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Covenant
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Synopsis: In a harmonious world, who takes the blame?
What sins are punished and who decides?
Does vengeance leave with the last of its enemies?
As society rebuilds itself, Sakura learns some things can't be restored.
Not all beginnings start anew—not every ending brings closure.
And sometimes, peace isn't always that peaceful.
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Part Three: Prologue
The air in her lungs crunched like the leaves under his heel.
Is he leaving without me? Her wide stare trailed his departing figure.
Would he really leave her after all of this? After everything they went through? Everything they'd shared, and lost, and given up? When she'd come prepared this time, ready and with conviction?
What more did he want from her? What more could she possibly hope to give this man that wasn't already his to take? Why wasn't he saying anything?
His footfalls were steady and quieting with distance.
He was leaving. He was leaving just like when they were children. Had nothing changed between them?
…Didn't he love her? Wasn't she his peace, his warmth, his safety?
Wasn't she his home?
She felt the prick of tears and the fight in her chest; she turned to beg him—
3:1. A Refusal
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DURING THESE five months apart, Sakura had prepared herself for Sasuke's return. Steeled her nerves and strengthened the walls around her heart for the inevitable relapse into detached cruelty he would surely tumble back into. Buried herself so far in managing the hospital, and patients, and grief, and rage, and thirst that Sasuke became an after-thought.
It was second nature now.
Something that came to her in the dead of night when sleep wouldn't. Something that tasted sweet but settled sour the longer she dwelled on it.
But she hadn't prepared for his arrest. Hadn't considered even the possibility of it.
Frustrated, she tried one last time to get through to him. Sasuke… Really?
The thought bounced back at her, unheard. Ignored. As it had from the moment ANBU took him. And all night…and earlier this morning.
Sakura couldn't process how to feel about this unexpected situation. She wasn't sure how she ought to feel about it, either.
After everything in Madara's bases, they should've been far past… This.
She'd suspected Sasuke would try regressing their connection into casual acquaintances when he came back. That was simply his nature. More strange would've been anything loving, or friendly, or normal. From him, at least. Yet not even the most extreme scenarios she mentally gamed out had anticipated this deafening silence on the other end of the seal.
More of his usual aloofness, sure. Some denial of what they'd shared in those eight nightmarish months together—she expected it.
Silence, though…?
Their relationship in peacetime Konoha could never be what it was during the war. Sakura understood that. Of course she understood that.
She knew returned Sasuke wouldn't be that subtly caring man who held her at night, the dangerously violent man who warded off anyone unknown, or the masked man who spoke callously to shield her.
Madara was dead now.
So Sasuke no longer had to play those roles, nor did she have to play along with him.
And both those changes were good. They were great. She didn't want that twisted dependency to define them forever. She'd thought, together in Konoha, they could become something different. He could become something different. Something better.
This, though, whatever this could be called, was none of that.
Less than three seconds after she knocked, the door creaked open. Sensei's head peered around its edge as if he didn't already know who stood on the other side.
"Ah—good morning, Sakura. Welcome. You look lovely as always."
"Save it. What's going on with Sasuke?"
Widening the gap for her to enter, the Hokage turned and strolled back to his desk. "First, let's sit down, and then—"
"No. No sit down and then," Sakura simmered, glaring at him as she closed the door. Kakashi fell into his chair with a sigh—dramatically, as if he hoped the ploy might sate some of her wrath. Her eyes narrowed at the antic. "You made me wait long enough. Explain this. I deserve that much, don't you think?"
"Don't say it like that. You know you deserve the world."
"I said save it. Are you going to answer or not?"
Anger coiled in her gut, a snake readying to strike.
While born with a hot temper, her control over it greatly deteriorated after the war. In this moment, Sakura felt as close to losing it as she could handle. She barely restrained herself from running to the dungeons to free Sasuke when he disappeared—had no clue where the willpower came from not to go to him all night.
If the Hokage were anyone but her sensei, she surely would've. Only her respect for Kakashi brought her into this room without taking any action first. When he pleaded with her last night to calm down before their discussion, and suggested they talk about it in the morning, she'd even given into him.
