Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Hopes and Dreams ❯ Chapter 1 - Confession ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer:

I do not own any of the characters from this story, they are owned by the creators of the hit Manga and Anime Series, Naruto.

 

Prologue

 

After Naruto kills Itachi Uchiha with the Rasenshuriken in front of Sasuke, Sasuke is so angry that his revenge is gone that he decides to turn his revenge toward Naruto. Sasuke is too weak to fight at the time after fighting Itachi himself however, so he retreats leaving the team of leaf village ninja behind. Naruto is extremely tired, but he has no time to rest. The scroll frog that was summoned by Jiraiya finds Naruto and tells him that Jiraiya has been beaten and taken captive by the Akatsuki leader Pain and his teammate Konan. The scroll frog also tells Naruto that Jiraiya's last wish was for Naruto to know how to release the seal on the Nine Tailed Fox, but Naruto declines the request and tells the frog that they will go to save Jiraiya.

 

Kiba, Shino, and Hinata are ordered by Kakashi to go back to the Hidden Leaf Village while Naruto, Sakura, Yamato, Sai, and Kakashi go and save Jiraiya in the Hidden Rain Village. On the way there, Sakura takes a look at Naruto's left arm and tells him that if he uses the Rasenshuriken with that arm, he may not be able to use that arm again. But Naruto tells her that everything will be okay and he would protect her at all costs, even if he has to lose all function in his body. Sakura struggles within herself to say something back, but is interrupted by Kakashi who tells them that they have to get moving again. When they finally reach the Hidden Rain Village, the team is immediately confronted by the two Akatsuki members and is split. Yamato and Sai take on Konan, while Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi take on Pain.

 

Kakashi and Sakura decide to distract Pain while Naruto prepares his Rasenshuriken. Kakashi is hit by an attack and is knocked unconscious while Sakura is thrown hard to the ground by the same attack. Pain is about to finish off Sakura when at the last second Naruto blocks her, taking the shot right to his chest which almost goes through his body, and hits Pain with the Rasenshuriken from his right hand. Pain is sent flying into the wall while Naruto is barely standing and spitting up blood. Sakura is in shock that Naruto can still stand, but after Pain and Konan retreat, Naruto falls backward into Sakura's lap revealing the horrific wound. The team heads back with Naruto and Jiraiya, with Naruto now fighting for his life.

 

Chapter 1 - Confession

 

Sakura knelt on the floor, paralyzed with fear as she saw Pain come closer with chakra flowing out of his right hand. She could feel the pain from the attack that had not yet hit her. As Pain's attack came down for the kill, Sakura heard a scream and a cough full of blood that wasn't her own.

 

There stood Naruto between her and the attack. Tears started to roll down her face as she began to realize what had happened.

 

“Naruto!,” she screamed in horror.

 

“Naruto!!!!,” screamed Sakura again as she awoke from her nightmare at 2:00am in a cold sweat and crying like mad. Her tears started to stain her silk red pajamas. Her heart pumping out of her chest uncontrollably as she hyperventilated. She began to use a Medical Jutsu to slow down her heart to keep herself from hyperventilating and regained control of her breathing.

 

It had been a day and a half since they had returned from their battle in the Hidden Rain Village and Naruto was still in critical condition. She couldn't stop shaking, couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, couldn't stop thinking about Naruto. Just then her door swung open.

 

“Sakura, what hells going on in here,” shouted her roommate Ino. “Are you all right? What happened?”

 

She tried to stop herself from shaking. “I'm ok,” she said. “I just had a nightmare.”

 

“About what happened,” said Ino.

 

Sakura nodded as tears started to well up in her eyes again. Ino sat next to her on the side of her bed, putting her hands on Sakura's shoulders.

 

“It's alright,” she said trying to console her. “There was nothing you could have done except tried your best.”

 

Sakura began to cry harder now. “But that's just it,” she cried. “There was nothing that I could do! Nothing I did made any difference, and because of that Naruto maybe—“

 

“Don't you dare say that Sakura,” shouted Ino. “What would Naruto say if he saw you acting like this? Do you think that he would just let you sit around and cry? No, he'd want you to pick yourself back up again. And I probably would have done the same thing you did if I was there.”

 

Sakura started to calm herself. “Really,” she said.

 

“Of course,” said Ino. “It's not everyday you go up against the Akatsuki leader. I would have been terrified if he was about to kill me.”

 

Sakura put on a fake smile. “Thank you Ino,” she said. “I feel better now.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes I'm fine now.”

