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Covenant
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Synopsis: Four years into the Fourth Shinobi War, Orochimaru offers to turn.
He all but requests Sakura by name to be the contact.
It is, quite clearly, a trap—least of all because he's supposed to be dead.
But what is a losing side to do except take the hand that's offered?
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18. The Visit
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"SAKURA!" SHOUTED Naruto when her transformation dispelled.
He stood beside Kakashi, maybe 20 feet away, chakra-masked and almost invisible. Until he ducked out from behind a rock outcropping a moment after Kakashi, smile wide and shoulders tense with anticipation, she hadn't even known he was there—a symptom her mind wasn't near as sharp nor as quick as it ought to be in wartime.
Naruto took a single step in her direction before Kakashi blocked his path with an outstretched arm. Their teacher leveled a gaze filled with disapproval and warning on the nukenin before him.
Sakura's knees nearly buckled at the jinchuriki's presence. Sasuke gripped her upper arm so she wouldn't fall—so she wouldn't run to Naruto's side. Despite her wish to let Naruto envelop her in an embrace, her feet rooted in response to Sasuke's unvoiced command. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed at the scene. Naruto's brows creased as he glanced between teacher and teammates.
Team Seven was locked in a standoff for the first time in five years.
She and Sasuke had traveled for a day in silence to somewhere near the Valley of Hell. The landscape was desolate—the hot mineral pools that littered the ground smelled of boiled eggs.
As children, young shinobi were warned to avoid this place. A dangerous, cursed clan lived near here, they said. A clan that drank blood. No one traveled by or lived near any longer. Jagged boulders broke free of the ground and climbed toward the sky erratically, hot springs bubbling around their base. It reeked of possibility—of what awaited the rest of the world should the war never end.
An empty, forgotten place—perfect for a meeting no one could ever find out about.
"Give Sakura over, Sasuke," Kakashi ordered.
On her arm, Sasuke's grip tightened at the words. "Konoha hasn't changed at all, I see. The Hokage was to fetch her own battle medic. She can't be bothered to show up, even when demanded?"
"The Hokage thought it better that Team Seven handle this between ourselves."
"Team Seven hasn't existed in years." Sasuke's aura dipped in temperature, menacing chakra spreading out from his feet.
Naruto's back straightened for a fight. "We'll always be Team Seven!" He was handling Sasuke's reappearance much calmer than Sakura would've expected. He must've been briefed some time ago of his return. "You know what, I thought you were dead all this time. Turns out you're still here being the same rude bastard—"
"Stay out of this, Naruto," spat Sasuke. Glaring at his former teammate, his lip curled into a sneer. "You don't even know what's going on, do you?"
Naruto's confused look jumped back to his teacher.
"Thank you for getting her out. The army and I are indebted to you for it. Now pass her over," Kakashi repeated, lifting a hand out in offering, ignoring the question Naruto mentally sent his way.
Sasuke's grip tightened further as if he had no intention of letting her go. She observed both men with the same confusion Naruto displayed. Although she expected some lingering animosity to rear its head when Sasuke and Kakashi reunited, she hadn't anticipated such open and volatile hostility.
"It's just Kakashi." Placing a green-tinged hand over Sasuke's fingers, she whispered, "It's okay. He's safe. I'll go." But her feet remained planted, waiting for Sasuke's approval.
The air still buzzed with the threat of a fight.
"...Fine." Sasuke's hold loosened as he beckoned Naruto over. "Come get her, dobe."
Naruto bound to her side in an instant. She stepped into his waiting arms as soon as Sasuke let go. Like a hawk beside them, he watched his old teammates' exchange. Naruto's clutch was gentle on her wrist; his other hand pushed bangs out of her eyes to examine her.
A shadow grew on his brow. "Are you okay?"
With a shake of her head, she wrapped him in a hug. "But I'm so happy you're here."
Her teammates shared a look behind her back, then Sasuke's hot stare fell away from them.
"Let your leaders know to take better care of their loyal shinobi." His voice carried on the wind.
From her periphery, she saw how Kakashi pushed his hands into his pockets, signaling he had no intention of escalating the matter. "None of the Kage would intentionally harm Sakura—"
"That includes you, Kakashi," Sasuke barked. "Mind your choices in the future."
Kakashi tsked. "And why was she caught on your base at all, Sasuke?"
Naruto let go of her to turn to their teammate, whose chakra spiked dangerously with a warning. Sakura pivoted to Kakashi, gesturing for him to let it go.
"What did you summon her for?" their teacher pressed on, ignoring her.
"For information, you—"
"What information was it—that your bases were going on lockdown? Except, if that were it, why didn't you send her back before it happened? It certainly wasn't to inform us of any upcoming battles, considering nothing happened in the three weeks she's been gone. Right?"
Kusanagi's hilt fell out of Sasuke's cloak as he tipped it forward. "What are you implying?"
"I'm letting you know that to the Kage, it seems an awful lot like you summoned her there intending to catch her in the lockdown."
"Watch what you—"
"Sasuke wouldn't do that!" Naruto shouted over Sasuke in his defense. "C'mon Kakashi, he may be a bastard, but he wouldn't do that to Sakura."
"I believe that, but the Kage don't know what Team Seven knows. Isn't that right, Sasuke?" The Uchiha didn't reply, and Kakashi shrugged. "Well, regardless, moving forward, please be more mindful when summoning her. I fear things will start moving quickly from this point on, so you shouldn't pull her into your base on a whim. While it could get dangerous for you, it'll be even more dangerous for Sakura."
"That's fine. I don't need to summon her at all, then. My information can be sent by bird—but how about telling your Hokage she'd do better not to break her strongest assets intentionally," Sasuke growled. "As I said, Konoha hasn't changed at all. You force—"
"Sakura is a fine kunoichi. She's more than capable of handling—"
"She's unstable!"