By now, she had waited half a day. Been more than patient. Her fuse wouldn't last if he planned to stall any longer.
"Yes, yes, you're right. But sit. Please." He motioned at the chair across from him. As she stiffly obeyed, Kakashi leaned back and studied her rigid posture. "Where should I start?"
"Where ever this bullshit began. I can't believe this is happening right now, sensei. How long do you plan to keep Sasuke locked up? When were the indictments issued? And why didn't you tell me about them?!" Her voice rose on each sentence. "Who even brought it to a vote? The Allies agreed to fully pardon his crimes! You know that, so how—"
"Alright, one at a time," he interrupted. "As for Konoha's indictments, they were issued when you were still recovering in the hospital. Only those in the Council heard or knew of the matter. After the meeting, everything involving the charges was sealed from the general public, and everyone present swore to silence until his arrest."
"Who did know?"
"Myself, the Council of Twelve… Sasuke was made aware in the following weeks."
Betrayal shot through her veins. "So you and Shikamaru hid this for months."
"There was a pact of silence, Sakura. It might look that way, but I didn't want to hide it. Shikamaru didn't either." Kakashi rubbed his temple. "These new positions we hold come with rules. Before I'm your sensei, I must first be the Hokage."
The distinction crashed upon her like a tidal wave.
Even early in the war, all those in Konoha Division knew Kakashi would hold the next Hokage position until Naruto matured. Such contingency plans were necessary then. Kiri Division suffered for having no succession laid out; Suna would've, too, had Gaara fallen. And Kakashi was undoubtedly Kage-level in power and skill. No one disputed that, so no one objected.
But Sakura had wondered whether her sensei was fit for it.
He was terrible at paperwork and the mundane. Useless at keeping things from her and Naruto once they got to badgering. He struggled with decisions that affected or harmed his precious few. His time management was abysmal; his goodwill was easily tugged out; he read porn in the middle of the street, for God's sake.
Before he took the mantle, Sakura could've listed tens of reasons Kakashi the shinobi was perfect for Hokage, but Kakashi the man might struggle. Yet, most of the characteristics she worried made him unfit were the ones she loved about her sensei. They were all things that made him him. The very same things that made her hate him right now—for not bending to them like she expected.
It seemed her old concerns were dust in the wind now.
This man before her was the Hokage, through and through. Gone was the sensei she once knew.
"...How did the other Kage find out to issue more charges if there was some alleged pact?"
"The Kage were exceptions to it."
"Sure. Convenient. And who voted in favor of it? Did you?" Kakashi solemnly shook his head at her insinuation. Unsure if she believed him, she pressed, "If not you, then who?"
He drummed his fingers on the table. "All five civilian seats voted to indict him. Of the permanent members, only the Nara, Inuzuka, and Sarutobi clans voted against it. I didn't get a vote since I can only step in on domestic affairs when there's a tie."
"What about the Kage? Why were Konoha's domestic affairs brought up in a Kage Summit?"
"The Alliance Charter requires that all Kage inform the other four of any shinobi charged domestically with war crimes. If it's a serious offender, the Kage vote on whether to additionally indict them in the International Tribunal. It's a mandate…not my personal doing."
His words weren't enough. Not when Sasuke was sitting in a dungeon a mile beneath them. Not when she'd watched Kakashi give the command to take him there.
"Did you vote to charge him at the Summit?"
"Of course not. I did all I could to stop this. Truly."
She didn't believe him.
He was the Hokage—the ultimate authority in Konoha. Nothing happened here without his consent. Even the Council couldn't move forward unanimously without the Hokage allowing it. Sakura knew he didn't have to wait for a tie to step in; Kakashi permitted the Council to decide things without his final word.
The Konoha charges only existed because the Hokage didn't strike them down. Had they never arisen, the Kage would've never gotten the opportunity to renege.
In reality, it didn't appear Kakashi had done anything to stop this.
"Right," she spat. "What about the other Kage?"
