Naruto: The Uchiha Chronicles Re-Version:

Hello everyone, it's finally back! The Chunin exams are looming, and Sakura has a big decision to make.

Arc VI: Chunin Exams:

Chapter 33: Searching for answers

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Three enormous, gleaming silver spheres hung in the air. Naruto kept his gaze fixed on the spheres; hands extended in claws as he tried to keep them suspended. With a pulse of chakra one of the spheres shifted into a pyramid shape, while another become a cube, and the last a cylinder. A vein pulsed on his forehead and sweat trickled down the side of his face as the three hunks of metal continued to cycle through different shapes.

After the mission to the Land of Rivers, Kakashi had been possessed with a new fire. He'd increased their training three-fold. For Naruto, he'd taken inspiration from how he'd used the crude shapes in his fight with Koroshi. Kakashi felt it would be good practice to shift the form and state of his steel at will. Just as an earth user needed supreme control over the earth, he needed supreme control over his metal. Naruto agreed wholeheartedly. While the blade shards were his preferred method, it was foolish to limit himself.

Thus, a lot of his individual training was devoted to trying to shift the shape of the sand as quickly as possible while keeping them suspended. In, out. In, out, His breath was labored. Lungs burning, he endeavored to keep going. The exercise didn't just increase control, it strained his reserves of chakra and took a physical toll.

Finally, he knew he couldn't hold it anymore. With a final grunt of exertion, he eased three giant kunai to the ground. Even still they made the ground tremble as they were set down and he finally let his control slip and the kunai collapsed into piles of sand.

Naruto took a deep breath and wiped the sweat off his brow. He glanced to the side at the sound of a frustrated growl. Twenty meters away, Sakura sat with her hands shoved into a large pile of dirt.

"Ugh, change, stupid dirt, move!" She growled.

He hid a small smirk. Sakura had been tasked with the second stage of earth nature transformation after successfully turning a leaf to stone. To succeed, you had to turn a pile of dirt into a boulder. So far her progress was slow, and it wasn't unusual to see the pink-haired girl cursing the dirt. She was certainly a lot less prim and proper than she was in the academy.

Ching … cling … chink!

On the opposite side of the river that cut through their training ground, Sasuki danced among a hail of blunted kunai and shuriken. Half a dozen automatic launchers had been perched in the trees to keep her under constant pressure. Her eyes blazed with the crimson Sharingan as she tried to deflect the constant barrage. The exercise was meant to increase the sync between her bodies speed and how fast her perception was. His grandfather had made him undergo something similar when he was first learning how to use his Sharingan. Naruto frowned. It seemed like ages ago now, though really, it'd only been eight years.

"Well, I see at least two of you are doing your training." Naruto flinched at the unexpected sound of his sensei's voice. He twisted around to try and spot the man. The silver-haired jonin was perched in a tree, one leg dangling nonchalantly as he read from his infamous orange book.

"Haha, very funny sensei. I was just taking a break. Not all of us have the luxury of lounging around while others train." He shot back.

He got a raised eyebrow at his cheek. "I train … just not in front of my cute little genin. It's stuff that's a bit too advanced for you." The jonin replied with exaggerated condescension. "Anyways, that's all for today. There's something important we need to discuss."

With a casual flick of his wrist, Kakashi sent six pebbles flying at the automatic weapons launchers Sasuki was training with. It was a perfect shot. Each tiny rock hit precisely on the safeties and stopped the machines in their tracks. Sasuki dodged the last of the projectiles and finally came to a stop on wobbly legs. Her face was flushed with exertion and her frazzled, damp hair hung heavily about her face. Once she'd recovered enough Sasuki started to pick up the scattered kunai and shuriken, sealing them away for reloading later.

Sakura rocked back on her bottom with an annoyed groan. "Man, and I actually thought I was making some progress." She complained. Despite her words she pushed herself to her feet. Three simple hand seals saw the mound of dirt sink back into the ground until it was one smooth patch of grassless earth.

