Made me promise I'd try
To find my way back in this life
I hope there is a way
To give me a sign you're okay
Reminds me again
It's worth it all
So I can go home...
"Memories" by Within Temptation
#
Sakura winked few times rapidly, trying to prevent the whitish light from blinding her eyes. Her hand
brushed off the three pink locks fallen on the wrong side of the head, tickling her cheek and ear. The
kunoichi blankly stared at the empty place on the bed next to her. Sasuke had, once again, gotten up
before her. The pinkette sighed indifferently, sitting up on the mattress, pushing aside the blankets.
“Damn, it’s hot in here.”
Sakura stretched arms and cracked her spine, enjoying the relaxing calmness that took over her joints
and muscles. The girl stood up and changed in her everyday outfit – dark stretchy jean pants, black
long-sleeved tight top and knitted woollen white sweater with medium length, bat-like sleeves. The
kunoichi dragged lazily feet to the bathroom in order to brush her teeth and wash her face.
Waiting for the coffee to boil, she stared through the frosted-glass window. Only the slight curving of
the corners of her mouth gave away that Sakura had noticed the topless Sasuke, training in the
backyard. His pale skin looked almost marmoreal, surrounded by all that snow. Sweaty dark hair locks
were stack to his forehead, covering his eyes, but the shinobi ignored them, continuing to swing his
katana, slicing the air around him.
Sakura turned off the gas hot-plate and poured the hot bitter beverage in a big creamy coloured cup.
She walked to the genkan and put on her black leather boots.
The weather outside was strangely calm and quiet, so the kunoichi looked worriedly at the sky.
Yesterday’s blue azure was gone, giving in to the greyish mantle that had spread above them. There
were no clouds that could give away heavens’ intentions for today. Sakura tightened the grip around
the hot cup in her hands and walked leisurely to the place where Sasuke was training. She noticed that
the place she considered empty and inbuilt, it turned out to be a penthouse to keep the firewood dry.
Kunoichi’s eyes travelled over the axe stabbed in the massive stump and the chop-covered floor. He
must have been cutting woods. She averted her gaze to the topless boy.
“You’re going to catch a cold.”, Sakura said smiling and sipped from her coffee.
Sasuke lowered his katana and brushed off the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand,
“Nah...”, he responded panting, catching his breath, “I’m used to it.”
“If you say so...”, Sakura smiled again and turned around to walk away.
“Oi...”, the boy shouted after her, “If everything OK?”
The kunoichi looked over her shoulder, “Yeah.”
Sasuke knitted brows, “Sakura...”
“Mmm?”
“Spar with me.”
The girl froze in her movement and turned around, facing her former teammate. The look in her eyes
was empty, “Don’t want to.”
“Chickening out, are we?”, Sasuke smirked and raised an eyebrow.
Sakura frowned and her knuckles paled from the strength she put in her grip around the cup.
“Come on. You’re healed, right? Or are you afraid that your knees might betray you again.”, he
continued with smug expression.
The kunoichi gritted her teeth but said nothing. He was provoking her. She knew it. But hell...it
worked.
“Sakura-chan. You’re jonin right? So you might not be completely useless like you were back when I
was part of team seven... Or am I wrong...”
The cup in Sakura’s hands cracked and broke to pieces, covering her fingers with hot coffee. The
kunoichi channelled chakra in her feet and stormed straight forward. Just before her fist could collide
with Sasuke’s face, the Uchiha disappeared and she stumbled from her own acceleration. The girl
quickly recovered her balance but the male shinobi was way faster, already pointing the blade of his
katana at her throat from behind. Sakura shifted her position, ignoring the blade, slicing slightly at her
flesh and span, aiming a high kick at Sasuke’s head.
The Uchiha widened his eyes, noticing the blood drops on the blade of his sword. Was she stupid?
Why would she move like that? His moment of distraction cost him a powerful kick to his neck. The
blow sent him flying few meters to the side and the Uchiha landed hard on his arms and legs. Sakura
was already aiming another punch at his face when, the boy frowned and channelled chakra in his feet,
disappearing from her sight. The momentary confusion, earned him an opening and he managed to
push and pin her to the ground, immobilizing her movements. She was panting with fierce look in her
green eyes. Sasuke stared at her taken aback.
“What’s wrong with you??”, he growled at her unbelievingly. The small trickle of blood on her throat
had stolen his attention and he couldn’t avert his gaze from it, “It was only a sparing fight, Sakura.
Why would you risk like that??” The kunoichi’s eyes trembled as if she was realizing something.
Suddenly tears welled up in them and Sasuke loosened his grip. “Talk to me. Something’s clearly not
right. Yesterday, everything was fine...”, the boy stood up and pulled her up with him, shaking the
snow off her clothes.
“Nothing’s fine, Sasuke...”, she whispered, averting her eyes, “Yesterday it looked fine because I
wanted it to be that way. But I really miss home and everybody I left behind... And on top of
that...when the war breaks out I won’t be in any condition to help them out... It’s just so...frustrating...”
The Uchiha successor sighed and pouted, “Listen to me...”, he gently lifted her chin up, “I can’t
promise you that Konoha would win the war, or that everyone would survive it, nor that you’ll be
forgiven and accepted back...but I can promise you one other thing...”
“What?”, Sakura murmured.
“When the war begins, we’ll go together on the battlefield and we’ll do our best at protecting everyone
you love, giving everything we have. Until then I’ll make sure you’ll become a lot stronger so that you
won’t have any regrets about it. Deal?”, Sasuke softly smiled at her.
“Deal.”, she sniffed but returned the smile.
Suddenly a cracking snow announced the presence of another two people and Sakura turned around to
look at direction of the noise. A young man and woman, wearing heavy, warm coats were walking
towards them. Sasuke quickly grabbed his knitted sweater, lying on the chopped firewood and put it
on.
“Hello. How can we help you?”, his voice was polite but suspicious.
The woman’s eyes lingered on Sakura and she fastened her pace, almost running toward the kunoichi.
The pinkette made a cautious step back as the woman threw herself on the snowy ground before her
and bowed politely, “Thank you so much for saving our son! I’m forever indebted to you...”
Her words were interrupted as Sakura pulled her up on her feet, “I assume you’re Aron’s mother?”, the
girl smiled. The woman nodded quickly with tears in her eyes. “How is he?”
“Recovering. Thanks to you...”, the woman’s voice hitched as the tears flowed down her cheeks. Her
husband drew closer and embraced her tightly, looking at Sakura’s worried face.
“If you need anything... Or if you ever need help with something...Please. We’ll be extremely happy to
help you.”, his low voice was trembling.
The medic let out deep breath and patted the sobbing woman on the upper arm, “I haven’t done
anything special. I was able to save a boy. Everybody would do it if they can.”
“Is there anything that we can do for you?”, the man asked with pleading gaze.
“Actually. There is.”, Sakura smiled and looked at Sasuke. The Uchiha only narrowed his eyes,
wondering what she would ask this time. “Could you tell the rest of the people that if they are in an
emergency need of medical treatment, they can come to me?”
