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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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3:13. A Submission


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KAKASHI WAS here…!

Sakura had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't an illusion, but he was real, and alive, and here. If she weren't so wound up, she might've cried.

Naruto wouldn't die. Sasuke wouldn't have to compromise himself. Kakashi could save them both, like he always did. Whenever an enemy too strong for them appeared, he'd been their shield. Whenever others talked down on the jinchuriki orphan or the last Uchiha, he'd been their advocate. Never once since they became Team Seven had Kakashi abandoned her teammates. For Naruto and Sasuke, sensei was always there.

But for just a moment—for the tiniest fractions of a second—

She'd thought her sensei wouldn't come.

"Madara found Naruto," Sakura explained, swallowing the relief and shifting back into her role. When she tried to sit herself up to face him, Sasuke pushed her back down. "...He needs evacuation."

His gaze swept over her in Sasuke's lap, steely glint flashing in his eyes, before he nodded. Then Kakashi knelt, feeling Naruto's neck for a pulse.

"Got it. What about you? How bad are your injuries?"

"Bad enough that she can't move," Sasuke answered in her stead. "She's out of a chakra and her pathways are blocked."

"And you?"

The green on her shoulder winked out again. "No injuries. Also no chakra."

"Can you get him out?" she prompted, trying to hurry along the exchange. Her physical state paled in comparison to an unconscious jinchuriki. With only ten minutes, they needed to focus on the most important task.

Lifting his hand away, Kakashi rubbed his temple. "Madara's got a whole platoon headed this way. I don't know if I can outrun them from this position."

"You have to try, sensei."

Kakashi's chakra trickled out and covered them in a quick assessment. In the pause, Sakura inspected his appearance.

His face covering was drenched in sweat, sleeves half-torn and ragged. Blood trickled down his unclad arm from a wound hidden somewhere near his shoulder, painting the white beneath him crimson as it dripped off his elbow. The way he hunched onto his left side spoke of a broken rib. Potentially a bruised lung.

Without giving him a scan, it was hard to pinpoint the extent of his injuries. Her vision was too fuzzy from chakra depletion to do much good beyond the obvious.

Still. Even a basic once-over was enough to see that Kakashi was clearly hurt. More so than she'd seen him in years.

Sometimes, that was the most frightening thing about this endless struggle: Watching those she'd viewed as indomitable idols become nothing more than normal, powerless humans. Fighting a fruitless battle they'd never win. Bleeding and struggling, just like her.

Mouth turning down under the mask, Kakashi glanced at the man holding her. "You're both completely drained. How will you two get out?"

"I told you that," Sasuke quipped. "Do you have any soldier pills?"

"One." Pulling a single white pill from the pocket in his vest, he held it out. "I only had two on me when they attacked."

Sasuke's face tightened when Kakashi slid the pill back into his pocket. "Do you have the chakra to take Sakura and Naruto?"

"I'll probably need this one to carry even one of them," admitted Kakashi. "I doubt I have enough to outrun a group that large, long enough to get away without a fight… And I definitely don't have the chakra for that. I used too much covering the army's retreat."

If sensei was admitting as much, then he was even worse off than his outward appearance suggested. She closed her eyes and counted a few breaths to calm the dread digging into her chest. Panicking wouldn't do them any good here. They needed a plan—needed a little more time. Needed a small distraction to occupy the enemies.

Just enough for Kakashi to slip away without being followed. Only a handful of minutes for him to get a head start…

With the winter frost seeping through her skin and all manner of body parts throbbing, it was difficult to think of anything coherently worthwhile.

"Then take Sakura and go," said Sasuke, interrupting her struggle. "We can't be sure he'll even—"

Her eyes flew open. "No! The jinchuriki come first. I'll be fine. Once you're gone, sensei, we'll—"

"Kakashi. You see it for yourself. Naruto might not wake up, but Sakura's still alive. If Kumo's jinchuriki is safe, it isn't—"

"He will wake up!" she shouted. "Sensei, you know as well as I do that we can't—"

"You don't know that!"

