Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Regret Not A Thing ❯ Ch. 9: Liar ( Chapter 9 )

Regret Not A Thing

By Mizerable

 

 

 

Ch. 9: Liar

 

“How long?”

 

His words echoed through the room as if it were a tomb.

 

“Naruto—“ Tsunade kept her voice soft, hoping to mollify him somehow. She'd known they were bound to learn the truth sooner or later, but she hadn't anticipated it happening like this. Not like this.

 

“How long have you been hiding this from us?!”

 

The word “betrayal” seemed to whisper through the ensuing silence.

 

“It's classified information. It's not your business to know,” Jiraiya sounded unusual to the two young shinobi when he was being cold. Sometimes being a great shinobi made it far too easy for a person to become detached during painful situations.

 

“Not our business?” Sakura countered, “He was our teammate!”

 

“Was,” the Hokage reminded, “Uchiha Sasuke is a missing-nin, a criminal. How such people are handled by this village is not your concern, no matter your previous association.”

 

“That is such bullshit,” Naruto snarled, “Neither of you would have let yourselves be shut out if it was Orochimaru.”

 

“That was different,” Tsunade answered coolly, and perhaps a little somberly as she let her eyes drop down.

 

Both Naruto and Sakura looked ready to debate that point but Jiraiya cut them off.

 

“There are very few people in the world that could have dealt with Orochimaru and lived to tell about it. We were two of them,” Jiraiya paused, wondering how to put this in words without escalating the fight, “Sasuke is a very dangerous individual and nothing good will come out of you two getting involved any further.”

 

“Are you saying we're too weak?” Sakura's anger was a cold winter sea, “That he'd kill us?”

 

“He killed his brother,” Jiraiya answered flatly, “So I think it's safe to assume that he could.”

 

Both he and Tsunade were brought back to the age-old question of how Sasuke managed such a feat in his condition, though neither voiced it. But if they were to believe he did kill Itachi, then he could very well do in his old teammates. He certainly had the track record for it. Now was not the time to think of Sasuke lying in a bed with one foot in the grave. Now was not the time to remember that Sasuke had cared enough to want to keep his situation a secret from his former teammates.

 

Their students stared back at them in a state of muted shock. Sasuke had actually gotten his revenge? It didn't warrant any forgiveness on their part, but it was a small comfort to know the very reason Sasuke had put them through such hell was actually resolved. Neither were so foolish as to think, or even wish, that things could now go back to the way they once were. Those bridges were long since burned.

 

“Where is he?” Naruto finally forced his voice into action.

 

“You know I can't tell you that,” Tsunade answered plainly, ignoring the ache in her chest.

 

Naruto barely repressed a growl as he stormed out of her office, Sakura following closely behind him. Though she did give pause at the threshold.

 

“I intend to spend the rest of my time before the license exam preparing on my own,” her voice was clipped and any words of gratitude she wanted to impart died in her throat.

 

Now alone, Tsunade and Jiraiya let their weariness show through. In their noble effort to protect their students from harm, they only managed to hurt them more deeply than they could have ever imagined.

 

“We never learn, do we,” Tsunade leaned forward on her elbows, hiding her face behind her hands.

 

Jiraiya took a step forward, instinctively seeking to comfort her. But he caught himself and crossed his arms across his chest. He was facing the open door, but he watched the woman by his side out of the corner of his eye.

 

“No,” his voice was tempered with time and with loss, “We don't.”

 

* * *

 

The sky had turned a peculiar coffee color, ever so slightly tinged green, as a sign of the impending storm. It did little to deter Naruto and Sakura, who were hellbent on getting answers. They made a mental checklist of the names they had overheard from Jiraiya and Tsunade's conversation and tried to decide who to seek out for information. Shizune had been mentioned, but she was far too loyal to Tsunade to ever divulge any secrets. There was Kakashi, but the chances of him being away on a mission were quite high. And secretly, they weren't so sure they could handle another teacher's deception head-on. That left only one surprising person left: Hinata.

 

The Hyuuga compound loomed before them, reeking of old money and staunch tradition. A servant at the gate seemed wary to let them pass upon seeing their dark expressions. But Sakura being a member of Hinata's squad left little reason to turn them away.

 

Akamaru preceded Hinata into the courtyard, though he was quick to remain by her feet. She did nothing to mask her surprise at seeing the pair standing there.

 

“N-naruto-kun? Sakura-san?” she greeted, instinctively knowing something wasn't right, “Did something happen?”

 

“A research project?” Naruto's voice was as steady as an executioner's blade, “That was the best you could come up with?”