"Only Gaara sided with me."
Outraged, she jumped to her feet. "And what of the agreement?! Does the Allies' word mean nothing? We accepted Orochimaru's terms! Sasuke risked his life for our victory. How can they betray him like this?!"
"I made the same argument. Give me some time and I'll be able to explain it," Kakashi conceded. "But know that I agree with everything you've said."
"How much more time could you possibly need?! You've had five months!"
"Only a few more days. Just to get some things straightened out and some people called back to town."
"What could be straightened in days that couldn't be done already?"
"...I'm sorry, Sakura." He sounded sincere.
But it wasn't an answer.
The abrupt realization that she wasn't getting anything from this conversation laced her veins with anxiety. Turning on her heel, she paced across his office, glaring at the floor.
"So what can you tell me? You won't tell me about the Council discussions. It doesn't seem like you want to tell me what happened in the Kage meeting." If the Hokage was against disclosing information on the legal issues, Sakura wouldn't get anywhere by pushing it. She needed a topic he was willing to talk about first. To weaken his defense. "Why did he stab you? What did you do? Can you tell me that?"
Kakashi released a surprised chuckle. "That hurts, actually. I was the victim of a violent attack, but the first thing you wonder is what I did."
"You accepted it. You even held off the ANBU. You must've done something."
"That's a good deduction."
"So you did do something," she prompted, feet stilling before his desk.
"I didn't say that." Rotating his chair sideways, his gaze slid to the windows. Out across the rooftops alight with the early-morning sun. "If I'd fought back at the gates, the guards would've joined in. They might've gotten themselves killed. We'd have nine more deaths on his head to contend with then, or nine unprovoked attacks on the lives of Konoha shinobi at the least. I couldn't be sure which side you'd fight for, either." Considering she'd attacked those holding Sasuke down, Kakashi was probably generous with that evaluation. "In light of all that, appeasing him was the best way to diffuse the situation."
"He said he told you he'd kill you. That makes it sound like you two discussed it before."
The Hokage waved the accusation away. "He's told me that many times."
"So you're saying you've no clue why Sasuke shoved a sword through your chest this particular time…?"
"Who knows what that boy's thinking?" Shrugging, Kakashi rotated to face her. "He's always been a bit off, no?"
That carefully blank expression, so unnatural on his usually open face, set her intuition on alert. Sent her mind skittering down paths better left closed.
He was keeping something from her. He was hiding something from her.
Things weren't supposed to be like this. Weren't supposed to feel like this. Coming home was supposed to fix everything. The loved ones she had left would find peace. Her relationships would settle back into normalcy. Everyone would be normal again. They'd be happy, and carefree, and okay.
The peacetime they got wasn't the normal she remembered, though.
Ino barely left the flower shop. Naruto's smile was hollow and guarded. Shikamaru wouldn't talk about anything except the Council or reconstruction.
And Kakashi felt more distant than he'd ever been. Some faraway thing anyone could touch but none could hold on to.
Although she'd grown accustomed to that feeling with…the Fifth Hokage, this was different. Her relationship with—the previous Hokage had started at that point. It was a new, strange, unwelcome dynamic with her sensei.
She hated all these changes between them. Hated all the changes around them. Hated all the changes within them. Hated that all she could do was release this helpless confusion onto a man shouldering a responsibility he never wanted in the first place.
Just like that—her anger drained out, leaving her tired and empty again.
She was only here looking for an explanation because the one charged wouldn't reply.
Kakashi wasn't the person who deserved her frustration. He hadn't once turned her away or locked her out. And while it hurt that he'd done it, his reasons for keeping all this from her were sound.
He was still lying, though.
"...You're not telling the truth."
As if sensing the change in her mood, Kakashi stood and made his way around the desk. "Sakura. You know you're my favorite student."
"But?"
"No buts." Laying a warm hand on her shoulder, he affirmed, "You've always been my favorite."
"But you won't tell me what you're hiding," Sakura concluded. She stared at the silver buttons on his vest to avoid his gaze.