Sasuke opened his mouth to object but when he saw the flickering light in her eyes he changed his
mind. That was the only way to make her feel a little bit more at home. She was a medic, and she loved
her job. The Uchiha smiled, went beside her, placing hand over her shoulder.
The couple in front of them bowed politely and walked away, leaving the two shinobi staring at their
backs.
“Will this make it easier for you?”, Sasuke whispered.
“I think so. This is the only thing that I can do best no matter where I am.”, Sakura smiled and headed
to the house.
#
A cloaked shinobi, standing in the middle of a spacious room, cracked his neck and fingers. The
twenty-four-hour-constant-daily jutsu had worn him out completely. He removed his spiral mask and
rubbed his eyes. The fingers passed over his right eyelid, touching the wrinkled skin on his cheek. It
had been more than eighteen years since that day. The day that changed his fate. No. The day when
Uchiha Obito died. That was right. The weak, hyper and naïve Uchiha Obito was crushed by that rock,
while protecting his precious friends. He died a hero. The person who was now living in his body was
not Obito. He was nothing but a soul, feeding on the hopes for revenge and sick obsession of world
peace.
The shinobi dragged his feet out of the laboratory-like hall. He no longer dwelled on what happened
between Rin and Kakashi years ago. Her death no more mattered to him. Soon he’d create a place, a
world, where she’d be alive. Where she’d smile again and not because of that ungrateful, traitorous
bastard Kakashi but because of him. Like it should have been in the first place.
The man slumped heavily on the chair in the other room. The face of the Yellow flash passed through
his mind. “Minato-sensei...”. He remembered the night when his ex-teacher explained to him the
reason behind Kakashi’s behavior towards him. At that time, he couldn’t understand what it was like to
see your most loved and admired person’s dead cold body in front of you. He couldn’t understand the
consequences of that… The permanent scar carved on your heart and brain. But now…he knew it
perfectly well. There was no way he wouldn’t understand it after he witnessed the murder of the girl he
loved since before he became a ninja, by the hands of his best friend and teammate. The same boy who
swore at Obito’s death to protect her with his life...
A chill ran down his spine, announcing the presence of another person in the room. “What can I do for
you, Madara?”, his voice was low and irritated. The man hated that the other Uchiha considered it
essential to pay him a regular visits and supervise his work on Zetsu clones.
“I wanted to see if everything was going according to plan… We can’t afford any lose ends, like we
did with that brat Sasuke…”, the man smirked devilishly.
“We’ll be ready in five or six months.”, the younger shinobi answered without looking at the other
Uchiha.
“Good.”, Madara murmured with a smug expression.
#
The wind blew some of the front silver locks of Kakashi’s hair, revealing the scar on his left eye. The
Copy nin had purposely left his headband at home. He didn’t want to feel as shinobi, at least once in
his lifetime. Standing in front of the big memorial stone, with carved names of his comrades on it, the
man wondered would it be easier for him to cope with their deaths if he was a civilian. Probably not. It
would only cause him pain to know that he hadn’t had power to save them. Being powerless and not
being strong enough would weigh equally on his heart.
The Copy nin sighed and ran palm over his mask-covered face. Winter was slowly coming. The chill in
the late autumn wind was creeping under his black clothes. His open eyes lingered over the names on
the tombstone.
Hatake Sakumo... Nohara Rin... Uchiha Obito...
Guilt. Shame. Regret. Frustration. Anger. Everything poured down on him once again. His gaze
averted to the specially build memorial stone with Sakura’s name carved on it. “Would I still be alive if
I hadn’t found out that she was alive? What should I do, sensei? Is there anything I can do to save her?
To bring her back home... I don’t want to witness this tombstone becoming truly real. I’ve buried
enough friends.”
“Why the long face?”
Kakashi startled looked above his shoulder and his coal gaze darkened as he recognised Jiraya, “Same
as always.”
The Sannin chuckled and stood side by side with the younger jonin, “Tsunade told me everything...”,
he murmured. The Copy nin widened terrified his eye with shocked expression on his face. “Poor
Sakura-chan...”
“Yeah...”, Kakashi agreed barely whispering.
“How much do you know about Minato and Kushina’s story?”, the Toad Sannin smiled, putting hands
in his pockets.
“Only that he saved her and since then they fell in love with each other...”, the silver-haired shinobi
mumbled, feeling a little bit uneasy to talk about his sensei’s love life.
“Oh...”, Jiraya smirked, “That explains everything...”
“It doesn’t explain anything...”. Kakashi frowned.
“Kushina... she was an amazing girl. A little bit tomboyish but strong, stubborn, loyal and had
unbreakable pride. You might know that, since her village was destroyed, she settled in Konoha with
the rest of the survivors. But to be honest it never became her home, at least not until she became
friends with Minato.”, Jiraya took a deep breath and sat on the grass in front of the memorial, “Back
then, everyone hated and mocked her because of her long red hair, because she was an outsider,
because she always had that intimidating and prideful look in her eyes, that said “you cannot touch
me”. But the young Kushina-chan wasn’t next to none. Their hatred reflected in one of her own, aimed
back at them, including Minato. That brat... he excelled in everything: strength, ability, intelligence...
he was everything that she wasn’t – popular, admired, with home and friends. Kushina considered him
the worst of all. She was obsessed by the thought that there was somebody who could look down on
her that easily...”
“But, that’s ridiculous...”, Kakashi mumbled, sitting on the grass next to the Sannin.
“Why? Isn’t Naruto the same way with Sasuke?”, Jiraya asked and when he didn’t receive an answer
the man continued, “But little did Kushina know that during their constant fights, Minato began to
develop an interest in her. That brat was hiding it well but he couldn’t fool me... He was amused by her
constant struggle to be better than him. I don’t remember how many times they had sparred. And every
single one of them she lost. But Kushina-chan never gave up. On the contrary, it motivated her to work
harder, to continue improving herself. That confused Minato and at the same time it intrigued him.”,
Jiraya smirked lost in his memories, “When she was kidnapped, that foolish brat rushed after her
without giving it a second thought...”
“Why are you telling me this?”, Kakashi closed eyes, feeling the chilly wind brush his face.
“Because I don’t think you understand what Sakura is feeling right now. And because I want you to be
at peace with yourself until the time comes and you two meet. If you are in this condition it’s certain
that you’ll do something reckless and scary.”, Jiraya frowned.
“But...”
“Kushina hated that she had to be saved by Minato of all people. Her pride had taken the damage.”, the
Sannin continued, “It took weeks before things settled between them again. I still remember that day...