After their brief stalemate, it seemed a new presence had brought them back to square one. She scowled up at him, anger reignited.

"It's Naruto, Sasuke. Even if he wasn't the jinchuriki, you can't just leave him here! Stop saying that!"

"Then you can't be left either."

"But I'm not as—"

"I don't care what you—"

"Both of you be quiet!" Kakashi snapped. On instinct, her mouth clamped shut. "Now's not the time for arguing. Focus. How long do you need to recover enough chakra to get her to safety, Sasuke?"

Glaring at her, he crisply replied, "...Maybe thirty minutes."

"Is this where you found them?"

"No. They were about four miles west. I couldn't manage a longer jump."

Crouched down, Kakashi balanced on his heels and stared at the snowy ground. "Once Madara's men see they're gone, they'll scour the surrounding forest. If they don't come here immediately, you have fifteen minutes at most. Less than ten now, if they head this way first."

"So we need to buy time," she said, affirming her earlier theory.

"Ideally," Kakashi agreed. "Did you call for any other backup?"

"I sent a tag to Suigetsu, but he's probably still in Water Country. It'll take my summons more than ten minutes to reach him with the limited chakra I could give it."

"Can you get someone from the Allied army here, sensei?"

"I can't. The army's all scattered on evac routes right now. When your connection with Katsuyu broke, Tsunade ordered a retreat. She and I stayed back to cover those leaving." His brow rose on the last words, then furrowed in thought. Sights lifting to hers, Kakashi hesitated before lowering his voice. "...Then she let herself get caught as a distraction. So the Kazekage could escape."

A pang of alarm caught the air in her lungs; a beat later, she breathed it out.

Tsunade was a Sannin. The strongest kunoichi in the world. Damn near invincible with the byakugou. The Hokage was the single indomitable idol who'd only become more untouchable as the battle raged on. A woman Sakura had once known like the back of her hand who'd morphed into a leader she barely recognized.

Even if caught, her shishou would be fine. She might've already freed herself in the time they'd wasted here, quarreling. Right now, there wasn't space to worry about someone as capable as Tsunade.

And not three breaths later, a realization bloomed like her namesake, loud enough to drown out any last concerns. She saw a similar dawning in Kakashi's gaze—felt Sasuke's fingers twitch on her shoulder.

Sensei hadn't disclosed that information for nothing.

Mind lurching into gear, she gamed out the scenario stretching itself into the future. It was such a simple answer. One she'd been dancing around the whole time. They needed only to divert attention for a moment; give their enemies the appearance that they'd gained something important enough to stall them.

"Then I'll let myself get caught here for you," she suggested, holding Kakashi's quiet stare.

Instantly, Sasuke's hands were clutching her so tight it nearly hurt. The spike in his temper was palpable in the chilly wind. If he had chakra, she was certain it'd be drowning them all in wild, irate waves.

"No, you will not."

Ignoring him, she watched the cogs turn in Kakashi's expression as she spoke. "Madara knows I was with Naruto. I'm sure he told his forces headed this way. If I'm caught—"

"Stop talking nonsense."

"—they'll spend at least a few minutes trying to figure out if I hid him somewhere around here. When they don't find him, they'll spend another few interrogating me."

"Sakura!"

"...That should slow them down enough to give you a lead, sensei."

Sasuke had switched from growling at her to hissing something at Kakashi. She barely heard it, thoughts too preoccupied with a finally-workable plan to care.

Workable—but shoddy. She wasn't sure if it would even pan out. The enemies might send half their numbers forward, regardless. Might not deem her so important to keep alive once they realized Naruto was gone. Maybe they wouldn't come this way, and somehow bypass her as they moved east.

It relied entirely on luck and hope, the most dangerous things to fall back on for any plan... But there wasn't time to think of anything better, and no one else was giving any alternatives.

This was the best option they had. Kakashi wouldn't have mentioned it, otherwise.

And she'd already resigned herself to this frozen, foreign coffin, anyway. Here, four miles west, or wherever Madara's men might take her for questioning—the battlefield was her fate. What did it matter how she met it?

