A/N: I finished all the pieces of this arch, so they'll be posted pretty quickly. I have it split into three parts so this is the second and the third will be posted in a few days.
"Inner Sakura..."
"Sakura's thoughts..."
memory...
"Dialogue..."
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
The sun was only just beginning to break over the horizon when two Chunin walked down the road, their arms piled high with books and reams of paper.
"Ugh…the fifth Hokage is a slave driver, isn't she. She could have fetched her own paper work." Kotetsu complained, but he stopped short when he saw the corner of a familiar red dress against the stone bench they were nearing.
"What's up?" Izumo asked, confused why his best friend had suddenly stopped.
"Sakura?" Kotetsu asked, stepping closer to the girl on the bench, his suspicion was confirmed when he saw a familiar head of pastel pink hair.
"Sakura? You ok? You shouldn't be sleeping out here, you might get sick." He called a little louder, hoping the volume of his voice would be enough to rouse her since his arms were full.
Sakura's eyes cracked open.
Sakura…thank you…for everything.
"Sasuke-kun!" She shouted, bolting upright. She stared out into the growing day light with wide eyes.
"He's gone…he left me behind…"
Sakura…thank you…for everything.
A dizzying swirl of emotions hit her so fast, it left her breathless and jittery. Misery, grief, anger, love, anxiety, frustration, desperation, hope, fear…she grabbed her hair and started taking careful breaths to keep herself from hyperventilating.
"Sakura?" Kotetsu asked again, worry furrowing his brow. Something was wrong. She didn't look good. This was the girl who'd been incredibly level headed and calm in a high pressure, tense situation. Same with her match against Dosu…but right now, she looked seconds away from a total break down.
"Kotetsu-san! Please I need to speak with the Hokage! It's urgent…Orochimaru, he—" Her words tumbled out too fast to fully understand.
"Woah, Orochimaru? Slow down. Take a breath and tell us what happened." Izumo said.
"Orochimaru was after Uchiha Sasuke during the chunin exams, and gave him this mark…the cursed mark of heaven or something. Last night, Sasuke-kun, he…left." She swallowed hard, her throat tightening. "Orochimaru promised him power. The power he needed to get his revenge for the Uchiha massacre. Sasuke-kun he…he's joining him! Please! I have to speak to the Hokage!"
"And how do you know all this?" Izumo prodded gently.
"I was there damnit! I…last night I tried to stop him…I begged him not to go, I…" Her voice was growing more and more shaky, the tears starting to glaze her eyes again. "He…He didn't listen, he…after I told him…he…thanked me and…and kn-knocked me out!" Her leg bounced with anxiety, her hands shook, still tugging at her hair.
"Get a grip Sakura! You need to calm down! You won't be able to help get him back if your curse triggers again!"
"Take me to the Hokage! I need to speak with her, damnit!"
Izumo and Kotetsu exchanged a look and a nod. Kotetsu handed his pile of paperwork to Izumo, who swayed under the weight for a second, before taking off toward's the Hokage's tower.
"Izumo will report everything you told us to the Hokage. I'm taking you to get checked out at the hospital."
"What? Why?!" She didn't need the hospital, she needed to speak with the Hokage!
"You said he knocked you out. We need to make sure you don't have a concussion." Kotetsu said, gently guiding her up by her arm.
"I don't! I'm fine! He wasn't violent—he was gentle! Please let me just go—!"
"Not until after you get checked out." Kotetsu said, continuing to gently push her towards the hospital. "You're the one with the expert medical advice. You should know this."
"I don't have any of the symptoms." She growled, which wasn't entirely true, but the pounding headache she had could just as easily have been from crying or the stress of the emotional overload she was experiencing.
"I'm bigger, stronger, older, and outrank you. You're going to the hospital to get checked out. The sooner you stop fighting me, the sooner I can try to get you in to see the Hokage."
Sakura bit her lip in frustration, while her fingers drummed frantically at her thigh, but she gave in none the less.
A negative test later an anxiety ridden Sakura charged into the waiting room, ready to demand Kotetsu take her to the Hokage. She stopped when she saw Izumo with him, the two talking seriously. Kotetsu turned to face her fully, sensing her presence.
"The Hokage has ordered a retrieval mission for Sasuke, captained by Nara Shikamaru, who was recently promoted to chunin. He—" Kotetsu didn't get the chance to say anything more. Sakura had already raced from the room.
She sprinted out of the hospital and towards the main gate, not even noticing as she rushed by Hinata, who was out on an early morning walk.
"S-Sakura-chan?" Hinata murmured, her eyes widening at the pink and red figure as she rushed by. Something seemed wrong. She hadn't gotten a great look at Sakura's face, but from what she had glimpsed, it looked like Sakura was…worried, or hurt, or desperate…she couldn't say definitively, but it wasn't good, and she was concerned. Hinata immediately turned on her heel and chased after her.
Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, Choji, and Neji were checking over their gear. With their plan made, it was time to move out. Lee stood at the gate, using a crutch to see them off. He'd been telling Neji of his decision to have the risky surgery that Tsunade had proposed to him. The chances were fifty-fifty he'd even survive the surgery, but if he did, he'd be able to be a shinobi again. He'd been stressed about the decision, but with Gai's encouragement, he decided to go for it. He had to let his teammates know before going through it, and had been telling Neji when Shikamaru and the others came to recruit him for their mission.
Naruto looked through his weapon's pouch, a heavy weight in the pit of his stomach.
Sasuke won't be tempted by him! He's super strong too! I promise!
Sakura had been worried about this exact scenario yesterday, and he'd brushed it off like it was nothing! He'd spoken those words to her with the utmost surety, completely ignoring her obvious doubts, and after he'd been so mean to her in the midst of her kekkei genkai reaction too…his teeth clenched. It was nuts! Why would Sasuke…?
"All right!"
"Let's get moving."
"Wait!"
All the boys turned to see a frantic looking Sakura. She was a mess. Her face was tear stained, her eyes red and glassy. Her hand was twitching slightly at her side, and her leg was somehow bouncing despite the fact that she was standing.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto gasped.
Hinata ran up behind her. "Sakura-chan, what's—" She stopped short, her pearly eyes brushing over the group of boys, including her teammate, cousin, and Naruto.
Sakura's gaze was locked exclusively on Shikamaru. "I'm coming to."
"No you're not. Hokage-sama told me what happened. I'm sorry Sakura, but I can't take you on this mission."
"Don't pull that shit with me, Shikamaru! He's my teammate! He's—" She cut herself off, taking a shaky breath. "I don't care what your orders are, I'm going with you."
"Don't be troublesome! I know what he means to you, maybe better than anyone, but I can't take you with us Sakura. Even you couldn't…persuade Sasuke right? You're the only one that may have been able to. It didn't work."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Sakura…your role has ended. Our only recourse is to persuade him by force."
"Sakura-chan, does that mean…you…" Naruto gasped. She hadn't believed him. She'd known Sasuke would try to leave and she went to try and talk him out of it…which meant that she…she watched him leave. Watched him walk away from her and ignore whatever she tried to say…
"Sakura-chan…" Hinata murmured softly. She didn't have the full picture, but she was putting the pieces together. Sasuke left the Village for some reason, Sakura had tried to stop him—she could only guess that she'd confessed her feelings for him…it didn't stop him from leaving. This was the group put together to retrieve him, including Naruto, her cousin, and her teammate, and notably not including Sakura. She couldn't imagine the kind of pain her friend must be in right now…
Tears beaded at Sakura's eyes, though they still shone with determination and desperation. Her hands fisted at her sides.
"I don't care. I can help. I'm going!"
"You need to listen to me. I know it's a drag, but you need to think about this strategically. This'll be hard to hear, but at the moment, as you are right now, you're a greater liability than an asset. You're emotionally unstable—rightly so—but still, it could trigger your condition at any minute while we're out there. It would not only endanger you and slow down the mission, it would also endanger the rest of us and any advantage we might have. You also have your weights on, which there's no way in hell you're taking off while you're like this, and even though you've mastered them, they still slow you down and halve the chakra you have available to you for use. You don't have enough to offer that we as a group don't already have covered to make it worth the risk. You're very fast without your weights but you can't take them off, and while you're by no means slow with them on, Kiba's still faster. Your dancer's barrage is an impressive attack one on one, but it has a lot of weaknesses and conditions for use, namely that it can only be used one on one and will only work if you can get your opponent into the air. It doesn't land very many damaging blows, and while it messes with your opponent's chakra network, it doesn't damage it to an extreme extent. Neji's byakugan and gentle fist will be quicker and more damaging. You're a good tactician and analyst, but you've still never beaten me in shogi. Your medical and first aid knowledge far outweighs any of ours, but you only know how to execute basic manual first aid…not enough for if we sustain heavy injuries. That also assumes that you'll stay back and not recklessly run ahead, which I don't trust you not to do in this state."