 

“I'm sorry?” she did her best to appear confused, though she had a rather sinking feeling over what this was about.

 

“We know you know about Sasuke,” Sakura snapped, “That you've been studying something Orochimaru did to him.”

 

Sakura tried to ignore the chill such a thought gave. Sasuke went to the snake for power, something that made him capable of killing his own brother. She didn't dare imagine what it was.

 

“He must really be a monster now,” Naruto muttered, the sight of a winged demon flickered across his mind.

 

Hinata shook her head and kept an eye on Akamaru. It was easier to look at the dog instead.

 

“No, nothing quite like that,” she answered in barely more than a whisper. His body, though now a frightening thing to see, left her feeling sympathetic more than anything else.

 

“Where are they keeping him?” Sakura demanded, “You have to tell us.”

 

Hinata wanted to shrink in on herself as she often did in the past. She feared that such a confrontation would come to pass, but she still felt completely unprepared for it.

 

“If the Hokage wouldn't tell you, then I'm afraid I'm hardly at liberty to...”

 

“You've gotta be kidding me!” Naruto shouted, causing Hinata to flinch.

 

Hinata constantly reminded herself that she was doing the right thing, no matter how difficult it seemed.

 

“Even after being teammates all these years, you would keep this from me?” Sakura accused, her eyes narrowing dangerously, “You've got a lot of nerve.”

 

That struck rather deeply. Hinata squared her shoulders, keeping that memory of Sasuke holding Akamaru fresh in her mind. He'd tried so hard that day to apologize…

 

“I know you've never really seen me as your teammate,” Hinata said boldly, “And I know it hurts you both to be kept in the dark about this. But I can't tell you. I'm sorry.”

 

“Kiba and Chouji are dead because of him! And Neji was hurt badly!” Naruto's rage was consuming him like fire, “I almost died that day. How can you even think about hiding Sasuke from us?!”

 

“He's sick.”

 

Those words seemed to cool their blood for the moment. This day was proving to have far too many surprises for their taste. Just how much about Sasuke was being withheld from them?

 

“Kiba-kun was gave his life to try and save Sasuke-kun. And now that I've seen him for myself, I want to do my best to help as well,” Hinata admitted, “Just as I want to help the both of you.”

 

“How are you remotely helping us?” Naruto snarled. Hinata could feel her resolve wavering under the pressure. She wanted so badly to tell Naruto everything. She was so terrified of losing his respect for her but she had to press on. It was a matter of doing what was right.

 

“If you see each other now, you'll only hurt each other more. And I don't think I could bear that,” she murmured, “You're both so angry right now, you're blinded from how much you still love him.”

 

Sakura's hand shot out with full intention to smack Hinata across the face with very little care for her own super-strength. She would have succeeded, if not for a timely intervention.

 

“I believe you've worn out your welcome,” Neji spoke tersely, keeping a firm hold on Sakura's wrist.

 

“You can't possibly agree with this,” Naruto didn't think he could become any more disbelieving.

 

“It is the branch family's duty to stand by the decisions of the main house,” Neji managed a wry smirk, “And I have no interest in furthering an argument with either of you. Go home.”

 

Sakura jerked her arm free and gave an ugly scowl before stalking away. Naruto just shook his head before catching up with her.

 

“That was rather impressive of you,” Neji offered while Hinata futilely wiped her tears away with her sleeve. Of all the people she didn't want to cry in front of, Neji probably topped her list.

 

“They'll never trust me again,” she managed to get out before the sobs hit full-force. Neji merely snorted at that.

 

“They're might not get it now, but someday they'll realize how strong you've become,” his bland tone belied his words, “I can't imagine anyone who couldn't respect a person for maintaining such conviction under that kind of adversity.”

 

Hinata's tears seemed to freeze in their tracks as she raised her face to meet his scrutiny. She felt her whole being warm as she finally understood how proud Neji had become of her. In his own solemn way, he was her support when no one else even cared.

 

“How do you always say the words I need to hear?” her voice was nearly stolen by the rising wind.

 

“It's something I learned from a friend,” he answered stiffly, turning away ever so slightly. He still didn't know how to take such a compliment as graciously as Tenten.

 

“Thank you,” she could not help but bow, her gratitude threatening to overwhelm her, “Thank you.”

 

“Raise your head, Hinata-sama,” he chided softly, looking her square in the face again, “Someday you will be leading this Clan. You bow to no one.”

 

* * *

 

Kakashi had been sleeping when there was a sudden banging. He'd first mistaken it for thunder before realizing someone was pounding on his door. He was resting between missions and couldn't imagine something so urgent had come up in the meantime. At least, nothing he was willing to acknowledge.