"They'll kill her the moment they find her," Sasuke spat, venomously enough to finally grab her attention.

"They won't. I was the last person seen with him. Madara will focus on getting information out of me before he decides to kill me."

He shook his head. "No, he won't. Not like this. It's a terrible plan."

"Not terrible, but very risky. With Tsunade having already done the same, Madara has less reason to keep you, Sakura. You're both from the same army and have similar positions... If capturing you both isn't worth the risk or manpower, he'll choose the Hokage and order you killed." Kakashi leveled her with what felt like the gravity of a planet. "Tsunade wouldn't want to be the reason you die. You know that. She won't be able to handle it, either."

Won't she? she couldn't help but think.

Tsunade was so different from the shishou who'd taught her everything. Despite claiming her student meant more to her than anyone, she'd still sent Sai to die, knowing Sakura would have to watch. Knowing what that would do to her. Tsunade had still kept her distance when they were in camp or on battle base. Forced the separation policy on her twice, barely made an effort when Sakura had stopped seeking her out, hadn't found her when she was falling apart in Lightning.

Wasn't it her shishou who shouldered her with the burden of responsibility Tsunade couldn't fulfill herself? Wasn't it the Hokage who trained her so hard, pushed her far past her limits—brought her to the pinnacle of success—just to leave her all alone on the battlefield?

Tsunade had lived through so much already. And Sakura was certain her shishou would live through this, too, if it came to it.

That was all everyone could do, these days. Move forward with the choices they were forced to make. Somehow continue as everything around them fell apart. Just like she'd live with the sacrifice she was making now, however long her life might last afterward.

For Naruto, she'd do anything. Sign a contract, become a commander, volunteer as an enemy contact.

Even willingly accept capture.

"I'm the one who got away with Naruto, not her. Madara won't get rid of me so quickly," she insisted.

"As the Hokage, she'd know better than anyone where you might've hidden or sent him. Even who you'd summon to get him evacuated. Madara hates Konoha and its shinobi most of all, Sakura. I know him. He won't keep you both—he'll use you as an example," said Sasuke. "He'll kill you in front of her if he has the chance, just to watch her plead with him not to."

"Regardless, it'll stop those on their way in this area for a bit. We only need a few extra minutes. They'll wait 'til he arrives to kill me, at least."

"No. We're not doing this."

"...And if they do capture you, rather than kill you?" sensei asked.

"We're not fucking doing this."

She nodded. "So be it."

Kakashi gave her a hard look, though she didn't miss how he was slowly nodding along with her. "Do you understand what that would mean for you?"

What a strange question. Of course, she understood. All shinobi knew what happened to prisoners of war. She'd been summoned by Ibiki countless times for healing after his sessions; seen the state of captives their army hid away in underground prisons and shuffled around under the cover of night.

She'd been a kunoichi for most of her life. Her mentor was a war hero, maybe even the best medic to have ever lived. Of course she knew what happened to women caught by the enemy.

"If Naruto escapes, it doesn't matter."

"If they don't kill you, we may not be able to get you out for weeks. Months, even." But Kakashi was already peering towards Naruto. Already reaching over and gathering him up from the ground. He'd never been one to make a decision—and just like she'd thought, he hadn't told her Tsunade's plan for no reason. He'd simply wanted her to make it for him. "We may never be able to."

"I don't care. I'll follow protocol and kill myself if you can't."

Lifting her up abruptly, Sasuke shoved her out towards Kakashi. She held in the hiss of pain at the sudden movement as agony sliced through her broken body.

"Enough of this, Kakashi! Take her. I'm not discussing this any further. I'm your best source in Madara's army. If you want to keep me, you'd do well to listen."

Kakashi stilled, Naruto's arm limped in his hand.

"You know you have to get him out of here, sensei," she ground out, wincing as Sasuke's shaking reverberated through her.