Sakura was shaking, her knuckles white, and her breathing uneven. The rest of the boys watched stony faced, a few looking down or away uncomfortably.
At least I'll never be responsible for my teammates' deaths on the field!
It'll be the same thing all over again…watch your backs with this one, or you'll end up dead on the field.
"That's enough! Y-You've gone too far, Shikamaru-kun!" Hinata said, resting a soothing, supportive, hand on Sakura's shoulder, an angry glare on her usually sweet face. "W-What if it was Ino-chan or Ch-Choji-kun." She said in a markedly softer voice. She didn't like admonishing people, but he was being too harsh. He wasn't even trying to understand where she was coming from! If it had been Naruto who'd left, she'd want to do everything she could to bring him back too, no matter how emotionally hurt she was.
"Hinata-sama…" Neji murmured, shocked. Hinata was never one to stand up or talk back to others. The girl had barely been able to defend herself, much less anyone else. Naruto had been right. She really had changed herself quite a bit in such a short amount of time. And this was now the second important female in his life to take a liking to Haruno Sakura. TenTen was very fond and friendly with her, and now that he thought back on it, Sakura had mentioned that Hinata was a training partner…
Naruto stared at Hinata, not quite sure what it was he was feeling. What she'd said to him before the Chunin exam final round had meant a lot to him, and the way she kept getting up and trying against Neji…He knew Hinata was strong, but he didn't realize how much of a supportive friend she was…she…she was being a better friend to Sakura than he had been yesterday, that was for sure.
Shikamaru sighed, glancing at the ground. He did understand Sakura. Probably better than anyone else here at the moment. They'd talked in depth about her feelings for Sasuke over the course of their shogi matches, and he'd seen the way Sasuke was notably different with Sakura than he was with anyone else. Honestly their chances at successfully bringing Sasuke back by force were on the low end, especially with the high likelihood that there were sound ninja helping him. Sakura's emotional appeal would have had the highest chance of success, and if Sasuke had been able to walk away from that, then trying the same method a second time would be completely hopeless. In their more recent shogi sessions, they'd talked in depth about her kekkei genkai, and he was honestly shocked that it hadn't triggered yet, given the state she was in. But there was absolutely no way he could bring her out into the field like this. He refused to put her at risk like that. He was a chunin now, and tasked with leading this mission. The lives of those he'd drafted were in his hands and he couldn't carelessly throw them away on a decision based on emotional empathy and not logic.
"He's right. I know he's right. If the roles were reversed I wouldn't bring him either but…how can I just standby, do nothing, and wait?!"
With another shaky breath, she fixed Shikamaru with a piercing stare.
"I get it. I know…I never want to be responsible for endangering the team but I…I just…" Her nails bit into her palms as her shoulders shook, and her tears she'd fought back since waking up, began falling.
The group of boys shifted uncomfortably. This was hard to watch. When Sakura spoke again, her voice was steady but notably strained.
"Naruto, I'm…I'm so sorry to ask this of you, but…please. Please bring Sasuke-kun back…I…I wasn't enough to stop him but you two…If he didn't listen to me, you're the only other person who stands a chance of convincing him…you…you're the only one who can get through to him, so please bring him back…I'm so sorry, I…"
Naruto swallowed hard. He'd always had a crush on Sakura, but the way she was falling apart over Sasuke…the way she cared about Sasuke was on a whole other level. It wasn't that he'd doubted her feelings for him…when Sakura said she'd loved Sasuke, he believed it. But he thought it was the same feeling he had for her, that the level of their emotions was the same, but this…Sakura meant so much to him. She was so important to him but…For the first time ever, he didn't think he could understand the exact depth of her emotions and pain.
"Sakura-chan…how many times do the Bastard and I have to tell you to stop apologizing when there's nothing to be sorry for. If anyone's sorry, it's me, cause I didn't listen to you yesterday when I should have. Me and that Bastard…we should really know better by now, huh?" He said with a cheery smile that was forced but that didn't matter, right now he needed to be brave and strong for Sakura.
Sakura stared at him, feeling her breathing calm just a little. The way Naruto was talking made her feel like things were still normal, or at least that they could be normal again, despite how her world felt completely, irreparably, shattered.
"Naruto…thank you…"
"It's okay. I'll bring back Sasuke for sure! That's my promise of a lifetime!" Naruto said giving her a bright thumbs up. He'd do it no matter what. He had to, since the last promise he'd made her was completely broken.
Kiba elbowed him in the side. "You sure you want to make promises like that?!" He growled with a worried glance at Sakura.
"I never go back on my word, that's my shinobi way!"
"We've lost some time, we better get cracking." Shikamaru announced wrangling attention back to the mission. The boys nodded.
"Alright!" Naruto cheered before glancing back at Sakura. "Hey, Hinata, Bushy Brows…look after her, yeah?"
"Roger!" Lee said with an exuberant salute. Naruto didn't have to ask him, he'd always look after Fair Sakura, he'd sworn to protect her with his life! Seeing her so hurt and upset was truly heart breaking.
"C-Come back safely, N-N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata murmured her face flushing lightly, and then darkening when Naruto flashed her a genuinely bright smile.
"You know I will, Hinata! Believe it! I am an incredibly strong person, after all!" Just as Hinata's encouragement had eased his doubt before the final, her wish for his safe return eased some of the tension he felt, if only for a little while.
Hinata's eyes widened at his choice of words, watching his back as he and the other boys turned and walked away…an incredibly strong person…those had been her words to him before the chunin exam finals! He remembered!
Sakura watched their receding backs, her eyes sweeping back and fourth over the group.
"Naruto played the nice guy and promised…I'm sure it will all work out. They will succeed. I'm certain of it!" Lee said, trying to reassure her, mistaking her look of calculation for concern.
"One newly minted Chunin and four Genin…"
"Sakura-chan?"
"One newly minted Chunin and four genin…" She repeated, her brows furrowing.
"That can't be right…Orochimaru wanted Sasuke-kun badly enough to make three separate attempts on him, two of them he carried out personally…He wouldn't just…those five they're—they're walking into a death trap!"
Sakura turned on her heel and took off running towards the Hokage tower. Hinata and Lee exchanged a worried glance before taking off after her—or following as fast as his crutches and injuries would permit, in Lee's case.
"You can't just—" Izumo wasn't given the chance to continue as Sakura sped right by him and burst into the Hokage's office, a bewildered Hinata and Lee trailing behind her.
Sakura showed no hesitance or fear marching right up to Tsunade's desk with a startling amount of brazenness for such a young and normally highly polite girl. It was a move so shocking that it left Izumo and Kotetsu floundering and highly nervous for their volatile Hokage's reaction.
Tsunade's gaze swept up over the girl's appearance, taking keen note of everything—her shaking, twitching body, her rumpled and slightly dusty dress, her white knuckled fists, the very conscious and deliberate deep rise and fall of her chest, and her tear stained face—before locking with her desperate, determined, and surprisingly unwavering sage green eyes.
Once the Hokage locked gazes with her, she took it as her cue to speak.
"You need to send them back up."
Izumo and Kotetsu stiffened. This kid just told the Hokage she needed to do something. Tsunade was probably seconds away from decking her in the face and sending her flying into the Hokage monument.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Not with hostility, though no doubt that's what everyone else in the room saw, but with interest. Sakura had just walked in here and ordered her to do something. By all accounts it was rude and impertinent. But no one else could see her face right now, they were only looking at her back. And what Tsunade saw wasn't a bratty demand to be given a mission to go after them, but genuine care and concern for her comrades. More than that, she understood the girl probably better than anyone at the moment. She'd seen the way Sakura had earnestly pleaded with her to heal Sasuke, seen the way she'd pulled Sasuke into her arms the second he'd sat up, and she'd seen the look Sasuke had given her as she held him. Those two were in love. And she knew what it was like to both be betrayed by a teammate and lose a lover—in her case the two hadn't been the same person, but she still knew how it felt. Most might not believe it possible that such young kids could truly feel something so deep, but Tsunade knew that look Sakura had all too well. She'd seen it on herself. There was no doubting Sakura's feelings.
"The best I could do is send TenTen, Yamanka Ino, and Hyuga Hinata." She answered with a quick glance to the Hyuga girl, who was nervously twiddling her fingers at Sakura's disrespectful behavior towards the Hokage.
Sakura shook her head. "No. They need Jonin or at the very least, strong Chunin."
