Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Green Shadow ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Azuka 
Sakura thinks she saw an Uchiha...
I do not own Naruto and co.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Romance / Thriller | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.31.2008 | Updated On: 12.31.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 557 | Status: Work In Progress
Sakura thinks she saw an Uchiha...
I do not own Naruto and co.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Romance / Thriller | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.31.2008 | Updated On: 12.31.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 557 | Status: Work In Progress
Sakura Haruno, apprentice to the fifth Hokage, twenty two years old; member of ANBU for two years now, apart of a special Medical Ops Team, second best only to the Hokage herself when it came to brute strength and incomparable chakra control.
Underneath the white and pink mask in the fashion of a cat, lay the twenty two year old woman who was more utterly alone in live than anyone in the village Hidden in the Leaves. Lifting a pale hand, encased in gloves with missing fingers, she pressed a finger into the black collar around her throat. “Three enemy ninja approaching from east; two from the north and two from the south.” She lowered her arm as she peered through the slit eye holes in the mast as the first three coming from the east approached. The hand she let drop moved easily and fluidly to a pouch on her belt, behind her right hip. She produced a handful of kunai, placed between each finger, curled into a tight fist. A soft voice was suddenly in her ear. “Stand down, Moon; do not engage.” The ANBU medic nin frowned as she relaxed her fist, but did not put the weapons away.
Sakura eyes were sharp as razors as the ninja’s approached at a heightened speed, only capable of ninja’s. Her eyes narrowed, then widened as she suddenly turned to the north east. An approaching chakra signature was rapidly approaching; had she not been so sensitive to chakra, she would not have felt it soft chime. Instantly her fingers flew to her choker; but it was too late. A dark shadow passed directly below, instantly engaging the two enemy ninja from the east. ‘Damn!’ She hissed and pressed her finger against her choker. “A new element has entered the scene.” A responding voice hissed in her ear. “Do not engage, Moon. Wait.”
She hissed as her emerald eyes danced in the shadows of her mask. The new ninja was quick, silent and quite deadly. The enemy ninja fell easily and silently where they stood. They didn’t even have time to register the fact that had been in any danger. Sakura remained frozen as she waited, watching as the shinobi stepped into a ray of moonlight. Her chin lifted as her eyes focused, eager to see this ninja. First revealed were black hakama’s...a purple rope belt and a baggy, open white haroi. Her heart beat picked up for some reason as her eyes narrowed. The shinobi stopped, just as the pale contours of his chest had reached his collar bone in the light. Sakura frowned and focused on his face, cast in shadows. The wind blew and Sakura felt her squad approaching, the wind carrying the soft chime of chakra signatures.
At that precise moment of recognition, did a flash of scarlet in the shadows of his face make her gasp. The scarlet flashed again and Sakura could make out the shuriken design of the black pupils. “No...” She whispered and the moment she blinked, the shinobi was gone. Sakura gasped as someone landed beside her. “What happened?” Her squad leader, wearing the mask of a wolf, turned to her in surprise. “I...I missed him. He attacked to quickly. He was gone the moment he was finished; like he only passing through.” “Damn.” The Wolf responded, as two more ANBU appeared on the tree branch beside them. “We don’t have time to worry about this now, we still have our mission. Moon, stay behind with Owl. I will take Snake and meet back here in an hour. The moment one of us has the scroll in our possession, head straight back.”
“Hai.” They all responded and took off in a flurry if chakra and wind; not even the leaves moved at their passing. Owl was a small woman, so small she looked no more than twelve. Her skin tight black top covered only to the bottom of her rib cage, the ANBU tattoo bright black against the pale of her shoulder. Her mask was devoid of any design save for the softest of silver under each eye that dipped down into sharp points. The sword on her back was her weapon of choice; but the mandatory kunai, shuriken and smoke bombs; she carried and rarely used.
Sakura glanced at her, Owl turned her head to acknowledge the attention given to her by her companion. Sakura smirked under her mask and nodded once, Owl seemed to think the same thing. If they were bound to this location, why not have a little fun and prepare for their guests. In a swirl of chakra and wind, the two females had begun.
~~~
Still wearing her mask, Sakura found herself on the receiving end of medical attention as they stitched together the flesh of her left arm, just below the ANBU tattoo. The gash below her tattoo was nothing compared to the broken ribs and the fractured skull the medic nin sustained. Owl lay next to her, the entire length of her left arm bandaged. Standing beside one of the nurses was Wolf, wearing a traveling cloak; the only sign that he’d been hurt in the exchange was a crutch he was leaning against. Sakura sat up, hissing when the gash on her arm pulled and the recently mended bones of her ribs protested. Wolf and the nurse instantly looked at her. “Ah, ANBU member Moon, you should not be moving.” The nurse said softly, placing a cool hand over the wound on Sakura’s instantly she cold feel the healing chakra of the medic. Suddenly groggy Sakura shook her head and pushed the woman away. Swinging her legs off the Gurney, she rose to her feet. “I’m fine.” “Ah!” The nurse went to protest again when Wolf held up his hand. “Its alright, The Hokage wishes to see her the moment she woke up anyway.” The Nurse nodded and stepped back as Wolf handed Sakura her traveling cloak. Slipping it on was easy enough. Granted Sakura’s hair was a spotlight for any who knew her; her own uniform came with a hood of its own. The traveling cloak’s hood was completely irrelevant.
