"Why do you and Naruto refer to Itachi and Shisui as older brothers, but not your teammate?" Sai asked, his gaze on Naruto and Yamato as they went over how to keep Kurama in check.
"Sasuke-kun and Naruto are not just brothers," Sakura told him, following Sai's gaze. "They're rivals too. And Sasuke-kun and I. . . It's a bit different than my relationship with Itachi-nii and Shisui-nii."
"Rivals," Sai repeated. "I don't understand how they can be brothers and rivals at the same time. A rival is an enemy."
"Not always," Sakura said. "Think of it like this; Naruto measures himself against Sasuke-kun in terms of power and skill. He respects him and is happy when Sasuke-kun's skills grow but it's also an incentive for him to grow himself."
Sai blinked a few times, so Sakura continued. "You said you had an older brother, right? Didn't you look up to him and view him as someone to strive to be like?"
Sai looked away from her, his gaze going to his bag. Sakura thought of the book he always held on to-- the true testament that Sai was never truly a Root operative. He just needed a push-- the one Naruto would inevitably give him.
She held onto that book after he died in the war and then gave it to Naruto. It was her best friend that helped Sai finish it-- he deserved to have it. Naruto then made her hang onto it, something about him probably dropping it. Sakura remembered being annoyed at that-- she was not Naruto's personal purse. And it took her a while to realize why exactly he let her hang onto it.
He knew she found an odd sense of comfort in it. Like the book wasn't just Sai's artwork but a memory of him. How he grew up. How he managed to change.
Naruto was an knucklehead but at the same time brilliant. If there was one thing Naruto excelled at more than anyone else in the entire world, it was understanding others. She learned that from him. And she was still working on it.
"You are very protective of each other," Sai commented after a few moments. "I can see you are very gentle with Naruto. It makes me wonder about these bonds you have with each other."
"What about them?" Sakura asked, taking off her bag and setting it on the ground.
"Your teammates are your family, according to your logic," Sai told her. "Yet, fifty percent of your team has been replaced. Your bonds don't seem to do much for yourselves."
"Not everything is so black and white," Sakura responded harshly, before she reigned in her annoyance. At least, she tried to. "Our bonds with each other make us more powerful. Team 7 isn't just some label. It's a promise. And right now, that promise means Naruto and I have to do whatever we can to protect Sasuke-kun."
"A promise." Sai echoed, tilting his head as confusion leaked onto his features. "What promise?"
"To always have each other's backs," Sakura answered stiffly. "Don't be misguided by the fact that you're our substitute teammate. You are in our unit but you are not our family. If you do anything that puts the people I love in danger, I'll make sure you're never able to move again."
"That is a threat," Sai stated, looking her in the eye.
She held his guarded gaze with her own fierce one. "I'm glad we're on the same page, then."
Sai didn't respond to her this time, instead moving to sit down and go through his things. Sakura did her own inventory check and then moved towards Naruto and Yamato. They must have finished up talking about Kurama, because their captain called over Sai as he saw her approaching.
"We've got another hour to go before I transform into Sasori," Yamato told them, looking between the three of them. "You all have your responsibilities. Are you clear on them?"
Each of them nodded and Yamato smiled. "Good, hopefully this goes smoothly."
Sakura busied herself with reading the scrolls she had in her bag and set herself a part from the group. She wanted a bit of clarity and room to breath before everything meant to happen today did. She saw Naruto go up to Sai, plopping onto the ground and pointing at the picture book.
What surprised her was Sai's actual smile as they spoke. He was drawing something-- he was finishing the book. Sakura couldn't help her heart swelling in joy at the sight. It was much earlier than it had been in her old life. Perhaps today would be easier in this life.
But because Yamato jinxed them, it did not go smoothly.
Just as it had in her old life, Yamato was joined on the bridge by Kabuto and then Orochimaru. Sakura and Naruto both exchanged grim expressions as the Sannin appeared.
"He's actually alive," Naruto whispered.
"We would be too lucky if he stayed dead," Sakura responded in an equally low tone.
When Yamato, or better yet Sasori, was betrayed by Kabuto and attacked, Naruto sucked in a breath. The three of them waited until they saw the signal.
"Let's go," Naruto said, jumping from his spot before she and Sai had a chance to do anything. They followed suit and appeared on the bridge.
