Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ How Long It Takes ❯ To Count ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Oh goodness. I had some serious issues writing this chapter, so I'm sorry if it isn't the quality you've all come to expect from me haha. A small amount of writers block attacked me but I'm glad I got this chapter out. I've just begun work on the next chapter so hopefully it won't give me as many troubles haha.
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Sakura's small frame crouched under the cover of nightfall, her kunai posed and ready to strike at any noise. She was playing a game of cat and mouse, only she was no longer sure of which she was. Death seemed quickly approaching, sinking its claws into her back to swallow her whole. But she was tougher than this. She would prove her worth to this world she was thrown into by cruel hands. She would become stronger, faster, better than she ever was. It was the only thought that kept her going. What else did she have to live for at this point?
 
Her breath caught in her throat as she listened to the bushes shift 10 feet away. It was moving closer.Her mouse was waiting around the corner, unaware of her impending claws. Closer now it shifted, 5 feet into the foliage before Sakura. The konichi stood completely still, barely able to breath. 2 feet ahead now. The doe was calm, taking no notice to the woman near her. Moving slowly through the forest in search of food. Sakura had one shot. One shot left in her tired body. One chance left for survival.
 
It ended quickly, blood splattering against the cold dirt floor. Her kunai was buried to the hilt in the deer's neck, coated with it metallic blood. Food. Finally she had gotten some. Her body moved slowly, making sure not to rush herself. The flesh she cut off was raw but slid down her throat easily enough. It was something. Something to keep her alive.
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“Sakura-Chan!” Naruto jumped back, barely avoiding the girls `killer' touch. He panted heavily as he landed against a tree, posed like a cat as he watched Sasuke approach from behind. As the last Uchiha was flipped over Sakura's back Naruto jumped, avoiding a punch from Sai only to land right in Karin's line of fire. He easily threw her into the air, more than ready to perform Uzumaki Barrage when he was kicked away by Sasuke. Karin wasn't off the hook yet though as Sakura appeared above the air born konichi, bringing her leg down hard on the girl's side, obviously laced with chakra. Dirt and grass flew from the ground where Karin landed, crumbling under the now groaning red head. Naruto took the distraction to pin Sai, making sure to completely immobilize the boy before he watched Sakura vanish from the scene.
 
Kakashi and Yamato watched in amusement, happy to be on the side lines instead of joining in this practice. Three were left. The three original members of the team. How strange that after three years it would still always come back to just these three? Kakashi's visible eye widened when Sakura disappeared with hand signs quicker than he could read. How had she become so fast? He was surprised to say the least when her hand shot out from under ground, grabbing Naruto by the ankle. Instantly he fell over unconscious, even he wasn't strong enough to fight her new creation.
 
“Come on now, Sakura. No other tricks?” Sasuke taunted, a kunai plunging into her leg. She remained un-phased as she reached down, ripping the blade from her flesh.
 
“I don't know, Uchiha.” She bit out. Her tone was cold, a trait they had all noticed the last few days. They had been told to train together, to become the team they once had been. That seemed impossible now. No matter how much they wanted to go back there this team had changed forever. “Karin doesn't seem to have anymore, why should I?”
 
They had also grown accustom to some snide comments here and there. It was only natural that bitterness still lingered in the air after everything that had happened. Sasuke showed no signs of backing down, his sharingan eye spinning dangerously. He had the advantage. She had no way of seeing the hand signs he made, forming his signature chidori in one hand. The only warning she had was the sounds of birds chirping as is suddenly came closer to her. He was right beside her now, hand ready to strike. He had the advantage. Or so he thought.
 
Hands were suddenly wrapped tightly around his own even though his chidori was burning against her skin. His eyes widened in shock as he took in her smirk, pink chakra leaking out to enclose around his own. How had she learned…? He was suddenly thrown from her prone figure, his own chakra back lashing at him along with her own, burning the fabric of his clothes. It didn't help that Kakashi was somewhere chuckling in the background as Sasuke rolled around the dirt of the field, trying to rid himself of the flames.
 