Though she couldn't see Sasuke anymore, she felt the heat of his glare on her back. Before her, Kakashi regarded them with calculation, vision shifting between his three students. When he finally looked at her, something dark crept into his expression. Something familiar.

Something she'd seen in him when they were children and caught him once at the war memorial. When he'd found her on that bridge, in front of Sasuke's crazed laughter. When she'd first chained him to a medical cot after he let Obito escape. When he'd read the contact request; when he handed her a teleport tag after their loss in Sangosho; when he'd promised her that he'd free her from Konoha, if she wished for it.

And she knew who sensei was going to side with.

When the men remained mum, she suggested, "Then let's vote. We're Team Seven. We'll come to a consensus."

Kakashi's shoulders fell as he closed his eyes.

She had him.

Sasuke spun her around to face him. "You're not giving yourself to Madara. You're leaving with Kakashi." Had he enough chakra, a command would've undoubtedly laced those words.

"I'm staying, Sasuke. Naruto is more important." Peeking over her useless shoulder, she added, "We're split. Sensei?"

"If you leave Sakura here, I'm going to kill you," Sasuke warned, voice seeping with violence. He, too, must've smelled his defeat in the air. "You won't have to wait for Madara. I'll find you myself. So I suggest you choose wisely, sensei."

The threat breezed over Kakashi like the cold wind messing his hair, despite nothing about it sounding empty. He merely nodded again and looked back at Naruto with a sigh, wiping sweat from his brow.

"...Sakura is right. We can't let Naruto get caught. He's still alive, so there's hope we can get him well enough to wake up."

"Kakashi, I swear to—"

"And she's also right that her getting caught here will slow them down," he finished, cutting Sasuke off.

Each new time it happened, she felt Sasuke's rage tick up. At this point, she wasn't sure if he was trembling from exhaustion or fury.

Before the two men could spat more, she stepped in. "Then it's decided. We voted. Hurry and get Naruto out of here."

The hands holding her vanished. Sakura slumped into the ground, cursing as her vision swam. Wobbly elbows barely kept her head off the snow as she blurrily focused on her teammate and teacher.

Sasuke had Kakashi's vest in a tight grip, face pulled only inches from his. "You're a dead man."

"Stop it!" she shouted.

"Pray to whatever God you think exists that I never see you again, bastard. Pray that someone finds you before I do."

"They have to leave, Sasuke. Let him go!"

But sensei only lifted his chin. "I understand. And I'll accept it when the time comes." Then he grasped Sasuke's wrist and yanked himself free. "But you need to get yourself together. You can't act like this in front of Madara. Shinobi aren't supposed to show so much emotion. You'll get yourself and Sakura killed before you ever have a chance at finding me."

"So you know what you're leaving her to!" Sasuke bellowed. "That man—he's going to—"

"Sakura's strong, give her some credit." If she were ten years younger, such praise from him would've made her giddy for a week. Here in the end, it merely rang like a funeral bell. "And she's decided this for herself. She knows better than we do what choice she's making."

"She has no clue what Madara does to his prisoners!"

"You'll be with her." Dropping Sasuke's hand, Kakashi turned back to Naruto and lifted him up.

On his knees, Sasuke stiffly watched, control slipping back over his features. Defeated. As he was, they all knew he couldn't keep Kakashi here. They'd no time left to debate, either.

He'd lost.

"That doesn't matter. You know I can't stop him," he accused. "Without giving myself away, I can't do anything. Even if I could, I can't beat him, yet. Not by myself."

"But you can keep her safe."

"...I'm going to fucking kill you."

"And since you called for my help, I shouldn't have to remind you that you'll put her in more danger if you try to run with her once I leave. You can't outrun them in your state. You'll have to pretend you found her without the jinchuriki and order them to search the area," Kakashi rattled off, hiking Naruto's body onto his back. "Tell them you battled the jonin reinforcements she called for and drained yourself too much to chase them. Take the pill I have so it looks believable."

Retrieving the soldier pill, sensei broke it in half and offered him one side. After a moment, Sasuke snatched it away, grimacing as he turned it over in his palm.

