Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Candle in the Wind ❯ Trial By Fire ( Chapter 6 )

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Ah, another chapter is done! We are growing close to Sakura's journey to Sound. Maybe a few more chapters and the story will be back up to speed. I feel that there is no need to write chapters year by year because I think it would be a little tedious. Each chapter will be a progression, a combination of milestones and information significant to Sakura's life and the development of the story. Did anyone figure out what Sakura's unfortunate promise she mentioned in Chap. 1 was? I will give you a cookie if you remember. LOL. Anyways, I appreciate the story alert and favorite adds. Thank you for all your support. Although I will never ask for reviews or enforce a review policy as a part of chapter updates, I must admit I get as giddy as a 4 year old with candy when I get a review. Even if you don't review, I still know you are out there, I watch my story stats too!!! I still see you!!!

 

***

 

Tsunade sat at the head of the table, fingers pressed against her throbbing temples.

Shikaku Nara, Hiashi Hyuuga, Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi sat at the table as well, each lost in their own thoughts as a heavy silence descended on the room. Following the untimely demise of Konoha's council, Tsunade gathered together some the village's most influential clan leaders. Each individual dutifully served Konoha as shinobi and provided guidance to some of the most promising ninja in the village. Now their wisdom would serve to not only lead their clans but also judiciously guide Konohagakure.

 

Despite the collective intelligence present in the conference room, the Hokage and her newly appointed council were at a stalemate. After deliberating for hours, they could not come to an agreement Sasuke Uchiha's fate.

 

“This is just troublesome...” Shikaku muttered as he braced his head on his hand.

 

“Nara...” Tsunade growled in annoyance.

 

“Pardon my saying so, but I must agree with Shikaku. No matter what decision we make, we will end up suffering repercussions.” Inoichi sighed.

 

Choza sighed, “The Uchiha deserved the right to avenge his clan and regain his future. I do not think it would do us any good to execute him. Why continue this vicious cycle of death?”

 

Hiashi shook his head I disapproval, “He is a missing nin who executed our council. If we just let him fly free, how will be viewed by other villages? We are already vulnerable, our verdict cannot be soft.”

 

A frown settled between Tsunade's smooth brows, “I'm aware of this. However, I am against execution as is Choza. At this point in time, I do not want unnecessary bloodshed on my hands. It's not as if we couldn't put a proper spin on our verdict to make the deaths of the council members seem reasonable. We cannot deny that they were guilty of treason and fraud, not to mention genocide. Besides, keeping the boy alive can prove advantageous. Did he not divulge valuable information about Sound, Yamanaka?”

 

“Surprisingly yes. He seemed almost too ready to tell us what we wanted to know. However, there were parts of his mind clearly locked away. I managed to unravel the mental blocks and traps Pein placed on that Rain ninja but Sasuke's mind were almost indecipherable at times. I couldn't break him.” Inoichi replied.

 

“How do we know he will keep his promises to leave Konoha unscathed by his needs for revenge?” Hiashi questioned.

 

“The problem is we don't...” Shikaku countered, “The quickest road to eliminating any future threat from the Uchiha would be to terminate him. But Tsunade is correct. If we allow him to live, we can reap some of the benefits. He mentioned subduing Sound, a village which will prove problematic now that Konoha's defense is at an all time low. His pursuit may be the end of him anyway. Sound ninjas are known to be particularly ruthless. However, if we keep our word and he does succeed, we may have a new ally on our hands.”

 

“Perhaps we could have Hunter Nin track his progress. If his movements prove to be suspicious we could eliminate him.” Choza commented.

 

Hiashi shrugged, “That might work...”

 

Tsunade nodded, “Now it seems we are getting somewhere.”

 

Inoichi grumbled, “If we are dead set on making reparations then...”

 

Hiashi grunted in disagreement, “I'm not dead set on such a thing but I realize the folly of trying to take the easiest road.”

 

Shikaku rubbed his chin contemplatively, “It wouldn't do to begin making the same mistakes the old council made but...”