"I can't. Not that I'm required to explain this to you, but we're spread thin. Most of the Village's Jonin and Chunin are already out on missions, including your own sensei."
"Then ask for help from someone else. Suna. They owe us anyways for the attack. Have it be a reaffirmation of our alliance."
Kotetsu and Izumo's jaws dropped. They weren't sure which was more shocking, a Genin smart enough to grasp and play politics, or her once again making a demand of the Hokage to do such a thing…Kotetsu knew Sakura was a genius, but he couldn't decide if this was brilliant and brave, or absolute idiocy, speaking to the Hokage in that manner.
Tsunade rested her chin on her hand, never breaking eye contact with the pink haired girl. Kakashi hadn't been exaggerating the girl's intelligence in his report.
Two days after she'd woken him from his coma, Kakashi stood in front of Tsunade's desk as she went over Kakashi's personnel report for each of his Genin. She already knew about Naruto, having experienced him first hand, and Uchiha Sasuke was a renown prodigy, as the Uchiha tended to be. The one she was interested in was Haruno Sakura. She'd watched the recordings of both her preliminary and final match of the Chunin exams. The former hadn't been all that exceptional. Her declaration of Love for the Uchiha had been interesting only in so far as it was unusually serious for a thirteen year old, but it hadn't been surprising after that scene in the hospital. The only truly surprising moments were when she'd broken out of the famous Yamanaka mind transfer—a jutsu that was nearly unbreakable, and that beautiful kick she'd pulled off at the end. But her match in the finals…that had been the most interesting match for Tsunade. First of all, the rate of growth between the preliminaries and the finals was shocking—the girl was an entirely different fighter. Secondly, that move she pulled—her Dancer's Barrage, and while wearing such high level chakra weights…that girl's chakra control was better than her own at that age, of that she had no doubt. She'd also apparently answered all the questions on the first exam without cheating. So she had to have one hell of a brain.
"Alright. Haruno Sakura. What's her deal?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Tsunade's blunt manner of speaking. "What exactly do you want to know?"
"I already know what's on paper. She's smart, willful, and has good chakra control. So what's not on paper? Just how far do those skills and traits go, and why does she possess them?"
"You weren't kidding about wanting to know everything. Very well. Sakura's combat abilities are mediocre bordering on poor. Up until recently, she never spent much time training due to her personal circumstances. Her father died a genin when she was four and her mother was a civilian. They were hit with severe financial hardship and her mother grew ill when she was eight."
Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed. "Let me guess…as a civilian they couldn't afford treatment." The words tasted bitter in her mouth, and she pursed her lips hard. It was a fact of life in the Village that had never sat well with her, not that they had a current economy that could support making health care universal for the whole Village.
"Or a diagnosis. Haruno Mebuki was a very strong woman though, and continued to work, though not as much, to be able to keep sending Sakura to the Academy. She grew more sick when Sakura was ten and had to stop all her work. The responsibility fell to Sakura to make money for them both. On top of that, once realizing how bad her mother's condition was, Sakura refused to take that sitting down. She studied everything she could get her hands on about the human body, her mother's symptoms, various kinds of diseases, and several kinds of medicinal treatments. She began treating her mother herself, making all sorts of concoctions to help with Mebuki's symptoms. Mebuki told me that while she had bad days and was still getting worse, she felt like the progress of her condition had significantly slowed after Sakura started treating her. But with Mebuki no longer able to work, Sakura became the sole bread winner for them, as well as responsible for her mother's health, which in turn severely limited her training time and development of her shinobi skills. In all honesty, I dismissed her as weak and lacking potential at first."
"Of course you did. You lot are all fairly quick to write off your kunoichis." Tsunade said with an angry glare. The only one who hadn't was Kurenai and that was because she herself was a Kunoichi.
Kakashi shifted a little awkwardly before continuing. "Yes well…I was wrong. Sakura's a genius. She's highly attentive to detail and very analytical, often detecting lies, motives, and deducing situations from simple slips in speech, turns of phrase, or repeated patterns. I believe she has a photographic memory, her recall is exceptional. More than that, her ability to analyze and self correct is stronger than anyone I've ever met. She's able to self teach in a way neither Naruto or Sasuke could ever dream of doing. She taught herself how to walk on water without any demonstration or instruction, working only from a passing comment I made while teaching them tree climbing. She applies theory to practice in a way that is textbook—which I've rarely seen anyone do…She invented the Dancer's Barrage herself, with no direction from me, fusing the fighting styles she'd witnessed from Lee, Sasuke, and Naruto, with her own style of movement, and mastery of a chakra control exercise I don't think anyone ever thought of weaponizing. If you compare her raw power with Naruto and Sasuke, she's easily the weakest, and thus underestimated, but she's brilliant. All three of them have an unbelievable amount of potential."
"Why are you asking this of me? Do you not trust Shikamaru's, who outranks you in case you missed it, assessment?"
Everyone in the room other than Sakura tensed at her tone. But Sakura could tell from her honey colored eyes, that she genuinely wanted to know why Sakura was so desperate they get high level back up. Despite how it may have sounded, Tsunade wasn't mad at her. She wanted her opinion on the situation. Regardless of her anxiety, heartbreak, anger, fear, love, and desperation threatening to push her over the edge at any minute, something about Tsunade was calming. She didn't feel like she was being talked down to or handled, she felt seen and understood. And more than that, she felt like she was doing something. It may not have been much, but it was something. She wasn't just being a useless waste of space, dumping all the responsibility on Naruto. It was this that allowed her to keep herself measured and level.
"Orochimaru was your teammate, Hokage-sama. So I'm sure you know him far better than I do. I don't know what he's like or the way he operates. But I do know that he desperately wants Sasuke-kun for some reason. Enough so that he made three attempts at taking him over the course of the Chunin exams alone, two of which he saw to personally…well, the first wasn't so much to take him as to test him, and prep him I guess. He had lackeys in the test: the team from sound, as well as a Kabuto's team which were posing as Konoha shinobi. He never ordered his sound ninja to attempt to take Sasuke-kun, only to try and kill him, but that was as a test for Sasuke-kun. Those ninja were disposable to Orochimaru. Kabuto was a spy, someone much stronger, who he trusted more. And he was the one given the order to attempt to abduct Sasuke-kun the third time, after Orochimaru had failed to take him himself. He is the head of Otogakure. So if he at any point was seeing to this matter personally, it means Sasuke-kun is of great interest and importance to him. Otherwise he'd have better things to do than waste his personal time with it. All of this is to say that he wouldn't just trust Sasuke-kun to come to him alone, without sending any sort of aid."
"Shikamaru and I already guessed that."
"Yes. But the aid he's going to send won't just be genin or chunin level lackeys. He wouldn't trust anyone so disposable and weak with this. He wants Sasuke-kun badly. He's going to send the strongest shinobi he has at his disposal. Jonin rank, likely treated with the same power enhancement he's claiming to offer Sasuke-kun."
There was a sharp silence that permeated the room. Kotetsu, Izumo, Lee, and Hinata, stared in shock at Sakura, while Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
Kotetsu shifted and cleared his throat. "Hokage-sama, when Lord Third was murdered by Orochimaru, there was a barrier put up around the space where they fought. There were reports of four incredibly powerful sound ninja who erected the barrier. They referred to themselves as the Sound Four, Orochimaru's personal guard…"
Sakura hadn't paid attention to what was going on with the Hokage's battle during that time. This was news to her. But it sounded exactly like the kind of Ninja Orochimaru would trust with this task, according to her theory.
Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed. It felt like she'd sat down at an Oicho-kabu table and been dealt an 8-9-3. The situation just kept getting more hopeless. She'd figured Orochimaru would send someone to escort Sasuke, and that they'd be tough, but she'd clearly underestimated just how badly he'd wanted the boy. Sakura's analysis was sound. She quickly began scrawling a note and stamping it with her seal.
"Izumo, take this to the aviary and find our fastest hawk, to get this to Suna. Kotetsu, get a hawk to Kakashi and tell him to finish his mission as quickly as possible and come back. Put him on a deadline—actually, forget it, he'd just be late anyways. But stress that he should get his ass back here fast!"
Sakura hadn't realized how much she wanted to see her sensei until right now. Kakashi had always had a reassuring presence. And when her world had just been pulled out from under her, she wanted nothing more than reassurance from an adult who knew her team in depth.
"Well? That's it! Get going!"
"Yes ma'am!" They both departed the room in a hurry still unable to believe just how brazen…and brilliant Sakura was.
Tsunade shifted her focus to Lee. Now on to the second issue at hand. Lee wanted to go through with the surgery.