Naruto sighed and shoved off the ground as well. He might as well get moving. With a pulse of his Magnet Style chakra, he begun to draw the scattered steel sand into Senbonzakura's hilt. Once the long blade was reassembled, he sheathed the blade with a sharp click.

The three genin made their ways to the training stumps, their go to meeting spot here. Kakashi slipped from his perch in the tree and came to join them.

"I have some good news for you three." He said as he reached into his pocket. His hand came back out clutching three slips of paper. "As I explained a couple weeks ago, the bi-annual Chunin Exams are coming up in a few days. This time it's being held here in the Hidden Leaf, and I've submitted all three of you names to compete. It should be a good way to test your skills."

He held out his hand, offering the applications. They took turns grabbing them, with Naruto getting his last. A silly grin slipped onto his face. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that he'd be participating.

"About time, feels like I've been waiting for this for forever." Sasuki muttered.

Her words reminded him of something. He planned to start revealing his identity during the finals. All his excitement was sucked away and replaced with a pit of anxiety. Before long he'd have to face the music. He glanced at Sasuki, and the smile on her face. A pessimistic part of him wondered if he'd see that smile again once he revealed what he'd hidden from her.

Naruto shook his head. Such thoughts were pointless right now. With a start, he realized Kakashi had already left while he was lost in his thoughts. His teammates were already beginning to leave the training ground. He hurried to catch up to them.

"Hey, you two wanna go grab a bite at Kintaku Lounge?" He asked.

"Sure, sounds good." Sasuki agreed readily.

He looked to Sakura expectantly. She never missed a chance to visit the lounge since they'd first gone. That's why it was a bit of a surprise when she shook her head no.

"Uh, sorry I've got um, some things to do at home." She said. The pink-haired girl shuffled around uncomfortably. She was avoiding making eye contact with him. "I'll see you around later, bye." Without another word, Sakura hurried away. Naruto looked at her retreating figure in befuddlement.

"You think maybe she's having second thoughts about competing?" He asked Sasuki. She shrugged, an indifferent look on her face.

"Who knows. No way to control it, it's her choice. Let's go eat." She replied.

He followed after Sasuki as she left, but his mind was still stuck on Sakura. She'd acted strange. 'Though, come to think of it, she's been acting a bit off the past few weeks.' He mused. Perhaps it had something to do with making her first kill on the last mission. Naruto tried to help where he could, sharing his own experience with his first kill. He'd had nightmares about it for a long time. From what he knew Sakura's parents–both shinobi–were helping as well. It was probably best left in their hands.

By the time they arrived at their usual haunt, the matter was driven from Naruto's mind rather thoroughly.

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Guilt gnawed at her stomach as Sakura walked through the village. She should be busy preparing for the Chunin Exams, that's what her heart told her. But her head refused to it shoved aside that notion and stamped out the guilt. The guilt that had been a near constant companion for the past three weeks. Ever since the day she'd decided to take a walk through the garden at Naruto's family home on the mission. The flowers were amazing. Bright, colorful, and fragrant. Perfectly pruned and their beds free of weeds. Some were extremely exotic, ones she'd never seen even in Ino's family shop. It was obvious Naruto had taken great care to maintain his grandmother's garden. She'd been completely absorbed with them.

Then she'd happened upon the headstone. From the second she knelt before it to pay her respects, she could feel something off with the earth. It was part of her training in Earth Nature. She had to be able to distinguish when earth had been altered by a jutsu.

She'd known right away the headstone was a fake that hid others underneath. Why would Naruto hid his grandparents grave markers, she'd wondered? The curiosity had overwhelmed her in a moment of weakness, and she'd made the rash decision to undo the hastily done jutsu. Not a second went by where she hadn't wished to go back and stop herself. There, lying beneath the fake one were two headstones. The first, dedicated to his grandmother Kazehana. The other, with an Uchiha Crest at the head, had shocked her.

Madara Uchiha

A man who loved his family.