Minato and I were supposed to meet at the training areas because he wanted to show me some new
jutsu he had created... but when I got there Kushina had appeared before me and they were fighting
again. The look on her face...it was mix of pure rage and frustration. And once again that blond brat
won. I thought that everything was just repeating but then he made something I never anticipated... He
smiled at her and said, “I noticed your beautiful hair right away. But you could have taken care of
those weaklings without cutting it... I’m sure of it”...”, the Toad hermit grinned, quoting the lines,
“Kushina’s face was priceless. I think that was the moment when they truly fell in love with each
other...”, Jiraya sighed deeply, “The only thing Kushina ever wanted was her strength to be
acknowledged by Minato. Sakura is the same. She wanted to save everybody with her own power. So
instead of thinking of ways to bring her back to the village, think of a way to support her. She’s not a
little girl anymore. She’s one fine, strong, capable kunoichi...”
Kakashi sat there silent with gaze lingering on Rin’s name on the memorial stone.
“Sakura... She’s not Rin, Kakashi...”, Jiraya smiled, standing on his feet. The Sannin pated the man on
the shoulder and turned around to walk away, “Even if you don’t do anything to bring her home, she
won’t betray you...”, he shouted waving him goodbye.
The Copy nin frowned, closing his eye. “Rin... Why did you do it, Rin?...”
#
Sakura slipped under the blanket and lied on her side, staring at Sasuke. The Uchiha was lying with
closed eyes, pretending to be asleep but the kunoichi could hear the uneven breathing and pulse. She
smirked and pinched his upper arm under the covers.
“Ouch!”, the boy growled and glared at her with bloody stare, “What was that for?”
“Nothing. Just felt like doing it.”, Sakura shrugged and grinned.
“You little...”
“Thank you for today.”, she murmured and settled more comfortably on her half of the bed.
“You’re welcome...”, Sasuke answered without looking at her. A silence spread between them and the
Uchiha stirred under the covers, “I forgot to tell you... We’re invited to a party tomorrow night.”
“Ha?”
“Yuko invited us. We’ll get the chance to meet with some other villagers.”
“Oh... Ok.”, Sakura murmured and lied on her back, staring at the ceiling. Another anxious silence
filled the air. “Sasuke...”
“Mmm?”, the boy closed his eyes again.
“Why did you tell me that you’d fight by my side when the war starts? It’s not like you’re connected to
Konoha anymore...”, her heart started to fasten and the kunoichi bit her lip.
“Because I think that’s the least I could do for you after all the pain I’ve caused you...”
“If you had the chance would you come back to Konoha with me?”, Sakura whispered afraid that if she
said it louder it might sound ridiculous.
“I’m never coming back, Sakura.”
“But why?! You miss Naruto and me and Kakashi! I see it in your eyes, Sasuke. You still care about
us! You’re still a member of Team 7!”, she exclaimed looking at him with popped eyes.
“Because I’m not gonna offer my life on a silver platter to the village that ordered the massacre of my
family... I will not sacrifice my freedom for the sake of someone else’s sick ambitions! I will not bow
my head obediently and accomplish the missions they give me...like my brother did... ”, Sasuke
growled and turned his head at her, glaring.
“Ordered? Brother? What are you talking about..?”
“You know NOTHING!”, he interrupted her rudely, raising from the bed, “Itachi didn’t kill the Uchiha
clan because he wanted to... He did it to protect me....”, his fingers ran through the black locks.
“I don’t understand...”, Sakura sat in the bed as well, looking confused at the profile of her exteammate.
“Years ago Uchiha clan plotted a coup d’état. The Elders and the Hokage found out and decided that
they had to be eliminated... There was no other way to obliterate the threat. If they remained
unconcerned, a civil war would have broken out. On the other hand if they captured only the
mutineers, they would have had to explain to the Daimyo why would there be even a reason for them
to plot a coup. They couldn’t allow the other countries to know that there was an inner conflict in
Konoha and take advantage of it. The Elders couldn’t accept the fact that the citizens would start to
doubt the government and their leaders.”, Sasuke frowned, knitting his brows, “The Hokage made a
virtue of the necessity to keep the peace in the country and reconciled Elders’ insistence.”
The kunoichi calculated quickly in her mind the years and her eyes popped out as she realized who the
Hokage was then, “The third? Hiruzen Sarutobi? No way. You’re mistaken...”, Sakura shook her head
unbelievingly, “You knew the Third! He was kind and warm person! There’s not a chance in a million
that he would allow, even less order that.”
“Sakura!”, Sasuke raised his voice, stopping her babbling, “Konoha is not as innocent as you think it
is! Hokage may have the highest authority but behind the curtains Elders do whatever they want and
think it’s right.”
“Who told you these lies?”, Sakura frowned angrily, “Whoever it was, he had an ulterior motive to tell
you such ridiculous fables...”
“It’s true.”
“NO! It’s not true!”, the kunoichi screamed with widened green eyes, kneeling on the mattress,
gripping tightly the blanket, “And Itachi? Why would he kill his own family then? He was an Uchiha
as well. If the clan indeed planned a coup, they wouldn’t even consider entrusting him with this...this
task. And how come he saved you? By killing your parents, relatives and friends??? Bullshit! Lies.
Konoha is not like this! We care about each other! That’s our power! Will of the fire, remember???”
“Open your eyes, Sakura, and listen to me!!! My brother was a double agent the whole time! He had to
betray his own father for the sake and the good of your precious Konoha!”, Sasuke stood up from the
bed and glared at the half-sitting kunoichi, “He took the mission to kill our clan only because that way
he could leave me alive. HE burdened my hatred. HE let me see him killing our parents! HE forced me
to hate him because he knew that way I had a reason to live! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT
THAT, SAKURA?”, his breathing was irregular from all the yelling.
“Sasuke...”, the girl murmured realizing that she had crossed the border.
“You know nothing about true sacrifice. Mopping and yelping because you left your home and your
cosy bed, what’s that compared to the years of self-torture my brother had to endure! He was loyal
shinobi, who sacrificed his family, and his life for the sake of his village. And how the village repaid
him? By declaring him an S-class criminal, telling made-up stories about his sick desires to test his
power! In order to save the cracked peaceful mask Konoha wore...”, Sasuke frowned with pained
expression.
“I...”
“Don’t say anything else.”, the Uchiha turned around and rushed out of the room, banging the door
behind him.
Sakura’s eyes welled up with tears and she slumped on the bed heavily. She shouldn’t have reacted so
sharply. But was it true? Had the Third really known about this? Did Tsunade know about this too?
The faces of Konoha’s citizens flashed before her eyes. Everything seemed so calm and bright when
she was there. For Konoha to keep such secret... What else was there that they weren’t aware of?
So that’s why Sasuke didn’t want to come back... Itachi. He killed his own brother who gave up from
everything he held dear in order to save him. How was Sasuke even living with himself now? With
such regret and guilt, eating him up from the inside... How could Sasuke come back to the village
which forced his brother to kill his own clan? Sakura suddenly felt Konoha strangely distant,
unfamiliar and repulsive. Shinobi villages kept their secrets buried deep. The kunoichi sighed heavily
and ran fingers through her pink locks.