"That's enough, Sasuke!" she yelled, reaching out to grip his arm. Sasuke could say what he wanted about the Hokage, but she didn't want him airing whatever mental state she'd let him witness.
Naruto grabbed her shoulders and spun her to him. "Unstable? What's wrong, Sakura? What's going on?"
"I'm fine! Let's just go—"
Sliding his cold gaze sideways to Naruto, Sasuke muttered, "Did you know she was trapped in Madara's base for over five days?"
Kakashi stepped forward, slowly closing the distance to his students. "Let's not—"
"I just found out a few days ago... Sakura, I'm so sorry. If I'd known, I would've—"
"Did Tsunade tell you how she ended the lockdown?"
Kakashi was beside Sasuke now. "Now is not—"
He evaded Kakashi's hand. "They sent your other teammate to die, Naruto. Did—"
Sakura reached for him again, too. "Stop!" Naruto could absolutely not find out that Sai died for her—
"—you know that? My replacement."
"What? What do you mean, died?!"
"Oh." Sasuke snorted disdainfully as he examined stone-faced Kakashi. "So they didn't tell you. Figures."
Naruto's fingers shook like leaves on her rigid shoulders. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that Sai is dead. I killed him."
Kyuubi chakra abruptly unleashed, orange and deadly, laced with anger around the four shinobi. In the next second, Naruto's hands fisted the collar of Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke glared but allowed it, balancing on the balls of his feet.
"If you're joking around, it's not fucking funny—"
Sakura tugged at both men, trying to separate them. "Sasuke, drop it—"
"Ask Sakura if you don't believe me. She watched."
Wide blue eyes fell on her, and she squeezed hers shut before his emotions swallowed her whole.
"You're lying!"
"Tsunade sent him to die, Naruto. Appears the Hokage didn't tell you that, huh?"
"What's he saying, Kakashi?" Naruto bellowed. "That can't be right!"
Kakashi seemed to hold a breath as he planted his feet. "Sai accepted a mission to get Sakura out of Madara's base. He was aware of the risk when—"
"You see?" Sasuke chuckled icily. "They made her watch me kill him. Your Kage's orders."
"Tsunade wouldn't do that!" cried Naruto. The same cry that consumed Sakura when she'd first learned, too.
Sasuke finally ripped his shirt free to step into Kakashi's space. "Take better care of your remaining students, Kakashi. Understand?"
"I've been doing the best job I can under the circumstances, so please explain how I can improve, Sasuke."
Sasuke glowered. "I always hated that about you. Always acting as if you're smarter than everyone around you."
"Aa, it's like looking into a mirror, right?" replied Kakashi, face scrunched with a smile.
The glower gave way to a glare as Sasuke lowered his voice. "She's unstable, and the Hokage's recent decisions are only making it worse. The Allies are so incompetent that even your strongest shinobi are crumbling, and nothing's being done about it since no one can step up. Have you no other capable medics?"
"Ah, I see…" Kakashi sent a nod in Sakura's direction. "So this is about your concern for her, then."
"I am not concerned for her. I'm concerned about the agreement I made with an army that continuously reminds me that they're too weak to win."
"Oh really? We just won the last battle, if I'm remembering—"
"Because Madara's army couldn't kill anyone! Do you hear what I'm trying to fucking say?"
Kakashi placed a gentle hand on his ex-student's shoulder that was, shockingly, not shaken off. "Everyone knows Sakura's importance to our success."
"So I'm warning you to watch over the agreement's contact better!" Sasuke roared, raising the brows of all three people around him. His chest heaved once before a blank facade fell over him and his posture—he swatted Kakashi's hand away. "If you lose the contact, the Allies will regret it in more ways than one."
"Are you threatening to abandon the agreement over this? That's quite unlike you, Sasuke."
"When have I ever threatened?" His scowl shifted briefly to Sakura, who beheld him with bated breath. Even to her own ears—he may insist it was over the agreement, but it sounded so much like this was all for her. "That term implies there's a possibility I wouldn't honor my word. Don't test me, Kakashi, and let your little leaders know the same. There isn't anything in my past that I decided on and didn't fulfill."
Turning on his heel, Sasuke shot towards the teleport tag to Water Country he'd left miles back, leaving the remaining members of Team Seven in a dusty cloud. Kakashi watched him go, passive as ever; Naruto wrapped her in another hug, whispering into her hair, assuring her things would be okay.
Sakura hadn't realized she was shaking.
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The trip to Kumo was agonizing. Naruto cried the whole way, and there was nothing Sakura could do to comfort him except hold back her tears for his sake. In the most immediate sense, she was the reason for his pain in the end.
If she hadn't gotten trapped in Madara's base. If she didn't fall asleep for three days. Didn't take so many soldier pills to refill her seal. Hadn't released her Hundred Healings and drained it. If Sasuke never summoned her to his base. If she wasn't the contact—if there wasn't even an agreement.
Kakashi did a decent job filling the painful silence with his harmless rambles, but nothing could drown out the possibilities rattling her brain. There were thousands of little decisions that culminated in Sai's death. A single deviation, one slight change, could've saved his life. Like, if Sakura hadn't suggested targeting so many coordinates at once during the last battle. If she hadn't let her dead friends' ghosts stop her from attacking the podium.
A thousand different outcomes could've occurred—yet, the only one fulfilled was the one that took Sai's life.
Sakura wasn't sure what the pious would call such a thing. Predetermination or divine judgment. Martyrdom. Some holy term to curtain over the empty, savage misery of a reality without any deeper meaning than fleeting survival and eventual demise.
The jinchuriki were rejoining the fight.