"Lee, glad you're here. Follow me. You and I need to have a talk about your surgery."
"Uh…yes, very well." Lee nodded casting a worried glance at Sakura before walking out the door. Tsunade stopped in the doorway and looked back at Sakura, her eyes kind.
"This will be the first place Kakashi comes to when he gets back. You can stay here if you make yourself useful. Those need to be filed." She said nodding at a stack of stamped papers next to her desk.
Sakura's eyes widened. Where others may have seen Tsunade exploiting free labor, Sakura saw the gesture for what it really was. Tsunade was giving her distraction as well as allowing her to stay in the place she'd be the most informed. It also ensured she'd be with Kakashi the second he arrived…and there was no way she wasn't going with him when he was inevitably sent after the retrieval team.
"Yes Hokage-sama." Sakura said giving a bow and a weak smile.
The older woman smirked. Smart girl. She'd caught on to exactly what Tsunade was doing. She shifted her gaze to Hinata. "She'll be alright on her own, but you're more than welcome to stay and help. There's a lot more where those files came from."
"Oh! Um…r-right…" Hinata eyed Sakura, shocked that her friend actually seemed a bit calmer and content with doing something like filing papers right now. Tsunade left the girls to their task to speak with Lee.
Hinata watched Sakura plop down on the floor next to the pile of papers Tsunade had indicated, and began sorting through them. Hinata sat down across from her, staring.
"Thank you…for earlier with Shikamaru, Hinata-chan…" She murmured quietly. In actuality, while what Shikamaru said had been unpleasant, it did get through to her more than anything else was. She could tolerate reasons more than flat out denial, and he'd made good points. Painful but accurate. And like with Tsunade, she appreciated it more than being handled like Kotetsu and Izumo had been doing. But it meant a lot that Hinata was even willing to speak up on her behalf, needed or not.
"Sakura-chan, I-If you don't want to t-talk about wh-what happened, I understand…but if you do…"
"I…told him. As he was…I told him to his back. Not his face…I should have told him sooner. Maybe he wouldn't have…he may not have thought that was his only option, if I had…"
Sakura…thank you…for everything…
"T-This isn't your fault, Sakura-chan."
Sakura sighed and chewed on her lip, her hand raking through her hair forcefully as she stared down at the paper in her hands, her vision hazed with tears.
"I know it's not…I just…I just want him back…"
"But if they drag him back by force…will he really be back?"
Sakura…thank you…for everything…
"For what? He did more for me than I ever did for him…why would he…as he was leaving why would those be his last words to me? I never helped him. He never opened up to me—"
That night…I was crying…
I'm an avenger…'Am I strong enough?' Finding that out is all that matters to me right now…Not even for your sake…
You…better rescue Sakura, no matter what!…I've lost everything once before…I don't ever…want to watch those precious to me die in front of me again…
"He did open up to me…it was just in a very…he was so him about it, I didn't notice…"
Sakura…thank you…for everything…
"He sounded…was he…happy that I'm in love with him? But that would mean he…"
"Hinata-chan…be honest with me. No matter what you think I want to hear, tell me honestly…Do you think…Do you think Sasuke-kun liked me? I mean…as more than teammates?"
"Oh! Uh…" Hinata had been a bit startled by Sakura's question, since she'd been quiet for several minutes. "Um…well…I didn't know S-Sasuke-kun very well…I n-never really t-talked to him, so…"
"Oh…I guess you're right. Never mind…"
Sakura's eyes dropped sadly back to the papers she was sorting through.
"But…from what I remember of S-Sasuke-kun in the academy…He…He didn't seem like the kind of p-person to want anything to do with others or care what they th-thought, but…even if you were teammates…I don't think he would have brought you to stay with him after…I don't think he would have invited just a-anyone into his space…"
"Yeah…" She'd thought about that before, but…she shook her head.
"Thoughts like this are pointless right now. I can talk to Sasuke-kun about it when he and Naruto get back."
"And if Naruto can't bring him back?"
"He will."
She had to believe that.
Sakura filed Tsunade's paperwork all day, and through the night. Never had she been more thankful in her life for a distraction. She went about her task with such a singular focus that all her emotions seemed to recede into background noise. Tsunade hadn't returned after she'd left with Lee—Sakura assumed she was busy with the surgery…she hoped the length of time it was taking meant it was a success and that Tsunade was now overseeing his recovery. Hinata had left after a few hours, promising that she'd be the one to break the news to Ino, Shino, and and TenTen, and Sakura had thanked her, because Sakura definitely didn't have it in herself to have that talk with Ino right now.
She finished filing the last of the papers by noon the next day—Tsunade hadn't been kidding when she said there was a lot—and now, Sakura's emotions were beginning to set in again. No one had popped in with any updates and Kakashi had yet to arrive. She began to pace, the office, chewing on her lip, her fingers drumming on any surface they made contact with.
"Sasuke-kun left at around 1am…assuming he met up with the Sound escorts, not too far outside the village, it would take them at least a full day and a half to reach the border and then another half day to Otogakure from there. So let's say Sasuke-kun met up with his escorts at 1:30am, they'd reach the border by 13:30pm. That's only an hour and a half away, assuming they don't get slowed down. If Naruto, Shikamaru and the others, caught up to them, they'd slow them down…Shikamaru wouldn't just let them run recklessly into things, but if these are high level Sound Jonin…Orochimaru's personal guard, then they might force the situation. They're under orders to get Sasuke-kun to Orochimaru safely, and based on how bad he wants him, probably quickly. So they'd probably drop a man to keep going, which would mean if Shikamaru wants to have any chance of getting to Sasuke-kun, he'll also have to drop a man, which puts Genins in one on one combat with powerful jonin. Hokage-sama already requested back up from Suna, but it takes three days at top speed just to reach Konoha from Suna. And Otogakure is even farther north east, unless there were already Suna ninja deployed on a mission not as far…either way, they're gonna be a little late. And it's likely that Shikamaru's team would have already had to drop some members by now…win or lose, they're going to be badly injured or worse. Ugh! I can't just sit here! I need to do something!"
The door slammed open, and Tsunade came barreling in, muttering under her breath.
"Impatient—he's gonna land himself back in the hospital! Undoing all my hard work, that dedicated little brat!" She stopped short when she saw Sakura.
"Oh right. You're still here." She noted, taking in Sakura's anxious, worried, and frustrated expression.
"Did something happen, Hokage-sama?"
"Lee took off."
"What?!"
"His surgery was a success. I was with him in recovery, when a badly injured team of Jonin came in. I stepped away to take care of them, and he disappeared, no doubt to go after Shikamaru's team."
"He shouldn't be out there facing opponents of this caliber so quickly!"
"More than that, how come he's going after them and we're not?! Sasuke-kun's our teammate, Shannaro!"
Sakura made to sprint out of the office, but Tsunade grabbed her shoulder.
"Oh no you don't."
"It's my teammate! I'm in love with him, damnit! How can I be the only one not going after him?! Why is Lee-san going after him when he just got out of surgery, while I'm sitting here, completely fine, twiddling my goddamn thumbs!" Sakura spat ferociously, struggling against Tsunade's hold.
"I will break both your legs to keep you here if I have to, so I'd recommend you stop struggling."
Instinctively the pink haired girl knew that was not an idle threat, and stilled.
"Good. Now listen to me. You're very far from completely fine. I know about your Kekkei Genkai, and I have a pretty good idea of the emotions your experiencing. You're a hair trigger away from being pushed over the edge." That part of Kakashi's briefing had honestly been shocking.
Tsunade sat eyeing the pages of Sakura's personnel report before turning her keen gaze back to Kakashi.
"Why'd you make her wear such high level chakra weights, and make a rule she couldn't take them off? They're such a rarely used training tool because of their difficulty and that's just with five or ten percent. But fifty percent? Even in a fight? What are you, a sadist?"
Kakashi sighed. Of course she'd ask about that…well, it's not like he could keep it from her.
"Sakura's chakra control has always been excellent, but…she has…a condition of sorts. When she experiences extreme emotions, her chakra reacts and grows, becoming something like a supernova…far more than her body can handle."
"You mean…Haruno Sakura is…that clan's actually real?! I thought that was just some scary folktale…"
"No. It's real. Sakura's the last surviving member, to anyone's knowledge. Her father was part of that clan. It's how he died, and got the rest of his team killed in the process."