Standing in front of the Hokage, Sakura, Wolf, Owl and Snake; “Wolf tells me you spotted a Rouge.” Tsunade ventured as she rolled open the scroll to review its contents. Sakura stepped forward, knowing she’d been addressed. “Hai, Hokage-sama.” Tsunade nodded and tapped the scroll twice before looking up. Shizune stood behind her, holding Tonton, looking impassive as she read over the Hokage’s shoulder. “Well, go on then.” Tsunade snarled softly. Sakura’s spine instantly straightened. “It was too quick, Hokage-sama. I felt him coming and a second later he’d killed the enemy ninja- after that he vanished. I would venture to assume that it was the advancing members of my team that might have frightened him off before I could fully identify the ninja.” Tsunade nodded and with a flick of her wrist, re-rolled the scroll into its proper shape before handing it over her shoulder to Shizune. Angling Tonton, Shizune grabbed the scroll and stuck it into the sleeve of her black kimono.
Sakura stepped back into line when the Hokage snorted and nodded once. “Very well then. As a result, I want the area of this sighting under surveillance. Wolf alter Team Dragon and Team Fox; I want this ninja found if he’s still in Fire Country.”
“Hokage-sama!” They all bowed before popping out of the room as a single unit. All except Sakura, who rose from her bow slowly. Tsunade cleared her throat as Shizune turned to file the scroll away. “Mind telling me what really happened out there?” Sakura reached up with her hands, one to remove her hood, the other to remove her mask. Her hair was still short, held up in a Shikamaru style ponytail. “I can’t make any assumptions, Hokage-sama. However...I think... I think he might have been Uchiha.” Shizune paused, Tonton still cradled in her arms; turning to look at Sakura.
“Uchiha.” Tsunade repeated hesitantly. Sakura fingered her palms as she looked down at her feet. “Don’t call me on it, Hokage-sama. I’m not sure, but I could have sworn that I saw the red eyes of an Uchiha.” Tsunade frowned as she reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of sake. Shizune was one step ahead of her, having put Tonton down and placed a small cup in front of Tsunade; even as the Hokage began to tip the bottle. Sakura watched the exchange with knowing eyes. Shizune smiled fondly at the back of Tsunade’s head as she stepped back with her hands folded over her stomach.
Tsunade lifted the cup of sake to her lips, tipped it back, hissed and then glared up at Sakura.
“What is it that you saw, exactly?” Sakura sighed and looked down at her mask. The white mask had two pink lines accenting the angular leer of a felines eyes, down in pointed strips, forming a nonexistent nose; a Cheshire smile of a felines mouth.
“He walked into the moonlight...I saw first only his hakama’s. As black as the shadows around him...and then his purple rope belt and then the white haroi that was baggy and wide open. He kept his face in the shadows though...like he knew I was there...like he knew I was watching him. However, the moment I felt my team advancing on my position, he looked at me. Bright scarlet eyes...the shuriken shaped pupils of his Sharingan. Then he was gone...like he was never there.” Tsunade cursed softly. “Damnit...” Shizune glanced at Sakura and then leaned down to Tsunade.
“Perhaps....taisetsu, perhaps Sakura was simply-.” “I know what I saw, Shizune. I’m not saying it ‘was’ a Uchiha. All I’m saying is he had red eyes.” Shizune and Tsunade both looked up in surprise; Sakura was trembling, her face downcast and her fist curled so tightly the tendons began to pop.
~~~
“Oi! Sakura-chan!” Sakura sighed and turned to see Lee running towards her with a big goofy grin on her face. “Hey Lee, what’s up?” He skidded to a stop beside her, his long black hair swishing out behind him. “I wanted to remind you; that is, if your not busy, we having training in an hour.” Sakura smiled. Ever since Team 7 split up, Sakura had done everything within her power to increase her taijutsu.
It was one of her few shortcomings. Rock Lee had been among the first of whom she sought help from. Of course, Kakashi had been another, as well as Choji and Kiba. Even Pig-girl helped her out.
“Oh right, sure thing Lee. Second Training Grounds?” “Actually, I was thinking a race around the village would suffice today!” Sakura blinked, then narrowed her eyes. She’d been training with Lee for over two months now, and though she knew coming from anyone else; that a race around the village was just that; a race around the village, but coming from Lee, there was just something funny about it. Lee seemed to notice her suspicious leer and grinned even bigger.
“Of course you’ll have to bring the weights I let you burrow! Your gloves might come in handy too, Sakura-chan.” It clicked and Sakura laughed nervously. “Oh...uh-haha, sure.”