“I guess that's the end of practice then,” Sai mumbled slowly, a large gash having been created across his lower lip. Karin was beside him, her medic fingers glowing as she began to heal him even though her side throbbed painfully.
 
“Sakura, maybe you should wake up Naruto now?” Yamato mumbled, nudging the unconscious boy with his foot. She was silent as she walked over, touching Naruto's arm before the boy shot up, clutching his shirt above his heart.
 
“That's a cool move and all, Sakura-Chan,” Naruto began to whine, looking up at the girl who knocked him out. “But I'd rather not be on the receiving end again. Dieing feels…weird.”
 
“How deep.” Sasuke grunted out, having managed his way over to the forming group. He collapsed in a heap beside him, burn marks still tingling some newly exposed skin. “Heal me, Sakura.”
 
Her body stiffened at his command. No Sasuke Uchiha was never one to ask nicely and then thank her for her handy work. He was harsh and cold, and what else did she expect from him? He always had given her this cold shoulder. Before it had hurt, digging deep into her foolish child's heart. Now it was just…amusing. It was a dark amusement, leaking into the very core of her heart. Not many would find it funny, being shunned and hurt, being kicked while they were down. But somehow it made Sakura giddy like she was whenever he was nice to her in the past. Oh wait. He never was. “Why not get you're new medic to do it, I see no point in wasting my chakra on someone as weak as you.”
 
Ouch. Sasuke's body stiffened the moment the word `weak' passed her mouth. All to suddenly his brothers voice whispered in his ear, telling him that he needed to be stronger, needed to stop being so weak so that maybe one day he could kill him. When Karin's gentle touch fell upon his shoulder he slapped it away harshly, staring at Sakura's retreating back. He wasn't weak. He would show her. He didn't need anyone's help.
 
“Lets all go for ramen!!” Naruto's cheery voice broke through the sickening silence, trying to find some reason for them all to get along.
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“Itadakemas!!!!!” Naruto cried, breaking his chop sticks as he began happily shoveling food into his mouth. Sasuke was more reserved, carefully placing portioned amounts of ramen into his own mouth while chewing slowly, Sai acting in nearly the same fashion. Of course Kakashi managed to eat it all in one go, distracting them before he managed to gulp it down. Yamato was a mix between the first three, his pace slightly hurried though no where near as messy and rushed as Naruto. Karin took it slow like Sasuke, almost as if she were trying to mimic his every move. Sakura…Sakura didn't move to eat at all, her ramen steaming in the bowl before her.
 
They were all so happy. It made her sick, the way they carried themselves as if nothing had happened, as if this was the way things had, and would always be. Naruto was cheerfully talking to Karin as she giggled softly, poking him in the cheek with one of her chopsticks. Sasuke was mumbling how annoying they were, though Sai happily joked about how ugly Karin and Sakura were. Kakashi and Yamato were having their own conversation, mumbling in hushed whispers as they observed this fragile group. She could feel the copy-nin's gaze burning into her back as everything continued on, just as if she had never been gone for a moment.
 
“Ano, Sakura-Chan, aren't you hungry?” Naruto asked her suddenly, ramen hanging from the corners of his mouth. She listened as he loudly slurped them up, his gaze never once leaving her tense form.
 
“I suddenly feel very…sick.” Sakura mumbled, pushing herself away from Ichiraku's bar, her body slipping from the tall stool she sat on. Without another word she left them, beginning her usual aimless walk around town. She had mapped this place quickly out in her head, her feet guiding her through their normal path. She made her way slowly down the dieing bustle of the streets, guessing that the sun was finally sinking below the hillside, plunging their world into the darkness of her own. Her figure moved silently to the stone that had become all too familiar to her. She didn't know where on here it lurked, but somewhere on its shining surface was the name of her best friend. What would Ino do if she saw the way things had turned out?
 