"They won't fall for it. There'd be more casualties lying around if I'd fought."

"Then say the reinforcements ran as soon as you arrived, and she passed out trying to keep you here. You'd know best what might work."

"So a kunoichi with no chakra was enough to drain me of mine, and keep me from going after the jinchuriki?!" Sasuke snarled.

"Think of something plausible. You're smart."

She stared down at her clenched fists. Everything Sasuke said was true; finding them alone together like this didn't make any sense.

But—"Sensei, just go... There's no time."

"Yes. I need to get going." Kakashi straightened, wrapping his arms under Naruto's knees. "...Keep a level head, Sasuke. You'll figure it out. If necessary, find a way to kill those suspicious of your story before Madara gets here."

More hope and luck. That's all this plan was, a compounding scheme of wishful fortune. Somehow, every piece needed to fall perfectly into place. Somehow, on his own, Sasuke had to make it happen.

Whether he was successful or not, however, Kakashi would be long gone by the time their enemies mustered up the courage to speak against Madara's top commander. The jinchuriki would be safe even if none of their enemies believed whatever story Sasuke concocted.

And surely, since she'd come to that conclusion, Kakashi had, as well. Sasuke, too.

It was sensei who'd taught them both how to think as shinobi, after all.

"...If she dies, Kakashi, I will personally hunt down every single person in your fucking army," he muttered, swallowing the pill. "I'll wait to find you last, once you've watched everything you care about burn."

"Sasuke, please… Stop. It's done." Even if he was the only one who'd spoken up for her in what felt like years, she hated hearing him talk like that. It reminded her too much of the boy they chased before the war—the one who abandoned everything she loved and turned against them.

But she didn't say anything more. That he was giving in at all was a small miracle.

"I wouldn't expect any less," said Kakashi. "And Sakura…"

Their gazes met. A thousand emotions seemed to swim in his eyes, so many that she had to look away. He was making the best choice. It was what protocol dictated; what the army needed; what was expected of the next Hokage. Even if it wasn't a choice he'd made himself.

Even if, once more, he'd forced it on her.

But in this moment, she found she didn't really mind. For Naruto, she could accept this. If it meant the Allies survived another day, she would've made this choice a hundred more times.

What was her life but a small drop in the vast sea of an army? What was one kunoichi when compared to a cause?

Laying down, she peered up at the same cold, dead sky that greeted her earlier. "You've already stayed too long," was all she replied.

Because what else could she have said? That it was okay? That she forgave him? This was their duty. He never owed her an apology in the first place—she couldn't accept one from someone simply acting on her decision. And if they said too much, she'd wind up saying goodbye.

That was too cruel a thing to do to her only sensei, who'd made her choose because he couldn't. None of this was Kakashi's fault. None of them had asked for this.

Her mind pulsed with a sickly nostalgic longing, deep enough to crater through her chest. One which had her eyes stinging and her lips quivering and—she wished they could've stayed 11 years old forever. Wished they were still in Konoha. Were just genin, with just a sensei, in a team just learning to work together. If they'd simply frozen time in that utterly easy and excitement-filled past...

It really would've been so nice, she thought softly. Then she let the dream melt away with the snow flaking her cheeks.

Sakura swallowed to steady her voice. "Get going before you're seen."

There was a rustling to her right before a quiet, "...Alright. Keep her safe, Sasuke."

She didn't turn to see him leave. As his footsteps disappeared in the distance, she closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

Naruto would escape.

Now came the next argument. "He was right, Sasuke. You can't act like this in front of Madara."

"...I know."

"Or in front of me."

Sasuke was beside her again, gently settling her head back onto his lap. All the rage swirling about him a second before had vanished, leaving only a warm body and soft hands.

"What…?"

"Madara will be suspicious if we're friendly, and it'll be harder for me to pretend we're enemies if you're too…" What could she even call it? "...Nice."

Having just thought it, it was the first word that came to mind, though she'd never associated Sasuke with it before. Not truly. Compared to anyone normal, even his softer side was still prickly and skittish. There was no use in comparing him to others, however. In the context of all that was Sasuke, she supposed this sort of desperate protection could've been called nice.

