At this time of the year, Konoha's nights were chilly and dark. The streetlights were on, yet their illumination seemed too dim to be able to shine clearly through the blackness of the surroundings. Less people frequented the streets, and more stores closed up early. Winter was coming, signaling its beginnings through the cold air and cloudy sky.
Sakura looked out the window of her room, feeling oddly contemplative. Discreetly, she covered her injured hand with her blanket, not wanting any questions to surface concerning how she got it. Her parents had the habit of occasionally slipping inside her room to check on her during the night, a "routine" which they developed back when she was a child due to her unusual trances.
Just to appease them, she researched the condition in the library and found that it was a common occurrence in very young children, especially when they were still developing chakra. Chakra was not harmful in one's body, but there were some instances wherein even babies were sensitive to it, going to the point where they'd have some difficulties adjusting to this energy in their bodies. There were some that had trances like she did, so she told this to her parents and they promptly lessened their visits at her request.
It wasn't as if she was embarrassed at their actions, but she was a growing girl now, and she wanted to be independent. She also wanted to reassure them; she did not like seeing the concealed worry in their eyes. She knew that they tried to hide it. Her father, through his terrible jokes, and her mother, through her stern, strict façade. She didn't want them to worry anymore.
Just like her hand, it was of trivial concern.
• • •
The doors slid open behind him, though he did not react. He already knew who it was even before the person approached him.
"Sasuke." Itachi's voice was laced with concern. "What are you doing out here?"
"Nii-san," Sasuke greeted, his eyes still glued to the night sky.
"You've been doing a lot of brooding lately," said Itachi, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Aren't you cold?"
Sasuke shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm just… thinking."
He still could not get the time travel reality out of his head. It still seemed too good to be true. Was this truly not a trick? Was this not really some sort of scheme to make him lower his defenses?
Most of his life, dedicated to killing Itachi…
The truth of the Uchiha Clan massacre…
Uchiha Madara…
Uchiha Obito…
His brother… Itachi…
Sasuke suddenly felt something warm cover his body. He turned his head towards Itachi, his eyes still wide in surprise.
"You'll catch a cold," Itachi admonished, though it was clear to Sasuke that he was trying his best to sound stern but failing to do so. Itachi had always had a soft spot for him, even when Sasuke blamed him wrongfully.
It caused a cold feeling to seep inside him. It was guilt, Sasuke knew, and it still hurt. He loved his brother. Even when he hated him. People did say that there was a fine line between love and hate. If you hated somebody, you had strong feelings for them. Sasuke longed for his old relationship with Itachi, back when he was a young boy constantly pining for Itachi's attention and the latter occasionally indulging him with it. Now, Itachi was still busy with his ANBU duties, but Sasuke was less lax than he was back then due to being a full-fledged genin this early.
Sometimes, Sasuke felt disappointed in himself for still not reaching Itachi's level; Itachi made chūnin at the age of ten and became captain of an ANBU squad at thirteen. Sasuke felt like he was trying to catch up to him. Yet, no, it wasn't actually the case the more he thought about it.
It was more like he wanted to catch up to his brother, but knowing that it was not really in his heart to do so.
He wasn't competing with anyone anymore. He didn't feel like it. The more time he spent in this world, with Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi… he felt like he was changing.
No. Not changing…
It was never a change in the first place.
"So I've heard that Namikaze Naruto is your best friend?" Itachi's soft voice drifted into his ears.
It took a short while for his words to process in Sasuke's mind, but when it did, it caused the latter to snap his head towards his brother, his eyes wide once more.
"Wha… I don't know that idiot," gritted Sasuke, a wave of embarrassment filling him.
Itachi chuckled. "Why deny it, Sasuke? Naruto-kun even had the liberty to tell me about it himself."
Sasuke's head snapped up towards him in attention. "Huh?!"
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Itachi stared at the ANBU mask he was holding in his hand, his expression flat. The leaves from the Acacia tree nearby fluttered along with the sudden gust of wind, dancing with the flowing strands of his hair. He was leaning against the tree trunk, his sword point down on the ground.