Naruto and B would remain stationed with their detail, though not in Kumo or Suna due to separation contracts. The other Kage were wary of letting them base at Konoha since it already housed a significant share of power within the army. So they agreed that Naruto and B would move to Kiri base.
Kakashi's hesitancy in explaining the move made Sakura think he wasn't in agreement with the decision—but he wasn't Hokage yet, and even if he was, the Raikage had already convinced the Mizukage and the Tsuchikage to vote with him. The Kage wanted to end the battle soon, and they knew well enough that they needed the army's full strength for the final battle.
Although Sakura's gut told her that Madara had been pushing to end it since Sangosho; she hoped the Kage weren't playing into a trap.
Kakashi and Naruto left only an hour after dropping her off. The mission to escort her was against policy from the start—Naruto had strict orders to report to Kiri as soon as Sakura entered Kumo safely.
Naruto hugged her and said he'd write soon, without looking her in the eye, and he let go more quickly than she was used to. Kakashi patted her head affectionately and left without a word more.
What was he supposed to say? He hadn't done anything to stop this, just as always.
The Raikage appraised her with satisfaction when her boys ducked out of his tent. "I'm glad you're here, Haruno. It's a great honor to host you in Kumo formally. C speaks highly of you so often that it's felt like you've been here the whole time."
"Thank you. The honor is mine, Raikage," she said with a bow.
"I understand you have obligations within the agreement that may pull you away. Feel free to respond to any summons at will. Report the information directly to me upon your return."
"Yes, Raikage."
"Further, I've instructed my medical squads that you're now in command. If they give you any trouble, seek me out immediately. I don't believe you'll find any issues, however. Your reputation precedes you."
It was a strange conversation—Sakura was used to implicit respect from those below her rank but rarely received explicit praise from leadership outside of Konoha's.
"Thank you, Raikage. Is there anything specific you'd like me to work on while I'm in your care?"
"I'm interested in the soldier pills Konoha's developed. They're better adapted to battle than the ones Kumo uses."
She hadn't been instructed to keep it secret nor saw any reason to do so. It was her formula to give, anyway—and with the armies now 'integrated,' this kind of information sharing should be expected. Losing one base would only increase the likelihood that the rest would fall. Anything Sakura could do to keep Kumo afloat, she'd gladly oblige.
"I'm happy to share it with your medics."
"Thank you, Haruno. Beyond that, we're still heavily injured from the attack on Lightning before the last battle. With your skill, I hope you can get more of my shinobi out of medical and cleared to fight."
"I will do my best."
He leaned back in his chair. Once upon a time, Sakura found this man to be one of the most intimidating shinobi she'd ever met—but the Raikage crossed his arms in a way that reminded her so much of Tsunade she nearly laughed.
Regarding her curious evaluation, he queried, "Is there anything you need in return? We...handle our talent differently in Kumo. If you request it, it will be done."
A dig at her mentor laced the casual statement and had her stiffly smiling. Though she'd never forgive Tsunade, she wouldn't stand by while another Kage slandered her. The Raikage shouldn't go any further than this.
"I've not objected to my handling," she replied pointedly. "And there's nothing I need right now. May I come to you in the future should something arise?"
"Any time. If that's all, please introduce yourself to medical. They've been patiently waiting for the new commander."
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Time in Kumo passed like a daydream. She haunted the base like a wraith, both present and not present at any moment.
One week turned into two, turned into three. The fall chill settled with finality on the camp, much more cold and windy this far north than she was familiar with in Fire Country. She got through the days on calming draughts. One a day turned into two, turned into three—until she was brewing more of the tonic daily in between her responsibilities.
It kept her mind gently glued together and thoughts shallow. Drugged.
Sakura knew it wasn't healthy, but the alternative was to lay comatose in her tent while her thoughts butchered her. She learned that she spent over two weeks in Orochimaru's base after leaving the Land of Tea. Over two weeks inside Sasuke's room with no awareness of anything.
Someone had kept her washed and hydrated—because her skin smelled of soap, her hair smoothly brushed, and she wasn't dead by the time Sasuke had roused her from the surrender. But there were no such servants, or whoever had maintained her vacant body, in Kumo. She had only herself to rely on here, and so many others depended on her survival.
Still—the condition in which she maintained herself was irrelevant so long as she could still perform her duties effectively. So she took the tonics that shielded her from the shadows and carried on.
Tsunade wrote to her every four days without reply. The woman's voice in writing was utterly foreign to how she spoke.
Apologizing for what she'd put Sakura through, her mentor sought forgiveness. But she didn't apologize for Sai's death—or for sending him to begin with. In fact, Tsunade mentioned Sai only once—in her first correspondence. It read,
Sakura,
Sai left you a letter. Shikamaru brought it with him when the rest of the team returned. If you want, I will send it to you. Otherwise, I'll keep it safe in my desk until you're ready to receive it. I am so very proud of you and relieved more than you can imagine knowing you're safe inside our army. You probably blame me for what happened, and I won't deny it was my plan. When I told you I'd do anything to ensure your survival through this war, I meant it. My dearest student, while I plan around your life, I know the toll I'm placing on you in turn. None of these choices were made lightly, though they were made with only you mind. I pray that one day you will look upon me with understanding and that it slowly grows into fondness once again. I cherish the days I've spent as your mentor and hold you above anyone else. Yet, even while writing this, I can't promise my decisions won't cause you pain in the future. I can promise that I will protect you, always. I await your reply and hope you find it in yourself to forgive me.
With love,
Tsunade
The Hokage never wrote Sai's name again.
And she never attached Sai's note, either—perhaps because she thought it the only way Sakura might respond. Or maybe her mentor knew that Sakura wasn't ready to read it yet.
Every letter ended with the same line: I await your reply and hope you find it in yourself to forgive me.