"We aren't enemies."

"But Madara and his men need to think we are. You have to act like you don't care about me, and I need to believe it. If they take me captive, you're the only one who can get me out, so what's bad for you will be bad for me. It's safer if I don't think anything that might compromise you. Plans to rescue me, that you're still helping. You shouldn't tell me anything." She gave a half-grin. "I'm not as good at hiding my thoughts or feelings as you are."

"...You can manage."

"For a time. But if they do interrogate me for a few days, or weeks, I don't know how long I'll last. By then, Naruto will be hidden with the Allies… But you won't be, so I can't have any suspicions about you to spill. I need to believe you've truly betrayed us."

He hummed as he arranged the bloody medical coat over her torso. "Even if I make it believable, you'll still know about the agreement."

"Honestly, I don't think our seal would let me betray you so blatantly," she countered.

He was quiet for a beat. "That's just as shitty a plan as your last one."

"But we don't have an alternative or time to do anything better."

"You'll know I'm lying since you've told me to do it. You know I saved you. You've...already heard how I feel." Fingers brushing over her neck, his voice dropped to a murmur. "How am I supposed to make you think I don't care?"

Easy. "Pretend. Tell me it was just the seal. I was dying and you couldn't stop its compulsion." Even after these peculiarly tender and viciously tense few minutes, she wondered if his confession would've ever come about without their seal. "...It won't be hard to make me believe that."

"You'll remember telling me to do that, too. And if somehow you forget," he chuckled softly; it was wholly out of place for the moment, "you'll never believe it, Sakura. I won't be able to convince you. You'll see right through me… You always do."

On any other day, she might've dug into that sentiment. In a different field, where the trees were in bloom and the sun kissed their skin, she might've asked him what he meant. From her perspective, she'd never met a man she understood less than Sasuke Uchiha.

She'd never been able to pin him down. Had never known why he acted so cold, or ran so hot, or pushed whenever she pulled.

Was there even a single time she'd seen through anything?

But what good would asking that now have done?

"Then erase this whole conversation from my mind," she reasoned. After all—he'd erased his own existence for months. It shouldn't have been difficult to do the same with this.

"How?"

"You used a fuinjutsu to seal away your identity, didn't you? Before the agreement. Even weeks into the agreement. There must be a way for you to use that on me."

"That fuinjutsu is placed on someone to make others forget, not to make the one it's cast on forget."

"So change it."

He rolled his eyes. "You say that like it's simple. I don't know how."

"If it's only a matter of swapping who it affects, switching the last group of hand signs with the first should do it," she said as she thought. "If it doesn't work, knock me out and we can try again later. I can hold out for at least a day."

While she'd never been tortured before, she was confident a few hours wouldn't break her. Even a week. Some of the captives the Allies caught lasted as long as a couple of months. Surely the ranking Allied medic would last as long as that.

If it meant protecting Sasuke and Naruto, what couldn't she withstand?

"...You're assuming it's that easy."

"I am. And there's no harm in trying. If you lock it into our seal, it might be even stronger," she added. "I mean, if we go into the seal and you cast the jutsu in there."

"But if it doesn't work, you might get hurt."

Hearing him admit that he didn't want to hurt her was...odd. Were she up for it, she would've pointed out how he'd spent the last nine years hurting her.

"Just one try. Orochimaru can help if it fails."

After a breath, he lowered his head. "...Only once. If it fails, I won't do it again."

She'd never considered he might wave the flag so easily. It hadn't taken any convincing at all. Studying his expression, she tried to glean where this newfound submission was coming from and found nothing.

Maybe he'd merely come to terms with their situation.

Maybe, like her, he didn't want to battle anymore.

"We've only got time for once, anyway. Did the soldier pill give you enough chakra for it?"

"...Aa."

When his right eye bled red, the white universe around them dissolved into an inky, black abyss. She was standing and healthy, in her usual short qipao. No pain, no chill, no lifeless, frozen forest.