He had been in ANBU for a year now. He, by his own request, was supposed to be placed in a team with the infamous Hatake Kakashi, but the latter had made the decision to resign. Kakashi told him that he was going to be supervising the Yondaime's son since the Hokage had suggested it to him.
Itachi understood his intention, and also thought that Kakashi would probably be the most fit to train his little brother because of his Sharingan. Itachi couldn't always be there for Sasuke, and Fugaku and Mikoto were both busy with clan duties.
So Itachi was still placed in Team Ro. He was not stupid, however. Danzō told him that he had assigned one of his Root agents, a masked man with the codename Sugaru, to Team Ro with the specific task of protecting him. Itachi knew his true intentions; it was not a secret between the ANBU that Shimura Danzō suspected the Uchiha Clan for the attempted attack on the village using the Kyūbi. The only person he told of this was his father, Uchiha Fugaku, and the latter hadn't been pleased.
Fugaku, however, appreciated the Yondaime's decision to keep Danzō's suspicions from leaking out into the civilians and shinobi as well as refusing the idea of isolating the Uchiha Clan from the village. It was because of this that Fugaku respected Namikaze Minato among other reasons. Fugaku did not relish war, either. He preferred peace and as little killings as possible, despite some people's outlooks on him because of his perpetual standoffish aura. Itachi also respected the Yondaime and reported everything he knew that was of importance. He trusted Minato, unlike Danzō who always seemed to have something up his sleeve. The elders Homura and Koharu were of the same agreement with Danzō, but Minato never backed down from what he thought was right.
'Also,' Itachi thought to himself absently, 'the Uchiha Clan would never dare initiate a coup with the Yellow Flash in their village. That's just asking for suicide.'
Itachi sighed. As he closed his eyes, he remembered the masked man who killed his teammate. The one who mysteriously uttered Kakashi's name before he fled the scene. Was he connected to—
"Huh? Hey!" a voice called out.
Itachi turned his head towards the source, his expression turning carefully neutral. As he did so, he slowly concealed his hand which was not holding the mask behind his back.
A blond-haired boy about Sasuke's age scampered up to him, his grin stretching across his face. The more Itachi looked at him, the more he realized that the boy looked strikingly familiar to him.
"You're Naruto-kun, the Hokage's son," said Itachi with a small, soft smile as the boy finally came in front of him. "And my brother's teammate as well. What can I do for you?"
He knew that his and Naruto's families were close, but he was almost never at home and was often on duty, so he never really got to interact much with the young boy.
Naruto was panting slightly from the sudden sprint he made, but he beamed at Itachi. "Yeah! And you're Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother!"
Itachi's smile did not fade. In fact, it even threatened to quirk up slightly at the sides.
'What an interesting young boy…'
"Well, I just came here to tell ya that Sasuke's safe with me!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully. "He's my closest friend, so don't you ever worry about a thing, dattebayo!"
At that moment, a faint yell drifted into the surroundings, and Naruto turned around.
"Eh? That must be Mom calling me!" Naruto turned back to Itachi, giving him a friendly wave. "See ya, Itachi-nii-chan!"
Itachi watched him go, shaking his head in amusement. He lifted his head and stared up at the sky, at the clouds lazily drifting apart to reveal the sun's rays.
"Then I guess Sasuke's in good hands."
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Sasuke's face was adorably red. "He… called you 'nii-chan'?"
"Yes." Itachi tried to hide a smile at the sight of his younger brother's face, but failed. "Why? Are you happy?"
Sasuke sputtered in disbelief. "N—No way! Me, being implied as brothers with that moron?! I'd rather die." He was about to turn his head away when he caught sight of something. "Nii-san, that…"
"It's nothing, Sasuke." Itachi affectionately ruffled his brother's hair. "Don't worry about it."