"I see…"
"Sakura's so level headed, and has such good chakra control, that she's somehow managed to do the impossible and survive the reactions. She was able to accidentally share her chakra with Sasuke the first time it happened, and again with me and Sasuke simultaneously during another instance. She ran experiments on herself and figured out ways to manage the reactions by calming down, using a sedative and sharing her chakra. She even knows what emotions will and won't set her off. Sakura has a whole journal with the emotion triggered, exact timings of the reaction, her pulse rate…I gave her that level of chakra weight on the hopes it would help her gain more control over the chakra during the attacks, as well as train her chakra network to better handle chakra moving at high speeds. According to her, the weights do help with that."
"Hmm…I see."
"Are you going to forbid her from continuing?"
"I don't see why I should, if she has ways to manage it…who knows, she could actually get to a point where the reactions become something of a benefit…although until her control's a bit better, I'm going to avoid sending her out if she's already in an emotionally heightened state."
Sakura gave a growl of frustration. One of her legs bouncing agitatedly.
"I'll be fine. I can handle it. Grief, heartbreak, and love aren't upper emotions. I'm not going to have a reaction."
"Upper emotions?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. So that must be how she classified the kind of emotions that set her off, based on the bodily effect they had. "Fine. But anger, frustration, anxiety, agitation, worry, and stress are upper emotions. All of which, you're feeling right now."
Sakura looked away, biting down on her lip hard.
Tsunade sighed. "I never said I wasn't going to send you out." Sakura's head jerked back up to her.
"But you're not going out without an adult who can handle and coach you through your kekkei genkai, should it trigger. I'll send you out with Kakashi once he gets here."
Sakura relaxed slightly at that. "That's probably for the better, honestly."
"So were you pacing because of anxiety or thinking?"
"Both. But thinking…I think better when I move."
"And?"
"By this point, it's very likely they've broken off into one on one battles. Since the enemy objective is to get Sasuke-kun to Orochimaru as fast as possible, they're probably dropping a man every time our ninja catch up. Which mean that in order to keep up with them, Shikamaru's forced to drop a man too, or they'll get too far ahead."
"Which leaves it a one on one with genin against jonin." Tsunade finished.
"So by the end of the battle, our ninja are either severely wounded or…" Sakura trailed off, not even wanting to voice that any of her peers could be dead. "We should send a medical team to search for fallen members…" Sakura murmured quietly.
Tsunade sighed and massaged her temples. This was turning into a huge mess. She'd always thought she was just unlucky when it came to gambling, but this…
"Izumo! Kotetsu!" The two men immediately opened the door, shocked to still see Sakura there. "One of you bring Shizune here!"
"Yes, Ma'am." Izumo answered before disappearing down the hall.
Tsunade's gaze swept over her desk, now not surrounded by stacks of paper to be filed. She turned to Sakura, eyeing her with narrowed eyes. "You've been here all night, haven't you."
"Yes Hokage-sama."
"So you didn't eat and you haven't slept." She didn't wait for Sakura to answer, turning to Kotetsu. "Get the girl some coffee. And food."
Kotetsu nodded, casting a brief glance at Sakura before going. If anything he was even more impressed with her than before. He didn't know how she did it, but she'd somehow escaped the Hokage's wrath for her impudence…if anything, she'd somehow managed to get on the woman's good side.
It wasn't long after Kotetsu left that Shizune arrived.
"Tsunade-sama."
"Sorry, I know you just got back Shizune, but I'm gonna need you to go out again. It's likely Shikamaru's party had to split up, which means they're severely wounded. I'd like to avoid losing anymore shinobi. Gather an emergency medical recovery team to bring back the fallen. If you come across an enemy, do not engage. Just recover the injured only if it's safe to do so. If the enemy happens to be dead, bring the body back for autopsy."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Shizune bowed and left the office quickly.
Tsunade returned to her desk to read over her latest stack of paper work. Unsure what else to do with herself, Sakura resumed her anxious pacing.
"Ugh! I hate this! Just waiting around while Naruto and the others risk their lives to bring him back! He's my teammate, I should be doing something to help! I thought I was done with being useless, so why did it turn out this way?!"
Tsunade watched Sakura pace back and forth, the girl's frustration evident on her face.
"You don't honestly think you're being useless do you?"
Sakura froze, but couldn't meet her eyes.
Tsunade sighed. "I get it. It's different when it's the person you love. And your teammate. But they'd be without any backup at all if it wasn't for you. And there would probably be many more casualties."
You've done your part. You warned us of the danger, gave us an idea of who we're up against…we know to be cautious now…
"That's right. Sasuke-kun said something similar to me before…I am helping, but…"
"It doesn't feel like enough. All I did was talk to you…I may have helped a little, but it doesn't feel like I did anything, so long as I'm stuck here in the Village while they're out there."
Tsunade snorted. "Never take my job then."
"Being the Hokage is Naruto's dream. Not mine."
"And what's yours?"
Sakura was silent for a second. She remembered Kakshi asking them this, and her answer back then had been to make a lot of money. But it was different now. There had always been her real dream, hiding behind that answer. And now, there was someone she wanted to help…someone she wanted to save more than anyone.
"I want to help a lot of people…especially Sasuke-kun."
But Sakura didn't say that out loud. Instead all she said was, "It might not be the case, but I feel useless and I hate it."
"Then pick up a book or something. Distract yourself. You're not going anywhere until Kakashi gets here and your pacing is keeping me from getting work done…" Tsunade paused, her eyes never leaving Sakura's distraught green irises. "Scratch that. Sit down in a comfortable position."
"Hokage-sama?"
"I'm teaching you a chakra control based mediation exercise, cause gods do you need it. Now do it. I'm your Hokage and that's an order."
Sakura sat on the floor against the wall of next to Tsunade's book shelf. She folded her legs in a butterfly stretch position, and rested her hands on her knees, palm side facing up.
"Keep your posture straight. Good. Now, close your eyes. The goal of this exercise is to time your chakra circulation to your breaths. For the length of every exhale, let your chakra circulate and push outward, on every inhale, slow it to a stop and keep it constricted close to your core. That's the only thing you're allowed to do right now. You're only allowed to stop if food comes, in which case eat and get back to it, or Kakashi gets here."
"But—"
"If it feels too much like you're doing nothing, than think of it like this. This is a meditation exercise. The calmer and more level-headed you are, the more useful you'll be out on the field."
Sakura's mouth snapped shut. That was true. She was a wreck, barely keeping herself from falling off the edge, and she only managed that by focusing on the heartbreak, which was a downer, letting herself try and feel that the most whenever her other upper emotions started becoming too intense…and it was by no means an ideal strategy—really it was kind of masochistic.
Sakura closed her eyes and brought her full attention to her breathing, beginning to let her breaths fall in deeper. She brought her chakra flow to a slow stop, keeping it as centered and contained in her core as she could, before letting it rush out and around on her exhale. She had some issues slowing it and bringing it back towards her core on the next inhale, but decided it was worse to break her breathing rhythm than not get it perfect, so she pushed her chakra out and around again. This time, when she felt her breath start to run out, she anticipated her inhale and began working to slow and draw in her chakra. She kept at the exercise, feeling her chakra push out and pull in with every breath, in a way that reminded her of the ocean tide she'd experienced in the Land of Tea.
The turbulent mix of emotions hadn't left her, but with ever breath, should could feel them storm a little less, becoming something more of a sad truth instead of an overwhelming fact. She let the exercise drown out her surroundings until the only thing she became aware of was the push-pull of her chakra and breath.
Tsunade had to shake the girl out of her meditative state when Kotetsu came back with some food and coffee. Sakura ate quickly and took sporadic gulps of coffee throughout her meal, drinking down the rest once she'd finished her food, before returning back to the meditation exercise with only a quick word of thanks.
Tsunade was honestly impressed. That exercise was not an easy one. Many medical ninjas struggled with it at first, and while Sakura hadn't gotten it perfectly right away, it had taken her a surprisingly short amount of time to nail it. If Tsunade hadn't been certain before, she was now. Sakura's chakra control far exceeded her own at that age.
Sakura had continued with the meditation exercise the entire time, only stopping to eat, and occasionally dozing off, but the second she woke up, she went right back to it. It was 4am before Kakashi showed up. He'd been having a bad feeling for the past day and a half, and receiving the Hokage's message only made it worse. He'd rushed to complete his mission and return back to Konoha. What he hadn't expected was to see Sakura leaning against the wall of Tsunade's office with her eyes closed, breathing deeply, her chakra fluctuating with her breaths, while Tsunade sat at her desk, signing away at paperwork and looking exhausted.
"Hokage-sama." He greeted with a bow. Tsunade looked up, her eyes tense.
"Kakashi."
Sakura's eyes popped open. "Sensei!" The intensity of her emotions remained a little muted, but she could feel them starting to rise up again, with the looming threat of overwhelming her.