“Naruto... Will you still try to bring Sasuke back if you knew the truth? Will you still idolize the
Hokage position? Won’t you feel betrayed like I feel right now?”, Sakura stood up and peek behind the
door but Sasuke wasn’t in the living room. Probably he had gone out. She noticed the missing boots
and coat. Crawling back on the bed the pinkette stared through the frosted window.
“I hope he returns soon. I need to apologise and ask him to tell me the whole story... I need to know the
truth...”, she thought and slipped under the blanket, turning the gas lamp off.
Lying in the bed, the warmth of the covers soon pulled her in a light slumber. The cracking noise from
the living room woke her up and she immediately looked at the other half of the mattress. He was still
out. Another crack was heard and Sakura realised it was coming from the burning woods in the
fireplace. She sighed disappointedly and eased back on the pillow. The medic stirred and turned
restlessly. The sleep finally took over her mind and she quieted down, breathing evenly under the
covers.
#
“Let him go.”, her lips were moving on her own. She had no idea from where she was drawing this
courage, “You want me, right? He’s nothing to do with this.”, the girl stopped few meters away from
the hostage. She saw him popping his eyes in an unbelieving grimace. They were screaming “Run!
Hide!”. This boy had already made his resolve and wanted to give her a chance to live but the same
went to her as well. She was the one supposed to die here, not him, or the teacher, but still her hands
were already dyed in blood.
The enemy released the boy and shoved him aside. The man licked his lips and chuckled. Ania drew
closer to him and he grabbed her rudely, pulling her back to his dirty body. She frowned but didn’t
make a sound. The collision made the air in her lungs fly away and she opened her mouth to breathe.
The enemy bent down and whispered in her ear with a sultry voice.
“I’ve always wanted to try a kunoichi from Yūrei clan, you know –”, he stopped for a second so he
could lick her neck and grab her breast with his free hand, “But I wonder if I should do you while
you’re alive or should I just finish my mission and then have the fun while you’re still warm inside.”…
Kakashi’s eye scanned the words on the page of the book hungrily. It’s been a while since he read such
an interesting book aside from Jiraya’s masterpiece. He was on the second chapter but the plot was
already twisted and knotted, filling his chest and mind with enjoyable anticipation for the denouement.
The concept of the main female character was so carefully created, that Kakashi felt almost drawn to it.
His coal eye was already used to fixate her name among the other words on the page. He couldn’t say
the same for the male character, though. His background story was still kept in the dark. Not that it was
a bad thing but the Copy nin was used to predict the outcome of the story. At least with Icha Icha series
he did. Was it because he and Jiraya thought alike? Probably. But in that case he couldn’t even connect
the twists in the plot. There were still too many missing pieces.
His thought travelled to Sakura. What was she doing right now? He couldn’t risk and send his dogs to
track her down; furthermore, he hadn’t received another letter from her. The unknown congealed him.
All the thoughts of what could happen or already had happened there; the uneasiness he felt every time
he remembered her; the threat of the upcoming war, which might ruin his chances to meet with her,
were frightening him, rendering him furious. Because none of that was in the envelopment of his
control power.
The silver-haired jonin shook head to chase away the depressing thoughts and flipped the next page in
attempt to distract himself from the problems he had.
…She felt the metal weapon caressing her soft skin on her neck. The man was slowly drawing circles,
trying to make her feel vulnerable and weak. So far, he was succeeding and the girl shivered. She tried
to free herself from his grip but the enemy was overpowering her. When he turned her around rudely
and tried to force her to lay on the desk the girl groaned in pain. The hard wooden edge of the table
jabbed her in the ribs. “Oops – ”, she heard him say, “Was it too hard for you?”. The man flung her
on the desk.
She suppressed the urge to scream and only a lonely tear escaped from under her eyelid as she felt her
top, soaking in her own blood. The girl sensed his hand ripping the buttons of her shirt and cutting the
underwear with the kunai. She turned her head away and her eyes snapped open as she felt his mouth
on her breast, teeth biting tightly the pink nipple. The girl tried to separate her mind from her body and
her sight laid on the dead teacher on the floor, his eyes were still open, they were staring at her as if he
was blaming her for his death. She couldn’t take it anymore. Gathering all of her left strength and
transforming the feeling of frustration into power and determination, she pushed the tall man aside
from her but she didn’t consider the kunai, touching her throat and the blade sliced the soft skin.
The girl stood up and kicked him behind his neck, using his temporary distraction caused by her
rebellion, the man fell on his knees shocked but the girl didn’t give him time to attack her back, she
kicked him in the stomach and he started coughing. Recalling her lessons she grabbed his hair and
shoved her knee into his face, breaking his nose. When the man completely fell on the floor next to the
dead teacher she rushed towards the door, making her escape. Suddenly the girl felt another hand
catching her for her shoulder. She saw the shorter man’s fist closing in to her face. The girl didn’t
have the time to defend herself. The punch forced her to step back and her back crashed into the wall
behind her. The black-haired girl screamed in pain and she felt that the blood flow coming out from
the flesh wound on her ribs increased. Her head was spinning from the blood loss and she missed the
enemy’s movement towards her. Another hit made her lose balance and she slid down the wall, falling
on the floor. She couldn’t feel her left cheek and her eye had begun closing. Distracted by her own
pain she didn’t see his knee closing to her face. The followed kick almost made her lose consciousness
and it was already too late when she saw him drawing out his kunai, preparing to finish his partner’s
job.
Suddenly the man fell dead on the floor with a slight blood trickle coming out from the corner of his
mouth, revealing the kunai stabbed in his neck. The girl felt the world spinning and she passed out.
Kakashi sighed relieved as he read the last paragraph of the chapter. The heroine was safe. He looked
through the window in his bedroom. The moon was shining brightly, illuminating Konoha’s streets. He
should go to bed. Tomorrow he promised Naruto to help him train. Ever since his ex-student came
back from his training with B, there was nobody who could spar normally with him apart from Kakashi
and Sai. But the former Root member wasn’t exactly the most suitable spar partner for Naruto so that
left the Copy nin as the only possible choice. The silver-haired jonin closed the book and stared at the
title. It was half burnt and he could only read the first word – “chained”.
When Kakashi went to the ruins of Sakura’s apartment after his talk with Jiraya, he stumbled upon this
half burnt book. It had been in a drawer of the night table in the bedroom. Probably that was the reason
why it wasn’t completely burnt. The explosion was mainly in the living room. The Copy nin found it
unusual for Sakura to have such literature. The only books he found in her apartment when he was
living with her were medical studies and two volumes of classic poetry. The shinobi was curious about
the contents of the book so he took it with him to read it.
The jonin slipped under the blanket, placing the book next to his pillow. He would have enough time
tomorrow to finish it. Now it was best for him to sleep because Naruto never went easy on him when it
came to sparring. No matter that his ex-student had already surpassed him in terms of power, the blond
still thought that he had to go at him with everything he had. With a smirk on his face, the Copy nin
closed his eyes.
