Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Hopes and Dreams ❯ Chapter 9 - Living on Memories ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9 - Living on Memories

 

The nothingness surrounding her soon turned cold. All she could see was darkness. She couldn't hear anything, not even her own breathing, until she heard a soft voice call to her name. She turned around to see a small bright light peaking through the darkness. She heard the voice again, calling to her.

 

“Sakura-chan.”

 

She recognized the voice. `Is it really him?' she thought. `Is it really—`

 

The voice called to her again.

 

“Naruto!,” she screamed back, running towards the light. “Naruto!!!!!!!”

 

As she ran towards the light, it began to fade away. She wouldn't let him get away. Running faster towards the light, she heard him call her name again. “Sakura-chan.”

 

“Wait, Naruto!!!,” she screamed again, and she began to sprint as the tears began to flood her face.

 

The light turned extremely bright, and for a brief instant, she saw his smiling face. And then it was gone, and she was alone once again. She stopped running and fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. “Naruto,” she sobbed out, breaking down.

 

Her sobs were broken by another silhouette of light coming out of the darkness. She looked up to see the light shinning down onto a motionless body. She looked closer at the body that appeared to be Gaara. As she moved closer to it, the body began to change. The hair became a spiky blonde. She began to gasp as the clothes changed to a pair of orange and black pants and jacket. She finally stopped when the bodies face changed and the whisker marks finally began to show through his dead pale face.

 

Her hand was over her mouth and her eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. “Naruto,” she called in a trembling voice. He would not respond. She knelt down beside him and shook his shoulders.

 

“Naruto,” she said again as the tears began to run down her face uncontrollably. “NARUTO!!!!!!!!!!!!”

 

He didn't respond to her cries and in that moment, the emotional pain made her collapse onto his body, her hands gripping his jacket. She sobbed uncontrollably, not wanting to stop. “NARUTO!!!!!!,” she screamed again, horrified by her lovers dead body.

 

“NARUTO!!!!,” she repeated three more times, as she sat up in the lit tent. Her sobbing eyes were still closed, and her hand was still gripping his jacket from the previous battle. Rukai put her hands on Sakura's shoulders, trying to calm her down. She had been trying to wake Sakura up for the past half hour.

 

“Sakura-chan,” she said, gently shaking her. “Sakura-chan wake up.”

 

Sakura finally opened her eyes, still sobbing uncontrollably. She saw Rukai starring right back at her. She looked down and saw Naruto's jacket still clutched in her hand. Her face fell into her knees and she sobbed harder than before. Rukai put her arms around Sakura and tried to sooth her.

 

“He's always saving me,” cried Sakura, through her sobbing. “He's always risking it all just for me, and for once, just for once I want to do the same for him.”

 

“He's not dead yet,” Rukai reassured her. “From what I've heard from Gaara-kun, it'll take a lot more than that to keep Naruto-san down.”

 

Sakura started to regain herself and looked up at Rukai's smiling face. “Don't worry Sakura-chan,” she continued. “We'll get him back, I promise.”

 

Those words resonated in Sakura's mind. She looked at the jacket that she was hold. She could hear the words I promise as if they were calling to her from his jacket. She knew what she had to do and arose from the tent and walked into the campsite.

 

Yamato, Neji, Gaara, Lee, and Temari were the only ones still awake and were anxious to see Sakura emerge from the tent. She looked at everyone, then went straight to her pack and began to pack it.

 

“Sakura,” said Yamato. “If you're thinking about going to save him, you're not going to be able to do that all by yourself.”

 

“I'm not going to just sit around here and let him die,” she replied.

 

“Sakura-chan,” said Lee, trying to be the voice of reason. “Captain Yamato is right. You are not going to be able to do this all by yourself. It will take everyone here to save Naruto.”

 

“None of you are going to change my mind,” she fired back sternly. “If you're not going to help me then stay out of my way.”

 

“Sakura, be reasonable,” said Temari. “There's no way we can do this without everyone's help. Please calm down and try to think rationally.”

 

But Sakura wouldn't hear it. She was more determined than ever before. She finished packing her pack and put on Naruto's jacket. She stood up and began to walk away.

 

“SAKURA,” shouted Yamato, freezing her dead in her tracks. “Kakashi has a broken arm from the last battle, Gai has two sprained knees, not to mention everyone else has their own bumps and bruises. We just can't go rushing into another battle. We need a plan. Look, we all care about Naruto, and I know how you feel and—“

 

“NO!!!!,” angrily cried Sakura, turning around to reveal the tears streaming down her face. “YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY KNOW HOW I FEEL! HAVING YOUR JOY, YOUR HAPPIENESS, YOUR LIFE RIPPED AWAY FROM YOU IN AN INSTANT!”

 

Yamato tried to answer back, but he had no reply to the kunoichi's emotional words.

 

“WE WOULDN'T HAVE ABLE TO SAVE GAARA-KUN IF IT WASN'T FOR CHYO-BA-SAMA!,” she continued, now shouting at Yamato with all of her furry. “WE WERE LATE WHEN WE GOT THERE! HE ACTUALLY DIED BECAUSE WE WERE DELAYED! THERE'S NO WAY THAT I'M GOING TO LET THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO NARUTO! UNDERSTAND!?!?!”

 

Everyone was silenced by her words. No one could reply. She looked around to see them all with their heads held down. She knew she was right, but as she began to leave the only voice that could stop her, besides Naruto's, began to speak.

 

“Sakura Haruno,” said Gaara, his voice paralyzing her. “You have every right to leave, and you have every right to do whatever it takes to save Naruto. If you want to go, I won't stop you. In fact I'll go with you. But I sent my Sand Guard Kunoichi after them to track them right after the battle. If you will be willing to wait until morning, she will return and we will have a much better chance against our enemy.”