Sasuke looked slightly unconvinced, but let it go anyway. "If you say so…"
Comfortable silence ensued between them. Sasuke stared up at the sky, seeing numerous stars blinking brightly back at him. He thought back to when Team 7 laid down on their backs, looking at this same sky. He and Naruto only looked for brief moments before turning to their sides and going to sleep. Kakashi was also on his side after watching for a short while, reading his book. It was only Sakura who continued to watch, wedged between him and Naruto.
'I wonder… am I… really…'
'…worth it…?'
Itachi's body warmth engulfed his side. Sasuke could feel his brother watching the stars with him, his head lifted skywards and his posture slack.
Sasuke smiled.
'…Either way, I'm thankful.'
• • •
"Good morning!"
"Good morning, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke did not even spare his teammates a glance. "Morning."
"Man, Kakashi-sensei still isn't here," Naruto mused. "I bet you he's gonna make us wait again!"
Having nothing to do, he turned to Sakura. "Hey, Sakura-chan—"
"Go away, Naruto," Sakura said without missing a beat.
"Eh?" Naruto slumped his shoulders in depression. "That's too harsh, Sakura-chan..."
"Be quiet, idiot," Sasuke remarked flatly. "Hearing your voice annoys me."
"Not you too, Sasuke!" Naruto complained with a glower.
Sasuke sent Sakura a sidelong glance. Her head was leaning downwards, hiding her eyes from plain view.
When Kakashi showed up to meet his team (read: two hours later), he was greeted by the sight of an annoyed-looking Naruto, a forlorn Sakura, and a nonchalant, disinterested Sasuke.
Kakashi sighed inwardly. A dysfunctional team, indeed. Sometimes, he was envious of Kurenai's team. Inuzuka Kiba was a little on the brash side, but he had no problem cooperating with his teammates. Aburame Shino was a silent, slightly disturbing character, but he was reliable. Even timid Hyūga Hinata went along well with her team.
But Kakashi knew that he could never have any other team other than Team 7.
• • •
"All right," said Minato as his eyes skimmed over the papers, "your next mission is to walk Lady Hinako's bulldogs by the park—"
"What?!" Naruto complained, collapsing to the floor. "Another lame mission? Really, Dad?!"
Minato took his eyes off the paperwork and smiled at his son slightly. "Naruto, you know better than to call me that here."
Naruto pouted. "Okay, okay, Hokage-sama…" he muttered. "But I'm sick of all these lame D-Rank missions! I want some action! You know, a real mission!"
Sasuke shook his head, mildly amused. 'That's a similar line from what he told the Third Hokage back then… Some things just never change.'
'Although I doubt that we'll be given the Wave Mission. It's too early in the timeline for that.'
"Naruto!" Sakura scolded, turning pink in embarrassment.
Kakashi face-palmed.
Minato looked positively thoughtful. "Hmm… a real mission, you say?" He searched his roster, unaware of the shocked look Iruka gave him.
"Yondaime-sama…"
"Ah, then how about this?" Minato sent Team 7 a knowing smile. "You three are to escort a merchant back to his homeland in Suna. There isn't going to be anything dangerous; he only needs protection from possible bandits or rogues. He is a bit on the wealthy side, after all. It's a C-Rank."
"…Suna?" Naruto echoed, his eyes wide in surprise. 'Kankuro, Temari, Gaara…'
'Gaara!'
"All right!" Naruto cheered, raising a fist in the air excitedly. "You're the greatest, Da — I mean, Hokage-sama!"
Iruka hastily stood up from his seat. "Yondaime-sama!" he protested. "As former teacher of these three, I don't think they're ready for that kind of mission yet! I—I suggest giving them missions near Konoha instead..."
"Don't worry. Kakashi's with them," assured Minato, looking at the man mentioned with trust in his eyes. "He'll keep them out of danger if anything happens."
Iruka still looked a little unconvinced. "But…"
Naruto glanced at his former teacher. 'Iruka-sensei…'
"What do you think, Kakashi?" Minato asked.
Kakashi looked at his team. They were barely seven, with short legs and small bodies. They looked like they could break easily when threatened, and their ages were a little too young to be starting on their venture towards the path of a ninja.