“It’s better that way. I can’t allow myself to rust. Not now when the war is knocking on our door.”
#
Sakura sipped hot cocoa from the cup in her hands and stared at the cover of the book in her hands –
“Chained love”. She never thought a romance novel could be so intriguing and entertaining. When at
first Ino gave it to her as a graduating present for her jonin rank, she didn’t really considered reading it.
Romance stories weren’t really her thing. Not ever since Sasuke left Konoha. The ridiculous plot of
such books made her feel sick. The main characters falling in love in the first chapter just from a
unexpected look in each other’s eyes; then a villain appears, kidnapping the heroine...or another girl,
trying to snatch the hero from his lover; followed by the sudden realisation of the main character that
they weren’t meant to be together and the desperate crying for the lost love, until another pathetic plot
twist forms which forces the main character to do something reckless and illogical so he could save
their precious one. And then they lived happily ever after...
There was no such thing in the real world. But while she waited for Sasuke in the village to buy the
items needed for their travel to this place, she wandered off to a bookstore and the cover of the novel
caught her attention. Maybe it was the nostalgia that pushed her into buying it or it was just the
warning the Uchiha gave her that in that snow country there was nothing much to do or simply it was
the fear that she might get stuck in her troubled mind. But now she didn’t regret it. The resent that the
main male character felt towards the heroine attracted her to the plot and somehow made her think that
that wasn’t a usual love story. Yes, later in the development in the plot, they would most certainly fall
in love but at this point affection and love were nowhere to be found. The author managed to show the
development in their relationship gradually, from hatred to deadliness, from deadliness to tolerance.
But nothing more. It was good.
Sakura flipped back to the page she was reading and continued.
…A blond boy crept out of the shadows in the corner and stared at her. He could distinguish the wet
traces of the tears. Her cheek was swollen and it had taken on a dark purple-blue colours. As far as he
could tell her facial bones were smashed. He could imagine the pain she must be feeling. Her left eye
was almost closed by the swollen cheek.
The boy drew closer and stared at her even more intensely. She was a pretty girl and even though he
hated to admit it, he felt a little tickling sensation in his stomach when he saw her beat up like that. A
protective feeling arose in his chest but still he wasn’t sure what caused it – the moment when his
mother put him on the carpet for leaving the girl’s side and ditching his duties or the moment he found
out about the assault. One thing was for sure – he regretted not being there to save her…
Sakura smiled to herself. Wasn’t Sasuke like that in the beginning when Tobi brought her with him?
The kunoichi snorted grinning and bit her lip, shaking her head. Still she couldn’t believe the change of
his moods. He hated Konoha enough to plot against its destruction but only a single meeting with his
former friend managed to change him that much. Naruto and he really were friends, Sasuke could deny
it but he couldn’t fool her.
The pink haired girl settled on the couch more comfortably so she could face the windows behind her.
It was already four in the afternoon and Sasuke still wasn’t back. Where exactly did he go to?? He
wore only a coat and boots above his T-shirt and loose pants. That idiot would catch a cold if he hadn’t
caught it already… Anyway, with or without him, she was going to that party. A little distraction will
affect her well.
Her eyes travelled through the steamed glass. It would have been nice if she could show this place to
Kakashi. The Copy nin would definitely like it, a place where slacking and being lazy were the only
things a person could do apart from sleeping. He liked both so it would be the perfect destination. A
smile formed on her lips. He was probably on a roof reading his Icha Icha series, undisturbed by the
turmoil around him. But she could bet he had that small seed of anxiety, which was growing inside his
heart as the time passed and the possibility of the war outbreak increased. Would they meet on the
battlefield? Would they both survive it? Only time could tell.
The girl sighed and closed the book, dropping it on the sofa next to her legs. What should she do now?
There was still time before the party. Sakura rubbed her eyes and ruffled her hair, “Should I try to curl
it?”. The kunoichi pouted and slid a pink lock between her fingers, “I’ll give it a try. Yoosh! I’d better
go and have a shower because waving needs time.”, she jumped to her feet and frowned, “But I don’t
have curling-iron… What should I use?”
#
Sasuke’s teeth chattered and the shinobi sighed, letting a puff of steam out of his mouth. “Damn it’s
cold!” He raised his gaze to the dark sky. The night had fallen about an hour ago and now everything
was pitch black. Did Sakura already leave for the party or she decided not to go? Anyway, he couldn’t
stay out here forever just to avoid her. At some point he was bound to face her. The Uchiha turned
around, burying his nose in the coat, and dragged his feet to their house.
As he stood at the front door, Sasuke carefully looked around to see if he was alone. When he didn’t
find a trace of Sakura the boy sighed relieved. At least he had to think of what to say to her when they
meet after she comes back from the party. The dark-haired shinobi went inside and dropped his coat on
the sofa, slumping down on it heavily. It was nice to feel warmth on his body. He could swear that his
toes were frozen. The shinobi took off his socks, damped from the continuous stay in the snow, and
stretched his feet toward the fireplace.
“Aaah...”, the pleasure sound echoed in the room and a smile spread on Sasuke’s face. He shouldn’t do
any more of that childish nonsense, running away like a pampered brat. His thoughts wandered off to
Sakura. Maybe he shouldn’t have told her the truth. Her mind was fragile and the only thing keeping
her standing on her feet was the faith she had in Konoha. With his reckless twaddle he might have
shaken that faith. The true face of the Leaf village wasn’t as bright and kind as she thought it was.
Konoha had secrets so deeply buried that even if he tried to dig them all up he might not succeed.
Elders... Those senile old things that were ruling behind the curtains were responsible for the death of
many shinobi who failed their missions. It was imperative for the authority to shut them up in case of
falling into enemy hands. The atrocity they committed with the massacre of his family was
unforgivable.
But he was strong. The revenge gave him endless power, an objective to pursue. He would avenge the
death of his brother and wash the stains off his name. Uchiha Itachi was a hero, an example of what
true shinobi had to look like. The vengeance was running through Sasuke’s veins instead of blood,
hatred kept his legs and arms moving instead of muscles, the memories of the brutal murder of his
parents were his bones, the eyes which would seek revenge would be the eyes his brother gave him.
Everything about him was created by the ferocity the Elders committed years ago. He was true
avenger. Just like his brother wanted him to be...
Sasuke stood up and walked leisurely to the window, moving slowly away the curtain, revealing the
steamed glass. A day would come when he’d spread those dreadful feelings above Konoha. And when
that day came, he’d have to fight him. Yes. He would stand in his way of seeking that vengeance. The
shinobi who was once his teammate, his friend, his rival, his non-blood brother... He would try to stop
him from destroying Konoha. “Naruto... You will try to protect the village even if I tell you the truth.
Right? Your unshakable faith in others will still be untouched by the horror of the past. Last time I saw
you, Naruto...you’ve truly become stronger. I wonder what the outcome of our match would be... It
may be the last fight for me, Naruto, one last fight, in the name of my brother, and also to keep my
promise I gave you years ago. The promise that I’ll fight you as an equal.”