~~
Sakura strapped on the weights to her calves and her forearms, wincing as she tried to stand up. Lee was already beside her, chuckling as Gai decided to participate as well. “Ready Cherry Blossom?” Lee winked, making Sakura roll her eyes with a groan. She watched in horrified expectance as both Gai and Lee flipped onto their hands.
‘Aw crap! I’m going to embarrass the hell out of myself! I just know it!’
“Yeah, I guess.” Hardly enthused, Sakura took her time before she flipped over onto her hands. She wobbled for a moment and then angled her feet. Wincing she looked over to see Lee and Gai grinning happily at her. She growled as she prepared herself for years of embarrassing gossip.
“Ready?” Gai shouted, Lee chuckled and glanced at Sakura who couldn’t help herself and smiled anyway. “GO!!” Lee and Gai shot out like slug stones, Sakura hot on their tails.
~~
“C’mon Sakura! You can do it!” Sakura grunted, sweat pouring down her arms and face. The muscles in her arms trembled, each step worse than the last. Half way through the race, Sakura’s tempo slowed to a near crawl. Lee hung back with her, encouraging her when she snapped and snarled at him. He only smiled and helped her along with encouraging words and compliments. “You know! First time Gai-sensei had me do this, it took me almost two days to complete the course! Look at you though! You’re almost there and the sun hasn’t even started to set yet!” Sakura grunted, squeezing her eyes closed as her arms trembled harder, threatening to buckle.
“Its okay Sakura! You’ve got it! Only ten more feet!” Sakura groaned and opened her eyes, glaring ahead of her towards her objective. Ino’s flower shop.
~~~
Sakura flopped down into the booth with a groan and a hiss. Lee chuckled as he slid in next to Gai-sensei and Ten-ten. Neji sat on the other side of Sakura, having been enjoying Ten-ten’s company before the arrival of Gai, and eventually Sakura and Lee. “So Sakura, why ‘are’ you training with Lee anyway?” Sakura cracked an eye, distracted only for a second as a round of sake was set down on the table, then answered. “Lee is almost as famous for his Taijutsu as Kakashi-sensei is for his perverted books.” Ten-ten smiled and picked up a small cup of sake.
The weapon mistress hadn’t changed much since the Chuunin exams, her hair still up in twin buns with her beautiful red, black and green Chinese uniform. “Guess that makes sense. How’s it going?” Lee answered for her as Sakura was tossing back a cup of sake. Neji sipped at his own before glancing at Ten-ten. The weapon mistress smiled and turned her attention to Lee. “She’s doing great! I’ve got her working under two hundred pounds! Not that its anything for Sakura; who can punch through solid stone!” Sakura smirked and gave Lee a thankful smirk before pouring herself another cup. Ten-ten blinked and looked back to Sakura. ”Really? Two hundred?” Lee nodded as Sakura threw back another, dropping the cup back to the table with a hiss. “Well, Lee can withstand four times that much! You wear, like what, five hundred just to walk around on?” Lee blinked and glanced up then smiled and looked back at Sakura. “Yup!” Ten-ten smirked and shook her head as she sipped at her sake, Gai-sensei already three-sheets to the wind.
He spotted Kakashi and instantly was on his feet, screaming about his rival and how it hurt his feelings that the Copy Ninja was avoiding him. Ten-ten laughed and glanced at Neji who smirked at her from behind his sake cup. Sakura whined softly as she massaged her biceps, glaring down at her hands that were still trembling. “If your not busy tomorrow, Sakura-chan. I’d like for you to run that course again.” Sakura looked up sharply to see Lee smiling fondly at her. “I know your arms hurt, but if you want to learn the way I do Taijutsu, well then you have to learn the way I learned how!” He held up his thumb with a flashy grin. Sakura rolled her eyes but raised her sake cup to him in a toast. “If you say so.”
~~~
Sakura pushed open the door to her apartment and whined again as her arms throbbed horribly with any movement. She closed and locked the door behind her before walking through the dark apartment and flopping down onto the couch. Once settled she fell back with a groan; procrastinating as she fought with herself. Finally she sat up and eased chakra through her cramping, stretched and abused muscles. Almost instantly the dull throbbing ache vanished and was replaced by a sort of high. “Haruno, Sakura.” Instantly a kunai was in hand, she was standing with the point no more than an inch from a Wolf mask. She lowered her arm with a sigh. “You are to report to the Hokage tower immediately as a Medic-nin.” Sakura blinked but nodded, as she turned to leave she felt the chakra and swirl of air as her ANBU captain left.
~~~
Sakura stood in the darkness for only a second before a single light was turned on. The moment she did, she gasped in astonishment, fear and surprises. Before her, stood a man. Bare chested and chained. His arms were stretched out, the chains wrapped around to his elbows with a machine-sort of-cage around him with long spikes; the pointed buried only an inch into his flesh at important places.