It was so hushed and warm. So peaceful. It wouldn't have been such a bad thing to never leave this nothingness, she mused.

Here, they could've been just a man and a woman again. Two people in a space only they knew, no one around to hide from. No one who could hurt them. The only two people in the whole world sharing this chasm. They could've been anyone in the dark. They could've stayed here forever, doing nothing at all—just escape and abandon the war, and who would ever find them?

Here in the warm silence of oblivion, they could have faded away into history together. Remained Madara's top general and the Allies' head battle medic in all the books written afterward. Taken this secret between them to the grave, by each other's side until their last moments.

If she could've suffered the weight of Sasuke's death on her request, she might've asked him right then if he wanted to.

A second later, a small, brown box appeared beside her. Hands in a bird sign, Sasuke nodded towards it.

"Put your hands on it and concentrate on everything you want sealed. Focus on the important parts you want locked away first… I don't know how much it can hold, so the first things in should be what you want hidden the most. We've probably only got about two minutes, so be quick."

The important parts… Crouching down, Sakura sifted through her time in the Lightning forest. What's most important?

The Kyuubi saving Naruto, of course. Sasuke rescuing them both. Kakashi answering his summon and taking Naruto to safety.

And after those three, Sakura swiftly decided to focus on the parts most harmful to Sasuke. Naruto was safe—it was Sasuke she needed to protect, now.

So his confession went in next. That, most of all, she had to forget. How ironic it was that what she'd longed for, for years, was something she was voluntarily giving up... Genin Sakura would've moved mountains to hear those words from Sasuke's lips, yet War Sakura funneled them away into a strange box, in a strange jutsu, to be forgotten.

War necessitated things like that. Dulling all the brightest parts of herself; killing off dreams she'd once held so dear.

If the war had taught her anything, it was this: That the things she coveted most were the most dangerous things to cherish.

Rather than linger in the regret, she continued on, zooming in on their argument about who to save. The hawks to Kakashi and Suigetsu. Their conversation with sensei.

And then she channeled in all the rest. Everything she could remember from the moment she heard Madara move away to fight B and the Raikage went into the box. From the second Hundred Healings laced down Naruto's arm—her mind flew through it all like a movie, doubling over what she'd already deemed most important.

The stillness of Naruto's body on the snowy ground. The shadows under Sasuke's eyes. The sweat dripping off Kakashi's hair. The cold bite of winter and the soft kiss of snow on her legs. Warm fingers on her neck and shaky, green hands hovered over her hip.

All the panic, and anger, and dread—she felt it all once more, then mentally pushed it into the box.

…But it didn't seem like anything was happening. The box was wasn't moving, or shining, or whatever it ought to have done. Her memories were still intact, even after focusing on them. Perhaps it hadn't been as simple as changing the order of the hand seals.

The jutsu not working was better than backfiring, however. She was sure Sasuke could figure it out with Orochimaru in time.

If he came. If he hadn't betrayed them both.

When she finished a minute later, she glanced up at Sasuke. "Is it done?"

"I'll complete it once you put everything that's happened here in it, too." His mouth thinned. "I'll knock you out before sealing it… It'll be better if they find you unconscious."

"We'll buy less time like that."

"I'll take care of it."

Not having it in her to counter him, she simply nodded. This much she should give him, she supposed.

"...Will you remember everything, Sasuke?" she quietly asked.

It was safer that he didn't. Even the greatest actors occasionally made mistakes. Even Sasuke was just a man, even if he was the closest thing to a God she'd ever seen.

But if he forgot—would Kakashi, too? Would he remember to come back for her when it was over, or would he think she was dead? Would he know why he was carrying Naruto, all alone in the middle of nowhere? That enemies were searching for them? That Sasuke was the one who'd saved his students?

Would Suigetsu forget being summoned? What if the hawk forgot its order before it reached him?

How would Sasuke know what to do if they exited the seal and he couldn't remember their plan to stall Madara's army? What would he think, finding her bleeding, empty body in his lap?