'At six years old, I was already a chūnin…' Kakashi thought to himself. 'I was that young, huh…'
But he knew that Naruto was strong. He was brave, loud, a little reckless for his own good, but he was no doubt capable, especially with that stamina of his. He also knew that Sasuke was a prodigy in his own right, armed with quick and critical thinking as well as speed.
What he wasn't sure about was Sakura, but if ever something happened during the mission, he was fairly confident that he could protect them. He had only recently resigned from ANBU, after all. His skills weren't rusty in the slightest.
He made a mental note to check on Sakura whenever they had a break.
"I think my team is more than ready, Minato-sensei," Kakashi answered.
• • •
"Suna?"
"Yeah."
"Gaara?"
"Yeah."
"The Ichibi?"
"Yeah."
Naruto stared at Sasuke, who looked like he was deep in thought. "You have a plan or something?"
Sasuke released his fist from its position below his chin. "I'm not sure we should interfere with Gaara's life at this time."
"Huh?" Naruto stood up, surprised. "Why not?!"
"Konoha and Sand may be solid allies right now thanks to your father, but we're not sure if Orochimaru has already started deceiving the people there. And if the Sand's kage isn't Orochimaru, Gaara's father, from what I've heard from Itachi, is not exactly a nice man, let alone to his children. I doubt he'd let you go near Gaara or any of his siblings."
"But Gaara's life is so lonely!" Naruto protested. "He has to have at least one friend who cares about him this early!" He stood up from his sitting position on the grass, dusting off the dirt from his pants and giving Sasuke a determined stare. "I don't care what anybody else says. I'll befriend Gaara no matter what!"
Sasuke looked at him. Naruto was still glaring at him, and even though he had a short, sloppy stature because of being a teenager in a young kid's body, Sasuke felt that same strong aura Naruto always harboured, whether or not he did it unconsciously. It was as if they were both seventeen again, and he was looking at his greatest rival, them standing side by side as they fought in the warfront.
"…Heh. Thought you'd say that." Sasuke stood up as well, leisurely picking himself up. "Do whatever you want. We're just little kids, anyway."
Naruto's eyes widened, catching the hidden meaning in Sasuke's nonchalant words.
"All right! Let's do this, partner!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning.
"…Who're you calling 'partner', you numbskull?"
"What did you just call me?!"
• • •
"All right," Kakashi said, moving so that he was situated in front of his team. "The trip to Suna takes three days, so I hope you've all prepared yourselves."
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke gave prompt nods.
"Good. The client will be meeting us in five minutes, so we will wait for him."
Naruto stretched his arms. "Hey, Sasuke, whatcha got there?" he asked, seeing his teammate take out and inspect a scroll from his knapsack.
"It's nothing," Sasuke replied. "Just a precautionary measure."
Naruto frowned, thinking about Gaara. He had asked Kurama earlier if the other Bijū could remember the future just like he did the night of the attack.
"At first, that was my theory," Kurama said, fingering the bars of his cage. "However, as time went on and I watched you and Sasuke, it seems that I may have to retract that hypothesis."
Naruto looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"You and Sasuke needed a trigger for your memories to awaken," Kurama said patiently. "I needed one as well. However, the night when the Yondaime and his wife died was a memory ingrained into me. When I found myself standing before the village, all of it came rushing into my head. Seeing the familiar scene and seeing that man again without being controlled by his Sharingan was enough of a trigger for me."
Naruto's eyebrows drew together in thought. "So… you mean to say that you didn't have your memories in the beginning?"
Kurama nodded. "Everything was foggy. My body felt light, and my awareness was dim. I didn't know what was happening, but when I saw everything that was happening, I understood."
Naruto was quiet for a moment. "…Thanks, by the way."
Kurama looked at him. "For what, brat?"
Naruto bowed his head, hiding the expression on his face. "For… saving my parents."
Kurama huffed, turning his head away. "It was… the least I could do," he said. "Think of it as my apology to you."