The spike’s were chakra enhanced, and the points in which they were in his body, stopped chakra flow throughout his own body. She lifted her hands to her mouth as her eyes darted to and from every place she could see of him. His rooster tail hair-style hadn’t changed much; maybe a bit more shaggy and in need of a cut. Blood from the spikes had dried and caked to his skin; he looked unnaturally pale, weak and harmless. “What...what happened to him!? Why is he like this?” The tendons in his arms flexed only slightly; fresh blood rolled along the dried, caked on paths. She gasped and moved towards him only to have Tsunade’s voice stop her. “Uchiha Sasuke.” She gasped as he lifted his head only slightly; not enough for her to see his face. “You have come back to receive your punishment against your crimes against Konoha. Do you object?” Sakura nearly fell to her knees as his voice sounded clear and confident. “No.” She almost forgot what his voice had sounded like. Hearing it now was so surreal and deafening. “As you have killed the Missing Nin Orochimaru; as well as the traitor Uchiha Itachi; your punishment shall be determined by the one person of whom your worst crime has betrayed. Haruno Sakura.” His head dropped again, his fingers uncurling and going lax. “Do you object?”
“No.”
Sakura gasped and looked above him, away from the horrible contraption he was bound in. ‘This can’t be happening? No way!’
“Haruno Sakura; you have twenty four hours to determine your course of action. Uchiha Sasuke came willingly to accept his fate. You will hear his plea and make your decision.”
The lights dimmed and Sakura knew she was alone; well as alone as she could get with him, with ANBU members littering every nook and cranny in the darkness. Sasuke moved; the chains rattled and the spikes deepened in his flesh, creating another path of blood over his pale body. She gasped, stepped forward in a knee-jerk reaction before freezing with her hands over her mouth.
“My objective, for leaving the village Hidden in the Leaves, is complete. I have avenged my family; destroyed Uchiha Itachi and the villainous scum, Orochimaru.”
Sakura’s voice broke, but her training kicked in. “Will-can you serve as a ninja of the Hidden Leaf? Of course...you will start over; beginning with the Academy. However, before you could even do that, you would be under house arrest and under constant surveillance.” Sakura, who had been speaking through her hands, lowered them and swallowed. “Well?” The tendons in his arms flexed once more, his head turning only slightly as if he would ignore her. “I would do anything asked of me. I have abandoned my village; committed crimes against Konoha; fought against my dearest friends. Should my verdict be to die here in the darkness; I would accept it. I have avenged my family...it was all I wanted.”
Sakura frowned, sniffed and glared at the floor before glaring up at him. “Very well. I will deliberate with the Hokage and Uzumaki Naruto, as he is in apprenticeship under the Hokage to become the Sixth.” She smiled a little when she saw his head tilt back towards her. “Tomorrow at noon, you fate shall be decided.” She turned and walked away.
The lights went out. Sasuke slowly released his breath as the pain of the spikes and dull ache from the chains slowly pressed in on him. He accepted the pain, however, more than eager; in penance for his crimes.
‘So, Naruto really did it? You, Sakura...what about you? The Fifth left my fate in your hands...what power do you hold, now?’
~~~
“He did what he set out to do! The whole reason why we gave up two years ago was because we couldn’t change his mind! I mean, he killed those bastard’s and then came back! If he was really a bad guy, don’t you think he would have stayed out there!” Naruto slammed his fist down onto Tsunade’s table, nearly screaming in her face. “He came back! He came to face his punishment! He knew he fucked up, but he came back anyway!” Tsunade snarled softly as her apprentice turned and began to pace the room. Shizune and Sakura stood off to the side as Naruto continued to rant.
“He deserves a seconds chance, Baa-chan! Sasuke isn’t a bad guy! He did what he had to! He had to kill Itachi in order to appease the guilt of his parents murders! Of his entire Clan! So what if he had to use Orochimaru to do it! It proves Sasuke wasn’t under his total control, isn’t still, that he came back! He’;s ‘allowing’ himself to be held captive! He could break out of that place just as easily as I could!”
Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temple. Shizune fidgeted as Sakura braced one arm on the other crossed over her torso, chewing thoughtfully on her thumb nail.
“Well, Sakura? What do you have to say?” Tsunade asked. Naruto froze and turned to her questioningly. Sakura met his eyes. The soft sky blue of his eyes were hard, pleading as well as understandings. He would stand by her, no matter her choice; but that didn’t mean he didn’t have his own opinion about that matter.
Naruto, now twenty three, stood before the near image of the Fourth; the shock of blonde hair was now shaggy; the jumpsuit he wore was now yellow and black. “I...I think Naruto is right. We give him a chance...one chance.” She finished with a frown.