Sakura stood up, her gaze narrowing as she looked at Kabuto and Orochimaru. The former always disgusted her once she realized how slimy he was-- as a medic and as a person. And the latter, well, the latter was best labeled as a monster in her eyes.
"Naruto-kun, how nice to see you again," Kabuto greeted, giving him a sickeningly warm smile before his attention was drawn to her. "And Sakura-chan. It's almost like a reunion. Where is Sasuke-kun? I do hope you didn't drop him for that one."
"Sasuke-kun isn't with you two," Orochimaru laughed. "That's inconvenient for Tobi."
Sakura stilled at his words. She thought back to the mission she knew Itachi and Shisui were most likely on-- that meant Sasukewaswith them now. Would Tobi be targeting Sasuke?
"Doesn't that mean he's alone?" Kabuto inquired but Orochimaru shook his head.
"Tsunade-hime and Fugaku-san have probably placed him in the care of Itachi and Shisui," Orochimaru guessed, watching her controlled expression for a moment before he moved his focus to Naruto's growing frown.
"Why are you so obsessed with Sasuke?" Naruto questioned loudly, taking a step forward with a finger pointed at the duo. "First you attack us in the Forest of Death and then you brainwash him to leave the village! Why is Sasuke so important to you?"
"Sasuke-kun is a fine specimen," Oroqchimaeu answered with a shrug, like this was a normal thing to say about someone. "Unlike his older brother and cousin, he's still vulnerable. He's susceptible to his family's curse. It's too bad my experiment failed; it would be exhilarating to see the power that child could have wielded."
"Experiment?" Naruto shouted in disbelief. "You think picking on a bunch of genin is just some test? I bet you even helped that masked dude with the attack on the Uchiha!"
Orochimaru made a disapproving sound. "Oh, Naruto-kun, I can't believe you'd think I'd do something like that. After all, it narrowed my pool of. . . possible subjects immensely. I'd gain nothing from that bloodshed. Though, had the casualties been extended towards Itachi and Shisui, then I might think a bit differently."
"It doesn't matter if you didn't have a hand in that night," Sakura said fiercely. "You're just as much of a disgrace as the masked man! And a coward too!"
Orochimaru wasn't phased by her words and merely chuckled. "A coward, you say? My dear child, that is a refreshing take. I haven't felt such amusement in weeks."
"You hide behind mere children and mind tricks," Sakura snapped, her distaste for the man growing even more when his obvious entertainment with the conversation continued.
"I can sense great potential," Orochimaru corrected. "And Sasuke-kun has a powerful wind around him. He's the perfect body to take over."
"Take over his body?" Naruto repeated incredulously. "What kind of crap is that?"
"Orochimaru is obsessed with living forever," Yamato reminded them. "He takes over other's in order to preserve his own life force."
"How are you even alive?" Sakura questioned but she was ignored when Orochimaru focused on Yamato.
"You seem to know a great deal about me," The snake assessed, holding his hands out to his side. "It's nice to see you again-- I'm so happy my experiment has done so well since you were taken. Oh, but that's a story for another time."
Orochimaru paused, rolling his neck around. "No matter, this is all pointless. Sasori must have been taken out if this lot showed up in his place. Which one of you was it?"
His eyes swept the the four of them before he pointed two fingers towards her and Naruto.
"You two are the only constants on your team, so it was most likely one of you," Orochimaru said. "It also could have been Sasuke-kun. Oh, how I wish he were here. It'd be much more convenient."
"So you can steal his body," Sakura spit back.
"So I can become powerful," Orochimaru told them calmly. "Sasuke-kun's eyes and body are one of a kind. I'll get them one day."
"Like hell you will!" Naruto yelled, gritting his teeth together. Sakura saw his whiskers become more prominent and his blue eyes seeping into scarlet.
"Naruto," Sakura whispered, taking a step forward with an outreaches hand.
"You'll never get your hands on Sasuke," Naruto growled and before anyone could stop him, he attacked.
Sakura's eyes widened as the fighting commenced.she was pulled out of her shock when Kabuto moved himself into a fighting position. Sakura went to move herself, but Yamato appeared in front of her with an outstretched arm.