"Sakura, why are you here? What's going on?"
"Uchiha Sasuke has left the village to join Orochimaru." Tsunade said, cutting straight to the point.
Kakashi froze. Sasuke…he couldn't have…he'd really chosen revenge over his friends? He'd really made the wrong choice…His stomach clenched uncomfortably. He was Sasuke's teacher. His mentor. He should have watched him more carefully, guided him away from the darkness more actively. He should have more! He'd really thought Sasuke would be okay…that the talk he'd given the boy was enough, that Sasuke would choose his teammates over revenge. How could he have been so blind?! How'd he let it get that far?!
"How…How do you know this…?" His voice was rough…desperately holding on to the hope that they'd misinterpreted the boy's actions somehow…that they were wrong.
"I…I was there when he left, sensei…He told me himself he was pursuing revenge and needed more power…I tried to talk him out of it but…I failed. I'm sorry."
Kakashi's heart sank…not even Sakura had gotten through to Sasuke?! And to think he'd told her…he'd patted her on the head and told her everything would be fine. That he'd talked to Sasuke and everything would be okay. If anyone should be apologizing, it was him. That poor kid…she'd already been through so much, lost so much…now she had to lose the boy she loved too? It really wasn't fair.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Akamichi Choji, Hyuga Neji, Inuzuka Kiba, have been sent after him, captained by Nara Shikamaru. Rock Lee has also gone after them to lend assistance."
"What?! You sent rookies after Sasuke?!" Kakashi's hands slammed down on Tsunade's desk.
"I had no choice. You know the situation we're in right now, that was all I had available. Sakura talked me into requesting aid from Suna, and sending out an emergency medical recovery team to save and bring back whoever may have been left behind. We've done all we could to give them a decent chance of success."
Kakashi sighed, his figure slumping. It wasn't good enough. He'd have to go after them.
"You've taught your team the value of teamwork well. You can go after them."
"I'm going too!" Sakura stated fiercely.
Kakashi opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself. She had every right to go after them. They were her team. Of course she'd be worried and not want to wait around, but would she keep calm?
"I'll take you with me, but you have to promise to obey my every order, no arguments. And I know it'll be hard, but you have to stay calm. Make sure you have first aid supplies and your sedatives on you. Meet me at the gate in seven minutes."
Sakura nodded, before bowing low to Tsunade with a quick thank you, and sprinting from the room.
"I'm surprised you didn't fight her on this."
"Sakura is very determined, and needs something to do. She's level headed and rational under pressure, and generally works better when she's doing something. She's more prone to panic just sitting and waiting. Besides…I owe her this much. It would be cruel to not bring her. Team 7 is all she has." He paused at the door. "That chakra control meditation she was doing…"
"It's one used for training medical ninjas. Syncing the chakra flow to the breath, sucking it in and compressing it into the core with every inhale, releasing it through the body with every exhale. Requiring both incredibly quick and reflexive chakra manipulation as well as maneuvering the chakra at incredible speeds, counter to the bodies calm breathing. Even chunin level medic nin struggle with it."
"Are you impressed?"
"Kakashi…I wouldn't have let a twerp sit in my office for the past two days, nor would I have taken their suggestions and demands, if I wasn't impressed with them. You're right. She's a genius."
"But you still won't offer to train her."
"We've already talked about this."
Kakashi nodded before bowing and walking out the door. He and Sakura had to go hunt down the rest of team 7.
Kakashi had wasted no time in summoning his hounds. "Scatter and locate the scents of Naruto and Sasuke. The moment you're sure you've traced them, call out. We'll be there…Now! Scatter!"
The dogs barked their assent and took off.
Sakura and Kakashi stood silently waiting. Kakashi was blaming himself for having been naive…those two…they really could kill each other, he just hoped he made it in time to stop them. Sakura for her part, was doing her best to remain calm. The full intensity of her emotions had begun to resurface, but she couldn't let them get the better of her. Not when she was finally about to do something tangible about this whole mess.
It didn't take long. One of Kakashi's dogs barked, and they both took off. Turned out it was Pakkun, being the most familiar with both Sasuke and Naruto's scent, he picked it up faster than the others.
They ran at a full sprint. Kakashi never once slowed the pace to accommodate Sakura, and she didn't complain or ask him too, doing her best to keep up.
"Up ahead, there are two new scents mixed in…One of them is Gaara."
"Gaara-kun? He must have been the back up Suna sent! Do you know the other scent?"
"Smells like the kid who's always with Gai."
"Lee-san! Are they hurt? Are they moving?!"
"They're not moving. There's a third scent as well, but it smells…bad. It's not moving either…"
Sakura bit her lip. "We need to get to Sasuke-kun and Naruto as fast as possible but…how can I just run by Gaara-kun and Lee-san when they might need help?!"
Kakashi glanced back at her and read the dilemma she was struggling with…Sakura really was such a kind girl. She didn't know how to ignore someone in need of help…so much like Rin it hurt a little.
"We can stop to check in on them, but you're going to have to make it quick."
"Understood."
She picked up her pace, ignoring how winded she felt from how fast they were running.
"Sakura…did you…did you confess to Sasuke?"
"…yes. But it…"
Sakura…thank you…for everything…
"It was too little too late…"
"What did he say?" Kakashi asked. There were certain things about the boy's behavior towards Sakura that made it hard for him to doubt there was something more there. Sasuke had always been attentive to Sakura, hyper aware of her behaviors, quirks, habits, and ticks more so than anyone else. He'd caught every moment Sasuke pulled out the crane she'd given him and studied it over their month long training. He saw how Sasuke had easily taken her in after her mother's death of his own initiative. Kakashi was fairly certain Sasuke felt the same as Sakura, he just may not be aware. But depending on how he answered her, there might be hope…he might not be completely lost.
"He said…thank you…for everything. And then…he knocked me unconscious and I woke up on a nearby bench."
Thank you for everything? He'd only ever heard Sasuke thank one person before, and that was Haruno Mebuki. Of course, he likely only did that because it was Sakura's mother. And he'd carried her and placed her on a stone bench. He hadn't just let her fall. He'd handled Sakura with care, even in the midst of leaving to deep dive into his hatred. So maybe there was hope. Thank you for everything wasn't an I'm sorry I can't, nor was it a flat out no. He hadn't given an answer about his feelings, only thanking her for her own…that may have been an act of kindness as well. Would it have hurt more to hear that he loved her too but not enough to stay? Well…they couldn't be sure. But if Sasuke could be that kind and considerate of Sakura even while heading straight into darkness, maybe Orochimaru wouldn't be able to fully corrupt him.
They landed in a clearing and stopped short. Sakura stared in wide eyed horror at the…bones protruding from all over the field. It was…revolting. She could see a figure which appeared to be that of a monstrous person protruding from one of the bones.
"What the hell…" Kakashi murmured, his gaze sweeping across the field.
"Sensei…can you seal bodies?"
"Yes."
"Hokage-sama wanted the bodies of any fallen enemies for autopsy."
"Right. Go find Gaara and Lee."
"Yes sir."
Sakura turned scanning for any signs of red or shiny black hair, while Kakashi started towards the dead figure in the field of jagged bones. The second Sakura caught a glimpse of red hair, she sprinted towards it, the figures of Gaara and Lee coming into view.
"Gaara-kun! Lee-san!" She dropped gracefully to her knees in front of them, checking them over for signs of damage.
Both boys stared at her in shock…she was apparently the last person either of them thought they'd be seeing at that moment.
"Sakura-san, not that your youthful presence doesn't bring me the greatest joy, but what are you doing here? Shikamaru forbid you from following him…"
"I didn't. I'm here with Kakashi-sensei, with Hokage-sama's permission. We're following Naruto and Sasuke-kun, so I don't have a lot of time, but when Pakkun caught your scents, I got worried and Sensei was kind enough to let me stop. Are either of you hurt?"
Gaara just stared at her, uncomprehendingly. The last time he'd seen her, interacted with her, he'd almost killed her. Yet here she was, alive, and actually worrying about him. Her emotions swirled dizzyingly through her eyes, and he wasn't sure he understood all of them, but he could definitely piece out a few. Anger, sadness, loneliness, pain, worry, concern, and so much love. Uchiha Sasuke was an idiot if he turned his back on her love.
"I'm fine, Sakura-san, worry not!"