Until when would she be the last to know things? How long did she need to prove herself before becoming more than an afterthought? Everyone around her was always playing some game she didn't know the rules of.
No matter how much authority she commanded, or respect she amassed, it never seemed to count for anything.
"I've already told you more than a Hokage's permitted to. Cut your dear sensei some slack. I wasn't expecting his return—I need time to get a few ducks in a row. I can share more in a few days." He patted her twice. "Why not take today off? I'll vouch for your time personally. We could go get lunch together later."
She ignored his attempt to change the subject. "Sasuke will not sit in that prison forever, Kakashi… And he won't be sentenced to death."
"I hope so, too." The Hokage's visible eye crinkled in what was either a smile or a grimace.
"Then you'll do everything in your power to help get him out of this." When Kakashi didn't immediately agree, she prodded, "Right?"
"I'll do what I can."
Scoffing, she batted his arm away. There were many changes in Kakashi—but, of all it could've been, this one insufferable characteristic remained. Sakura stalked towards the exit, intent on leaving before anger swamped back in and she said something she'd regret.
"Try doing more than just what you can for once, sensei," she said, slamming the door behind her.
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With his return came the whispers. An inevitability, she supposed.
Although Kakashi had wanted to keep the last Uchiha's presence a secret, the commotion he'd made at the city gates made that impossible. It only took one non-Classed pair of eyes for a rumor of this magnitude to leak. Even the strictest of gag orders wouldn't have stopped the news from spreading once Naruto heard about it, however.
Sakura had never seen Naruto as livid as he was in the Hokage's office the day he returned from his mission. She nearly had to step in to save Kakashi, despite fully agreeing with Naruto…and secretly wishing to give their sensei a good punch herself.
It hadn't come to blows. But the moment Naruto left the Hokage Tower, his campaign to save their teammate began—and everyone in town who didn't know before soon learned.
Sasuke Uchiha was back in Konoha.
He was imprisoned in the dungeons of Hokage Tower.
Next month, before the newly-formed Konoha Council of Twelve, he would stand trial for his war crimes. He'd face the five Kage in the International Tribunal next.
Those sorts of whispers she could stand. The facts, without malice or embellishment. And those were the sort that most people didn't mind saying loud enough for her to hear.
It was the darker rumors that had her blood boiling and teeth snapping at strangers on the street.
Outrageous things—how he'd come back to usurp the Hokage and failed. How madness took him with the passing of his last family member. How his five-month absence was spent nursing some mysterious, grotesque injury that left him useless as a shinobi.
How the world was very near to never suffering any Uchiha ever again.
They called him a monster. A psychopath. Warmonger, murderer, evil. People who owed their victory—their lives—to his covert war efforts sought to vilify him without bothering to learn the truth. Civilians and shinobi alike.
The trial was weeks away, yet the whole city seemed to have already decided his guilt.
That Sasuke never once tried arguing his innocence or improving his image with the public didn't help. He'd immediately fired the lawyer she and Naruto hired for him, refused all questioning, and turned away most visitors—except the Hokage, who he couldn't refuse, and Naruto, who the guards couldn't refuse.
But through trial and failure, Sakura learned that access to him was wholly inequitable.
Because unlike her sensei and teammate, she couldn't visit without his consent. Couldn't even get past the inner dungeon doors if he blacklisted her, which he was.
And today was no different.
The two ANBU guards glanced at one another as she approached. Neither looked familiar—as expected.
Guard duty fell upon the newer, low-ranked recruits now that the world was peaceful again. With Madara's fall, the chances of an attempted prison break were unlikely. And regardless of their strength, there was minimal danger of any prisoner escape since all inside were suppressed to some degree.
So the fresh bloods were back to manning the boring assignments. As such, Sakura didn't recognize either guard's mask.
Their anonymity meant she had no favors to draw on. The low ranks left them too fearful to disobey their direct superior's orders for anyone except the jinchuriki. It made things aggravatingly tricky.
With a casual wave, she greeted them. "Good evening."