The sign-off angered Sakura—as if forgiveness was something she was required to search for. Why, though? She never asked to live through this war. She hadn't requested extraction from Madara's base. Tsunade decided on her own that Sakura's life mattered more than others—why did Sakura have to find forgiveness over a choice made for her?
If it were Sakura's choice, she would've rather died in that underground cave.
No. She wouldn't forgive Tsunade.
But the Hokage continued to write. She spoke of Konoha base and the status of medical. She interceded small memories the two of them shared. Wrote about upcoming plans and the movements of people she knew Sakura was interested in.
The five Kage had decided it was time to go on the offensive. It was unmistakable now that the Allies needed to destroy the last three coordinates, but early scouting showed significantly increased defenses around the hidden rooms. Any further attempts would undoubtedly result in large-scale battles. So they intended to deplete Madara's numbers beforehand by attacking and eradicating known, smaller enemy bases.
Raids happened across every country now, every day. The more enemies the Allies could take out before attacking a coordinate, the fewer troops Madara could send in response.
Two weeks into her stay in Kumo when Tsunade's letter arrived explaining the plan, she immediately went to the Raikage to request that she lead field medical. Dispatch me on all the attacks, she'd said. He readily consented, despite Tsunade sending word that Sakura was not to leave base.
Sakura was useful in base medical, yes—but she wasn't utilized best in base medical. Her skill and training were ideal for battle, where she could keep fighters up in real-time and save them from needing base medical. And her presence meant the Raikage needn't assign any other medics to that particular mission.
A highly effective one-woman medical squad—especially since the attack teams were often 15 shinobi or less. A number she could manage in her sleep at this point.
The Raikage sent her out in constant rotation.
Madara preferred to spread his numbers out; unlike the Allies, who housed their army primarily within five central bases, hundreds of enemy bases scattered across the five countries.
After four weeks, Sakura had been dispatched to and wiped out six enemy bases. Though they'd have to destroy four or five times more to even dent the estimated enemy numbers within Lightning Country, they pressed on.
Sasuke hadn't called for her a single time since she arrived in Kumo base, despite his assurance that he'd do so soon enough. No new intelligence, no word about Madara's moves, nothing on enemy plans to counter the Allies' offensive. Not even a note sent by bird, like he'd told Kakashi.
Sakura figured she should've known it would come to this. Be it that he lost confidence in her ability to be the contact, with the Allies in general, or because it was simply the fallout she'd anticipated.
She'd bet on it being the latter if it came to it.
Sasuke succumbed to the seal's power—he was probably somewhere brooding over the emotional leverage he'd given her. Was probably icing her out to prove a point—that he didn't mean it, that he didn't care, that they were nothing.
Sakura found she didn't have it in her to feel hurt by the retaliation. She'd already seen the truth, whether or not he wanted to see it himself.
And six weeks into his silence, he finally broke it. She'd made a nearly fatal mistake.
They were battling enemies outside a base near the coast closest to Turtle Island. It was one of the larger bases they'd attacked, and she came with a 20-man squad. She could've stayed somewhere in the distance, hidden and remote healing—but she hated sitting back in these minor skirmishes where her battle strength could be immensely beneficial.
So Sakura fought alongside her squad. To prevent the enemy from knowing she was present, she wore a full-face black mask that pulled over her head and covered her hair. Her squad hid Katsuyu under pieces of clothing.
It was a tactic the Raikage insisted on, adamant that if the enemies found out Sakura was on these small-scale missions, it'd become significantly more dangerous for all Kumo shinobi around Lightning.
For its goal, it was successful—no enemy had yet to flag her identity.
And as her successful missions in Kumo increased, so did her prestige within the camp. Even Darui dipped his head to her when she entered a room. Whispers about her combat ability trailed her heels; stories about how she could revive even the dead spread over nighttime base fires.
On this mission, however, the frayed mind she kept guarded as a closely held secret didn't stay as quiet as it needed to.
She fought a squad of three on the fringe of the battle. Despite the better portion of the past six weeks spent self-numbing with tonic, Sakura's stamina showed no decline. The enemies' cycle of attacking was realized quickly—ludicrously predictable, circling and diving like vultures. She dodged and struck out at their openings fluidly, their skill unequal to hers but their numbers dragging the fight out.
A teammate's kunai draped in lightning flew over her shoulder and thwacked into the enemy before her, landing in the center of his forehead. Lightning spread over his face and neck. His jaw snapped shut, eyes bulged—a cluster of convulsions seized his body stiff as death before he collapsed.
He hit the ground like Sai's head.
Sakura's brain exploded with repressed horror at the abrupt connection, body icing over—muscles tensed and frozen. Suddenly, she was in a damp cave, enemies all around, the rough floor splotched with puddles of her friend's blood. She was useless and still as a mannequin as hundreds of names listed off in crisp order, the walls echoing with the memory of screams.
At her feet, the dead man's body shrunk and morphed into a decapitated skull, rolling slowly over until it faced her with a smile.
Sai was smiling. Hair wet, face all crimson and purple, teeth bloody. The arteries of his neck spewed as geysers onto Sasuke's feet.
It was the first flashback of that night—the first time she could remember anything that happened in that cave.
The covenant's seal erupted like a volcano as she staggered back from the vision, eyes burning and throat closing on a scream. Sai is smiling. Sai was headless. Sai was dead—for me, mutilated, humiliated, hemorrhaging and decapitated so I can live—
Shock carved through her awareness so acutely that she momentarily forgot to maintain her summon. Katsuyu popped away, no longer supported.
"Is Haruno down?!"
The cry turned her head in time to watch as two Allies were skewered and crumbled to the earth, her healing no longer protecting them.
"Who's got eyes? Find Haruno!" came another shout over the growing clamor.
The small force of Allies was panicking. Most attack squads ran with three healers—this squad only had one.