 

When he opened the door, he found his two former students staring back at him. At this point, they didn't appear quite so angry as they did desperate. But he gave nothing away as he casually leaned against the frame.

 

“Looks like quite a nasty storm's brewing,” he commented, “Were you looking for a place to crash? I can put the tea kettle on…”

 

“Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura's temper seemed to have subsided as she prepared herself for that last betrayal.

 

“Where's Sasuke?” Naruto's fists trembled at his sides.

 

“Ah, so you've heard,” Kakashi kept his cool, figuring there was nothing else that could have brought them here, “What will you do if I tell you?”

 

Neither responded, trying to put their bravest faces in place. It was difficult to put into words how much they needed to see Sasuke. It wasn't to reclaim a lost friendship, and they both had promised themselves they would not seek revenge as he had, but they had to go.

 

“We have unfinished business with him,” Naruto said flatly, unable to meet Kakashi's gaze. Kakashi knew what he meant. They were never going to move on if they didn't reach some sort of closure with their wayward teammate.

 

“I suppose you do,” came his dry response, “Though I imagine you wouldn't be here if the Hokage actually approved of this course of action.”

 

They seemed to almost visibly deflate before him. Evidently they hadn't taken being left out very well at all. Kakashi didn't even bother contemplating the argument that must have ensued in Tsunade's office.

 

“But since you're both intelligent shinobi, it probably wouldn't surprise anyone if you sought out Anko on this matter. She was Orochimaru's old student, and all.”

 

He didn't think their eyes could grow any wider at his cryptic answer. Sakura blinked owlishly at him while Naruto tried to sputter out some sort of response.

 

“Now, I don't suppose I could interest either of you in that cup of tea?”

 

“Sorry, Sensei,” Sakura's lips pulled themselves into an awkward and faint smile, reminding him of her younger self, “It seems we have to get going.”

 

“Maybe another time,” Naruto offered in a rush of words before all but bounding off. Kakashi watched them disappear into the distance, half-wondering if he should have gone with them. If not to be their support, then perhaps to be Sasuke's. It wasn't as if anyone else was going to be there for him. Kakashi could have laughed over the fact that perhaps Gai had actually imparted some true wisdom.

 

Once their teacher, always their teacher.

 

* * *

 

Sakura looked at the address of the modest little house, checking it for the third time against the scrap of paper in her hand. She knew she was stalling, but now that she was a few steps away from seeing Sasuke again, she could feel her old insecurities creeping up. Naruto's hand was suddenly gripping her own and it pulled her out of her dismal thoughts. She gently squeezed back in return as she felt their bond strengthen. It had only taken one day to strip away the remaining trust they once had in anyone else aside from each other. Even Kakashi's concession did very little to cover up the fact that he had been hiding this from them.

 

They knew now that they only had one another in this bleak little world. But they would face their deepest hurt together. They approached the door.

 

When it opened, the Anko that greeted them scarcely reminded them of that brash chuunin examiner from their memories.

 

“Took you long enough,” she spoke easily, stepping aside to let them in.

 

The lights were dimmed and the rooms held that sickness smell. Naruto and Sakura could feel icy dread crawl into their blood as they once again pondered if coming here had actually been a good idea. If they were going to be completely honest, they could admit it was a terrible idea. But it was still a necessary one.

 

Anko brought them to a closed door and knocked a couple of times.

 

“Hey,” she called mildly to the other side, “You've got visitors.”

 

She turned the knob and the pair knew there was no turning back. With shaky breath, they walked through.

 

Sasuke was sitting up in bed, the blankets bunched up around his waist. He turned his head more than should have been necessary, had he been able to see out of that side. The three stared at each other with indescribable tension as they tried to take in all the changes.

 

“Sasuke,” Naruto wished his voice hadn't croaked so pitifully.

 

“You got taller,” Sasuke said blandly.

 

Naruto could feel the blade twist deeper into his heart, begging silently for his anger to return. Frankly, Sasuke didn't seem well at all. His face was drawn and sallow, a patch hiding one eye. Bandages were wrapped firmly around his left arm with faint traces of red seeping through. Hinata had said he was sick…

 

“What,” Sakura tried to get her words past her tongue, “What happened to your eye?”

 

Tsunade said Orochimaru had done something to him.

 

“Lost it in a fight,” he answered crisply. It was the truth, more or less.

 

Sakura's hair was still short, but fell around her face in sharper angles. Boots, elbow guards, and gloves. She must have become a far more serious kunoichi than he recalled her being. Good for her.