"You are the team's medical ninja," Yamato reminded her. "You are not to engage with the enemy head on unless all of us are dead. Stay back, Sakura."
"But I've-" Sakura started to say, until she realized what exactly her counter argument would have been.
I've got the Byakugou.
She shut her mouth quickly, nodding wordlessly. Her hand went up to her forehead and she looked at the scene before her longingly.
Sakura wanted to be there for Naruto this time. She didn't want him to channel more and more of Kurama's power in his own rage. She wanted to help him. To fight by him. Hadn't that been the whole point of everything up until now?
She's studied for hours in this life to widen her range of knowledge. Yet, she still couldn't compare to someone like Itachi. Though, logically, she knew she would never be able to hold a candle to Itachi despite her own intellect. She was a genius in her own right; she knew that. But she didn't understand the world in the same way as Itachi or even Shisui.
Her strategies were a result of her own battle knowledge and the war she actually fought in. And yet she's only managed to beat Shikamaru at shogi a couple of times-- which she berated herself for because she knew Shikamaru's shogi moves inside out. She just could never seem to get ahead of him besides the rare occasion where she surprised him with a move.
But at her core, she knew this was always going to be a constant in her life. Naruto and Sasuke protecting her. Yamato and Kakashi stepping in so an enemy didn't even get the chance to engage with her. And even her old Sai holding her back when she let her emotions get the best of her.
In this life, it wasn't because she was weak. She could break mountains, keep a cool (or mostly cool) head in battle, and she could cast one hell of a genjutsu even without Sasuke's aid. It was because she was the healer. She chose the role that was meant to be protected at all costs.
Her old Sasuke deemed that the reason he and Naruto saved her life when she was close to death halfway through the war.
"Your healing is the only thing keeping everyone else alive," Sasuke said bluntly. "Naruto can't extend his cloak to everyone at all times. You need to pick up his slack."
"Oi!" Naruto punched Sasuke's shoulder. "Kurama doesn't have an endless supply of chakra! He has to focus on gathering enough just to give us a chance against Madara! It isn't slack!"
"Whatever," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It's still the truth. If we die, the world itself is lost. But if you die, Sakura, there won't be anyone left to live in it. Don't be stupid and put yourself in front of either of us. We can take care of ourselves."
"What the teme means is that you aren't allowed to take any hits for us," Naruto explained in a light tone,reaching a hand out to her and helping her up. "If you use your seal to continue healing life threatening injuries, you'll use up your life force before the war is up. I can't take you on a date after the war if you die before it's over."
"Tch," Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyesonce again. "She can stand on her own, idiot."
"It's called being a gentleman, teme."
In her clouded mental haze, she didn't realize Yamato's attention had drawn itself to Naruto as red chakra began to bubble around him, two tails forming.
Kabuto took it as an opportunity to take her on.
She reacted out of habit, dodging a chakra covered hand and continued to be on the defensive. There was a loud creak and the bridge seemed to lurch beneath their feet. Sakura stumbled, still a bit unaware and felt a sickening chakra connect with hers. It was only a graze of Kabuto's hand and her own chakra reacted on instinct, but the contact sent a searing pain throughout her arm.
She cried out in pain, her features scrunching together, while Kabuto's had drawn back into a victorious smirk. Distantly, she heard two voices yell out her name. She narrowed her eyes and pulled him into a genjutsu. As soon as he was entrapped, she pulled back her left fist and slammed it into his face.
Kabuto was sent flying and was saved from falling into the ravine below them when white snakes extended from Orochimaru and wrapped out him.
"Don't you dare touch Sakura-chan," Naruto snarled, his chakra becoming more frightening and foreign by the second. Sakura stepped back, taken aback by the sheer hatred she could feel emanating from her best friend.
The last time Sakura felt Kurama's presence this intensely, there was something rather comforting and warm about it.
But that was all Naruto. His influence, his person, and his relationship with Kurama. And this-- this was still Kurama before he and Naruto became one. Kurama was still pure hatred and rage; the evil Nine-Tailed beast.
Sakura saw Naruto's body become fully covered in the Nine tailed cloak, four tails appearing now. She heard Yamato curse.
Orochimaru struck back while they were distracted with Naruto and sent her best friend sailing into the wooded area behind them. Yamato followed quickly, his hand out to try and contain the rage. Sakura looked between Sai and Naruto.
