be the most physically painful thing she experienced today.
The black and purple mass came back in the direction it came back towards the fox with great speed. He jumped back to avoid it. A crater formed in the ground. Giant trees fell. Sakura landed on the top of a massive cedar. She held on for dear life as the ground shook and the air became violent. Sakura brought her injured arm to cover her eyes. She barely registered the pain. The completely peeled-off skin was starting to regenerate. Her fist was no longer a red bloody mess. The cuts that littered her skin from the blowback of the bomb healed just as quickly as they appeared. Her hundred healings were working overdrive to keep her together.
The sounds of the landscape collapsing in on itself consumed the space.
Adrenaline coursed through her as she glared back at the fox. She glared at him with every ounce of malice she could pull from her person. She was aware of the dark anger in her that was stirring. She remained in control.
"You!" The beast bellowed. His teeth were clenched. She recognized the wariness flash across his eyes for a split second.
"Me," Sakura cracked her knuckles menacingly. Her feet kept her attached to the tree.
His hackles were raised. He must have recognized a sliver of his chakra, his essence inside of her.
"I am going to kill you!" He promised her.
Sakura narrowed her eyes. He was fear-inspiring. He was much bigger than she anticipated. Now standing not even thirty yards from him, she saw the dull disparity in their sizes. She was smaller in height than his eyeball.
She was lying if she said she was not sacred. From the looks of it, she was not alone. He was masking it well but she saw the panic flash in his eyes. Her display had worked. It was a blatant show of strength. She could turn back his strongest attack with nothing more than just herself. She did not need the light chakra. She was more than enough. And that was her point.
"There's plenty more where that came from," she shouted as she continued to glare at the fox. She held his gaze. "I'm not going anywhere." Her eyes said what her lips could not. She wanted to be perfectly clear in her body language. She did not have time to string together the right words.
'Test me at your own risk.'
The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed. His black lips curled over his razor-sharp teeth. His hackles were raised. He understood. She could see it in every fiber of his being. He understood her threat, her promise. She would show no mercy. Her hand was completely healed. She flexed her fingers to further illustrate her point.
'Hurry, Flower-chan' Akemi's voice called out reminding her that they did not have all day.
Sakura regarded the fox with one last glance as she pinpointed their location. They had moved to avoid the aftermath of the tailed beast bomb.
She jumped down from the tree - that was at least 100 feet tall - face first. She squinted her eyes as she fought to keep them open. The ground was quickly approaching. When she was within ten feet of it she flipped over her so that she was now feet first. She used chakra to cushion the blow. She utilized the speed of the fall and the force of what would have been the impact to push her forward.
She shot out as if from a cannon once she made contact with the ground. She did not need to look over her shoulder to know that he was watching her. He could feel his bloodthirsty gaze squarely on her. She was a blur of white and pink as she moved to close the distance between them.
All the air exited her lungs all at once as she came to a screeching halt. She paid no mind to the dust she kicked up. Her eyes found their target. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. It took everything not to jump into his arms.
Seeing was believing. He was alive. Relief flooded her instantly. She was not too late.
"Hi," she said breathlessly.
"Hi," Minato drank her in.
She was alive. Dark black seals lined her skin to the full extent of her Strength of a Hundred Seal. Her hair was cut roughly. It was uneven and wet. It fell past her chin but did not touch her shoulders. The tips of the pink locks were white. She smelled of blood. But most importantly, she was no longer pregnant.
"Manato's perfect," she answered the question on his face. "He's safe with Tsunade and Jiraiya."
He let out a breath that he was holding. "How are you?" He asked her quickly.
"Fine," she did not want to look away from him.
"I'm here too, ya know!" Kushina said in an irate manner. Her violet eyes were narrowed with indignation.
"Kushina-chan, I'm so glad you're okay." Sakura smiled in pure relief as she regarded the woman. Kushina was miraculously still on her feet. She was holding Naruto close to her. Sakura's eyes softened. They were all still alive and safe.
"What's the plan?" Kushina looked between the two.
"We seal the Kyuubi in Naruto, all of it," Sakura said grimly. Her shoulders were set in determination.
Kushina's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "What?! I thought you would talk sense into Minato!" The accusation was painfully obvious in her voice.