Both bowed. "Haruno."
Guards from previous days must've warned them that she'd come; as they straightened, one of the ANBU stepped forward.
"No one's allowed into the cells without permission." He cleared his throat, adding a faint, "...Sorry."
The answer every guard gave, every time.
Sakura sneered, bearing down on her quickly-brewing vexation. Honey caught more bees in these situations…though her patience wore thin after repeatedly ramming against this same bulwark.
"Since when does a Konoha commander need permission from a prisoner to see them?"
"Ah... Well… It's the orders we were given. Please understand."
Brow raised, she crossed her arms. "Do those orders make any sense to you?"
The two guards peeked at each other again.
"Sorry, commander," the one repeated, head lowered.
"Would you jump off a bridge if ordered, too?"
Neither ANBU dared answer that. Probably because the answer was Yes, and they'd merely piss her off further by admitting it aloud. Sakura stared their muteness down, face stony.
Almost two weeks.
Almost two weeks he'd been here. Every day for almost two weeks, she tried to see Sasuke. Tried to talk these low-rank annoyances into looking the other way.
She'd tried convincing Kakashi to grant her entry. Sasuke has so little agency right now, Sakura, the Hokage had argued. He asked nicely for the right to accept visitors, and I granted it. I'm helping him in my own way like this. Didn't you demand I do as much?
Tried persuading Naruto to let her tag along with him. Give it some time… I've told him to stop being such a bastard. But if he doesn't want to see you yet, it might not be good to force it… Not with his trial so soon, her teammate had cautiously advised.
Tried pleading with Sasuke through their seal to permit her past these doors. Total silence met those efforts.
Sakura blamed it on his pride the first couple of days. After a few more passed, she thought perhaps it was embarrassment or shame. She'd even briefly considered the possibility that he was feeling shy—until almost two weeks elapsed with no change.
It was appallingly clear to everyone who knew about her daily unsuccessful treks down to the dungeons by now. Sasuke Uchiha did not want to see Sakura Haruno.
And neither Kakashi nor Naruto was taking her side in the wordless conflict.
Naruto's reasoning for it was acceptable. She didn't like it, but she could accept it.
He'd argued that he had no real authority in this matter either. Which was true—no one but Kakashi could do anything about it. Plus, Naruto worried they'd turn him away if he tried anything more. Thought that once he lost his in, it might be gone for good.
It made sense.
And no matter how much she wanted to see Sasuke, she wouldn't risk Naruto's access to him for it. Naruto was Sasuke's only consistent visitor. Both she and Naruto agreed Sasuke needed that support, whether he wanted it or not. Now more than ever.
On the other hand, she wasn't speaking to Kakashi. Not since the first time she'd asked for his assistance he'd shot it down. When he was the only one in a position to truly help, there wasn't a single reason the Hokage might conjure up that she'd believe or welcome for why he couldn't.
Sakura was alone in this battle of wills between her and Sasuke.
Right now, only these guards stood in her way.
Glaring at the masked men, she debated whether having it out with them here would make her feel better than walking away. The two ANBU shifted on their feet, clearly unsettled by her sharp gaze. They had no hope of stopping her if she set her mind to getting through them.
In the immediacy, that was the easiest way—simply going through them. Tossing them aside and punching down the door. She'd get a few minutes to yell at Sasuke before reinforcements arrived, and unless Naruto or the Hokage came, she could best any shinobi sent to drag her out.
She weighed the options.
Then, with a sigh, Sakura turned on her heel and stomped back up the stone stairs.
What am I even doing? She looked like a fool. And if she attacked fellow Konoha shinobi over Sasuke for a second time, after deliberating over it, she'd look even worse than a fool. She couldn't imagine what the ANBU circles whispered about her these days.
Why did she keep coming down here when Sasuke obviously didn't care about speaking to her? When he demonstratively didn't want to?
Blocking the seal's connection with such strength required focus, and Sakura heard exactly what Sasuke was saying in his silence. Forced to be hyper-vigilant of him, his words, his every whim and mood for eight months—it wasn't hard for her to glean such transparent intentions now.