Naruto lifted his head, revealing tears welling up in his blue eyes. The grateful expression on his face spoke volumes. "Thanks, Kurama," he said sincerely, walking towards the cage and touching one of the bars. "I'll get you out of here as soon as I can. I'll convince Dad to break the seal once I become chūnin. Wait for me, all right?!"
Kurama turned towards him, and there was a semblance of a smile on his face. "You'd better keep that promise, Naruto."
"You got it!" Naruto gave his signature grin and trademark thumbs-up. "I never go back on my word. That's my Ninja Way!"
If the Ichibi also needed a trigger for his memories, then Naruto was going to give it to him even if he had to force it.
There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to save his friend. However, if Gaara's father, the Yondaime Kazekage, made it difficult for him, then Naruto would make sure to change the man's mind. What kind of person would bring up a son with such a lonely existence?
Gaara, in contrast to him, did have a father, but that same father made him feel like an outcast. Naruto didn't know the story behind Gaara's painful, twisted past, but he was sure that no matter what obstacle came his way, he would deflect them, just like he always did.
'Dad, Mom, wish me luck!' Naruto prayed in his mind. 'I hope Gaara receives me well!'
Then a forbidden thought came across. 'But what if… he doesn't?'
Naruto let out a breath, pushing that thought away. He'd have to cross that bridge when he got there. He was given this chance to fix everything in his power, and he wasn't going to let it slide.
His eyes found Sakura, standing to the side not too far away, her expression contemplative and… fearful?
Naruto knew that this was her first time going out of Konoha's borders. She didn't have a problem back when they were sent to Wave, so now that he looked closely, he didn't think that she was scared. Just reluctant to leave Konoha, probably. She had never gotten past the gates, after all.
But there was something in her eyes, in her face, in her stature… that made Naruto despondent over the fact that she was not the Sakura he had gone through a lot with. This Sakura was of the past, bearing personal insecurities and lack of effort in her strength.
"Sakura-chan!" he called out to her, moving to her side. "Hey, hey… what's with those bangs, by the way?" he remarked casually.
Sakura hesitated. "It's none of your business, Naruto," she said cagily.
"But they're hiding your forehead!" Naruto complained. "I like your forehead. It's really pr—"
"What?" Sakura said, clearly irritated. "Because it's so big?"
Naruto was taken aback. "N—No, I think it's really—"
"Save it." Sakura turned her back on him, intent on ignoring him.
Naruto took a step back, hurt. In the past, Sakura never really liked him very much, even showing contempt towards him occasionally. But he didn't mind, because he liked her. He was always crestfallen at her rejections, of course, but he always believed that she had a pretty face, a smart brain, and a good heart. Being teammates with her just gave him more insight into who she really was.
He was about to reach out towards her, to try again, when an arm gripped his shoulder, preventing him from his attempt.
"Leave her alone," Sasuke said, his voice betraying nothing. "The client is here."
"But…" Naruto glanced at Sakura, who had now turned around slightly to see their client. Her eyes were dim.
"She's not going to listen to you." Sasuke released his hold on Naruto's shoulder. "She's unusually too sensitive right now."
"So you're saying that I shouldn't do anything?" Naruto gritted out.
"Calm down. I didn't say that," Sasuke said coolly. "We have three days. You can use some of our break time to get close to her, since we're a team."
Naruto watched as Sasuke began to walk over to Kakashi, who was now beckoning them to come over and meet the client.
"Me?" Naruto said in a tone that caught Sasuke's attention. "Not 'we'?"
Sasuke ignored him, coming to Kakashi's side. Naruto followed, still frowning. Sakura lagged behind a little, but wore a small, somewhat forced smile as they all gathered.
"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura," Kakashi said, "this is our client. His name is Tanshi Konno, a merchant from Suna. Konno-san, I am Hatake Kakashi, and these are Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. We are Team 7 who will escort you back to Suna."