 

Tsunade through her hands up in frustration at her new council's inability to make a concrete decision. “Okay we've been deliberating over this issue for damn near three days, it times to make a choice and stick to it. We will be prosecuting Sasuke in two hours.” Her golden eyes raked over every man seated at the conference table, “So all in favor of exile say `Aye'.”

 

 

***

 

The tension in the crowd was palpable. The few remaining citizens of Konoha crowded around a makeshift platform large enough to hold a handful of people. On the platform stood Tsunade, two ANBU and one chained Sasuke Uchiha. Despite more than a half of the village population's absence, there was a considerable throng of people waiting to see what would become of the last known Uchiha. Murmurs rippled through the crowd as some murmured predictions to their companions.

 

“Their going to kill him, ya' think?” a red haired boy muttered to an older man standing behind him.

 

“I don't know boy. Damn shame, I'd say. Being the last Uchiha and all that...” the man replied.

 

Eerily silent amidst the sea of conjecture and anxious whispers, stood a tense trio with grim expressions. Sakura stood to Naruto's right, her face stoic belying the tumultuous feelings roiling in her gut. Her cerise eyes were trained on the chained young man facing the crowd so calmly that it one could barely believe that today might be his last. Hinata stood on the blond shinobi's left, her hand gripping his tightly. Yesterday, he quietly requested that the Hyuuga heiress be by his side during the proceedings. Knowing that both Sakura and Naruto would need the support, she agreed. Hinata would never turn down the opportunity to be there for the man she loved for so long. Attempting to catch a glimpse of the quiet young medic who had quickly become her confidant on all things Naruto, the black haired kunoichi leaned forward to look around her beloved. The pink haired young woman's expression was bleak and there were light shadows beneath her eyes.

 

`If this doesn't go well will Sakura let anyone pick up the pieces? I know that she loved Sasuke so much. As much as I love Naruto...' Hinata wondered.

 

As if hearing her thoughts, Sakura briefly returned her gaze, offering an attempt at a smile for her fellow kunoichi. Hinata gave a hopeful smile in return but could not help but to think that the medic nin's smile was heartbreaking and ever so vulnerable. Breaking the silent exchange, the rose-haired woman's intense stare returned to Sasuke. His seemed uninterested in the proceedings, lazily scanning the crowd until his gaze settled upon Sakura. Upon seeing her pale, drawn features, a smirk formed on his lips, breaking his bored façade. He was so arrogant even as he possibly faced he specter of Death. That little half-smile made her heart leap in her chest even as her temper sparked. Inadvertently her mind traveled back to her last interaction with the missing Nin earlier that morning. Against her better judgment she visited his cell once again, hoping to resolve some her own feelings about his return.

 

Sakura approached the silent cell hesitantly. There was still a chance to turn back. She couldn't justify why she returned to this cell. It was hair-brained idea, a decision made a mere second after waking from some god-awful nightmare involving Sasuke. Part of her knew that she may regret not seeing him one more time before the council announced his sentencing while another part of her knew that nothing good would could of a conversation with Sasuke Uchiha. Yesterday's brief visit left the young kunoichi shaken and confused. He was reticent as usual but his ebony eyes held mocking secrets. He treated her no different then he had at Orochimaru's hideout. She was barely acknowledged until Naruto left. Even then he refused to give her straight answer.

 

`What am I doing?' Sakura sighed inwardly, even as she stood before his cell.

 

The prisoner slouched insolently against the cell's wall and watched her silently. After a moment, he disrupted the heavy silence with a derisive comment, “Back so soon...”

 

The Leaf kunoichi could feel her temper sparking, Sasuke seemed to rub her the wrong way. She responded just as sarcastically, “Lovely to see you too, Sasuke-kun...”

 

Sasuke grunted before unfolding gracefully and approaching Sakura, “Why are you here, Sakura?”

 

Sakura released a long breath that she didn't even know she was holding. Her gaze slid from his uncomfortably as she confessed,” I... I don't even know.”