 

“So you killed your brother,” Naruto didn't need to make it a question. Sasuke's working hand gripped the bedding tightly.

 

“Yeah, he's dead.”

 

“I hope you're happy now,” Naruto hoped he sounded pissed, but probably sounded pained more than anything.

 

“This was never about happiness,” Sasuke's voice took on a snarling quality, “That much should have been obvious.”

 

“So that was it?” Sakura's voice was sharp and cold, “Do you have any idea how many lives you destroyed for your revenge?”

 

“I never asked for anyone to chase after me,” he snapped, “It's your own fault for giving a damn.”

 

Sakura seemed too stunned by his harsh words to form a response. She thought back on her childhood self and wondered how that girl ever dared to care for such a person.

 

“You selfish—“

 

“Don't even start,” Sasuke interrupted, “You should be fucking grateful. It looks like you actually did something useful with yourself once I was gone.”

 

“You better watch your mouth, asshole,” Naruto could endure a lot, but there was no way he'd let Sakura get hurt again, “I can't even believe they let you back here alive.”

 

“I wouldn't get too excited over that,” Sasuke's rage seemed to sober some, “They just want to figure out this curse so they can fix Anko. I'm still on death row.”

 

“Bullshit,” Sakura sneered, “We know Orochimaru's dead.”

 

“You don't make a pact with the devil without a price,” Sasuke glanced towards the window, though the shades were drawn, “He gave me power, and this is my payment.”

 

“It didn't have to be this way,” Naruto was the most resigned of the three, “You could have made a decent life for yourself here.”

 

“There was nothing for me to live for here,” Sasuke focused his glare on them, “That hasn't changed.”

 

“You're a goddamn liar!” Naruto shouted, angry chakra threatening to leak to the surface, “Don't you dare say we didn't mean anything to you! You're the one who told me I was your best friend!!”

 

“And then I stabbed you through the chest,” Sasuke admitted calmly, “Surely you must have realized I was only trying to get you to drop your guard.”

 

Naruto felt his whole body go numb and vaguely feared that he was going to be sick. It couldn't be true. The only sliver of hope he'd clung to all these years were those words. He could almost believe Sasuke had once cared, even if his terrible ambitions had gotten the better of him. Naruto knew now what a fool he had been.

 

“I don't know what you were expecting,” Sasuke's voice was steady as ever, if not a bit raspier than his younger days, “You're wasting your time coming around here.”

 

“Ain't that the fucking truth,” Naruto muttered, “I don't know why I bothered.”

 

He spoke those words, yet he couldn't bring himself to leave yet. He didn't want to just turn tail and flee. He didn't want Sasuke to think he was such a coward.

 

“I hope you rot in hell for this,” Naruto growled out before turning for the door. Sakura did her best to repress her body's traitorous trembling. She would finally prove how much stronger she had become.

 

“I never loved you.”

 

Even Naruto gave pause from his dramatic exit at those words. He knew how hurt she'd been by Sasuke's leaving, but he never thought he'd see the day when she said those words. Sasuke's lips quirked ever so slightly, his shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. Right before they slammed the door on him, his voice trailed after them.

 

“Sakura…You really have done well for yourself.”

 

* * *

 

The rain was coming down in sharp, think sheets and they were drenched within moments of being outside. They stared at each other for mere moments, their faces too soaked to know for certain. But somehow they found themselves holding each other impossibly tight, hiding their faces from one another. The thunder was merciful to mask their voices.

 

* * *

 

Anko wandered into his room not long after his old team left. She sat by his side on the edge of the bed, holding a well-used rag to his mouth as he spat up excess blood. She tried not to think of how far his illness had progressed. Not right now.

 

“That was a little unnecessary,” she scolded gently.

 

“They'll thank me for it someday,” his voice hitched unevenly. The room's faint light made it too difficult for her to tell if his cheek was damp. Not that she'd ever point it out.

 

“If you say so,” she kept her voice at a soothing volume, “Though I can't see how this is a better solution.”

 

“It'll be easier for them in the end. I'd rather be hated than have them mourn for me.”

 

They've suffered enough for my sake.

 

* * *

 

He was backed against a tree, crawled there on his knees, and the blood on his hands wasn't his. He could see more clearly, though it hurt fiercely to do so. He sat there in the most profound state of shock watching the fire waver. They were closing in on him, yet he wasn't afraid anymore. Mostly, he was disappointed. But it felt deeper than that.

 

After grasping so much of the truth about that day from all those years ago, he should have realized this was the only way he could have unlocked the final secret.

 

That fucker.

 

 

 

To be continued…