He meant to ice her out completely. Wanted her to know it, too.
The audacity of his shunning filled her with such rage that she'd taken to training in the outer grounds most evenings. Pummeling things into destruction at night was the only thing that kept her resentment from unleashing on everyone around her during the day.
She didn't understand why he refused to see her or what she'd done to warrant this treatment.
She didn't understand herself, either. Who else in the whole world would continuously try reaching someone in the face of such blatant, relentless insult?
And no matter what mental acrobats her subconscious persistently performed in his defense—this was an insult. Sasuke wanted to sever their bond. Again. After two years of being sealed to one another. After months of keeping the other alive and seeing the absolute worst of each other. Months of sleeping in the same bed and giving herself to him. Of feeling his skin, and learning his secrets, and looking behind his walls.
Anyone else would have given this up. Maybe she should've, too.
Cold evening air smacked against her as she shoved open the door at the top of the stairs. She would've shouted at the sky if people weren't still milling about the streets.
Fuck you too, Sasuke! she shouted instead. Like always, it merely rebounded back.
Seething, Sakura flash-stepped to a training ground she'd yet to wreck.
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"I'm not going today."
"Good. You shouldn't."
"You think?" Sakura rested her head on the doorframe. "But if I don't try, I'll never see him."
Ino muttered something under her breath. "...Well, if you want to go, then go."
"You're not being helpful, Pig."
"Look, Sakura." Setting the watering can down, Ino straightened and rounded on her. "I love you. But this topic… It'd be better if you talked to Naruto about it. I don't know what you want to hear, but I—" Her mouth pursed. "I have nothing nice to say about…him."
Sakura blinked, pushing off the wall and approaching her friend. She should have, but she hadn't realized how insensitive mentioning this to Ino was. Naruto went down to the dungeons earlier and she'd come here to vent.
It was the first time she'd expressed her frustrations over this to anyone outside her sensei or teammate.
But Ino was right. Ino, of anyone, wasn't the right person to shoulder Sakura's Sasuke Problem, even if she was her closest and longest friend. And Sakura, of anyone, should've known that.
She grabbed Ino's hand. "I'm an idiot. I'm sorry. I won't bring it up again."
With the grace of an angel, Ino squeezed her fingers forgivingly.
They still hadn't talked about what happened on Madara's bases. This exchange was as close as they'd come to breaching it, and Ino clearly wasn't ready to go further. Maybe she'd never go any further… Not with Sakura, at least.
Maybe the two of them would never be able to cross that bridge together. Maybe Ino needed someone who hadn't been there—who hadn't seen.
Maybe Ino could only confide in someone who hadn't been the cause.
Resuming her work, Ino watered the various flowers in the shop. Snipped leaves, and thorns, and too-long stems. Shifted the arrangements that had fallen out of place. Moved big bushels here and there.
Sakura leaned on the front counter and watched Ino busy about with only partial attention, mind still latched onto the untouched conversation.
She wasn't entirely sure if talking about their confinement would do her any good, either.
Guilt still gutted her when she saw Ino unexpectedly in town or glimpsed her changing flowers at the war memorial. If Sakura wasn't careful, Ino's screams would haunt her in cold rooms and at tables made to seat four. Those nightmares left her retching her insides into the toilet some mornings—scenes of pale, purple skin, of a crying girl bent over, held down, of dead blue eyes and invisible injuries and—
...Sakura didn't know if hearing more details about Ino's trauma would help her own trauma or make it worse. Probably the latter, if she were honest.
Five months later and sleeping remained elusive. Doors opening too forcefully made her jump out of her skin. Sighting random men with long, dark hair in the street had her hands going numb. ANBU masks hiding so deep in the shadows that their white looked black sent cold dread down her spine. She still battled panic attacks when patients came into the hospital drenched in too much blood.
Living almost half a year this way had felt like a lifetime. She had to constantly stay guarded, every second of every day. Someone, or something—a smell, a color, a sound—was always right there. Ready and waiting to drive her over the edge.