Sai had been a passive figure this entire time. She had no idea what was going through his mind but it seemed like he was trying to calculate something. Last time, he went back to the hideout with Orochimaru. What would this time prove?
Sakura shook her head, berating herself for even hesitating between the two. Naruto was her priority.
She turned and ran for her best friend.
Unlike last time, Sakura was smart enough not to carelessly approach Naruto in this state. Orochimaru and Yamato both seemed to be working to contain Naruto, though for wildly different reasons of course. In his fury, Naruto managed to bypass both of them and he shot towards Orochimaru, the both of them launched ahead.
Sakura saw Sai paint up a bird and flew to the battle ground. Yamato was huffing beside her, staring at where Naruto and Orochimaru landed. He looked at her and she gave him a weak smile.
"Welcome to the family?" She said weakly and he sighed heavily. Apparently, it wasn't amusing.
By the time they got to Naruto and Sai, the majority of the battle had been fought. Yamato pulled Naruto back and suppressed Kurama and Sakura could only glare at the Sannin before she fixated on Naruto's burned up body.
Chakra burns-- oh, how she didn't miss them. Sakura could only reduce the cellular inflammation and Naruto's overall pain. But there were things medical ninjutsu just couldn't heal.
What was different about this life was Sai's lack of betrayal. He stood to the side and watched as she desperately tried to heal at least some of Naruto's wounds. She sat on her legs, pulling her best friend onto her lap and couldn't help the tears that began to water in her eyes.
She could only stop some of the pain in Naruto's life. But not all of it. Because pain is what shaped Naruto into the person he was when they went to war. He overcame all the hatred and obstacles in his way. And even though she changed a portion of his childhood, she knew Naruto would inevitably endure so much more as the coming months came.
She hated herself for not knowing how to stop it from happening at all. She didn't know how she was going to stop the war. How she'd stop Jiraiya from dying. From Konoha from being literally blown off the map.
Her going back in time meant she should be the one shouldering the burdens Naruto carried his entire life. But here she was, crumbling at the mere thought of them as she looked at her injured best friend.
"You," Yamato started and then paused, looking at her and Naruto. She refused to tear her gaze from his burned face. "You truly-"
"Naruto is my best friend," Sakura stated firmly. "We don't just say that we're a family for the hell of it. We are a family. I love Naruto more than almost everything in this world."
"Kakashi-senpai said you three were something else," Yamato told her gently. "I can see how much you two care for each other and for your other teammate. It's no wonder the three of you beat the bell test twice."
"He told you about that?" Sakura asked, wiping away the stray tears that managed to escape from her eyes. She couldn't heal much more so she rested a hand on Naruto's forehead and the other on his shoulder.
"He's very proud of you three," Yamato nodded. "I can see why."
"I don't think we can count this mission as a win," Sakura responded in a quiet tone as Naruto started to wake up. His eyes fluttered open and he caught her gaze before closing them again. He smiled and relaxed into her hold. "We didn't find out who in Konoha wants Sasuke-kun."
"I think I have," Yamato answered and directed narrowed eyes towards Sai. "You had a different mission than the one Tsunade-sama gave us."
At this, Naruto tensed and shifted. She helped him sit up but kept a hand behind his back for support.
"That is correct," Sai confirmed, approaching them slowly. "I was sent here to confirm a deal with Orochimaru. The Akatsuki failed in delivering Uchiha Sasuke's dead body, so I was to propose another deal with Orochimaru. Uchiha Sasuke would be the bargaining chip to make Orochimaru give up on his plans to destroy Konoha."
"If Sasuke became a rogue ninja or merged with Orochimaru, the orders would be to kill," Sakura whispered, her finger's clenching Naruto's top.
"Damn Danzo," Yamato cursed, eyeing Sai suspiciously. "Why purposefully fail your mission?"
"I'm curious," Sai answered honestly. "About the bonds they have with each other. They are not normal. I'm-- it reminds me of emotions I think I once held as well."
"Root operatives have the emotion squashed out of them," Yamato replied shortly and Sai nodded.
"That is also correct. However, I can see the way powerful emotions can actually strengthen one's resolves. I'd like to understand them more. Maybe I can remember my bond with my older brother as well."