 

Uchiha's small mocking laugh seemed to echo in her head, “Come to give me my last rites then?”

 

The young woman's green eyes snapped to his onyx ones, “Don't talk like that!”

 

“Talk like what? You don't want to hear harsh reality, do you? You were never fit for the life of a warrior, of a kunoichi. That's one of the reasons I could have never taken you with me.”

 

Although Sakura felt the insult as if it were a punch in her gut, she remained silent unable to respond.

 

“You let your emotions rule you're every action.”

 

“No!” the young woman snapped a little too loudly, “It was you ruled by emotions, by notions of vengeance...”

 

Sasuke countered smoothly, “and you were ruled by notions of love... You still are but the Sasuke you thought you knew never existed. You love a phantom.”

 

The pink haired kunoichi cried, feeling her throat tightening with emotion, “It's not true. I know you better than you think. I know how it feels to lose the ones you love...”

 

“Don't compare your experience to mine. Neither you know nor Naruto know a damn thing about what it feels like to be me.” The Uchiha heir snarled between clenched teeth.

 

“You think you're the only one in the world who knows what it means to suffer. You're not the only one, you know? You're not the only one who has ever known tragedy or endured loss. Being human is being able to empathize...”

 

“I don't need your empathy or your pity.” Sasuke retorted.

 

“I guess you don't need my love either, do you?” She asked brokenly.

 

The young man observed the myriad of emotions crossing Sakura's face, “I never asked you to love me. I never promised I would return it.”

 

He spoke with a cavalier cruelty that twisted her heart in her chest. Sakura turned away from him, determined not to let him see her cry, “Coming here was a mistake. I just wanted to...”

 

Sasuke reached through the bars of his cell, gripping her trembling shoulders with his large warm hands, “Don't cry for me. I don't deserve that.”

 

The kunoichi attempted to shrug him off, but he persisted until she turned around. The look on his face arrested the words that almost tumbled from her lips. His face was solemn, his onyx eyes glowing intensely with some unknown emotion.

 

“Such emotion...” he traced the glistening path of her tears with a fingertip. “The best choice I've ever made was to leave you here.”

 

Sakura shook herself from her trance, jerking away from his reach, “I don't know why I let you do this to me...”

 

“Because you love me...”

 

A bitter laugh escaped her lips and she roughly wiped away her tears, “Look where that got me...”

 

“Sakura...”

 

She released a gusty sigh, as she struggled to compose herself, “You say I'm not fit to be a kunoichi...”

 

The Uchiha heir was conspicuously silent.

 

Sakura shook her head in resignation before looking down at her hands. They were slim and a little bit tanned from her stay in Suna. The nails were cut ruthlessly short. These hands gave life and took it away. These were the hands of a trained kunoichi. “You're right, Sasuke. I'm too emotional. I make mistakes and I'm often too optimistic by half. But I've changed too. I'm not the foolish girl I used to be. I know harsh reality far better than you could ever know. I've spent most of my life watching everyone I've ever loved leave me behind. I've trained night and day to be better and although I'm not where I want to be, I am a kunoichi.” Her voice lowered to a whisper as she continued, “No matter how hard I try, I would probably never add up to anything in your eyes. It's you who will never see the truth.”

 

Another silence descended, leaving the pair to their private thoughts. Sakura decided to quit the scene after the silence became too much for her, “The guards will be here to take you away soon. It's time for me to go.”

 

She felt his eyes follow her as she walked. Despite her better judgment, she paused at the corner. “Sasuke... are you afraid?”

 

“I've never been afraid to face my fate.”

 

Sakura shook her head sadly. If only he could be vulnerable, be a little more human. For Sasuke Uchiha emotions were a weakness, an excess he could not afford. The young kunoichi had to remind herself of that as the distance grew between them.

 

Sakura could feel her heartbreaking in her chest as she watched Sasuke up on that stage. They were only moments from hearing the verdict, a careful product of a week-long deliberation by Konoha's council. She could feel Naruto grab her hand as Tsunade finally opened her mouth to speak.