Tanshi Konno was an ordinary-looking man, wearing Suna's distinctive robes and a posh straw hat. He was dragging a medium-sized cart with him which was filled with products and goods placed in crates. Some unique-looking relics were tied to the cart along with the crates to prevent them from falling throughout the journey.
"Ah… H—Hello…" Konno said nervously. "Um, how… old are they, Kakashi-san? Are they really…?"
"Yes, they are full-fledged genins," Kakashi answered readily. "They are seven years old and they graduated early from the Academy due to their skills and…" Kakashi glanced at Naruto somewhat uneasily. "…intelligence."
Naruto growled. "Hey!"
Kakashi gave a short chuckle at his predictable response. "Anyway, you can count on us to protect you, Konno-san. I presume that we will only be looking out for bandits?"
Konno nodded, some of his nervousness melting away at Kakashi's confidence. "Yes. I… I've been attacked more than once by those blasted bandits… Took away my prized goods. Been scared of them ever since." He took a napkin out of his pocket and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"The same bandits?" Sasuke inquired.
Konno nodded. "Yes… They wore different masks the second time, but I recognized those tattoos… Yes, they were the same people…"
"Tattoos?" Kakashi brought up, looking thoughtful as he assessed this information. "What do these tattoos look like?"
"There are six of them," Konno explained, his words hasty in fear, "and they all wear these same hagane tattoos on their arms."
"But how do you know they're the same people?" Sakura spoke up. "You said they were wearing different masks the second time they stole from you. What if they are just other members part of an organization?"
Konno blinked. "I… I haven't thought of that… But they do have similar builds to the ones who attacked me the first time…"
"We will have to see for ourselves if we encounter them on this journey," Kakashi said, slinging his pack over his shoulder. "Then we'll decide what to do from there."
His three genins gave prompt nods, signifying their understanding.
Kakashi nodded back. "All right. Let's move out!"
• • •
The ground was muddy. It had rained the night before, so it was nothing suspicious. Naruto trudged along the trail in the forest, his senses alert. It had been difficult to adjust to his younger body, what with learning how to balance himself with an unfamiliar weight, shorter arms and legs, and a shorter torso. It took him time to enhance his taijutsu, and he still wasn't even halfway done. His chakra levels were also drastically different from what he had back in the future, so his techniques became limited as well.
But if they were ever in a pinch, he would never waste a second in asking for Kurama's help.
Naruto's gaze inadvertently landed on Sasuke's form, causing him to frown. Sasuke had always been a jerk, but Naruto believed that he couldn't be that unfeeling. Was he the only one who actually cared about Sakura? Even though she wasn't from the future like he and Sasuke were, it just wasn't right to leave her out and be civil. He wanted to become close to her again. They were a family.
Was he wrong about Sasuke? He thought he had seen hints of concern from him regarding Kakashi and Sakura back when they were battling Kaguya. And he definitely hadn't mistaken it.
Then what had changed? Back in this timeline, Sasuke seemed to be as cold as ever, except to him. Naruto figured that it was because they both came from the same timeline. However, it rubbed him the wrong way.
Or was he just overthinking this? Naruto sighed to himself internally. This time-travel phenomenon had messed with his brain a little, causing him to think a lot more than he usually did. He felt like he was excited to change this, yet he felt afraid as well. There were even times when he confused his future with the present, and the past with the future. It was mind-boggling, to say the least. The timelines in his head mixed up occasionally and he didn't want to seem suspicious.
It was a good thing Minato and Kushina only regarded it as a part of his 'crazy childhood' phase.
Naruto sneaked a glance at Sakura. She was still unusually quiet. Normally, she'd either fawn over Sasuke or talk about something that was on her mind. But now, her head hung low a little, and she cradled her hands in front of her.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. 'Wait… Were those…'
"Sakura-chan?" He came up to her and peered at her right hand. "Are those bandages? Are you hurt?"
Sakura flinched at the sudden mention, reflexively hiding her hand from Naruto as she glared at him. "It's nothing," she said rather forcefully, hinting at him to drop it.