Sakura shook her head. "It has to be this way." She bit her lip. It was the only way. Naruto was the one who could do it. He was the one who would end the hate in the Kyuubi's heart. Just like he did before. The Gods were wrong to pick her as the container. Their faith was misplaced. Akemi and her son convinced her of that.
The Kyuubi was sizing her up. She turned to look at Minato's serious expression. "I can give him Akemi-hime's chakra, almost all of it. I only need a small amount to stay alive. If it's sealed with the Kyuubi she can keep him from gaining control. She'll look after Naruto in a way we can't." Sakura explained quickly. "It was her idea," Sakura added almost as an afterthought.
His eyes were stormy. "What do you think?"
Sakura swallowed. "It has to be him. He's the only one who can do it." The words felt heavy leaving her throat. They weighed even heavier on her heart.
He regarded her with a serious expression of his own for a heartbeat. An unspoken understanding was reached.
"Okay," Minato gave her his approval.
"What the hell is wrong with the two of you, dattebane?!" Kushina asked absolutely beside herself with disbelief. "This is your son we're talking about."
"He'll be fine," they answered together, not looking away from each other's eyes.
"He's the son of the legendary Yondaime. He can handle it." Sakura added with conviction.
Minato's expression softened with gratitude. He tucked a choppy strand of hair that was whipping across her face behind her ear.
"He's the son of the strongest and smartest kunoichi in Konoha. He'll figure it out." He replied in a gentle tone. Sakura smiled.
If this is what it felt like to be the third wheel, she understood what Minato went through all these years. That being said, Kushina's fists were gearing up to punch a pair of idiots.
"Seriously? Right now? There's a monster that is ready to wear us like a second skin. This is the definition of not the time or place."
"Kushina-chan," Sakura looked at her with sympathy in her eyes. "What you went through growing up and continue to go through, I can't imagine. I don't know what that's like."
Kushina's hand instantly went to her stomach. It was pure reflex. She bunched the fabric of her shirt.
"That's why you can't do this to him, Sakura-chan." She pleaded with her.
"I don't know what it's like, so I can't speak to it," she repeated. "But I can promise you it won't be the same. It won't be like what he went through before." Not once did her voice waver or fluctuate.
Kushina took in the lines of fierce determination on Sakura's face. "He'll be surrounded by love." She said with a small accepting smile.
"He's the nephew of the woman with the most compassion out of anyone. He'll understand." Sakura smiled at the redhead with unshed tears.
Kushina let out a soft sob. She lowered her hands to her sides. She looked into the eyes of the boy's mother and then his father. She nodded her head.
Sakura held Kushina's gaze for another moment before her eyes locked back with a set of stormy blue. She slipped her hand into his.
There were three of them but she could not hold out hope. Minato and Kushina were just about out of chakra. Even if she did summon wood clones to share her reserves with them so that they could use another seal it would not come without complication or risk. There was only one seal that was nearly foolproof. The one seal that would work no matter what. The one seal that could contain the Kyuubi and keep it under control. The cost was steep. It would cost a soul. They did not have time or the luxury of exploring other avenues. This was their only chance to seal the beast. They had to go with the sure thing. Even if it would cost her nearly everything. She knew that. He knew that. It broke her heart regardless. But it was what they signed up for when they decided to be parents. Their children would come first. No matter what. There was no future for them if there was no Konoha. There would be no Konoha if the fox was not contained. There was no room for argument or discussion. All she could do was be there and support him.
"Until the end," she said softly.
"Until the end," Minato nodded in understanding before kissing her knuckles. His cobalt eyes were without the weight of duality.
Sakura turned to face Kushina. She needed to conserve as much of the light release as she could so it could be sealed along with the fox.
"You have any chakra left in there, Kushina-chan?"
Kushina took a step to stand on Sakura's other side. "What do you need?" She glared at the fox.
"You take the left and I take the right?" Sakura looked at the Kyuubi.
"You got it," She set Naruto down gently in front of Sakura. Chains shot out of her stomach. They wrapped the Kyuubi. He roared. Before he could swipe at them the rest of him was skewered in place with Sakura's light chakra. He tried to rise up but he was trapped.
Minato was ready to string the series of seals together at her go-ahead.