Naruto moved so he sat cross legged and bumped his shoulder with hers.
"Can we keep him?"
"Naruto," She said in an exasperated tone, then gave Sai a quick glance.
"Please, Sakura-chan," He begged, fully leaning on her side. The burns on his face were receding, finally. "If you agree, then teme won't say anything about it! He never disagrees with you now, ya know?"
Sakura's eye twitched and she moved her body forward, causing Naruto to fall back onto the ground without her support keeping him upright. He yelped and she laughed, especially when he stood up and pointed an accusing finger at her.
"You're supposed to be caring for me!" He yelled, his features scrunching up as more of the burns faded from his skin. "I'm injured!"
"Making comments like that means you're perfectly fine," She responded with an innocent smile. "He can. . . stay so long as he doesn't pose a threat to our family."
"Alright!"
It had been a whole day of traveling slowly. Sasuke thought 'nearby' would be actually close to the cave they arrived at a day and a half into their travels. But it was proving to be much farther than he expected. Shisui didn't say much at all after he wrote letters and summoned a toad through a scroll.
The toad had given Sasuke a single look and scoffed. Apparently, Naruto's summoning toad had deemed him the 'brooding one' and that was what he was known as among the toads. When Shisui didn't even crack a smile, Sasuke knew that his cousin's behavior in the cave wasn't just a temporary thing. He trusted it had nothing to do with their mission. Because, out of everything, that was one of the only things that Shisui would say something about. Otherwise, he stayed silent and busied himself with scrolls.
They had been on the road for half a day now and Sasuke almost wished they could have used their Shunshin. But, as Itachi pointed out, the Shunshin still took much more of their chakra than they should give incase things go wrong.
It was uneventful. For the journey to the next hideout, that is.
"There it is," Shisui said quietly, coming to a stop atop a tree branch. He pointed below them, the mouth of a cave barely seen through the thick foliage. His cousin looked at his brother, eyes stark red as he nodded towards the cave opening. "Look."
"A seal," Itachi observed.
"And a genjustu," Sasuke added once he activated his own sharingan. It was a rather complicated illusion with numerous layers, though it was no match for their eyes. His cousin didn't even acknowledge that fact, though Sasuke assumed it was because it had no effect on them. Just another obstacle that they could easily overcome.
"What do you think, Tachi?" Shisui asked, crouching down on the branch.
"Do a sweep," Itachi ordered and without moving an inch, his cousin disappeared.
"Shisui's acting odd," Sasuke noted and Itachi's gaze flickered towards him before he refocused on the cave opening.
"His demeanor changes when he's on a mission," Itachi told him, his expression completely neutral.
"I know his mission persona," Sasuke responded, thinking back to how surprised he was when he first left the village with Shisui years ago. "Something is off."
"If something is, it isn't our place to question it right now," Itachi said, with a note of finality in his voice. "It isn't affecting the mission, therefore it is irrelevant."
"This is me when I'm actually serious," Shisui interrupted, reappearing beside Itachi. His narrowed gaze caught Sasuke's for a moment before he looked towards the cave opening. "There's been recent activity in the area."
"Are they still here?" Itachi asked and Shisui shook his head.
"Not that I can sense. You didn't get anything either, right?"
"No," Itachi said. "The seal?"
"Single earth based," Shisui replied, keeping his gaze ahead. "Right inside the cave mouth and to the right. Applying a double lightning based seal will imbalance and disable it."
Sasuke nodded, taking one last sweep of the area and then disappearing from his place on the branch. He reappeared just before the cave and placed a seal onto the paper. After he made a sign, the papers wrinkled in his hands, each of them falling to the floor. Sasuke went to turn around but found that the wooded area had been replaced with an seemingly never ending hallway.
"Not bad," Sasuke commented off handedly, unsheathing his sword. He focused his energy and when his eyes reopened, the Sharingan was blaring. Each layer stripped away until he saw Itachi and Shisui appear at his side.
"Two o'clock," Itachi said and Sasuke whipped around, the tip of his sword coming to a stop just underneath the bottom of an orange mask.
"Should have expected for those two to see through my genjutsu," The masked man said. "Though, it took you a moment, Sasuke. I'd give you three out of five for that performance. I was expecting a four after the power you placed into that genjustu before."