Those words were seared into her mind. The implications were staggering. Did that mean Naruto was an Uchiha? If so, why did he hide it? Even in her brief time with her, she knew that the loss of her clan effected Sasuki deeply. It was unfathomable why Naruto would hide it if he was an Uchiha because surely he knew how much it would mean to Sasuki to have another clan member. That just brought more questions. So many questions, and not an answer in sight. Should she keep it a secret, or tell Kakashi-sensei? She'd had no idea what to do.

Sakura was tempted to come clean at the end of the mission debriefing. She'd hesitated when the Hokage dismissed her and Sasuki. Naruto and Kakashi wanted to stay and report something about the mission. She'd thought about staying to speak to the Hokage after, even taking the measure to hang around in the reception area until Kakashi and Naruto left. The secretary, a kindly woman, had smiled and asked, "Is there something you need with Lord Hokage Miss Haruno?"

A responsible Kunoichi would have brought it to her superiors immediately. That's what she would have done before she graduated. But ultimately, she chickened out. She just couldn't do it. Kakashi's words had stuck in her mind. 'In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash, that's true, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.' It was an ideal he'd hammered into them, and this was probably her greatest test of that ideal. She couldn't report her discovery, at least not yet. Instead, she'd decided to do some research. The name Madara Uchiha was vaguely familiar, she just couldn't figure out why.

She sighed as she continued her walk towards a worn-down looking building. Made of a tan stone, it was one of the older buildings in the village. A sign in the shape of a scroll read 'Leaf Village Library'. She'd spent every hour she could spare here looking for the answers to her questions. The checkout desk was straight across from the entrance, with a mousy looking librarian behind it. Behind her was a solid steel blue door that led to the stairs down to the shinobi section. Access to that area was restricted to Academy students and shinobi.

"Oh, back again?" The kindly librarian–Meiko, according to her tag–asked. Despite her demeanor, the woman was likely a kunoichi of some skill. While not as important as the Shinobi Archives, the section was still protected. That wasn't her destination, though.

"Yep. You can never get enough reading." Sakura replied with a forced smile and false cheer. The sad part is she really did like reading. Just not in this instant.

The librarian smiled at her. "Let me know if you need any help dear."

That wasn't likely to happen any time soon. The entire point of her search was avoiding anyone learning about Madara if she determined it wasn't a threat. As she passed the childrens section to the right of the entrance, Sakura heard a few children giggling over a storybook. Her goal was deep in the stacks. The civilian sections on clans had already been combed through with no success. She'd moved into the history section, located in the back corner of the library where few people bothered to go. Under the soft yellow light, with the scent of time-worn paper and dust in the air, Sakura began her search where she'd left off.

"Let's start with the First Shinobi World War …" She muttered to herself. She placed a finger on the spine of the first book she saw, a thick tome with a red spine and the title, Important Battles of the First War, embossed in gold. A well-known history book for civilians. It focused a lot more on the what and the when of the situation, generally pointless for a shinobi trying to learn of the battles, but perfect for recording names.

Before she got to reading, Sakura created four shadow clones. They appeared soundlessly, to avoid making noise. With her searching power increased, she pulled the book down and cracked it open. She screwed her face up as she concentrated her chakra. 'Speed Reading Jutsu!'

A tingle ran from her fingertips, up her arm, and into her heads, finally ending in her eyes. Sakura's pupils shrank, darting back and forth at many times their normal speed. In less than a second, she'd turned the page. She began to fly through the book, constantly swiping to the next page. Her clones did the same with their books. It was a simple technique that helped a ninja read faster. Originally it was intended to replicate the Sharingan, but it tended to be useless in combat, it had found its niche as a spying technique. You could read and comprehend information in the blink of an eye, lessening the risk of getting caught. Minutes later Sakura put the book back. It wasn't the one she was looking for. She resigned herself to another long day searching.