 

Tsunade's amber gaze swept over the crowd, as her booming voice filled the air, “We, the citizens of Konoha, stand here to receive the verdict of the Sasuke Uchiha of the Uchiha clan. He stands before his peers to receive judgment for abandonment, treason and manslaughter. Sasuke Uchiha, before the decree of the council is revealed, do you have anything to say in your defense.”

 

The crowd mumbled and gasped as their full attention focused on the defendant.

 

His deep voice carried over the murmur, “No, I do not.”

 

“He doesn't deny it... He has balls, I tell you what.” a man standing close to Sakura commented.

 

The young kunoichi huddled closer to her best friend and teammate. Even though she knew what was coming next, her heart sped up unbearably. She almost missed Tsunade's words over the hammering of her own heartbeat.

 

“The Uchiha Clan has held a long, illustrious history. It is with much shame I announce that Konoha had a hand in ending that history.” The crowd gasped in at the revelation. Despite the uproar caused by the Hokage's announcement, Tsunade's strong voice carried over the noise,“ Rather than return to punish Land of Fire for the crimes committed upon you and your family, you ended up overturning a corrupt government determined the destroy what remained of the Land of Fires free spirit. Despite defecting from Konoha three years ago, you defeated both Orochimaru and Deidara, two S-class missing ninja. While your crimes against Konoha cannot be ignored neither can your triumphs and sacrifice.” The blond woman paused while rolling open a scroll she held in her hand, “It is the order of the council that Sasuke Uchiha be exiled for 4 years from the Village of Hidden Leaves. During the course of that time, you are forbidden to come with 3 miles of the village on pain of death. Your name will be retracted from the bingo books and you will be allowed to live your life as you choose. If after 4 years you wish to return to this village, you will be judged before a panel of your peers. Should your heart prove true and actions are without reproach, you will be reinstated as a citizen of Konoha. Is that understood?”

 

Sasuke nodded, “Yes.”

 

Tsunade turned to the crowd once again, “So let it be done...”

 

Sakura felt her heart stop in her chest when the Hokage read the proclamation. She had hoped that he would be allowed to stay but deep down she knew that this fate was better than death. Even so, she could not stop the bitterness and sorrow that overtook her soul. All around her the crowd churned with speculations and shock, but the shock of reality made her ears deaf to everything. Naruto stood stiffly beside her, his face buried in the crook of Hinata's neck. The sorrow-filled kunoichi wanted to comfort him, to be comforted by him. However, she left the pair knowing that in this moment despite their shared agony there was no place for her. After waiting for Sakura to notice him for so long, Naruto found comfort in the arms of a woman who could love him unconditionally, who he could love without fear or reservation. The rose haired woman felt her face become conspicuously tight and her eyes sting as she pushed forward through the crowd to catch her last glimpse of Sasuke.

 

***

 

Sasuke Uchiha seemed rather indifferent to verdict as if he already predicted his fate. Two ANBU guards were escorting him from the platform, holding his arms tightly as if he meant to bolt. The young man thought it ridiculous, all this pomp and circumstance. He had very little desire to remain in this village and now with his newfound freedom he could move forward and make a life of his own. As he passed the Hokage heard her whisper a warning.

 

“Do not think we won't be watching you, Otokage...”

 