“If he truly has changed, it will be evident during the first month. However, if he is a rabid dog, as I hate to admit that I suspect....we’ll put him down.” Naruto heaved a soft sigh as he crossed his arms and turned to face her fully. “I’m behind you Sakura...You know I am.” Sakura smiled and nodded. Tsunade sighed. “Well, in any case; sleep on it. The Elders still have to voice their opinion and cast their vote. Out of respect for you two, my vote is your vote. Make sure you know what your doing; tomorrow, we’ll see exactly what it is we’re dealing with.” Sakura and Naruto nodded.
Underneath the white and pink mask in the fashion of a cat, lay the twenty two year old woman who was more utterly alone in live than anyone in the village Hidden in the Leaves. Lifting a pale hand, encased in gloves with missing fingers, she pressed a finger into the black collar around her throat. “Three enemy ninja approaching from east; two from the north and two from the south.” She lowered her arm as she peered through the slit eye holes in the mast as the first three coming from the east approached. The hand she let drop moved easily and fluidly to a pouch on her belt, behind her right hip. She produced a handful of kunai, placed between each finger, curled into a tight fist. A soft voice was suddenly in her ear. “Stand down, Moon; do not engage.” The ANBU medic nin frowned as she relaxed her fist, but did not put the weapons away.
Sakura eyes were sharp as razors as the ninja’s approached at a heightened speed, only capable of ninja’s. Her eyes narrowed, then widened as she suddenly turned to the north east. An approaching chakra signature was rapidly approaching; had she not been so sensitive to chakra, she would not have felt it soft chime. Instantly her fingers flew to her choker; but it was too late. A dark shadow passed directly below, instantly engaging the two enemy ninja from the east. ‘Damn!’ She hissed and pressed her finger against her choker. “A new element has entered the scene.” A responding voice hissed in her ear. “Do not engage, Moon. Wait.”
She hissed as her emerald eyes danced in the shadows of her mask. The new ninja was quick, silent and quite deadly. The enemy ninja fell easily and silently where they stood. They didn’t even have time to register the fact that had been in any danger. Sakura remained frozen as she waited, watching as the shinobi stepped into a ray of moonlight. Her chin lifted as her eyes focused, eager to see this ninja. First revealed were black hakama’s...a purple rope belt and a baggy, open white haroi. Her heart beat picked up for some reason as her eyes narrowed. The shinobi stopped, just as the pale contours of his chest had reached his collar bone in the light. Sakura frowned and focused on his face, cast in shadows. The wind blew and Sakura felt her squad approaching, the wind carrying the soft chime of chakra signatures.
At that precise moment of recognition, did a flash of scarlet in the shadows of his face make her gasp. The scarlet flashed again and Sakura could make out the shuriken design of the black pupils. “No...” She whispered and the moment she blinked, the shinobi was gone. Sakura gasped as someone landed beside her. “What happened?” Her squad leader, wearing the mask of a wolf, turned to her in surprise. “I...I missed him. He attacked to quickly. He was gone the moment he was finished; like he only passing through.” “Damn.” The Wolf responded, as two more ANBU appeared on the tree branch beside them. “We don’t have time to worry about this now, we still have our mission. Moon, stay behind with Owl. I will take Snake and meet back here in an hour. The moment one of us has the scroll in our possession, head straight back.”
“Hai.” They all responded and took off in a flurry if chakra and wind; not even the leaves moved at their passing. Owl was a small woman, so small she looked no more than twelve. Her skin tight black top covered only to the bottom of her rib cage, the ANBU tattoo bright black against the pale of her shoulder. Her mask was devoid of any design save for the softest of silver under each eye that dipped down into sharp points. The sword on her back was her weapon of choice; but the mandatory kunai, shuriken and smoke bombs; she carried and rarely used.
Sakura glanced at her, Owl turned her head to acknowledge the attention given to her by her companion. Sakura smirked under her mask and nodded once, Owl seemed to think the same thing. If they were bound to this location, why not have a little fun and prepare for their guests. In a swirl of chakra and wind, the two females had begun.
~~~
Still wearing her mask, Sakura found herself on the receiving end of medical attention as they stitched together the flesh of her left arm, just below the ANBU tattoo. The gash below her tattoo was nothing compared to the broken ribs and the fractured skull the medic nin sustained. Owl lay next to her, the entire length of her left arm bandaged. Standing beside one of the nurses was Wolf, wearing a traveling cloak; the only sign that he’d been hurt in the exchange was a crutch he was leaning against. Sakura sat up, hissing when the gash on her arm pulled and the recently mended bones of her ribs protested. Wolf and the nurse instantly looked at her. “Ah, ANBU member Moon, you should not be moving.” The nurse said softly, placing a cool hand over the wound on Sakura’s instantly she cold feel the healing chakra of the medic. Suddenly groggy Sakura shook her head and pushed the woman away. Swinging her legs off the Gurney, she rose to her feet. “I’m fine.” “Ah!” The nurse went to protest again when Wolf held up his hand. “Its alright, The Hokage wishes to see her the moment she woke up anyway.” The Nurse nodded and stepped back as Wolf handed Sakura her traveling cloak. Slipping it on was easy enough. Granted Sakura’s hair was a spotlight for any who knew her; her own uniform came with a hood of its own. The traveling cloak’s hood was completely irrelevant.