Before her, the two enemy shinobi left shared a look, realization slowly dawning on them.
"Haruno? Sakura Haruno?" one asked as they both turned back to her. A cruel grin warped the man's expression and he raised his voice: "The battle medic is over here!"
Fuck, she cursed, wrangling her thoughts back from the panic. Casting a replacement jutsu, she rushed closer to the squad pack. It'd take at least a ten-count to resummon Katsuyu, and she wasn't sure she'd get it.
"I'm here!" she yelled as she neared the team lead. "Give me cover so I can—" She flipped up, dodging a blast of fire that would've taken her arm.
All the enemies seemed to have turned their sights on her.
"Kill Haruno first!" came an order.
Then they were flying in from all directions. She released her seal without another thought, felt the chakra of Hundred Healings lace her pathways. The seal on her neck throbbed like a forewarning.
She snatched a shuriken from the air, slashed it deep across her palm, shaved it into the ground before the wound healed, and summoned a child-sized portion of Katsuyu. Jutsu and weapons slammed into her and the slug like mosquitos. Pain flashed at each impact, a familiar ache as her body forcibly mended itself, but the sensation was one to which she'd long grown numb.
"Reattach to the Allies if you can, Lady Katsuyu! Sorry for dropping you so suddenly!"
"No problem," said the summon, sinking into the ground to find her teammates.
An instant later, a kunoichi was before her, her blade sinking into Sakura just below the breast. It pierced through her liver and exited out her back. One of her teammates swallowed the woman into a crack in the ground with an Earth Release technique and slammed it shut, crushing the kunoichi's body and silencing her second-long shriek of death. As she pulled the sword out with a single, swift tug, Sakura dodged away from the rest of the enemies.
Although Tsunade had warned against it, she pushed Hundred Healings into the summoning connection—portions of Katsuyu that'd found teammates lit up. A fallen shinobi from a minute earlier stood from the ground, a beacon of green clinging to his thigh. With so few portions, it wasn't painful at all; with her refilled chakra reserve, it barely dented her supply.
"Let's end this!" she shouted, emptying her mind of all but battle.
Two enemies were already blitzing in her direction. She shot forward at breakneck speed to meet them, too fast for shinobi of their caliber to follow. She caught one with a skull-crushing punch in the face in the span of a blink and the other with a roundhouse kick to the stomach that snapped his spine in two. The second ninja's corpse shot back through the air, flying far into the distance.
The battle hadn't lasted much longer after that. It was surprising how swiftly a fight could end when one side didn't have to worry about dodging anything that wouldn't dismember or decapitate them.
Her teammates were so amazed by her technique that her momentary blunder seemed forgotten entirely. The mission lead hadn't even reported to the Raikage that she'd let Katsuyu's summon slip, though he spent three minutes of the debrief in awe about how he'd tanked seven kunai to the back and left the battle without so much as a scratch.
The mission lead also selectively glossed over the bird that swooped down as the last enemy was slayed. It landed delicately on Sakura's shoulder and held its leg out for her expectantly. The missive in Sasuke's prim handwriting ordered her to Report Immediately.
She'd told the Raikage about the summons as soon as the lead bowed and exited. They both agreed that Sakura wouldn't Report Immediately. Many people who'd returned from other attack missions still needed her assistance—and truth be told, she was nervous about porting to Orochimaru's base without rest. Last time she'd arrived worn out and let herself sleep so long that she wound up trapped.
It was a lesson she only needed taught once.
When she bid the Raikage farewell, the sun had sunk below the far western mountains. It probably wasn't any later than seven in the evening, but the days were getting shorter.
She'd follow Sasuke's command in the morning, she decided. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the seal drummed uncomfortably on her neck, needle-like pricks spreading across her chest as if angry that she planned to disregard her pact of expeditiousness.
By the time she stepped into her tent two hours later, after stopping by the medical and food tents, the prickling was a dull pounding.
She downed a calming drought and ignored it.
The accommodation she'd accepted was on the edge of base, on the outskirts of the web of sleeping tents. It was tiny—more similar to a travel shelter than a base shelter. Inside fit a sleeping mat, a small chabudai, and space in the corner for her clothes and seals of items.
The Raikage had offered her a larger tent, one more similar to his own;
Sakura didn't need it or want it.
Empty spaces only made room for ghosts.
She left that admission quickly. The excessive amount of tonic rolling through her system kept the battlefield at bay, but it was best not to poke a sleeping bear.
The snug arrangement fit her needs just fine. Unsealing a medical book from one of her scrolls, she lit the lamp that hung from the tent's ceiling and settled at the chabudai.
Not an hour later he ducked into the tent, startling her so badly that she jumped along with her heartbeat, banging her knees into the low table. Her not-quite-there mind briefly thought she was hallucinating him standing there—dressed in all black, hooded cape concealing his identity to all but her. His head hung to avoid brushing the slope of the tent.
"Sa—Sasuke?" she stuttered, leaning back on her palms, breath wild from the jump scare. "Are you—is that you?" Are you real?—she managed not to voice.
"Don't be so loud," he chided, voice low as the lamp he skirted around. "You'll alert everyone."
The hood moved slightly, and she knew he was inspecting her small space. Then he tugged the cape off entirely, draping it over his forearm.
Her lungs hitched on an inhale—it'd been a month and a half since she'd seen Sasuke. He looked worn out in a way that sleep wouldn't cure, eyes more dull than guarded, as they typically appeared. His skin glistened with a sheen of sweat like he'd been running for some time, hair chopped shorter with a recent cut that didn't hide his Rinnegan, collarbones peeking out from the low, wide neck of his grey shirt. Long, thick fingers massaged the toned trapezius muscles lining his neck as he rolled his shoulders out.