Sakura felt him squeeze her hand. She squeezed it back before she reluctantly had to let go. Sakura inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.
'It's time.'
Akemi's voice filled her with a sense of calm right before she felt her insides being burned. She let out a scream. She fell to her knees.
"Sakura!" She vaguely registered Minato's and Kushina's exclaims of concern.
"Don't!" She screamed in agony as a hand shot out to stop them from helping her, from touching her. The life was being sucked out of her. It was a thousand times worse leaving than it was being introduced. Her body convulsed. The light from around her faded.
They watched as a stream of light chakra started to come out of the left circle on Sakura's forehead. They looked on as that stream of chakra slowly grew larger and larger in size before it ultimately turned into the shape of a woman. The light blazed with intensity. They covered their eyes with their hands. When they lowered their arms they registered a woman with long white hair held together in a thick braid, gold eyes, and three green spherical seals. Her white robe touched the ground.
Kushina gawked openly while Minato was a little more reserved in displaying his shock at finally seeing the Goddess that cohabitated his wife's head.
She paid them no mind as she bent down and affectionately caressed the side of Sakura's face before lifting up her chin. Her gold eyes held much warmth and regard for her.
"Flower-chan," Akemi smiled at Sakura.
Sakura smiled weakly back. "Hime," tears dripped down onto the ground. "I can never thank you for this." Sakura grabbed her wrist.
Akemi's smile filled Sakura's cold body with warmth. "I'll miss you, my child."
"I'll miss you too." Sakura blinked her jade eyes as Akemi kissed her temple.
The seals had vanished without a trace on Sakura's forehead. It was without the green orbs for the first time in nearly a decade. Akemi helped Sakura to her feet. Sakura pulled her into a hug.
"Thank you," Sakura shook as she held her.
"You will be strong, child," Akemi patted her on the back. "You are strong, Sakura." She held Sakura's face in her hands. "You will survive. Don't lose heart."
Sakura nodded her head. Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat. The tears stopped flowing.
Kushina straightened as Akemi's gold eyes focused on her. "Take care of her for me," the melodious voice said to her.
Kushina found herself instantly feeling more at ease. Her violet eyes held Akemi's gold orbs' gaze.
"I will," she vowed with her hand on her heart.
Minato cleared her throat as her eyes came to focus on him. He did not know what to expect.
"Minato," Akemi said with a sigh. "I'm sorry," she looked truly remorseful.
"I'm sorry too," He managed to work out through his tightening throat. He understood what she was not saying. She held regret in her heart that she was leaving Sakura too. Sakura was losing both of them at once. It was his regret as well.
"Thank you," he said after clearing his throat.
Akemi smiled at him softly. She turned her gaze to the sleeping boy with tenderness in her gold eyes.
"I'll take good care of him. I'll keep the Yin under control." She vowed.
Sakura smiled sadly. Minato nodded his head in understanding. Their hands found each other again as they watched Akemi float up in the air. There was a heaviness in both their hearts. The trio lifted their heads as she hovered in front of the Kyuubi.
"Stay back!" He snarled.
Her braid and her robes were pushed back by the wind current he generated. "Calm down, Kurama." She chided him as if she were scolding a misbehaving child.
"I won't go back. I won't be reduced to a plaything for a child." Kurama shouted loudly. He fought against the restraints. They did not budge.
"This child will be the answer to your loneliness. You'll see," she tilted her head to the side. She smiled at the fox's apprehension.
"I don't want this," his deep voice boomed. "I want to be free!"
"That is not the way of the world." Akemi reminded him with a patient tone. "You will be hunted. You will be feared. You will be sought as a weapon of destruction. Even if you destroy this village and the next, you will not be free."
The Kyuubi's red eyes narrowed. "It will be on my terms," he said stubbornly.
"It will not." Her voice grew a smidge sharper. "It will be the terms that others force onto you." She regarded him carefully. "It may be that the very thing we run toward ends up hurting us most in the end. This is what you need. This is what the world needs." Akemi countered his rage with calm. "This is the way." She pressed her palm in the space between his eyes.
His pupils contracted as Akemi poured her chakra into him. The Kyuubi stilled. He appeared to be in a state of temporary paralysis.