 

Sakura looked down at the ground, contemplating his offer. “And what if she doesn't? Are we still going to save him in the morning?”

 

“I give you my word,” he replied. “If she doesn't return by morning, we will go and save him.”

 

Sakura didn't want to wait. She wanted to save him now. She wanted no harm to come to him, even if it meant that she lost her own life because of it. But she didn't want anyone else to lose their own life for her decision. For this reason and for this reason only, she took off her pack and let it fall to the ground.

 

“Alright,” she replied, crying through her tears. “I'll wait until morning.”

 

At that moment she looked up at the full moon. It reminded her of that passionate night with Naruto only one month ago. She gripped the sleeves of the jacket and pulled them in towards her. `Naruto,' she thought, her crying starting to subside. `Wait for me.'

 

*Akatsuki Hideout*

 

“What do you mean we have a problem,” said a voice.

 

Naruto awoke to the sound of voices. He could hear them talking for most of the night, but couldn't open his eyes because he was too groggy from the last battle.

 

“I mean the Jinchuuriki has to be unconscious for the extraction of the bijuu to begin,” said another voice.

 

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. He looked around to see the damp cave walls of the hideout. He felt cold, but he didn't know why. He looked down to find that his jacket was missing. Not only that, but he was surprised to find himself strung up by chakra threads tied to his wrists and ankles. As he turned to his right, Naruto looked in aw at the sight of the huge statue that he remembered when they saved Gaara.

 

“Pain,” said Konan. “He's awake.”

 

Naruto turned to see Pain walking up to him. His eyes were now locked on to Naruto's.

 

“So,” Pain said with a rare smile. “I finally have the great Jinchuuriki of the Leaf Village, Naruto Uzumaki. With that I also have the greatest of the nine bijuu, the Nine Tailed Fox.”

 

Naruto turned his face away in utter defiance. Pain grabbed his face by his chin and held it close to his own.

 

“Do you know how much trouble you've caused me,” he continued now in a more serious tone. “How many Akatsuki members have died at the hands of Leaf Village Ninja?”

 

Naruto didn't answer. He looked at Pain dead in his eyes with no fear. He was disgusted by the man, and showed it by spitting in Pain's face, causing him to turn away. Pain smiled as he wiped his face. He looked at his hand, and in one fast motion slapped Naruto across his face.

 

Witnessing the entire incident from the safety behind the rocks in the cave was the little kunoichi still hiding behind her cat like mask. When she saw Pain slap Naruto across his face she began to get angry, but didn't lose control of her chakra. If there was one thing this kunoichi prided herself upon, it was the fact that she could keep her chakra hidden.

 

“Is Tobi here yet,” asked Pain turning his attention to Zetsu.

 

“No,” replied Zetsu. “But he will be here by the morning. Until then, we should try to fix our problem.”

 

“And what would that problem be,” asked Pain.

 

“The Nine Tailed Fox,” said Zetsu. “Has a strange form of chakra. It allows it's Jinchuuriki to regenerate very quickly and allows them to regain consciousness even quicker. We need him to stay unconscious in order to extract the bijuu. “

 

“In short,” interrupted Kisame. “As long as he's awake we can't suck out the bijuu.”

 

“If I want your input Kisame,” said Pain. “I'll ask for it.”

 

Naruto laughed at the three of them, mocking them at how dumb they sounded. Pain heard his laughter and was angry at the boy, but he never showed it. Instead, he had another idea in mind.

 

“So you think this is funny,” he said to the boy. “We'll see how much you laugh when I take a certain `pink haired kunoichi' and murder her right in front of your eyes.”

 

Naruto immediately ceased his laughter and grew angry.

 

“Oh, did I strike a nerve?”

 

Naruto eyes turned crimson red. He teeth turned razor sharp. He lunged his neck out at Pain, ready to rip him apart. Pain stood inches away from the boys face, mocking him and smiling at the young Jinchuuriki.

 

It was at this point that the kunoichi hiding behind the rocks couldn't take it anymore. She didn't know the boy who was being tortured but no person deserved this kind of punishment for saving the person he cares about. The kunoichi got so angry that she did lose control of her chakra.

 

“Pain,” said Konan. “I sense some unknown chakra here.”

 

“What is it,” said Pain a little concerned.

 

The kunoichi knew she lost control of her chakra and tried to regain control over it.

 

“I don't know,” she said as it started to fade away. “It's hard to make out, but it's very similar to his.” She pointed at Naruto, who was still mad as hell.

 

Pain looked around, and tried to sense anyone else's chakra. “No one else is here. You're just sensing the boy's.”

 

The kunoichi gave a sigh of relief for not revealing he position and continued to watch.

 

“I think it's time we try to finish this kid off,” mocked Kisame.

 

“I agree,” replied Pain. “Zetsu, Kisame, choke him and hit him until he loses consciousness.”

 

With that, Naruto felt a huge vine wrap around his neck, pulling his head back to choke him. `I can't lose consciousness,' he thought. `I can't quit.' Kisame began to hit him in the gut and after about ten punches, he hit Naruto so hard that it broke three ribs. Naruto felt the ribs crack and began to cough up blood. He closed his eyes to try to null out the pain. He felt his head get pulled back again by the large vine. `Damn! This is it. I can't keep taking this kind of punishment.' As he began fall into the darkness, he remembered that night in the hospital, and three words sparked his memory.

 

“Don't you dare!” he remembered. His eyes immediately opened and determination echoed through them. `Sakura.' For the rest of that night Naruto took in all of his pain, with the thought of the woman he loved keeping him conscious. The Sand Kunoichi couldn't watch any longer, fleeing back to the campsite for help.