Sakura watched him with a dry throat as if witnessing the creation of mankind. Mismatched gaze catching hers, Sasuke raised a brow in an unvoiced question.
Senses crawled back to her. "Why...what the hell are you doing here?" she whispered, stunned. "Are you crazy?"
His vision swept over the pile of clothes in the corner to her disheveled hair. She raised a self-conscious hand to smooth down the strands around her part.
"Why are you ignoring my summons?"
He said it in the same scolding, monotone voice she'd grown accustomed to, but the words seemed so childish it made her blink. "You've seriously lost your mind. You're gonna get caught—"
"Is the Eight-Tails stationed here?"
She sighed—"What's that got to do with anything?"
"If not, then no one here is skilled enough to detect me." After a pause, he added, "So long as you don't call the whole base over."
It was true that he'd expertly concealed his chakra—so much so that if Sakura weren't looking at him, she wouldn't notice his presence in the room. Her sights wandered over his figure, starved from his absence.
"What are you doing here?" she quietly asked again, his appearance calming and exciting her in the same instant.
"... You're supposed to remain on base." Voice controlled, demeanor neutral—but the air about him coiled and buzzed with tension.
The foreign chakra in her seal churned with annoyance as his gaze skimmed the sparse space in a manner she thought one might use to collect themselves. A habit she never would've attributed to the blunt War Sasuke she'd come to learn over the past few months. Then his stare fell back to her, a spark alighting within it—and she could read him like a book.
He was livid underneath all that composed posturing.
Focusing on the content of his ire, she studied him with growing suspicion. It was true that Tsunade ordered Sakura to remain on base. But as the Hokage said before—she could do anything she damn well pleased when it came to medical. The Raikage seemed to agree since he hadn't hesitated in granting her request to enter field medical.
Not even the Hokage's word bound her anymore.
But Sasuke shouldn't know about the Hokage's word in the first place.
"How do you know my orders?"
"Why did you release your seal?"
"...How do you know that?" she wondered, her brow creasing.
"I told you." He held out his hand, wrist up, revealing the seal. "It alerts me when you're in trouble."
It must've signaled when the byakugou flooded her pathways. She stowed away that discovery for later.
"There was a fight. As you can see," she motioned across her sitting body with a flick of a hand, "I'm fine. Now go back to your base before you're caught here... I'll come in the morning."
His expression was inscrutable; his right eye flashed red. Then, suddenly—
"How's your mind?"
Sakura scowled. "Don't scan me like that. I'm fine enough to continue being the contact, Sasuke, so stop worrying. By the way, why hasn't there been any new intelligence?"
"Madara's investigating the depth of the information leaks. He'll finish soon. Until then, there probably won't be any attacks."
"Mm... Is that why you haven't summoned me?"
Glancing at her sleeping mat, he hummed out a long—"Aa," body so unnaturally rigid he might as well have been fidgeting.
"Just sit down," she said, pointing at the mat. "You're making me nervous, hovering like that. You can sit there—as many times as I've sat on yours, I think it'll be okay."
Warmth pulsed across the seal. She saw how the suggestion tumbled through his mind behind his gaze—was certain he'd deny her and leave—
Then he sighed and flopped into a sitting position as if he surprised his own body into the action.
Her seal hummed with pleasure—she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. Sasuke's leg stretched out and nearly touched her thigh; the other bent up under an arm. He regarded her blankly before turning away with another exasperated sigh.
"Stop grinning like that. You look insane."
Peering down at the book on the table, she sucked her cheeks in to erase the turn of her mouth.
"...I shouldn't be here," he mumbled.
"Mm… So, is this the seal's work again?"
She felt his glare in response to her gall. "Yes."
"What's it feel like for you?"
"What's yours feel like?"
She peeked at him sideways. "I could tell you, but I think you don't really want to know. I think you just don't want to answer me."
"Why would I ask a question I don't want to know?"
"Fine, then I'll tell you." But she didn't. The next words caught in her throat, heat blooming across her cheeks.
"...Okay?" he goaded, humor catching on the end. "Then tell me."
"Fine. Okay." She took a breath of confidence.
What did it matter if she admitted it? They'd already kissed. Sasuke had already comforted her. The man was literally sitting here in a base where he was considered an enemy—with her, someone he'd thought of for years should be, at best, excommunicated or, at worst, murdered. If he hadn't left yet, her words wouldn't likely scare him off. So what would this admission change that hadn't already been altered?
...She nodded at the ground, at the short distance between them. "It feels like it wants me to close this gap."
He smirked so fast she thought she might've imagined it. "That's not your seal."
Blushing hot, her eyes fell back to the book with a frown. It was genin Sasuke, out to play—the one she'd fallen in love with ages ago. One she knew well, missed all the time, still wished to save.
It wasn't fair of him at all. He should do something about the seal's effect on him—she had such little handle over his effect on her when he let this side of him sneak out.
"What are you doing here, Sasuke? Seriously..."
"Just be quiet about it," he commanded as if he was already busy mulling over the same question. "If you want."
Sakura resumed reading. His presence was, admittedly, comforting in a way that made her feel safe. The hush of the tent was restful—reminding her of the hushed times she'd spent with him when he was masked, when there hadn't been any expectation beyond that they both hoped to end the war. Except that now, his gaze was balmy against her profile, and the room they shared was much less forgiving than his spacious, barren bedroom.
"Do you want something to read? I have a genjutsu scroll that might be new for you," she finally asked, unable to bear his silent examination any longer.
She reached for the scroll before he hummed his affirmation. He caught it when she tossed it to him, rolling it open gently.
Everything about this situation was overwhelmingly domestic. His sudden appearance screamed protective. Even now, when he was free to leave any time, his body appeared poised to remain in this tent until she kicked it out.