"Oh don't you even try lying to me, Lee-san! You just got out of surgery and you're actively bleeding! There's no way you're not hurt. Let me see your hand." She grabbed Lee's hand, examining the puncture wound before carefully undoing his hand wraps. "This'll need medical ninjutsu to treat, but I'll bandage it to apply more pressure and slow the bleeding." She got to work, carefully pressing down hard with some gauze, taping it down and wrapping it tightly, before reaching into her pouch. "Here, chew on this." She said, pulling out an herb she'd gathered from one of her excursions into the Nara forests with Shikamaru. "It's going to be really bitter but it'll encourage blood coagulation."
Lee took the leafy herb without complaint. "Thank you Sakura-san! You are a most benevolent angel!…my body's quite sore though. I doubt I'll be able to move very much for some time."
"You probably pushed too hard and overtaxed your muscles. There's not much I can do for that at the moment. Make sure you stay hydrated. Your muscles and ligaments will need more water to effectively repair themselves."
Her pure green gaze turned on Gaara and again the red head found he had trouble forming full sentences.
"How about you, Gaara-kun? Are you hurt at all?"
Gaara-kun. She still called him that. He was Gaara of the Desert. The heat here was nothing, so why was he suddenly feeling so warm?
"…I'm fine…Sakura…"
She continued to stare at him unblinkingly, before suddenly leaning in closer to him, her jade eyes narrowing.
"No you're not. You're sweating, breathing hard, you look unusually pale, and I can barely sense your chakra. You're suffering from chakra exhaustion. You probably have a low grade fever, a headache, and probably can't move very much." She diagnosed, her hand pressing to his forehead.
Gaara stared at her in shock. She'd leaned in close to him. Touched him. And not because she was trying to attack him—there was no hostility anywhere in her demeanor. She'd done it out of concern…he couldn't even remember the last person to make non-hostile physical contact with him, at least, none that weren't his siblings.
"You're…not afraid of me?"
Sakura pulled back, regarding him for a moment, the look in her eye softening. "I believe we've had this conversation already, Gaara-kun. If I wasn't afraid of you then, I have even less reason to be now…you barely have any chakra." Her brows furrowed, before digging through her pouch. "I don't have any food pills on me because they're expensive…this is the best thing I've got." She said, handing him a small bottle of amber liquid. "It's an energizer tonic…it'll probably only work on a physical level, but maybe that'll help speed up the chakra production process…I can also try sharing my chakra with you, but I'm not sure if it'll work…you're like Naruto, and it doesn't work on him…"
"You're referring to Shukaku?"
Sakura nodded.
"He has most influence over me when I sleep, but not as much when I'm awake…and I've had fewer problems with him since the chunin exams."
"Alright, then I'll try giving you some of my chakra, but you need to let me know right away if it hurts."
Sakura grabbed his hand, entwining their fingers and closed her eyes, missing the way Gaara's eyes widened and shot to their joined hands. He felt a tingling spreading up his arm, and down into his core, it was a little sharp, like sand hitting your face in a sandstorm, but it wasn't too bad.
She cut off her chakra, looking up at Gaara. "Are you okay? Did it hurt?" She'd felt a bit of a prickling shoot through her, but it wasn't like Naruto, where it'd burned so much they'd both had to pull away. Though, she didn't want to push her luck by sharing too much. Plus she still needed chakra available for when they caught up to Sasuke and Naruto…not that she knew what she'd do with it…even if it was just enough to run in between them again, that was fine with her. She just had to be able to do that much.
"It's fine. I should have enough to transport us back to Konoha."
Sakura nodded. "That's great. Please get Lee-san back to the hospital as quickly as you can!"
Gaara nodded, his fingers twitching briefly against hers before letting go. Sakura thought it was because the transfer had hurt more than he'd claimed, really though, he just didn't want to let go.
"It was a good thing you demanded Hokage-sama ask for Suna's aid, Sakura-san. I think I'd be dead if it wasn't for Gaara."
So ultimately this mission had been issued by Sakura…Gaara was even more glad than before that they'd taken this mission. He owed Konoha, or more specifically Naruto, Lee, and Sakura, a lot. More than he could ever hope to pay back…knowing that he'd been able to help Naruto catch up to Sasuke, knowing that he'd saved Rock Lee, knowing that it had been Sakura who asked for their aid…it made him feel like he truly was their friend…like there was hope he could form precious bonds.
"Yes. Thank you so much for helping us Gaara-kun."
He shook his head. "This is nothing after what you two did for me…"
"Us two?…Naruto…and me? But what did I do?"
Unsure of how to answer, Sakura simply opted to give him a smile, genuine, though small and a little sad. She didn't feel much like smiling and found she didn't have it in her to give him anything bigger than that.
Once again, Gaara found himself thinking that Sasuke must be truly stupid to have ever been able to walk away from this girl's love.
Sakura stood just as Kakashi appeared next to her.
"We need to move. Are they in good enough condition for you to leave?"
"Yes. Gaara-kun will able to get them back to Konoha. Once you do, make sure you rest because you'll be very low on chakra. You two, alright Lee-san? Pushing too hard too fast will do more damage and prevent you from continuing as a Shinobi, so please let your body recover properly."
"I will do as you say, Sakura-san!" Lee said heartily, giving the impression that he'd be saluting if he had the ability to move that much. He finally had hope again after his surgery and had no desire to see his dream taken away a second time.
"Thank you both, for helping my team. Take care, you two!" Sakura bowed. She nodded at Kakashi, and the two took off again, not waiting to see the boys go.
They'd lost some time, but it wasn't as bad as Kakashi had expected. Sakura had worked more quickly than he'd anticipated, and getting the enemy's body had taken more effort than expected. By the time he'd managed to seal the corpse into a scroll, Sakura had been more or less done. They weren't that far off…almost there. He just hoped they weren't too late.
As they neared the border, Kakashi's eyes widened. This chakra! This was bad!
Sakura felt it too…and with it, the anxiety and panic she'd worked so hard to stave off began to rapidly increase.
"Stay calm, Sakura…" Her hand shot to her hair, running her fingers through it with every internal encouragement to remain calm and level headed.
It had clouded over, starting to rain, as she and Kakashi leapt silently from branch to branch.
"It's raining…can you still hold the scent?" He asked Pakkun.
"We're okay! Really close…this way!"
They came to a cliffs edge of a waterfall. Two huge figures were carved into the stone on either side.
The three leapt down on to the lakes surface in the Vally below. There was no sign of Sasuke, but Naruto was lying unconscious on the stone bank near one of the feet of the giant figures.
"Too late…" Kakashi murmured grimly.
Sakura darted to Naruto, doing her best to stay calm.
"Please don't be dead! Don't be dead Naruto! You can't die yet! You haven't become Hokage yet! You are not allowed to die until you achieve that stupid dream of yours, you hear me?!"
She checked his vitals first, confirming that he was alive, much to her relief, before she began assessing the rest of the damage.
"Well?"
"Broken wrist, several broken ribs, electrical burns, guessing a concussion, maybe a punctured lung, I don't see outward signs of internal bleeding but I can't be sure. Naruto always heals fast, but he won't survive without real medical intervention. We need to get him back to the Village quickly. Let me just splint the broken bones I can first to make travel a little safer for him."
She had yet to comment on Sasuke's absence or what put Naruto in this state…but Kakashi knew she was thinking about incessantly. She was in her medical mode: serious, focused, calm but with a sense of urgency. In some ways Sakura actually functioned better under pressure than without it. But he could see the pain, loneliness and heartache she was suppressing in her eyes.
"Why…did this have to happen?" Pakkun asked sadly, sniffing at the scratched hitai-ate lying next to Naruto. "It's Sasuke's." He confirmed.
Sakura didn't look up from her work splinting Naruto's wrist, but her jaw clenched painfully, tears falling from her face and mixing with the rain.
"Can you catch a trail?" Kakashi asked.
The dog shook his head. "The rain's washed it away."
"Damn."
"Done." Sakura murmured quietly, stepping away from Naruto.
Kakashi picked up Sasuke's hitai-ate and handed it to Sakura, before carefully lifting Naruto up.
"I couldn't make it in time. I'm sorry, Naruto. Knowing you…you really gave it your all…didn't you."
Sakura's fingers clenched around Sasuke's hitai-ate tightly.
Sakura…thank you…for everything…
"Sasuke-kun!" She shouted desperately, hoping he wasn't too far, that he could hear her. That he knew she wasn't giving up on him.
Not far across the border in The Land of Rice, Sasuke thought he heard his name shouted by a melodic but pained, soothing, feminine voice coming from behind him. He knew that voice instinctively. Sakura.