How much time did wounds like these take to heal? Would they ever?
What if they merely scabbed into scars she had to live with forever?
What if they already were?
"I was subpoenaed for his trial, by the way," Ino said, startling her out of her sinking. "It was posted on my door this morning."
"For Sasuke's?"
"Mhm."
Most criminal trials took half a year, at minimum, until they were heard. The Council charged over a dozen others with crimes since the war ended, some within the very week of Madara's death. Not a single one of those trials had commenced yet.
Sasuke was given a trial date less than two months past his arrest.
He'd be the first defendant tried since Konoha's rebuilding if it went as scheduled.
She and Naruto were distraught over it. With no time to prepare any defense, the timeline was undeniably designed to harm Sasuke's chances. There was nothing they could do about it, though.
By all appearances, it looked like Sasuke intended to go without a lawyer. Naruto said that when he pressed the issue, Sasuke just shrugged and told him he didn't care. Without representation, Sasuke needed to ask for continuances on his own behalf—but it didn't look like he planned to do that, either.
Frankly, from his behavior and what Naruto relayed, someone might've thought Sasuke wanted to lose the trial.
Surely she'd get a subpoena herself, sooner or later. Naruto, too. But Sasuke needed more than just a couple of favorable witnesses, who also happened to be his old teammates, to gain any favor.
She considered her next question carefully. "Thought about how you'll testify?"
"I've tried not to think about it. But if there's—" Ino glanced over her shoulder, gaze conflicted. And then, as if reading Sakura's mind—"If you want me to say or not say something... I'll do it. Not for him. For you."
If it were anyone but Ino, she wouldn't let that proposal slide. She would've hounded them. Reminded them that Sasuke was the only reason any of them made it out alive and demanded that they protect the last Uchiha as he deserved.
"You don't need to do anything for my sake, Ino," Sakura answered softly. "Just go in there and say whatever you want."
With a small smile, Ino nodded. "Then I'll do that."
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Naruto was sprawled on her sofa like it was his own. Feet propped up on the opposite armrest. An unlucky decorative pillow bent in half under his head. She grimaced at the sight—him, lazily scratching his chest, belly half-out, yawning.
"Can't you at least take off your shoes?" she groaned, making her way over to do it for him. Not trusting it, she held her breath as she yanked them off and threw them by the door. "Gods. How does Hinata stand you?"
He grinned in that goofy way she desperately missed. "She's an angel, Sakura. I swear."
"Yeah, I can see that."
She found him lying here after her shift at the hospital. He'd almost given her a heart attack when she unlocked her front door and saw his shadowy silhouette spilled on the couch. Constantly suppressing his chakra was a new habit of his—something born of hiding for years and years.
Unless she actively searched for him, he was as invisible as the wind.
He'd left no room beside him. Sakura plopped down in the adjacent recliner, stretching out her back.
"How's she doing?" she asked.
"Good. Well..." Turning on his side to look at her, Naruto frowned. "She's adjusting, I guess."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"That's good," hummed Sakura.
"Yep. The Hyuuga Elders decided a few days ago that Hanabi's taking over the clan. But don't tell anyone I told you. They aren't announcing it for a while."
"How'd Hinata take it?"
Naruto sighed. "She never wanted that position, and she's acting fine... I think she's upset."
"That makes sense," she quietly affirmed. "Even if she didn't want it, being told she can't have it after all this time must hurt."
"And 'cause the reason."
Sakura nodded; she hadn't planned to say it if Naruto didn't. "I can't even imagine..."
They stared at each other for a moment, lost in their thoughts. Then Naruto scrunched his face and scratched his head.
"Ahh! This is depressing. Sorry. Everything still kinda sucks, doesn't it?"
Chuckling, she tugged back the lever to release the chair's footrest. "A massive understatement. Tell her to come by the hospital. I'm happy to run check-ups on her if she's uncomfortable being seen by other medics. I'll scan her every day if she wants."
"I'll let her know. Thanks, Sakura."