It was completely unlike him—something she'd never guess in a million years if someone had asked her about this moment only a short time ago. As if his decisions were driven by nothing more than instinctual emotion, seeming to stupefy even his own right mind.
Perhaps his seal hadn't been pleased with the long separation, either.
There was no harm in pushing her luck now, she thought. If it ended poorly, she'd still port to Orochimaru's lab and see him in the morning.
"Can I move closer, Sasuke?" she quickly queried before her gut gave out.
"No."
"I won't try anything. Promise." What would give him a reason to agree? "Physical touch helps my mind stay grounded. It's hard for me to sit in silence too long..." He dissected her from behind the scroll, eyes narrowing in distrust. She kept poker-faced, weathering it. "We don't have to touch, proximity is enough. I'll just sit there—nothing funny."
His sights fell back to the scroll. The hand his seal was on twitched against the parchment.
"...Fine."
Her heart skipped a beat. Before he could change his mind, she steeled herself, crawled to his side on the sleeping mat, and sat beside him with the book in her lap. Their arms were a hair's width apart, the heat of his body pressed into her side.
"That's close enough," he warned.
She felt emboldened by this small victory. "Okay. So—why'd you offer to turn on Madara?"
He scoffed. "This wasn't an invitation to gather, and that's none of your business."
"Alright... Then what are your plans after the war?"
Now scowling, he murmured, "You said you'd just sit here, not sit here and babble."
With a roll of her eyes, she ignored how her chest tightened at his barb. "So you came all this way to be rude when I'm trying to have a conversation? What's the point."
"I came to check on—" His mouth snapped shut. Grimacing at the scroll in his hands, he tried again: "I wouldn't have to be rude if you'd just be quiet like I said."
Sakura grinned, not having missed his near-admission. "You know, Sasuke, it's much easier when you're honest."
"That isn't honesty. That's just the seal."
"Well," she turned a page in the book, "it's honest enough in the moment, isn't it? And whether it's the seal or not doesn't matter to me. Even if the seal brought you, it's still you sitting here. Not some intangible seal." She wanted to kiss him, she realized with a start. She wanted to kiss him, forget everything happening outside this tent, and care only about this man by her side. That he'd come here of his own accord and hadn't left meant at least some part of him probably wanted the same thing—right? "So regardless of the reason, the outcome is one I wanted."
When she shifted to gauge the impact of her words on him, he was staring down at the dojutsu scroll, irises unmoving, clearly focused on trying to look like he was reading.
Fuck it, Sakura thought, setting her book on the ground, seal throbbing on her neck. What was the worst thing that could happen—he'd leave? She reached for him, intent on kissing him in the real world—wanting to know if he was just as untamable as he'd been in the genjutsu. She lifted herself and moved to press against him—
Twisting his body faster than she could follow, he had her pinned down by the shoulders into the sleeping mat in the next breath. Just like when he'd calmed her out of a panic attack. Only now, he sat straight up—chest leaned as far back as he could manage while tacking her down.
"You said you wouldn't try anything funny," he snapped, lips curled in annoyance. But his eye was red again—and it was all she needed to see to know.
It was too late for him.
"Embracing isn't funny," she said with a smirk. "It's a natural human response to stress."
Which was honest enough; most of the older shinobi seemed to go at it like rabbits in between battles, uncaring about where it happened or who heard them.
"This is what I meant when I said you'd take things beyond reality. You're just a contact, I'm a source. We're nothing beyond that. Why do you keep making this more difficult for yourself?"
"It's not difficult for me at all. I just want a bit of comfort from the man who came to me at night for no reason." Kiss me, she funneled into the seal and smiled when he glared at her for it. "What's wrong with wanting to feel good amidst all this hell? Surely you've wanted some kind of release at some point, too? So don't be such a stiff, Sasuke. We're both consenting adults. You didn't seem too opposed to this kind of thing when you came onto me in your genjutsu. You're here to see me, right? So see me. I want you to."
"That time, your little trick forced—"
In a burst of chakra, she thrust herself up from the ground and wrapped her arms around his neck. In the end, she could overpower Sasuke in a battle of strength. She'd only humored him in letting herself remain pinned.
And he was only lying to himself, pretending he wasn't thinking the same things. After all—if she was wrong, all he needed to do was leave the tent.
Sakura brushed her lips to his as he'd done to her. "Pretend it's the seal. I don't care." Then she smoothed a chaste kiss over his mouth and watched how his eyes darkened, shocked that he wasn't resisting even a little anymore.
Sprinkling pecks across his cheek, she dipped down his jaw to the side of his neck. Sucked lightly on the skin there, salty and warm; a distraction as she shifted her legs up to straddle him. Shut her mind off to any thought except gaining whatever ground Sasuke would give up.
As soon as she settled into his lap, she grinned against his Adam's apple with flourishing confidence. "You can pretend all you want, but you can't lie about that."
Finally responding, his left hand fitted around her side, tugging her hip gently toward him before his grip loosened. His fingertips snuck under the hem of her shirt. They skimmed across the bare skin of her back like a sinful promise. She shivered, drawing back to look at him. Leaning on his other arm, head tilting lightly on his shoulder, Sasuke observed her with mismatched bloodline limits—face flat as an Earth Country field.
But her seal was an inferno demanding release.
One of her arms snaked around his shoulder, her fingers on the nape of his neck. Her other hand grasped at the arm holding her in place atop him. There was no mistaking the hardness settled firmly on her womanhood—this man might've seemed uncaring under her scrutiny, yet he was undeniably excited under her touch.
Sakura stared at him in quiet rapture—as if he might vanish if she wasn't careful—might run if she moved too fast. To ensure his presence beneath her wasn't an apparition conjured by the solitude of this unfamiliar tent in an unfamiliar land.