Sasuke smiled sadly, gazing through the window. “I’m glad Sakura has a friend like you by her side.
To be able to force yourself to let me escape when I was finally in your hands... Naruto, you must love
her very much. Being able to put somebody else’s needs before your own, I admire you. Only recently I
realized the satisfaction such generous acts gave to the person’s soul and heart. I wonder if I hadn’t
been consumed with revenge during the years I spent in Team 7, I might have actually become a better
person. Now the only salvation, awaiting me on my road to hell, is to help Sakura protect what’s
precious to her. Only then I’ll be truly free from the debt that I owe to her and I’ll be able to proceed
with my revenge.”
The Uchiha’s eyes glistened from the inrush of the feelings, “You might hate me after I destroy the
Konoha as you know it. After all, you both posses the Will of Fire. At least I’m certain that you’ll
protect whoever survived after my revenge and help them rebuild one brand new Leaf village. Better,
brighter and purer without roots hidden in the shadows.”, the shinobi sighed tiredly and looked around
the living room. It was oddly quiet and lonely without Sakura fussing around him.
#
“Sakura-chan, don’t be so stubborn, please!”, Yuko exclaimed after another failed attempt to make the
mulish kunoichi realize that the snow blizzard was too strong for her to go back to her cottage. The
guests had already gone to their houses but Sakura and the blond man lost track of time in their
conversation and before they realize it, the snowstorm had already became too dangerous and strong.
“But I need to come back because Sasuke might be worried if I don’t return!”, the pinkette insisted,
putting on her boots, readying herself to leave the house.
“Sasuke knows that you came to the party! And if he isn’t asleep yet, he has seen that the blizzard is
too strong for you to go outside.”, Yuko grabbed her for her lower arm and turned her to face him, “If
you go now, you’ll surely freeze to death, Sakura. Your cottage is pretty far away from here. Listen to
me. I grew up here and I still can’t fight against such weather.”
Sakura pouted, knowing that he was right. But she was worried. Where was Sasuke now? Did he come
back to their house or the snowstorm caught him somewhere in the forest? Well, he was big boy, he
could take care of himself. The kunoichi sighed defeated and took off her boots and coat, “Fine.”
Yuko smiled, leading her back to the main hall, “Wait here. I’ll order to prepare another room for you.”
“Actually, I am not sleepy. I wondered if I could take a quick look in your library. I heard from Sasuke
that you have quite the amount of botanical books.”, Sakura smiled sweetly.
“Ah, I recall you said that you were a poison specialist.”, Yuko scratched behind his neck as if he was
battling with himself over something. But after a moment the blond man nodded approvingly, “Sure.
Why not?”, he waved his hand in direction to the library, “It’s this way. The second door on the left.
Take as much time as you need. But I’m afraid that I need to leave you alone. Tomorrow I’ll have a lot
of work with that blizzard raging outside and I need to rest.”
“Ah, I wouldn’t want you to stay up with me the whole night.”, Sakura tilted her head with a warm
smile lingering on her lips.
“Then I shall retire myself to rest. Good night, Sakura. Oh, by the way... the room I’ve prepared for
you is on the second floor, the last on the right.”, Yuko smiled and bowed slightly.
Sakura bowed as well, “Thank you and good night, Yuko-san.”
#
Naruto gently moved Hinata’s head away, freeing his arm and slipped out of the covers. Once his bare
feet touched the floor the shinobi sighed relieved. The girl was such a light sleeper, even the slightest
noise would wake her up and now Naruto didn’t really want to explain why he couldn’t sleep. The
Jinchuuriki bowed down and pressed lips against her forehead, letting them linger a little longer than
usual. The girl under the blanket stirred and mumbled something incomprehensible, falling deeper into
slumber. Well, at least she didn’t have troubles sleeping. The boy quietly walked to the window and
gazed outside. Konoha was silent with no lights on the streets. Only here and there dim twinkles could
be seen as some other insomniacs like Naruto were still up.
The blond shinobi searched for stars in the sky but he couldn’t see any. The moon was absent too.
Shivers ran down his spine and suddenly he felt cold. The more time passed, the more terrifying the
war seemed. At first he was calm and composed but the last few days the tension that lingered in the
atmosphere in Konoha finally caught up to him. He could notice changes in everyone’s behaviour.
Tsunade was more nervous and edgy than normal, even Shizune who usually kept her shishou’s shorttemper in check, couldn’t handle the Hokage’s rage fits. The blonde woman sent three chuunin in the
hospital because they mixed up some reports on D-ranked mission for potato gathering. Even Kotetsu
took a temporary leave, claiming to have caught the flue...in the end of the September...in order not to
be around the peevish Hokage.
Yesterday when he took out Hinata for a dinner and accidentally met Gai, the weird sensei didn’t even
once mention the power of youth. On the contrary, he seemed kind of distracted and mopish. Kakashi
also showed signs of nerviness although his ex-teacher managed to hide them pretty well. Only
someone like Naruto or Sakura could notice the slight differences in the Copy nin’s behaviour – the
longer time it took him to flip the next page of the Icha Icha Paradise or occasionally not bailing out
when it was time to foot the bill in the bar. Even Naruto made a mental check list of the times he
scratched his neck during their breaks between sparring matches, realizing that it was quite more often
compared to the times when they trained with Sakura and Sai. His mind was definitely occupied by
something else.
The Jinchuuriki sighed, still gazing through the window. He wanted to talk to Sakura or at least write
her a letter. The pink kunoichi somehow always managed to find a way and comfort him. Naruto could
speak to Hinata about his troubles, yes, but he knew that if he confessed being nervous about the war,
that would as well shake her, already fragile, peace of mind. She drew her inner strength from him, he
was her support. Naruto couldn’t allow himself to feel scared.
Suddenly something caught the blond boy’s attention. A dark shadow on the street had appeared out of
nowhere and it was now heading to the Hokage’s mountain. The Jinchuuriki narrowed his blue eyes
and tried to recognise the night roamer. The figure stopped for a second in front of Naruto’s window
and then continued to walk aimlessly on the street. The Kyuubi host took a short glimpse of silver
when the mysterious man passed through a lighter part of the road. Could it be...?
Naruto knitted his eyebrows and saw the figure stopping to rummage in his holster then they pulled out
something rectangular and continued to walk. The Jinchuuriki smirked, shaking his head. No doubt it
was Kakashi. Only he would wander around Konoha at two am in the morning, trying to read in the
dark. Well. Certainly something was bothering him. That was for sure.