Although they'd hung out on occasion, she and Hinata had never been that close, for no reason other than the Hyuuga's shyness. But she still really liked the woman. She especially liked her for Naruto. So her offer of personal, daily treatments was genuine.
Genuine, but futile. And Hinata probably knew that.
If Sakura were to guess, that's why Hinata didn't bother coming to the hospital.
Hope was a dangerous thing to foster. Even the smallest flame could swell into something uncontrollable. Receiving treatments that would work only with God's miracle couldn't be easy.
Hinata never recovered after the last Wind battle. She wasn't the only dojutsu user harmed by whatever gas Madara released, nor the only Hyuuga. As far as Sakura knew, however, she was the highest-ranking one affected.
Kakashi had officially retired her from anything past C-grade missions for her own safety. It seemed her clan was retiring her from leadership, too.
Now partially blind, Hinata couldn't see more than a few yards in front of her. She could only use the byakugan's close-range abilities. Naruto said even that caused her great pain if she channeled it for more than ten minutes.
Maybe Sakura should've spent more time on her after that battle.
Instead of searching the camp all night for a person she knew wasn't coming back, she should've focused on the people who were still there. If she hadn't gotten wasted and ran off to see Sasuke, maybe she could've done something. If she hadn't been so broken—so useless—so stupid—
"Hey." Sakura jumped as something landed on her hands cradled in her lap. Shaking. Looking up, she found Naruto's soft, blue eyes. His fingers curled around hers as he sat up. "Are you okay?" he queried.
"Yeah. Just thinking," she breathed out, counting her next inhale. "Anyway, why'd you stop by? Did you see Sasuke today?"
"I'm visiting later tonight." Staring down, Naruto gently touched where her pinky ought to be. "His sleep schedule's fucked, so it's better if I go there super late. Otherwise, he's in an awful mood."
Before she could stop it, her mind was already running through potential causes. Were his nightmares getting worse? Was he uncomfortable with his eyes sealed? Did the trial make him too anxious to rest?
If she asked Naruto, he'd tell her if he knew. And if he didn't, he'd ask Sasuke later when they spoke.
The first question almost fell out of her.
Almost—until she reminded herself that Sasuke was conclusively spurning her, and she shouldn't care. She definitely shouldn't care. Any other woman in her position would've cursed Sasuke to hell a thousand times over, long ago.
Hating herself, she asked, "Any updates?" anyway.
"No. He's still being a total ass. We've got time, though."
Not much time. Not nearly enough time.
"I need to talk to him." For the trial. To discuss strategy. So he could live long enough for her to beat the answers she deserved out of him. "As soon as possible."
"I know. I swear I'm working on it. That's sort of why I'm here." He released her hand to comb through his hair. "I'm going with Kakashi to the Kage summit tomorrow, and I think you should come with us. I know you aren't talking to him, but I need you to back me up there… I don't know if Kakashi will be any help."
How he looked at her, earnest and pleading, would've cowed even the strongest of wills.
Naruto knew why she'd refused to attend all the other Kage Summits. And because he knew, she was sure he wouldn't ask if he thought he could do it alone. The offer didn't surprise her, either. She'd considered breaking the silent treatment and asking the Hokage to take her for days.
Even though Sasuke didn't deserve this from her. Even though he probably didn't want it from her.
Regardless—he still deserved the commitments he was promised. Sasuke had no one but her and Naruto on his side; if they said nothing, no one ever would. The Kage couldn't act with total impunity and think they'd get away with it.
A peace under leaders with no integrity was no peace at all. What made them any different from Madara if they simply eliminated anyone they disliked, agreements be damned?
...At least Madara had always kept his word.
"When are you two leaving?"
Seeing the decision on her face, Naruto beamed. "Noon."
"Alright. I'll be there."
.
hi everyone! missed you guys :)
there likely WON'T be weekly updates through Nov and Dec
probably more like twice a month, until holidays are over.
thanks for sticking around :)
thanks for reading, as always.
and thanks to Leech for beta-reading