Standing in front of the Hokage, Sakura, Wolf, Owl and Snake; “Wolf tells me you spotted a Rouge.” Tsunade ventured as she rolled open the scroll to review its contents. Sakura stepped forward, knowing she’d been addressed. “Hai, Hokage-sama.” Tsunade nodded and tapped the scroll twice before looking up. Shizune stood behind her, holding Tonton, looking impassive as she read over the Hokage’s shoulder. “Well, go on then.” Tsunade snarled softly. Sakura’s spine instantly straightened. “It was too quick, Hokage-sama. I felt him coming and a second later he’d killed the enemy ninja- after that he vanished. I would venture to assume that it was the advancing members of my team that might have frightened him off before I could fully identify the ninja.” Tsunade nodded and with a flick of her wrist, re-rolled the scroll into its proper shape before handing it over her shoulder to Shizune. Angling Tonton, Shizune grabbed the scroll and stuck it into the sleeve of her black kimono.
Sakura stepped back into line when the Hokage snorted and nodded once. “Very well then. As a result, I want the area of this sighting under surveillance. Wolf alter Team Dragon and Team Fox; I want this ninja found if he’s still in Fire Country.”
“Hokage-sama!” They all bowed before popping out of the room as a single unit. All except Sakura, who rose from her bow slowly. Tsunade cleared her throat as Shizune turned to file the scroll away. “Mind telling me what really happened out there?” Sakura reached up with her hands, one to remove her hood, the other to remove her mask. Her hair was still short, held up in a Shikamaru style ponytail. “I can’t make any assumptions, Hokage-sama. However...I think... I think he might have been Uchiha.” Shizune paused, Tonton still cradled in her arms; turning to look at Sakura.
“Uchiha.” Tsunade repeated hesitantly. Sakura fingered her palms as she looked down at her feet. “Don’t call me on it, Hokage-sama. I’m not sure, but I could have sworn that I saw the red eyes of an Uchiha.” Tsunade frowned as she reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of sake. Shizune was one step ahead of her, having put Tonton down and placed a small cup in front of Tsunade; even as the Hokage began to tip the bottle. Sakura watched the exchange with knowing eyes. Shizune smiled fondly at the back of Tsunade’s head as she stepped back with her hands folded over her stomach.
Tsunade lifted the cup of sake to her lips, tipped it back, hissed and then glared up at Sakura.
“What is it that you saw, exactly?” Sakura sighed and looked down at her mask. The white mask had two pink lines accenting the angular leer of a felines eyes, down in pointed strips, forming a nonexistent nose; a Cheshire smile of a felines mouth.
“He walked into the moonlight...I saw first only his hakama’s. As black as the shadows around him...and then his purple rope belt and then the white haroi that was baggy and wide open. He kept his face in the shadows though...like he knew I was there...like he knew I was watching him. However, the moment I felt my team advancing on my position, he looked at me. Bright scarlet eyes...the shuriken shaped pupils of his Sharingan. Then he was gone...like he was never there.” Tsunade cursed softly. “Damnit...” Shizune glanced at Sakura and then leaned down to Tsunade.
“Perhaps....taisetsu, perhaps Sakura was simply-.” “I know what I saw, Shizune. I’m not saying it ‘was’ a Uchiha. All I’m saying is he had red eyes.” Shizune and Tsunade both looked up in surprise; Sakura was trembling, her face downcast and her fist curled so tightly the tendons began to pop.
~~~
“Oi! Sakura-chan!” Sakura sighed and turned to see Lee running towards her with a big goofy grin on her face. “Hey Lee, what’s up?” He skidded to a stop beside her, his long black hair swishing out behind him. “I wanted to remind you; that is, if your not busy, we having training in an hour.” Sakura smiled. Ever since Team 7 split up, Sakura had done everything within her power to increase her taijutsu.
It was one of her few shortcomings. Rock Lee had been among the first of whom she sought help from. Of course, Kakashi had been another, as well as Choji and Kiba. Even Pig-girl helped her out.
“Oh right, sure thing Lee. Second Training Grounds?” “Actually, I was thinking a race around the village would suffice today!” Sakura blinked, then narrowed her eyes. She’d been training with Lee for over two months now, and though she knew coming from anyone else; that a race around the village was just that; a race around the village, but coming from Lee, there was just something funny about it. Lee seemed to notice her suspicious leer and grinned even bigger.
“Of course you’ll have to bring the weights I let you burrow! Your gloves might come in handy too, Sakura-chan.” It clicked and Sakura laughed nervously. “Oh...uh-haha, sure.”
~~
Sakura strapped on the weights to her calves and her forearms, wincing as she tried to stand up. Lee was already beside her, chuckling as Gai decided to participate as well. “Ready Cherry Blossom?” Lee winked, making Sakura roll her eyes with a groan. She watched in horrified expectance as both Gai and Lee flipped onto their hands.