Naruto ignored her meaning, opting to grab her wrist and place her injured hand right in front of his eyes. It was completely covered with thick bandages, leaving no inch of skin in sight.
"It doesn't look like nothing to me," he said, his tone brooking no argument. "What happened, Sakura-chan?"
She refused to look at him. He even noticed that she wasn't bothering to struggle herself out of his grasp.
Naruto's tight features went slack, his expression now borderline disconsolate. "…What are you hiding, Sakura-chan…?"
That prompted her to look at him, and he could now see that her eyes were glassy. His heart clenched. Just what was going on with her? Was this the reason why she was recently harsh with him? Because she didn't want him to know? Because she wanted to push him away so he wouldn't notice?
The Sakura of this timeline was not twelve years old. She was seven, like him, but her case was different. She was far more… subdued in her younger years. Timid and insecure, even. Which was why sometimes he thought that her personality was confusing. It felt like…
"Tell me," he urged her, his voice quiet and hard with determination. "Did someone hurt you? Tell me. You can trust me, Sakura-chan. I'll protect you, no matter who it is."
Sakura seemed to be in an internal debate with herself. Naruto didn't even register Kakashi's voice asking them what was wrong. He only waited for Sakura's response.
It was then at that moment that Sasuke came up to her other side, prompting her to look at him in surprise.
"Was my brother involved?" he asked her, his voice soft and quiet.
Sakura and Naruto's eyes widened.
"Itachi has an injured arm, coincidentally his right as well," Sasuke clarified. "Was he involved or not?"
That did it. Sakura burst into tears, the thin thread connecting her control breaking apart at the seams. Naruto stared at her, his grip on her wrist released as she brought her hands up to cover her face as she sobbed. Sasuke, on the other hand, looked like he was trying to slowly piece the puzzle together.
"I—I'm sorry…" Sakura said, wiping her tears. "I'm sorry I kept this to myself… Itachi-nii-chan told me not to tell anyone, but I can't do it anymore…"
Sasuke hesitated for only a moment before placing a warm hand on her shoulder, looking straight into her eyes. "Tell us," he told her.
It seemed to be enough of an encouragement for Sakura, because she took a deep breath before telling them the story.
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Dusk hung around the sky, signaling the beginning of the evening. Sakura panted as she wiped her sweat from her temple, staring at the target dummy in front of her. Her kunais had not even landed on the bull's-eye, making her feel slightly frustrated. Why was she not doing anything right?
'Tomorrow,' Sakura thought to herself as she wore her backpack. 'I'll come back here again tomorrow, like I always do.'
With that in mind, she ran off towards the direction of her house. In a few moments, she stopped, weighing her options.
It was the middle of the winter solstice, so the nights in Konoha, even though only in the early eventide, were darker than usual. It was going to be a little difficult to navigate through her surroundings since she had to pass through a trail near a forest to get home. For a moment, Sakura scolded herself for not watching the time while she was training.
After a few minutes of debate, she decided to go through a quick shortcut so she wouldn't have to pass near the forest. It felt eerie at night.
Sakura made a turn, going over towards a cluster of houses and then making another turn leading to an isolated area.
She was there no more than two seconds when she was suddenly intercepted by a hooded person.
"You," the figure growled. "You're one of those brats."
Sakura took a step back, her mind muddled in fear. She couldn't even see the face of the person; he was clothed from head to foot, and even his hands were enveloped by the long sleeves of his coat. The impending darkness only made him harder to see.
"I—I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura stammered in dread, instinctively wrapping her arms around herself. "P—Please let me through…"
She could not say any more as a shriek pierced the air. It took her a moment to realize that it came from her own lips.
She whimpered in pain as she stared fearfully at the man who was suddenly in front of her, his fist lodged in her gut. She could feel the bile rising up in her throat as she choked, feeling all the air escape from her lungs.
"I have to kill you," the man mused, "but I have a slight issue with murdering a little brat like you. I'd rather have you suffer instead and incapacitated." She could feel the malicious smile playing at his lips as he retracted his fist. "This will show you three," he said, picking up a stone on the ground nearby, "especially that Kyūbi brat, for being a nuisance!"