 

As Ino left the room Sakura knew she was anything but fine. As the night slowly grew into morning, she began to feel worse.

 

Sakura wasn't able to go back to sleep as dawn broke. She got up and got dressed in her red vest and white skirt, still feeling some of the affects from her ordeal from the night before. She tried to eat breakfast, but she just couldn't. It was around 10:30 when she told Ino that she was going out for a walk.

 

As she walked down the dirt streets of the village, Sakura saw a couple walking out of a tea house. As she watched them kiss and hold each other, Sakura found herself not thinking about her and Sasuke, but her and Naruto. She started to think about how much her feelings had changed for him ever since he had returned to the village 4 months ago.

 

As she walked aimlessly, thinking to herself.

 

`Could it be,' she thought. `Could it be that my feeling have change for him this much? Could it be that Sasuke-kun doesn't matter as much to me anymore? Could I really be in love with…'

 

Her thoughts ended as she narrowly avoided four kids that bolted past her. She looked to her left as she realized where her mind had taken her. Sakura entered the hospital to check in on Naruto's condition.

 

As she walked up to the front desk an uneasy feeling fell over Sakura. She had been in here so many times, but the only time she could remember having this feeling was when Naruto failed to bring Sasuke home three and a half years earlier.

 

“Good morning, “ she said to the receptionist.

 

“How can I help you today?”

 

“I would like to check in on Naruto Uzumaki please.”

 

“Uzumaki, Uzumaki, Uzu…maki… Ah yes here we go! He just came out of intensive care this morning, and he is accepting visitors. However he has not yet woken up, is that a problem miss?”

 

“No, it's not,” Sakura said, a little relieved after hearing the news.

 

“You can see him, but as a precaution, I'm going to have to see your ID.”

 

Sakura gave the man her ID. After a few moments the man gave it back to her.

 

“Ok, and you will need this to get past the ANBU Black Opts guarding his door.”

 

“ANBU Black Opts,” she said. “Why?”

 

“They were ordered by the Fifth Hokage herself, in case of an Akatsuki attack.”

 

The receptionist gave her the rest of the directions and sent her to room 216. As she approached the room, the uneasy feel grew worse and worse in Sakura's stomach. She began to think, `Would I be able to handle this? How can I face him after what had happened?' As she gave the ANBU Black Opts the note, they opened the door and Sakura knew there was no turning back.

 

There lay Naruto, motionless on the bed. His arms wrapped in bandages up to his knuckles. His head scratched up by the overflowing chakra from the attack. Sakura could only imagine the bandage underneath his shirt, covering the wound that hit deathly close to his heart.

 

As she sat down in the chair beside him, Sakura could feel her feelings start to well up inside her. At first she couldn't say a word, but after taking it all in, she began to speak.

 

“Naruto,” she said. “I know I promised I wouldn't be a burden this time, and that we would save Sasuke together, but because of me, your in here fighting for your life.” Tears started to well up in her eyes again. They began to run down her face as she thought about all the times he had saved her.

 

“You're the only man,” she continued. “Whose ever cared about me so much. So much that…that you're willing to give your own life up for me within a blink of an eye.” She began to cry harder now.

 

“I can't believe how bad I've treated you over the years…but now…now I want to try to make things right. That's why…” She paused, crying. “That's why you can't die because… because…” She couldn't force back this feeling any longer.

 

“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!,” she cried out. “I LOVE YOU…WITH ALL MY HEART!” Her face fell onto his stomach. “PLEASE DON'T DIE NARUTO-KUN! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!!”

 

As her tears soaked the hospital sheets, a choked up voice began to speak softly to her.

 

“You're…you're always…being made…to cry Sakura-chan…”

 

Sakura's head went up in shock. Her eyes widened up as the tears still rolled down her face. She turned her head slowly toward the pillow. She could see Naruto's eyes looking up at hers, fighting back his own tears of pain and happiness.

 

“But don't worry,” he said, cracking the best smile he could.

 

“I can't die because…I'm too busy thinking…about you. And I think…about you…so much because…I love you too.”

 

At that moment, Sakura's heart began to soar out of her chest. Her eyes couldn't stop crying as they squinted in happiness. A smile quickly flooded her face.

 

“NARUTO-KUN!,” she cried, as her lips fell on top of his to kiss him. Their lips lock for what seemed like an eternity. As she put her arms around him, and his slowly around her, she knew in her heart that this was true, and this was where she needed to be.