Sakura looked at Minato. His stormy gaze was making her head spin more than losing nearly all of her light chakra.
"Do you have enough chakra to seal the whole thing?"
He looked at his hand. "I should."
"I can give you some if not." Her lip trembled as she finished her sentence.
"It will be alright," he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. His navy eyes looked at the Kyuubi.
She clung to him as more tears left her eyes. She pressed her face into his shoulder. There was not even space for wind between them.
Kushina eyed them sadly. She rubbed her arm.
"Sakura-chan," she said gently. She reached out to touch the pinkette's shoulder. She grimaced as another sob ripped through Sakura's throat.
"Akemi-sama can't keep him calm forever, Sakura," Minato said reluctantly. He did not want to be the one to pull away. He glanced at Kushina with a pleading expression in his eyes.
"Sakura, come here." The redhead peeled Sakura's arms from around Minato. "You're okay. I've got you."
Sakura felt herself being pulled from him. She looked at his face with desperation. "I love you."
"I love you." He held her gaze for a moment. He tore it away to look at the fox.
Kushina held Sakura close. Sakura clenched her arms. She was shaking against Kushina. Tears were flowing freely from her face. There was nothing she could do to stop them despite her every intention of being strong for him.
"You're okay," Kushina whispered into her ear. She hugged Sakura tighter.
Minato squared his shoulders. He set his face in a mask of grim purpose. He formed the seals with deliberate movements. He felt the sensation of being tethered not even a second after bringing his palms together. The translucent body of the Shinigami was visible from the corner of his eye. He was painfully aware that Sakura had yet to look away from him. He concentrated.
He narrowed his eyes as the air shifted around them. He moved out of pure instinct. Minato grabbed Naruto, and Kushina jumped back with Sakura still in her arms. The reaper vanished. They looked at the kunai right where Naruto had been in shock.
Three pairs of heads snapped up to see a face with blue eyes and long, flowing dark, dark pink hair.
The air left Sakura's lungs.
It was worse than he had imagined when Shikaku described the situation. Hiruzen's eyes took in the physical manifestation of the negative emotions in the hearts of his shinobi for their own. It was a culmination of three leaders and the views they either personally held or condoned with silence. He was a part of the problem. He facilitated and let it get this bad.
He had failed his successor in more than one way. Generations were failed the ones that were and the ones to come, and the ones that would now never be. They had lost nearly as many shinobi in one night as they did in the entirety of the Third War.
He walked through the chaos. The Senju Compound was destroyed. The house of his teachers the First and the Second, and his student Tsunade. He held a great fondness for this place and now it too would be undoubtedly different in the future. It would be a glaring reminder of their collective mistake.
Hiruzen vaguely registered that the shinobi stopped their fighting as he walked. He paid them no mind. They respected his post, the office he held. His face being on the mountainside still meant something to them.
He came to a stop in front of a young girl, no more than thirteen. She was sobbing uncontrollably right in the middle of the battlefield.
"What is your name child?" He asked her with graveness in his tone.
She looked up at him slowly. She swiped at the snot coming out of her nose. "Uchiha," she had to stop to collect herself. "Inzumi." She looked at him with her red irises.
"Who are you with, Inzumi-chan?" He asked gently.
The girl looked down at the head in her lap. "My dad," she cried out. "He d-died p-protec-ting me." She stammered out in between her sniffles and tears.
The solemn faces looked on. There was pin-drop silence in the compound. Even the Kyuubi had yet to speak in the distance. The only sounds were Inzumi's broken sobs.
"He died for me," she said brokenly. "Because I was weak." She looked at Hiruzen with dark eyes.
Hiruzen shook his head. "He died because his love for you was more than the love he had for himself."
Inzumi looked at him dumbfounded. She wiped her eyes.
"Hate did not win, he kept you alive. The person he loved most. Your father is a hero, Inzumi-chan. He did his job. It is a father's job to protect his children, all his children." Hiruzen hung his head. "I am sorry Inzumi-chan."
"For what, Sandaime-sama?" She asked him in confusion. Her question was punctuated with a hiccup and some more sniffles.
"I failed to protect you and my other children. I failed to protect the Uchiha." Hiruzen looked at the solemn faces that had come out of the house. "I'm sorry." Hiruzen looked at each and every one of them.