Sakura and her clones perused the shelf for hours, slowly working their way through the history section. She read until her eyes burned from the constant strain and felt as dry as a pit of sand. Every time she set a book down she told herself it would be the next one. But it never was.

Eventually it was too much of a strain to sustain the clones or the Speed Reading technique. After placing their books back on the shelves, they dispersed in silent plumes of smoke. She placed her own book back on the shelf and sighed. Frustration welled within her. Where the hell was the answer? Sakura was positive she'd heard the name Madara Uchiha somewhere. She couldn't remember why, but the name was important. It was a maddening feeling to be so close yet so far.

If things kept up like this, she'd have to go down to the shinobi section. That would require signing in, and she didn't want to leave a record of what she was doing. Though she might not have any choice.

Resigned to another failed search, Sakura's finger trailed across the backs of the books. As she reached the end of the row, her index finger caught on one of the books. In her exhaustion she wasn't quick enough to prevent it from tumbling to the floor and where it landed with a solid wham on the wooden floor where it flopped open.

"Just great, add potential property damage to the list of things to worry about." She grumbled to herself, bending to retrieve the fallen book. The pages were yellowed with age, and it had that odd smell all old books got. Her fingers froze as she realized what she was looking at. Staring back at her was a faded black-and-white photo of two men standing side-by-side. One was easy to recognize as the First Hokage with his tan skin, rigid facial features, and long black hair. But it was the man next to him that caught her attention. There was something … familiar about him. Angular facial features, with fair skin and long, and spiky black hair. He was a bit of a pretty boy. For whatever reason she recognized something in his face. Curious, she read the caption below the picture.

Hashirama Senju (right) and Madara Uchiha (left) shortly after founding the Hidden Leaf Village.

It couldn't be, could it? Sakura picked the book up gently and brought it back to a secluded table in the back corner. The book was old, cracking at the spine. There she began to read much more diligently turning the pages carefully. The more she read about Madara Uchiha and their villages founding, the more her concern grew. She knew two things. First, the man's existence had clearly been almost completely sanitized from their history. Madara had never been mentioned in the academy, and hardly any of the books mentioned him. It was almost suspicious. She could see why, though. He was the very first traitor, a stain on one of their most prominent clans and had nearly ruined the Hidden Village system before it truly got started. The second thing she knew; he was Naruto's grandfather.

The slope of their cheeks, their noses. Even the way their hair fell (based on the few times she'd seen Naruto with his hair down) was a fit. They were small details, ones you'd miss if you weren't looking for them.

Her mind spun with a multitude of questions. Did Naruto know his grandfather was a traitor. 'Stupid question.' She thought with a grimace. What other reason could he have for hiding the headstone, she told herself. The more important question was whether he was compromised.

Sakura bit her lip. 'What do I do?' She thought helplessly. This was an impossible place to be in. Torn between knowing her teammate might be a sleeper agent, poised to hurt the village, and her friendship with him. Naruto had helped her so much since they'd become a team. It was impossible to think the kind boy that she knew could be a traitor. If she brought this information to light and he wasn't a traitor, it would be a huge betrayal of his trust.

She rubbed her eyes wearily. They burned, not just from the jutsu, but from fatigue. Her limbs felt heavy, and she had to suppress a yawn. The search had exhausted her. Now wasn't a good time to make such an important decision.

'I need to take some time to think about this.' Sakura resolved. When she was more rested, she could make a better decision.

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Sleep was elusive that night. Sakura tossed and turned; her dreams filled with nightmare scenes. A village in flames. Choking black smoke that burned the lungs. Screams of the dying and wounded. From within the flames, a sickly grey face lunged at her, black eyes terrified and judging. It was a common occurrence for her. Few nights had gone by without her dreaming of the man she'd killed. Even though she'd prepared for it–and she knew it was self-defense–it was hard to accept. She felt dirty, as if her hands were coated with blood. Her teammates were trying to help in their own ways, as were her parents.