For a second, he froze. The same little voice deep within him, that had screamed at him not to kill Naruto when he'd had the opportunity, was shouting again. This time it was saying to turn around, run to Sakura, and pull her into his arms. Beg her for forgiveness, ask her if Naruto would be alright, and just hold her close to him and never let go. That voice had won when he was standing over his defeated, unconscious, best friend. But it didn't win this time. The second passed and his body unfroze, drowned out by thoughts of his lost family: His father's hard earned barely won approval, his mother's warm smile and soothing reassurance, Itachi smiling as he told Sasuke it was okay if Sasuke hated him, they were the only brothers they had and he'd always be a wall for Sasuke to climb, after all, that's what big brother's were for…his parents lying on the floor dead, bloody, Itachi telling him to get the same eyes as him—the Mangekyo Sharingan—by killing his best friend…He…He would not lose control of his life to Itachi! He'd find his own path to power, and be a better man than his brother!
Sasuke continued forward. Further into the darkness.
"Sakura…he's gone. We need to get Naruto home." Kakashi said gently, carefully arranging Naruto on to his back.
Sakura was silent for a second, her head down and her hand fisted tightly around Sasuke's Hitai-ate. He watched her shoulders rise and fall deeply, once, twice, three times before her head lifted up.
"Yeah…" She sounded so small and sad. This really was too much. These kids went through too much already. Why'd they have to go through this too?
Kakashi leapt up onto a higher ledge, Sakura and Pakkun following after. He glanced back at the Vally and sighed sadly.
"Of course they picked this place…"
"How ironic." Pakkun deadpanned.
"Yes…they say this river was born from a scar…left by a pair of warriors long ago. You know…when I watch the river flow by, it's like it's showing me that the battle, like it, will never cease. Like the two men who built Konoha, whose statues loom over us. Naruto and Sasuke…as long as they live, the cycle will continue."
Sakura looked out at the river. She vaguely remembered this place from a history book. Senju Hashirama, the first Hokage battled with the other man carved into the cliffside when their visions for the village diverged, after having worked so hard together to build it…she couldn't remember the other man's name…while she'd gotten top marks in it, history never had been a subject she cared for. The present was more pressing. But she knew the story in however vague terms. Those two had been friends, had worked together to build the village, things went sour between them and everything escalated into violence.
Sakura…thank you…for everything.
It's okay. I'll bring back Sasuke for sure! That's my promise of a lifetime!
"No. They're not going to end the way those two did…I'm here too, and I won't let them. Besides, Sasuke-kun had the opportunity to kill Naruto. He didn't take it. He's better than that. He never said the words 'goodbye' to me, either, he just thanked me. He thanked me…Sasuke-kun's not gone. Not completely, there's still hope! We can bring him back!"
"I don't think that's right sensei."
"Hm?" He was surprised Sakura had spoken at all, but to say that?!
"I'm not going to let them turn out the way those two did." She looked down at Sasuke's scratched hitai-ate, her grasp on it tightening. "And Sasuke-kun's not gone…not totally. He's gonna come back. We'll bring him back."
Kakashi glanced back at her dead set gaze, surprised where her sudden confidence and view of this situation came from. If anything, he'd expect it from Naruto, not Sakura…although, she never was one to take things sitting down. Maybe he should have expected this. But he couldn't bring himself to have the optimism that Naruto and Sakura had. He'd seen too much for that.
As they raced back to the village, Naruto began to stir a little.
His eyes cracked open to see forest…that wasn't where he'd been last…he'd been at the waterfall with…Sasuke. His blurry vision caught the sight of the back of a silver head of hair.
"Kakashi-sensei…?"
Kakashi glanced back when he heard Naruto mumble.
"Where's Sasuke?" His voice was more faint then it should have been…he was beginning to register that he was in pain…a lot of pain.
"Kakashi!" They looked up as Leaf medical shinobi surrounded them.
"How is Uzumaki Naruto?" One of them asked.
"Broken right wrist, estimated five broken ribs, electrical burns all over his body, potential concussion, and ruptured right lung, but his pulse rate is stable and he is able to breathe. Naruto heals quickly on his own. It seems he's already started regaining consciousness." Sakura reported in a far more serious and professional voice than any of them expected to hear from an emotionally taxed thirteen-year-old girl.
"Oh…thorough…well, it seems he's stable enough for now…and what of Sasuke? Where's Uchiha Sasuke?"
Naruto, who hadn't processed Sakura's voice or presence, only tuned into the conversation at the mention of Sasuke…his eyes drooped sadly, studying Kakashi's blurry shoulder. Sasuke…he'd said that Naruto was his closest friend, and then turned around and attempted to kill him. No it was more than that…he'd said he was trying to kill him because Naruto was his closest friend…because he wanted to sever the bond…it made no sense to him! Why would Sasuke…?! How could he attempt to kill his closest friend?! Why would he want to sever their bond?! Had he really misunderstood him so much? Sakura had said it…that Sasuke was drowning in darkness, that he would try and join Orochimaru, so how had he, Sasuke's closest friend missed it?!
"What about the others?" Sakura's voice was tight and strained, but she couldn't take the tense, sad, silence that had fallen, nor the depressed look in Naruto's unfocused gaze.
"Oh yes! The other dispatched medical squads found genin in various places, all injured. They performed emergency first aid and transported them back."
"How are they?" Kakashi asked before Sakura even got the chance.
"Well…Nara Shikamaru only had minor suffered only minor injuries with the help of Subaku Temari. Inuzuka Kiba was helped to the medics by Subaku Kankuro. He took some deep lacerations, but his life is in no real danger. Hyuga Neji and Akamichi Choji are seriously wounded. Their fates are unknown at the moment."
Naruto slipped back into unconsciousness after that…his last thought being concern for his comrades.
Sakura's jaw clenched.
Your medical and first aid knowledge far outweighs any of ours, but you only know how to execute basic manual first aid…not enough for if we sustain heavy injuries.
"Shikamaru was right…even if I was there, with my skills as they are, I'd have barely made a difference. Even for Kiba, whose life is 'in no real danger,' I wouldn't have been able to do anything for deep lacerations like that…what little I could do wouldn't be fast enough if he was mid battle…and for Neji and Choji…damnit! I really would have been totally useless deadweight if I'd come along!"
"What about Lee-san and Gaara-kun?"
"Both made it back to the village on Gaara's sand before he collapsed from chakra exhaustion. He's now resting in the hospital and Rock Lee is being treated, though his wounds don't appear too bad."
Sakura nodded. At least that was some reassurance. But not enough. She should have been able to do more. She needed to be able to do more.
Author's note: Again, I'm confused by the time span of the retrieval mission. I think I read or heard somewhere that it took 5 or 6 days, but I couldn't find that source, and the manga/anime isn't super clear about it. In this version it takes about 3 days. I know some people were hoping she actually went out on the retrieval mission, but I couldn't think of a way to make that work, and the fight between Naruto and Sasuke is really important for the two of them, so I didn't want to take that away from them. I don't think anyone who knew about her Kekkei Genkai would agree to take/send her on the mission with how worked up she is, but I also don't think Sakura would really just wait around without trying to do anything at all, I think she'd do what she always does and start analyzing the situation, and it seemed like a good time to start building her bond with Tsunade. In the Manga/anime, Naruto says he understands exactly what Sakura's feeling when she begs him to bring Sasuke back, and shows the memory of when he was pretending to be Sasuke in the academy and Sakura's telling him why Naruto annoys her. That moment pisses me off so much! Those two feelings are not the same at all, and I know that because Naruto wasn't in tears after Sakura said that-in fact, I forget if it's in the manga but in the anime he says "I think I understand why I like Sakura so much now," which makes no sense! He didn't directly confess to Sakura, he didn't say he'd do anything for her, he didn't offer to throw away his ninja career and life in the village for her, and he didn't get knocked out by her as she walked away. For the conversation he did have with Sakura, he wasn't even using his own face-he'd disguised himself as Sasuke! So no. He doesn't completely understand Sakura's pain in that moment, and more than that, I don't think he needs too. He doesn't have to be able to relate to every single kind of pain every character in the series has in order to be empathetic, understanding, and good. In some ways, not being able to relate to the pain someone's in and still trying to help and understand them drives home a character's goodness far stronger, at least to me. Regardless, that scene at the academy never happened in the first place in this version, so Naruto never tries to claim total understanding of what Sakura's going through. In fact he does the opposite and realizes he has no idea what she's going through, which I think is stronger. Long rant, but I feel strongly about it. I also added Hinata there, just to give her and Naruto another little moment. Naruto was a shonen, so it was never going to focus on romance, but even just having more interactions would have made a lot of the ships more believable.
The final leg of this arch will be posted really soon, I promise. Thank you so so much for all the reviews on the last chapter! Please keep reviewing! They really do help me a lot. Thank you so much for reading this far! :)