Mikoto pressed a curled hand across her chest. Her other hand was holding Sasuke tightly against her legs. She looked at the somberness in Hiruzen's eyes. She nodded slowly through her tears.
Inoichi picked himself off the ground. He clenched his limp arm against him. He took a step towards Hiruzen. The Third looked behind him.
"This is my failure. This is the failure of those who came before. If anyone should be held responsible for what led to today it is me."
He was prepared to accept any punishment that was agreed upon by all the clans and by the Yondaime. But that would come later. That would come when there was a chance at harmony.
He looked on as various heads bowed in shame. Kakashi studied Hiruzen closely with his dark eye. Obito panted as he struggled to catch his breath.
"The Yondaime is risking his life, he is ready to sacrifice his life for us all. We are a family. We are all the children of the Hokage. We must look after one another. Just like the fingers of a hand none of them are the same but they work together to be stronger as a unit." Hiruzen cleared his throat. The emotion was starting to get to him.
"This is our home. This is a home to all of us. We must learn to put our differences aside for the good of all of us. Konoha. We are one. We are united. We are unified in that. That is what we must focus on. Otherwise, we have simply proved the misled souls right. Hate cannot win. Hate must not win." Hiruzen said emphatically.
"How can we trust them?" A voice called out in the crowd. There were murmurs.
Hiruzen sighed deeply. "Do you trust the Yondaime to keep you and your family safe?" He asked lightly.
There was more murmuring. There seemed to be a general consensus. Tsume sank to the floor. She was spent. Mai looked onward as Hiruzen's eyes darted into the crowd.
"What if I told you the Yondiame trusted his own son's safety in the hands of the Uchiha?" Hiruzen asked in the same tone.
There was another round of murmurs. Itachi stiffened slightly as he felt the full weight of Hiruzen's eyes.
"An Uchiha saved my life," Tsume raised her hand from the ground. Her ninken let out a single deep bark in corroboration.
Ionichi stepped forward. "The leader of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku, risked his life to save mine." Inoichi looked over his shoulder at Mikoto's horrified face. "He's fine. He's in the hospital." He added quickly.
"An Uchiha gave his life to protect the Hokage's son." Kakashi's voice filled the uneasy silence that had followed Inoichi's statement.
"An Uchiha held the Kyuubi still so it would not continue its rampage," Rin spoke up as she continued to heal a shinobi.
Hiruzen smiled softly. "I can assure you there must be many more stories of the Uchihas acting bravely and valiantly during this dark day." He raised his voice to quiet the discourse that had broken out.
Hiruzen looked at the faces. "Those of you who are fortunate enough to still have homes go home. Those who have the energy to stand, help with the cleanup. Those who have something to spare share with your neighbor. For those who are in need, there will be resource distribution centers as per the emergency protocol set up by the Yondiame."
The faces looked at him as if he was missing a crucial detail. "Don't worry about the Kyuubi. The Yondaime has it under control." He assured them.
He watched with his dark eyes as they began to shuffle out of the compound. He turned back to the young girl, Inzumi. Her mother had joined her.
"I am sorry for your loss," Hiruzen said to them with a remorseful tone.
Inzumi set her shoulders. "I'm going to be Hokage one day, Sandaime-sama. I'm going to become stronger and protect everyone."
Hiruzen looked at her stunned. He recovered quickly. "Very good Inzumi-chan. We should all have that goal."
Itachi looked at the girl's determined face. She was vaguely familiar, he noted.
A/N: Hello readers! Ngl I'm pretty nervous about the reception of this chapter. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. Sometimes. It was fun to finally write some Sakura badass moments. Thank you all for sticking through up until now. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please and thank you! Until next time.
P.S regarding the baby's name, naming things is hard lol. Baruto and Saruto were out for obvious reasons. Maruto just too close sounding to Naruto. Manato (if google can be trusted) means calm and gentle, maybe Minato was hoping it would influence the baby's personality a certain way. And Manato was easy enough to remember and type bc I'm lazy. :) But yeah now I see how it could be seen as an egotistical move by Minato to name him that. At least it's better than naming him after himself, maybe? Lol. My bad.