"I don't know," he admitted. "I told you I've never done this before. I don't even know if it'll work."

Her sights fell back to the box. With more time, those would've been risks she'd realized before they started. Strategizing, analyzing—usually, this sort of thing came so naturally to her. She'd let panic mute her senses.

But it was too late to fret about it. All that was left was to hope the Gods took pity and granted them a little luck. After ignoring her pleas for so long, they certainly owed her this one, small grace.

"Well, as long as it works on me…"

"You may never recover these memories if it does. You might think I really betrayed you." An uncharacteristic tint seasoned his voice. Something so unfamiliar in his deep timbre that she'd need a day's worth of time to decipher.

"We can release it eventually."

"...What if you never escape?"

Head tilted up, she caught his gaze. "You'll be with me. You'll get me out." Those weren't merely assurances, either. She may have never understood him—might not ever learn to, in the future. But she did know that as long as he was beside her, she'd be safe.

"And if I can't?"

"Then I'll know you tried your best."

He knelt, grabbing her arm and forcing her to turn to him. "But you won't. If you forget everything, you'll think I never came for you."

"Is that what you're worried about?"

"Sakura, I'm not worried. I'm angry," he seethed, brow cinching together as his hold tightened. "With you—with this whole situation. You're giving yourself up for an army that doesn't give a damn about you!"

"No, I'm giving Naruto the chance to escape."

"He shouldn't have let himself get caught."

"We don't have time to keep arguing," she reminded. "Just finish the jutsu. What's done is done."

His free hand raked through his hair. "I don't know why I'm agreeing to all this. It's insane."

"Because you know there's no other option left."

"And you know—you know what I've already had to—what Konoha took from—" Pausing, he closed his eyes and sighed. "Is this really what you want from me? To pretend and watch you die? Really, Sakura? How can you ask me to do this again? How can I do it?"

There was so much emotion on his face. So much in his words. She wished so badly he'd given her only half of this, even once. A month ago, or six months ago. Nine years ago. She'd confessed to him hundreds of times; he'd had thousands of opportunities to give an inkling of care.

What good was it now?

That thought sparked a vague resentment in her. "If what you told me earlier was true, then you've pretended well enough this long, haven't you, Sasuke?"

"...Don't do that."

For a moment, they simply stared at one another. And for just a moment, he was an open book.

Sasuke was upset. She'd forced something on him that he hated. They both knew it was cruel of her and that he had every right throw that cruelty back. He could've shouted about the idiocy of it or scolded her for such recklessness. He could've disregarded her completely, nixed her plan, and tried to run.

But she saw it, there in the slow spin of his tomoe and the vein on his jaw. In the color of his eyes and the downturn of his lips.

This time—for her—he was holding back. With no ideas of his own on how to get out of this, he was deferring to her command. Allowing her to lead, despite not agreeing. Believing in her and her faith in him.

It should've been something that made her happy.

So she released a sigh, along with her anger, and offered him a smile. If she forgot and he didn't, she'd rather his last memory of this not be branded by her bitterness.

"Then get me back to the Allies quickly if I forget. We'll figure out a way to release it."

Frowning, his eyes fell to her grin. "Stop smiling. I just told you I'm angry."

"It's going to work out, Sasuke. Trust me. Promise me. Just this once, do as I've asked."

His mouth opened on a retort before sealing shut. Hesitating for a second longer, his hand suddenly lifted to her chin and tugged her forward, landing a soft kiss on her lips. Almost faster than she could feel it, he pulled away and stood a step back.

"For now... I'll do as you say."

"Promise," she reiterated, holding her breath.

"...Aa, I promise. But only for now. If your plan falls through, I'm getting you out, Sakura. Whether you agree or not." Like clockwork, the empty mask slipped back over his features. "So finish this before I change my mind. Focus on everything we talked about in here, then I'll knock you out."


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I know updates have been chaotically random lately, but fret not!
This story shall be completed by the end of the year haha

and thanks to Leech for beta-reading