Naruto raised his gaze up to the sky, leaving his sensei to continue his moonwalk in privacy, and the
blond thought of Sakura. What exactly happened between her and Kakashi? He knew that something
had changed but he hadn’t mustered the courage to talk to the Copy nin about it. The Kyuubi host
knew their team leader kept his personal life a secret and hated when someone tried to butt in it. The
fact that they hadn’t seen his face yet was proof enough. Naruto recalled Sakura saying that they got
closer since he became her partner in the tournament but the kunoichi didn’t specified how close
exactly. Sometimes he would sense strange radiating feelings when he was around both of them but the
Sage senses couldn’t tell him more. He couldn’t define those emotions. And on top of everything else,
Ino also thought that there was something fishy going on between the two of them...
Naruto shook his head, chasing away those thoughts. It wasn’t his business; therefore he won’t dwell
on these confusing things. The Jinchuuriki cracked his neck, trying to relax his stiff body and mind.
Would Konoha have enough power to defeat Madara or they would all die? It was true that they would
probably form an alliance with Kumo but Naruto deeply doubted that it would increase their chances
of winning that war. Tobi wasn’t stupid. He knew the military power of Konoha and Kumo and he had
made the suitable preparations to counter it. Only if Sasuke was here. Both of them, they might have
been able to protect the Leaf.
Naruto remembered Team 7’s first B-rank mission as if it was yesterday. Meeting Zabuza, feeling the
despair and the fear when Kakashi was captured, the realization that they would be dead if they didn’t
think of something... And then... with only a shared look, they formed a plan that saved them. Only
Genins, they pushed back the Demon of the Hidden Mist. If Sasuke was with him, anything seemed
possible: no enemy was too strong, no jutsu was too terrifying, no risk was too reckless to take. When
they fought Haku...there was no light, no way seemed to lead them out alive of that fight, but Naruto
wasn’t scared, he had Sasuke, watching his back. And they survived, although that they fought an
opponent much stronger than both of them.
The Jinchuuriki highly doubted that his friend-rival had a sudden change of heart after the last time
they met. Most likely it was only a temporary consensus between them, for Sakura’s sake. Weirdly,
Sasuke seemed to care about the kunoichi. Naruto had never thought before that the Uchiha considered
her something more than a nuisance. Perhaps after the three months both of them spent together,
Sasuke finally recognized Sakura’s true power and abilities. The blond smirked silently; the female
member of their team had grown to be one admirable kunoichi. If Sasuke and Sakura came back to the
village now, Naruto might actually explode from happiness. Yes, his dream was to be the Hokage, but
how could he be the Leader of a ninja village if he was unable to bring back his best friend? Being on
the top meant so much more than possessing power and control, it meant responsibilities to protect
those who are weaker than you and to set an example for those who were younger. Wisdom, Power,
Love. Only a person having these qualities was worth calling himself a Hokage.
Naruto ran fingers through his hair, untying some messy knots. He had so much to learn, so much more
to achieve. That war wasn’t only an apocalypse, it could be seen as an opportunity as well – to draw
experience, to polish your skills, to put to a good use the knowledge you thought it was useless. If he
survived the war, that would mean he possessed Power, maybe not much but enough to be a little
closer to the meaning of the title Hokage.
He had the Love. He always had it in his heart. When others hated him, he loved them in return, when
the others sent him into exile, he came back with a smile. The life he lived was filled with misery,
privations and wishful thinking but it taught him to value the small human things that defined him – a
presented smile or two from a random passer-by on the crowded street; a free apple from the old lady
in the grocery store who didn’t care about who or what you were; the sound of the gritting teeth of
some unknown mean boy who tried to hit you with a rock but you managed to evade and the sight of
the same boy as he ran away from you after you had beaten the crap out of him for wasting the last few
pieces of bread you had before you start living on the starvation line again. All these parts of his life
made him who he was today and he didn’t regret living such miserable, rough life.
Naruto shivered as he felt two small hands crawling around his waist, wrapping him gently in an
embrace. He sighed slightly and eased back, feeling the warmth of her skin on his back.
“Is something wrong, Naruto-kun?”, Hinata whispered burying her nose between his shoulder-blades.
“Nah. I was about to get in bed.”, Naruto smiled. She had been awake for quite some time but as
always Hinata somehow understood him and hadn’t said a thing.
“Are you sure?”, she placed a soft lingering kiss on his back.
The Jinchuuriki shivered as goose-bumps appeared on his skin, “Mmm.”, the shinobi turned around
and picked her up in his arms, letting her wrap her legs around his waist, “Absolutely.” Naruto smirked
and kissed her gently. Hinata embraced his shoulders and returned the kiss. The blond walked to the
bed and laid her down on the mattress, pushing each and every one of his troubling thoughts to the
furthest corner of his mind. He would have enough time to worry about everything else tomorrow.
Now he just needed to feel Hinata close to him.
Nothing else mattered.
#
Sakura widened her eye, “So this land was once called Doku no kuni (Country of poison).”, the girl
murmured to herself, flipping another page of the huge book entitled, “Our history”, “Why did they
change the name?”. The kunoichi knitted her brows and put the book away in its respective place on
the bookshelf. She slid her fingers over the titles of the old books, feeling the leather-bounds. Some of
them she had seen in Konoha but some were unfamiliar to her.
Suddenly she stumbled. Quickly looking down, Sakura frowned as she didn’t see anything on the floor.
The kunoichi kneeled and placed a hand on the strip of carpet, caressing it. A barely noticeable bump
caught her attention; it almost felt like a ring or loop. She looked cautiously around and held her breath
to concentrate her hearing on any abnormal sound. When she was completely sure that everyone was
asleep, the medic stood up and went to the end of the strip of carpet and started rolling it, uncovering
the wooden floor. As the place where she stumbled was revealed she frowned, there was indeed a
metal ring, attached to one of the laths. The curiosity took over her mind and she pulled the ring up.
The lath cracked and moved, revealing a hole in the floor.
Sakura kneeled again and bent down to see what was inside. It was too dark to see clearly so the
kunoichi decided just to rummage in it. As she thrust her hand inside, her fingers got hold of a big
book. The medic pulled it out and sat on the floor with it in her lap. It was dusty so she wiped it out
with hand. The leather-bound was worn out but she could distinguish the two years written on it
instead of title. Sakura opened it carefully and her eyes lingered on the first page. It wasn’t typed, it
was handwritten, and she assumed that it was a woman who wrote it, the letters had those strange curly
edges, typical for girls. There was a date and an hour on the top of the page. When the kunoichi flipped
the next few pages she realized that the dates were consecutive. It was a journal.
Sakura frowned, reading. It was indeed a woman who wrote it, she had a husband and a two years old
son. The author of the journal seemed to be conducting genetic experiments with different types of
poisonous plants and animals, trying to increase their power and give them abilities, resembling ones
of the Blood-Limit users. But something went wrong because the last written entry, three years after
the first, was left unfinished. The medic knitted her brows. Why was it kept secret? Sakura leafed
through the pages and a photo fell out. She picked it up, looking at the smiling man, embracing a
woman, who was holding a baby child. They were standing in front of a cottage similar to theirs with
Sasuke.