"Don't focus too much on him," Shisui murmured quietly, the sound of another voice echoing his words. Sasuke looked back at the masked man and saw Shisui standing just behind him with a held up kunai. "I know your trick, too."
"You do?" The masked man suddenly said in a deep voice. "Then why would you give me the perfect opportunity to use it?"
He fell through Shisui's body, stepping back before he rematerialized, a sword appearing in his hand. The masked man went to stab Shisui, but the sword went straight through the figure, as though it were nothing but an illusion. In that same moment, another Shisui appeared behind the materialized masked man, pushing him towards Itachi.
Itachi's eyes transformed, catching the gaze of the masked man and suddenly, he went limp.
"You'd think he'd know about my after images," Shisui commented dryly from Itachi's side. "That's my oldest trick."
"Is he in. . ?" Sasuke asked, looking at the man's crumpled figure.
"He is in my genjutsu, but I'm unsure of how long it will hold," Itachi admitted in a tight tone.
"That would only be if-"
"If he had the Sharingan," Sasuke finished, his eyes widening with surprise. "Who is he?"
Shisui stepped towards the man and reached out. His fingers grasped the bottom of the mask and he pulled it from the man's face.
Sasuke didn't recognize him. But from Shisui's hard gaze, he figured his cousin did. Just then his brother coughed violently into his dark sleeve, his concentration faltering just enough for the now unmasked man to escape the genjutsu.
Sasuke would have thought that to be an impossible feat. Only Shisui could escape from Itachi's genjutsu that quickly and that's because Shisui was the one who taught Itachi everything he knew about the craft of illusions. But then he saw the man's eyes and they were indeed his clan's bloodline trait.
One of the most involved sharingans: the mangekyo sharingan. One he could have sworn he's seen before.
"Uchiha Obito," Shisui greeted coldly.
"Not even the mangekyo can trace your body flicker," The man complimented. "I'll remember that next time."
"Why were you waiting here?" Shisui demanded.
"I was hoping for a different assortment of characters but couldn't resist testing the three most promising Uchiha's," The man apparently named Obito said with a slight shrug. "I've got eyes and ears everywhere. You can't hide from me."
Sasuke tried to remember an Obito in his family. But with the police station massacre, there were too many of his relatives listed on a large stone in the village's cemetery. He couldn't remember.
But then he took in the man's appearance. He had a single eye. And that pattern was familiar because he has seen it before. But it was another person wielding it-- Kakashi.
Uchiha Obito must have been Kakashi's teammate. The one that supposedly died and gave him his Sharingan just before he was crushed. And because that was taboo for their family-- to give away his bloodline so easily-- his memory was most likely scrubbed from the Uchiha's history.
"You died when I was eight," Shisui stated and the man nodded.
"Uchiha Obito died a long time ago," He told them, his gaze sweeping across the three of them. "Though you can call me that if it makes it easier for you. That name means nothing to me anymore."
He paused, his gaze settling back on Shisui. "I'd love to stay and chat, but quite frankly, none of you are interesting enough to keep me engaged in this conversation right now. See you soon."
He moved his forearm and slowly turned it downward. As his hand passed his body, it seemed to erase itself from their vision until there was nothing left of the man. Once the man was completely gone, violent coughs erupted from his brother once again.
"Itachi?" Sasuke asked in concern, both him and Shisui moving to help. His brother waved them off, reaching into his bag and pulled out a bottle.
They continued to hover as Itachi swallowed a couple of the pills and he managed not to look totally deathly as he looked back at them. "It's nothing serious."
Shisui's eyebrows furrowed once again, this time he moved towards Itachi with his sleeve surrounding his fist. Sasuke watched as Shisui wiped something off his brothers lips and didn't miss the warning tone in Shisui's low voice.
"If you want to pass off as being perfectly healthy," Shisui said, stepping out of the cave. "Make sure there's no evidence you're lying, Tachi."
Sasuke wondered then just how much the people closest to him were hiding. Sakura kept the scroll a secret. Shisui saw something that royally pissed him off yesterday and it had to be serious if he was still agitated. And Itachi-- Itachi just coughed up blood after using his mangekyo sharingan. And tried to pass it off as nothing. Which meant, which meant it was something.
All three of them-- lying by omission.