‘Aw crap! I’m going to embarrass the hell out of myself! I just know it!’
“Yeah, I guess.” Hardly enthused, Sakura took her time before she flipped over onto her hands. She wobbled for a moment and then angled her feet. Wincing she looked over to see Lee and Gai grinning happily at her. She growled as she prepared herself for years of embarrassing gossip.
“Ready?” Gai shouted, Lee chuckled and glanced at Sakura who couldn’t help herself and smiled anyway. “GO!!” Lee and Gai shot out like slug stones, Sakura hot on their tails.
~~
“C’mon Sakura! You can do it!” Sakura grunted, sweat pouring down her arms and face. The muscles in her arms trembled, each step worse than the last. Half way through the race, Sakura’s tempo slowed to a near crawl. Lee hung back with her, encouraging her when she snapped and snarled at him. He only smiled and helped her along with encouraging words and compliments. “You know! First time Gai-sensei had me do this, it took me almost two days to complete the course! Look at you though! You’re almost there and the sun hasn’t even started to set yet!” Sakura grunted, squeezing her eyes closed as her arms trembled harder, threatening to buckle.
“Its okay Sakura! You’ve got it! Only ten more feet!” Sakura groaned and opened her eyes, glaring ahead of her towards her objective. Ino’s flower shop.
~~~
Sakura flopped down into the booth with a groan and a hiss. Lee chuckled as he slid in next to Gai-sensei and Ten-ten. Neji sat on the other side of Sakura, having been enjoying Ten-ten’s company before the arrival of Gai, and eventually Sakura and Lee. “So Sakura, why ‘are’ you training with Lee anyway?” Sakura cracked an eye, distracted only for a second as a round of sake was set down on the table, then answered. “Lee is almost as famous for his Taijutsu as Kakashi-sensei is for his perverted books.” Ten-ten smiled and picked up a small cup of sake.
The weapon mistress hadn’t changed much since the Chuunin exams, her hair still up in twin buns with her beautiful red, black and green Chinese uniform. “Guess that makes sense. How’s it going?” Lee answered for her as Sakura was tossing back a cup of sake. Neji sipped at his own before glancing at Ten-ten. The weapon mistress smiled and turned her attention to Lee. “She’s doing great! I’ve got her working under two hundred pounds! Not that its anything for Sakura; who can punch through solid stone!” Sakura smirked and gave Lee a thankful smirk before pouring herself another cup. Ten-ten blinked and looked back to Sakura. ”Really? Two hundred?” Lee nodded as Sakura threw back another, dropping the cup back to the table with a hiss. “Well, Lee can withstand four times that much! You wear, like what, five hundred just to walk around on?” Lee blinked and glanced up then smiled and looked back at Sakura. “Yup!” Ten-ten smirked and shook her head as she sipped at her sake, Gai-sensei already three-sheets to the wind.
He spotted Kakashi and instantly was on his feet, screaming about his rival and how it hurt his feelings that the Copy Ninja was avoiding him. Ten-ten laughed and glanced at Neji who smirked at her from behind his sake cup. Sakura whined softly as she massaged her biceps, glaring down at her hands that were still trembling. “If your not busy tomorrow, Sakura-chan. I’d like for you to run that course again.” Sakura looked up sharply to see Lee smiling fondly at her. “I know your arms hurt, but if you want to learn the way I do Taijutsu, well then you have to learn the way I learned how!” He held up his thumb with a flashy grin. Sakura rolled her eyes but raised her sake cup to him in a toast. “If you say so.”
~~~
Sakura pushed open the door to her apartment and whined again as her arms throbbed horribly with any movement. She closed and locked the door behind her before walking through the dark apartment and flopping down onto the couch. Once settled she fell back with a groan; procrastinating as she fought with herself. Finally she sat up and eased chakra through her cramping, stretched and abused muscles. Almost instantly the dull throbbing ache vanished and was replaced by a sort of high. “Haruno, Sakura.” Instantly a kunai was in hand, she was standing with the point no more than an inch from a Wolf mask. She lowered her arm with a sigh. “You are to report to the Hokage tower immediately as a Medic-nin.” Sakura blinked but nodded, as she turned to leave she felt the chakra and swirl of air as her ANBU captain left.
~~~
Sakura stood in the darkness for only a second before a single light was turned on. The moment she did, she gasped in astonishment, fear and surprises. Before her, stood a man. Bare chested and chained. His arms were stretched out, the chains wrapped around to his elbows with a machine-sort of-cage around him with long spikes; the pointed buried only an inch into his flesh at important places.