Suddenly Sakura’s senses tickled and she jumped on her feet, closing the book. The kunoichi put the
photo in it again and placed the journal in the hole again, quietly closing the lath lid. There were steps
in the corridor outside of the library. The pinkette pushed the rolled strip of carped and spread it again,
just in time when someone opened the door. Thanking her luck that she was in the third row of the
library, Sakura grabbed the first book she found on the shelf and opened it on a random page.
“Sakura-chan, are you still up?”, Yuko’s sleepy voice sounded surprised.
“I lost track of time. There were some really interesting books.”, Sakura waved the book in front of
him, noticing the title. “Oh, thank God. I’ve read it in Konoha.”, she thought relieved.
“If you want you can bring it with yourself and give it back when you’re finished...”, the young man
suggested.
“No need, I’ve already finished it.”, Sakura stretch her arms and smiled, “Will you escort me to my
room?”
“Of course.”, Yuko returned the smile and held the door open for her.
#
Sasuke woke up, opening his eyes slowly. The heat in the room was abnormally high, usually in the
morning it was a little chilly because nobody fed the fire during the night. Immediately he jumped out
of the bed and ran to the living room too check if the cottage wasn’t on fire. Once he opened the door,
leading to the other room, the Uchiha’s eyes focused on the half naked kunoichi, standing on the couch
with feet stretched to the fireplace and eyes staring at the shinobi who just walked in.
“Is everything OK?”, Sakura raised her eyebrows, pulling her sweater to cover her chest.
“I... didn’t expect you to be back so early.”, Sasuke mumbled and scratched behind his neck, “I’ll let
you dress up...”, the boy pointed to the bed room, walking backwards.
“It’s fine. The clothes are almost dry. I just wanted to warm myself like that a little longer. That’s all.”,
the pinkette put on her sweater and knee woollen socks, which were reaching up to her middle thigh
due to her short height.
Sasuke’s eyes travelled over her body and he felt a little uneasiness, crawling under his skin. Did she
do it on purpose or she just didn’t know who she looked in that position and clothes? The Uchiha
walked slowly to the couch and sat, staring in the burning woods, trying to ignore the bare legs of the
girl next to him.
“How did you get wet in the first place?”, he cleared his throat, not knowing how to start the
conversation.
“A pile of snow fell upon me from a tree while I was coming back from Yuko’s house.”, Sakura ran
fingers through her damp hair, untying the knots.
“I see.”, the dark-haired man licked his lips, not knowing what to say.
“When did you come back?”, Sakura gazed at the fireplace as well.
“Last night, shortly before the blizzard started.”, he answered.
“Are you OK?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry.”, Sakura looked at him with a unsure expression on her face.
“I’m sorry too.”, the Uchiha looked back and both of them smiled awkwardly. “So, how was the
party?”
“Actually, I enjoyed it.”, Sakura curved the corners of her mouth, “I had no idea that this village’s core
activity was fur trading. That explains why the forest is full with traps.”
“Well, they need the meat anyway and due to the cold climate, the plant-growing is impossible so they
import all the fruits, grains and vegetables, exchanging them for the fur.”, Sasuke explained.
“Why don’t they deal with herb-growing?”, Sakura raised an eyebrow.
“Herbs?”, the shinobi looked confused.
“Listen...”, the kunoichi licked her lips and drew closer to Sasuke, bending one leg under the other “I
found something in Yuko’s library...”
“Something?”
“Did you know that years ago this land was called the Country of Poison?”
“Never heard of it.”, Sasuke frowned.
“They were pretty wealthy country. But then they did something that lead to their destruction.”, Sakura
took a deep breath. Last night she thought a lot about it and everything fell into place. “There was this
scientist. She researched crossed-species genetic mutations.”
“I don’t really understand what that means.”, the Uchiha knitted his brows.
“She was trying to enhance animal’s strength and abilities by implementing in their genes, plant’s
DNA. Similar to what Orochimaru tried to do with human beings, but the woman didn’t use people but
animals. I don’t know if her research was still in early phase or she was afraid of using human guinea
pigs. The result of these experiments would have been catastrophic if the researched proved to be
successful.”
“How catastrophic?”
“If she successfully managed to merge human and plant genes that would mean that this person would
have the same level of abilities as a Bloodline user with the single difference that with this method
shinobi villages could create as many bloodline users as they wanted.”, Sakura waved her hands in
front of her, trying to find the missing words from her mind, “Not only that, but that method could be
used on merging any number of cells and genes. It could alter the human body on a molecular level.”,
the kunoichi took a deep breath, “I bet that the attack on the village which you witnessed wasn’t the
first one, nor it would be the last one. Those people weren’t simple bandits, they were sent after the
research.”
“Does Yuko know about it?”, Sasuke ran fingers through his hair.
“I don’t know.”, Sakura bit her lower lip, “We need to locate the cottage of the scientist. Her research
could be still there. We need to find it and destroy it...”
“Sakura! That research is extremely valuable, we can’t just destroy it?!”, Sasuke exclaimed.
“If it ends up in the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic. It shouldn’t exist in this world. You knew
what kind of experiments Orochimaru conducted. I bet you’ve seen some of the failed ones. Hell, even
the cursed mark he put on you is a part of a similar experiment...”
“I don’t use that power anymore... I sealed it away...”, Sasuke argued seeing the fire burning in the
pink-haired kunoichi’s eyes.
“You cannot seal parts of your body away, Sasuke.”, the medic closed her eyes shaking her head,
“When you use the power, your body structure changes. That is a sign of a cell modification. Hell, you
grow wings, damn it! How can you deny that it’s not a gene altering?”
Sasuke gritted his teeth, knowing that probably she was right, “It seems that you know quite a lot about
my curse mark.”
“Since you left and I began studying medicine, I researched in hope of finding a way to rewind the
difference done to your body...”, Sakura whispered and lifted her green eyes to meet Sasuke’s black
ones, “Look what it did to you, Sasuke. And that was only a partial modification. Can you imagine
what it would have been if he finished his experiment with you? ...That research... it must be
destroyed.”
Sasuke covered his face with palms, rubbing his eyes. When he looked at Sakura he noticed a pure fear
in her eyes. Was it really that serious? She wasn’t overreacting. He indeed had seen things escaping the
laboratory of Orochimaru but he never actually gave it a much of a thought of what exactly were these
creatures. The shinobi nodded, “Ok, we’ll find it and we’ll destroy it. But Yuko mustn’t find out about
it.”
“Thank you.”, Sakura released the breath she was holding and eased back on the couch, stretching her
arm above her head. The movement caused he sweater to pull up and uncovered her naked legs,
revealing a pair of black cheekies.
Sasuke’s eyes immediately averted in their direction and the boy’s pupils widened. The Uchiha jumped
on his feet, yelling “For God’s sake, Sakura. Put on some clothes!”, he turned around and went in the
bedroom.
The kunoichi raised a brow questioningly and reached to her stretchy jeans, checking if they were
completely dried out, “What’s with him anyway...?”, the kunoichi shook her head and put on her
trousers.
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