He was all toned muscle, flushed between her legs. But also warm and inviting, shoulders open to her, dojutsu the world had come to fear capturing her in place.
"Well?" he asked, pinky pushing under the waistband of her pants on her back. He smirked, dark and dangerous, when her body shuddered in response to so little. "All that talk and here you sit. What was it you wanted me to see?"
Gods, he was beautiful. Suddenly shy under his attention, her fingers tightened around his arm as lust flushed in her belly and settled in the space against his erection. He tugged her hip encouragingly towards him a second time, her body frozen yet enflamed by the sudden change in his behavior.
Chuckling faintly when she remained still, he challenged, "Who's the stiff, Sakura?"
Sasuke pulled her with more force and held her there, her pelvis pressing into the firm plane of his lower stomach, the pressure sending a wave of pleasure over her body. He seemed to want her to continue leading. Tomoe languidly spun with expectation. His rigid member twitched against her.
But he wasn't taking control. As if this were a test to determine how badly Sakura wanted him—how brave she had become.
His feelings and intentions remained unclear. Even her own were murky—did she genuinely love this man, or was she experiencing lingering attachments to the person he used to be? Was this longing her own or the seal's? Was it a mission or something to hold for herself? Did she want his affection or was she seeking its comfort?
Would they regret acting on these vague emotions?
Would she?
It was already too late for her, though.
Sakura leaned forward and kissed him again. He watched her approach like a venus trap luring a fly. Her mouth moved on his slowly this time; her eyes fluttered shut. Her breasts flushed against his chest, body stretching the size of him. The hand gripping his arm skimmed its length, sliding up to join the other in the hair at the nape of his neck.
Sasuke tilted his head and answered, his kiss matching her speed. His movements held no rush—no rough anger or unhinged confusion. Lips soft and warm, he sucked her bottom one between them and ran his tongue across it.
The kind of kiss they might've shared if history never drove Sasuke from their home—one that could've always been in peace and time.
A breath she'd been holding for years shuddered out of her. Fingers flinched on her hip as his teeth nipped at the lip he suckled on.
And that was the end of Sasuke's patience. Suddenly he was kissing her harder, deeper, with a fervor she'd never seen from him. A taste of something she'd never grow tired of—so bottomless she felt it root in her soul. His mouth slanted over hers, their tongues meeting in the middle before he pushed his into her mouth with dominance.
Her lungs turned ragged, and she was lost to him. His left hand moved deftly to her front, gliding up her stomach in unhurried contrast to his demanding mouth, pooling heat in her core with every centimeter he gained. Up, up—until his fingertips ghosted the underside of her breast beneath the wrappings and she gasped, thighs clenching on his hips, hands fisting in his hair.
He hissed, drawing out of the kiss from the unexpected pain. Tomoe spinning quicker now, his lips bright and wet, parted with a heavy breath. They gazed at each other. His fingers danced along the edge of her hardened peak; hers moved to cup both sides of his face. The seal pulsed with the strength of a dying star, enough to make her toes curl.
She wanted him—wanted him more than anything.
And she admitted belatedly that her emotions weren't uncertain in the slightest. What possessed her earlier thinking she wasn't utterly besotted with Sasuke Uchiha? This had never been for the mission or some residual childhood dream. It wasn't the seal—and she'd lied when she told him she didn't care if it was because of the seal on his part.
She wanted him to want her, too.
"Is it just the seal?"
Searching his sharingan, Sakura saw how his mind picked apart the question. Watched him register what she was asking—knew what he would say before he said it when he blinked and his eye was onyx again.
His hand withdrew from under her shirt to rest lightly on her thigh by his hip. "Yes."
Her hands dropped to his chest, gaze falling with them. She willed herself not to cry, though her heart squeezed like the wringing of a soaked towel.
He was right—he was always right. Why make this situation so much harder for herself? She was the only one with honest feelings. She was the only one who'd wind up hurt when...whatever this was ended. How many times did Sasuke need to remind her that his affection wasn't genuine? In how many different ways would he need to show it until she understood?
He was a man under a pact of devotion—of course he'd respond to her advances. It didn't mean he enjoyed it. It didn't mean that he loved her. A trick, he'd called it. He considered these exchanges something she'd tricked him into—forced upon him.
But wasn't he right about that too? Sakura gulped on the lump rising in her throat—hadn't she desperately used the seal on him in Madara's base? Deep down in the confines of that enemy cave, it'd been her intention then to complete Tsunade's mission. The motives weren't pure. Without the seal, it wouldn't have happened—wouldn't have been possible without a genjutsu she was otherwise impervious to.
Her eyes burned, nose suddenly stuffy. Don't cry, she warned herself. Absolutely don't cry when this is your own doing, Sakura Haruno.
Sasuke's study was heavy on her dipped head, and though she was sure he knew her thoughts, he didn't push her off his lap. It was almost crueler that he didn't. It'd be easier if he resisted the seal a bit better—if she could resist him a bit better.
When she thought her voice wouldn't waver, she finally managed, "Do you still want me to report tomorrow?"
She felt him shrug. "You can."
"Is there a reason I need to?" Sakura peeked from under her lashes.
"Hmm." After a pause, he lifted his left hand and knocked her forehead softly with the backside of his middle knuckle. Her mind reeled at the strange action—then he shifted in a clear indication that he meant to stand. Falling sideways to sit on the mat, her thoughts processed too sluggish to be graceful about it. "I did agree to train if you found out about the seal."
Sasuke lifted himself from the floor and reached for the discarded cloak piled by the tent's opening, pulling it on.
"So, come in the morning." The seal buzzed—"If you want," he added over his shoulder, opening the burlap flap and jumping away.
.
thanks to Leechdog, aka Leech aka this story's beta-reader as always!
have a great week, everyone.