“You know you're still nothing but a helpless little girl Sakura!” A girl with dark purple hair flicked a young Sakura's forehead, her group of friends smirking behind her. “So don't go strutting around like you're hot stuff, got it?”
Flowers suddenly shot into the girl's mouth before she fell backwards, her friends scrambling to help
“Sorry,” Ino chimed in innocently. “That head of your's is so empty I mistook it for a vase and felt like I needed to put flowers in it.”
“Ino!!!” The girl screamed, sitting up to face her.
“It a ninja flower, but I guess it isn't to poisonous. But you might want to spit those out right away.” She smirked as the girls began screaming, quickly fleeing the area. Her giggles suddenly filled the air as she turned to Sakura. “Opps! I forgot to say only the root is poisonous!”
 
“I thought you were sick?” A lazy voice drew her out of her day dream, a forgotten memory that escaped the confines of her peaceful mind. She didn't turn to face him, already well aware that it was Kakashi sitting calmly behind her in his own daily visit to the memorial stone. She shifted some, sitting down beside him as they both fell silent, he watching the memorial stone and her wishing she could. “Do you…need help finding it again?”
 
His soft voice startled her for a moment before she thought about his offer. Sure she could reach out and have him trace her fingers over Ino's name, but what good would that do? She couldn't feel any difference between it and all the others…it would only make her feel even more disconnected from her childhood friend. Slowly she shook her head, sighing softly. “No…it wouldn't change much now anyway.”
 
They fell into a comfortable silence before she reached out slowly, finding his hand with her own. He made no move to get away from her as her fingers intertwined with his. He made no move to shove her away roughly, nor did he open his mouth to call her annoying. He wasn't anything like Sasuke. He wasn't anything like the boys she had dealt with in the past. He was different, and it was comforting yet confusing to her weary heart. Her fingers tightened on his briefly, something they had done the last few days that the two had sat in silence together in this very spot.
 
“Who…are you visiting?” She finally asked, her voice almost to quiet for him to hear. She felt it the moment he shifted uneasily beside her, his fingers tightening briefly around her own.
 
“An old friend…” He finally answered. His voice was sadder than she had ever known it to be, laced with a sorrow she could feel burning in her own chest. He was…the same as her. Scars ran deeper than skin in both of them, even though they both had marred features. He slowly pulled her into his lap, cradling her there as she held him closer. They were both people forgotten, lost from everything they loved. When his masked lips lightly brushed her forehead she could only sigh, her body relaxing in his warm hold. Warm. It had been a while since she felt that heat covering her skin, allowing her to relax for the first time in a long while.
 
“How long ago?” She asked another, snuggling closer to his warm embrace.
 
“11 years, 9 months, 22 days, 3 minutes, and 7 seconds.”
 
They were the same.
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Woooo I did it! Hahaha. It started to get easier to right about halfway through, thank goodness~! Haha. A few notes:
 
The flash back with Ino? IS from the series. Ep 41 about halfway through. Took me forever to track down which episode it was and the almost exact words I got from watching youtube haha.
 
The date for Kakashi I guess by the age difference I made them in the second chapter notes and from Kakashi Gaiden. I suggest reading it online if you haven't read it b/c you might only watch the tv show and I will most likely use facts from it later on in this story.
 
And yea, the flashback at the beginning of this chapter really has nothing to do with this chapter other than showing more of how she survived. I plan to put a flash back at the beginning of each chapter, but sometimes they are just to show how Sakura grew as a person on her own.
 
Oh and when Naruto says “Ano” I'm pretty sure he does that in the series. If not its from some other thing I've watched and I just find it cute, I don't think it really means anything other than like `hey?' or something. Haha
 
Other than that….YAY! so many reviews! I'm glad you all like my story so much! It makes me happy and makes me want to write more ^____^ I hadn't been expecting to update as often as I do but all your support really makes me want to write more often!
 
Thanks to:
Sakuratherocker, HalfBloodPhoenix, Dreamergirl92813, Sasuke's Girl Forever, Goddess Psyche, silverstarkakashi4eva, sayachimaera, anbu-kakashi-girl666, Kakashi and Sesshoumaru's Lady, Otaku-freak-16, Mateba, LadyNorth76, SakuraXSasuke121, Takeasadsong, Trinnerti, Ryn729 (though I am confused to the contents of the review…..YAY REVIEW haha), Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja, Dria-chan's Tayu-kun,
And last but not least Trey Cooper!
 
Thanks again for the support!!!