Sakura sat up and stretched her arms above her head. She drew aside the curtains hanging beside her bed, letting in beams of yellow sunlight. Sliding the window open she basked in the fresh air, breathing it deeply. For a long while she just sat there and soaked in the light and fresh air. It helped to calm her mind and fill her with energy.

Eventually her mind began to wander to yesterday's discovery. Naruto was the grandson of Madara Uchiha. Now that she thought about it, that meant the Fourth Hokage was the man's son. That realization just brought more questions.

She growled, tossing a cushion angrily on to her bed. Damn it. Why did this have to be so complicated? It felt like she was being torn in two, between her loyalty to the village and to her friend. 'Cha! I don't get all you're worrying. One little change and all the sudden Naruto can't be trusted.'

Sakura froze, her eyes widening. 'I … I thought you were gone!' She exclaimed. That inner voice, it'd been so long since she'd heard it. Ever since … the Wave mission.

'Well there wasn't much point piping up since you stopped being so lame! But now you're backsliding, so I gotta kick your butt into gear.' Inner replied.

'What are you talking about?' What the hell was the voice even talking about. She acted like it was no big deal that Naruto was probably raised and trained by their villages original betrayer. A man that had brought fear to everyone he faced, according to the book.

'Tch, that's cause it isn't a big deal. So what he was raised by that guy. He's never acted like that. All he's done is help us. Who was it that reassured you after the Wave mission? The one that helped you get over your hang-ups? Narutp, that's who. And I got a news flash for you. Do you really think some silly little genin–no matter how insanely smart we are–' The inner voice paused, taking time to preen like usual. '–could discover this but the Hokage and Kakashi-sensei couldn't?''

A reply was on Sakura's lips, but it died as the inner voice slapped her in the face with that possibility. She lost her breath. Did inner have a point? Yes, she did, Sakura had to admit reluctantly. It was no use trying to hide that conclusion. The bitch was in her head.

'That's it, now you're getting some spirit back!' The inner voice exclaimed.

Sakura let the idea sink in. It made … too much sense. Naruto was so close to the Hokage. Surely if he'd share with anyone, it would be him. Now that she was open to the possibility, even more explanations started to come to mind. Perhaps it wasn't some sinister plan, but instead for the same reason Naruto kept being a jinchuriki secret. He was worried about how people would react.

'Exactly. The point is, he's our friend, and we should believe in him!'

For the first time in weeks, Sakura smiled easily. It wasn't forced or fake, but a genuine smile. The ball of guilt that had been torturing her and twisting her stomach in knots slowly unwound. She felt so much lighter. In that moment she came to a decision. Just like her inner voice said, she'd believe in Naruto. Unless he gave her a reason to believe otherwise she wouldn't tell his secret.

'Now let's focus on what we should be doing, preparing.' Said Inner.

It took Sakura a moment to figure out what she meant. The Chunin Exams! She'd completely forgot about preparing.

"Alright, let's get going! Time to make sure I'm all stocked up." She muttered to herself. As the team medic she needed to make sure she had all the supplies she needed to heal them, on top of the usual ninja equipment. 'Oh, and you can go away now, stupid inner voice!'

The lack of reply made her smile. With the message received, there was no use for her inner personality. Now was time to prepare, because in three days Sakura would be entering the Chunin Exams alongside her teammates.

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Inner Sakura makes a brief return, and Sakura decides to stick with her gut and keep Naruto's secret. Plot wise, this probably isn't as interesting or climactic, but it was what made the most sense with what I'm building Sakura's character towards. She isn't as straight laced as cannon Sakura was, and by this point she has lost far more of her naivety than cannon as well. Feel free to tell me what you thought in a review.

As always, I want to give a shoutout to my Patrons. If you'd like to get access to chapters early and would like to consider supporting my work, you can find me by typing the Pa treon address in your search bar and adding /rinnetaicho, or by using the copiable link in my AO3 profile of the same name. Chapter 35 of Uchiha Chronicles just went up on there.

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Until Next Time,

RinneTaicho, Signing Off!