The spike’s were chakra enhanced, and the points in which they were in his body, stopped chakra flow throughout his own body. She lifted her hands to her mouth as her eyes darted to and from every place she could see of him. His rooster tail hair-style hadn’t changed much; maybe a bit more shaggy and in need of a cut. Blood from the spikes had dried and caked to his skin; he looked unnaturally pale, weak and harmless. “What...what happened to him!? Why is he like this?” The tendons in his arms flexed only slightly; fresh blood rolled along the dried, caked on paths. She gasped and moved towards him only to have Tsunade’s voice stop her. “Uchiha Sasuke.” She gasped as he lifted his head only slightly; not enough for her to see his face. “You have come back to receive your punishment against your crimes against Konoha. Do you object?” Sakura nearly fell to her knees as his voice sounded clear and confident. “No.” She almost forgot what his voice had sounded like. Hearing it now was so surreal and deafening. “As you have killed the Missing Nin Orochimaru; as well as the traitor Uchiha Itachi; your punishment shall be determined by the one person of whom your worst crime has betrayed. Haruno Sakura.” His head dropped again, his fingers uncurling and going lax. “Do you object?”
“No.”
Sakura gasped and looked above him, away from the horrible contraption he was bound in. ‘This can’t be happening? No way!’
“Haruno Sakura; you have twenty four hours to determine your course of action. Uchiha Sasuke came willingly to accept his fate. You will hear his plea and make your decision.”
The lights dimmed and Sakura knew she was alone; well as alone as she could get with him, with ANBU members littering every nook and cranny in the darkness. Sasuke moved; the chains rattled and the spikes deepened in his flesh, creating another path of blood over his pale body. She gasped, stepped forward in a knee-jerk reaction before freezing with her hands over her mouth.
“My objective, for leaving the village Hidden in the Leaves, is complete. I have avenged my family; destroyed Uchiha Itachi and the villainous scum, Orochimaru.”
Sakura’s voice broke, but her training kicked in. “Will-can you serve as a ninja of the Hidden Leaf? Of course...you will start over; beginning with the Academy. However, before you could even do that, you would be under house arrest and under constant surveillance.” Sakura, who had been speaking through her hands, lowered them and swallowed. “Well?” The tendons in his arms flexed once more, his head turning only slightly as if he would ignore her. “I would do anything asked of me. I have abandoned my village; committed crimes against Konoha; fought against my dearest friends. Should my verdict be to die here in the darkness; I would accept it. I have avenged my family...it was all I wanted.”
Sakura frowned, sniffed and glared at the floor before glaring up at him. “Very well. I will deliberate with the Hokage and Uzumaki Naruto, as he is in apprenticeship under the Hokage to become the Sixth.” She smiled a little when she saw his head tilt back towards her. “Tomorrow at noon, you fate shall be decided.” She turned and walked away.
The lights went out. Sasuke slowly released his breath as the pain of the spikes and dull ache from the chains slowly pressed in on him. He accepted the pain, however, more than eager; in penance for his crimes.
‘So, Naruto really did it? You, Sakura...what about you? The Fifth left my fate in your hands...what power do you hold, now?’
~~~
“He did what he set out to do! The whole reason why we gave up two years ago was because we couldn’t change his mind! I mean, he killed those bastard’s and then came back! If he was really a bad guy, don’t you think he would have stayed out there!” Naruto slammed his fist down onto Tsunade’s table, nearly screaming in her face. “He came back! He came to face his punishment! He knew he fucked up, but he came back anyway!” Tsunade snarled softly as her apprentice turned and began to pace the room. Shizune and Sakura stood off to the side as Naruto continued to rant.
“He deserves a seconds chance, Baa-chan! Sasuke isn’t a bad guy! He did what he had to! He had to kill Itachi in order to appease the guilt of his parents murders! Of his entire Clan! So what if he had to use Orochimaru to do it! It proves Sasuke wasn’t under his total control, isn’t still, that he came back! He’;s ‘allowing’ himself to be held captive! He could break out of that place just as easily as I could!”
Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temple. Shizune fidgeted as Sakura braced one arm on the other crossed over her torso, chewing thoughtfully on her thumb nail.
“Well, Sakura? What do you have to say?” Tsunade asked. Naruto froze and turned to her questioningly. Sakura met his eyes. The soft sky blue of his eyes were hard, pleading as well as understandings. He would stand by her, no matter her choice; but that didn’t mean he didn’t have his own opinion about that matter.
Naruto, now twenty three, stood before the near image of the Fourth; the shock of blonde hair was now shaggy; the jumpsuit he wore was now yellow and black. “I...I think Naruto is right. We give him a chance...one chance.” She finished with a frown.
“If he truly has changed, it will be evident during the first month. However, if he is a rabid dog, as I hate to admit that I suspect....we’ll put him down.” Naruto heaved a soft sigh as he crossed his arms and turned to face her fully. “I’m behind you Sakura...You know I am.” Sakura smiled and nodded. Tsunade sighed. “Well, in any case; sleep on it. The Elders still have to voice their opinion and cast their vote. Out of respect for you two, my vote is your vote. Make sure you know what your doing; tomorrow, we’ll see exactly what it is we’re dealing with.” Sakura and Naruto nodded.