Rather than answer, the black haired shinobi shrugged before turning his gaze back to the excited masses. Sakura was no longer in her place. Naruto was in the arms of the Hyuuga girl, which surprised the Uchiha. He didn't think the idiot capable of getting a girl to notice him. After dismissing them, he scanned the crowd for a glimpse of pink. His sharp vision latched on to her form as she moved forward. He could tell she was suppressing strong emotion as she paused, locking her gaze with his. If he had a heart, if he were a better man, he could have put the young girl at ease long ago. But he knew nothing of comfort or of love. Such concepts were shattered and tossed to the wind the day he found his parents lying dead in a pool of their own blood, slaughtered in a fit of madness and obligation by his brother Itachi. He held no regard for Sakura, not the way she would have desired, but he knew he could make use of her should he survive. He knew that if he decided to call upon her she would come. Her love made her undeniably loyal and easy to manipulate. Watching her fighting an inward battle with her emotions, her eyes shimmering green with unshed tears, her plush lips pressed together in grim determination, Sasuke felt some spark of emotion in his frozen soul he could not identify. Sakura was wrong about one thing; the Uchiha knew that she changed. He acknowledged her growth but he knew underneath all her strong façade, she was just as vulnerable as she was before. His face remained stoic as he drank in the sight of her, burning an older Sakura into his memory, erasing the red-faced crying girl he left behind so long ago. He did not break the gaze until the pink haired kunoichi was out of his line of sight.

***

Sakura stood before the platform until the crowd dispersed. Naruto came to her to offer her some solace but she had turned him away, saying that she wanted to be alone. Body on autopilot, she trudged through the village towards her makeshift quarters in the hospital. She wanted to huddle up in a corner and cry but the idea of crying in the dark seemed so distasteful at the moment. She felt the need to be useful, to release her anxious energy in a constructive manner. Once inside the walls of the temporary Konoha Hospital, Sakura made a detour to the room of an individual she had not seen in weeks. This security enhanced room was eerily quiet save for the melodic beeping and puffs of air emanating from the respirator. The man lying on the hospital bed, connected to the lone respirator and an IV, made no sound or movement except the expanding and contracting of his chest. His silver cloud of hair was spread haphazardly on his pillow and his pale brow was smooth as if he had no worries in the world. The lower half of his face was obscured by the oxygen mask but Sakura knew this man well. He was a hero who nearly sacrificed his life to Pein for the sake of Konoha. Now he lay in a deathlike slumber, unable or unwilling to awaken. The man on the hospital bed was a mere shadow of his lively self. Many had given up on his recovery although Tsunade would not pull the plug. She and her mentor were of a small group who believed that the man still had a chance. After stabilizing him, Sakura hadn't the opportunity to revisit and begin the complicated healing sessions that might redeem his soul.

 

Running hand over his brow with a startling familiarity she would not have been allowed had he been awake, Sakura took a quick analysis of his state. Not much had been achieved in her absence. In his efforts to survive Pein's attacks and rescue his companions, Kakashi used his Mangekyo Sharingan three times. His body couldn't withstand the strain and his overuse of chakra resulted in damage to his body and parts of his central nervous system. Every medic-nin knew that the brain was a delicate thing. Novices were not allowed to attempt the intricate process of healing without intense training and supervision. Unlike most medic-nin her age, Sakura long surpassed the need for management while she healed her patients. Now she was considered one of the top in her field, second only to Tsunade despite her age.

 

Rather than wallow in her own self pity, she decided today would be as good as any to give Kakashi a much needed healing session. Her hand flared with green as she lean over the prone man, pressing her fingertips to the base of his skull. She closed her eyes and began the process of healing. But the silence in the lifeless room was far too oppressive. In effort to relieve some stress and chase away the gloom of the room, Sakura opened her mouth and began a monologue with the comatose Kakashi.

 

“Nee Kakashi-sensei... You've been asleep for so long. I always thought you were a bit lazy, reading Icha Icha Paradise and never lifting a finger unless it was totally necessary. You won't believe all the things you missed or how much Konoha has changed... How much your students have changed...”

 

Sakura continued to chatter almost mindlessly, filling the unconscious man in on all the things he'd missed in his coma. In the process, she also unburdened her soul to him, telling him her deepest worries, her regrets, and her sorrows. She spoke of Naruto and her constant failure to be of any use to him as a teammate and friend. She spoke of Sasuke of his change and the coldness that lurked in his eyes. She shed a few tears, faltering in her healing, pausing to wipe them away. Despite her grief she continued knowing that her former teacher would offer her no judgment or reproach, just sweet, accepting silence. And in that moment, that was all she could ever ask for.