Sakura could see her whole world spinning and moving in slow motion. She could see the man grip the stone in his hand, and then swoop it down towards her right hand.
She screamed, but no voice came out. The pain was too much.
'Make it stop,' she begged. 'Make it stop!'
"Now you won't be able to punch the ground into oblivion!" The man's words and heavy laugh reverberated like an echo into her ears. Her mind was in a haze. She couldn't feel anything but the pain. Everything was moving, and she felt like she was going to faint.
Her panic rose when she saw that he was aiming for her right hand once more, intent on completely breaking its bones.
The stone was diving down. She couldn't move. She was completely frozen in place.
'No… NO!'
Thump .
It was nearing its target. In a brief, desperate attempt, she tried to wriggle her hand out of the man's grasp.
Thump. Thump.
It was useless. His grip was too strong. He was too strong for her. There was absolutely nothing she could do.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Sakura prepared herself for an ear-piercing scream.
And then she felt it.
Her body was immediately shoved to the side forcefully, her back landing on the rough ground. She let out a sharp cry, feeling the tiny rocks scrape against her skin.
Still mildly dizzy from shock, Sakura's vision gradually adjusted through the haze, allowing her to see her rescuer.
And her eyes widened.
Even in the darkness, she could recognize the man as Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. He was standing tall and defiant as he glared at the cloaked man, donned in his ANBU gear and his Sharingan activated. Sakura's stomach twisted at the sight of his bloody arm. He must have placed it in the stone's way in order to protect her.
Tears leaked out of Sakura's eyes.
She was still in pain. Her middle felt like it was throbbing, and her right hand felt so hot, like burning charcoal. Her bones felt cracked and she was overcome by nausea. What was happening? What did that man mean by his words?
'You three'… That had to mean her, Naruto, and Sasuke. And the 'Kyūbi brat'…
'The Kyūbi's vessel…'
'Namikaze Naruto.'
She was still whimpering. She didn't know how long she had been lying on the ground, but it felt like an eternity. Why nobody heard her screams, she didn't know. Perhaps it was because the area was a bit far away from the places with the usual crowds, and Sakura had noticed earlier when she passed by the nearby cluster of houses that the lights were out, indicating that the ones who lived there were either very much asleep or out at the moment.
It was her luck that Itachi came to her rescue. If he hadn't…
Sakura didn't wish to continue that train of thought.
"…Sakura-san?" Itachi's voice drifted into her ears.
Sakura opened her eyes, not even realizing that she had closed them. "Itachi… nii-chan," she choked out, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
Itachi gently scooped her up in his arms, taking care not to nudge the injured part of her stomach. Sakura was breathing heavily, the pain still searing inside her body.
"I'll take you to the hospital," Itachi told her.
Sakura wasn't listening anymore. She had drifted off into a fitful sleep.
By the time she woke up, she was on a bed, her stomach and hand bandaged up. The monitor beeped, indicating her steady heart rate. Sakura glanced outside and saw that it was still evening.
"Oh, you're awake," Itachi said from his position near the door. It looked like he had been about to turn the doorknob when he felt her stir. "I'm about to call your parents and tell them that you're here. They must be very worried—"
"No." Sakura was surprised at how stable her voice sounded. "Please… don't tell them."
Surprise graced Itachi's features. "No…?" he echoed, his tone coloured in mild disbelief.
Tears welled up in her eyes. "Please don't tell them. They'll—They'll worry about me again… I don't want them to worry about me."
Itachi stared at her. Sakura gripped her blanket, pulling it a little closer to her. She felt much better now, except that there was still a dull pain throbbing at her injuries.
"…All right." Itachi walked over to her and sat by her side. "The nurse said you need to stay the night to recover from the damage done to your stomach as well as the fracture in your hand. They're both healed to an extent, but you need the rest and medicine in order to have a full recovery." He gave her his best comforting smile. "You're lucky that it was mended quickly so as to not have a permanent affliction to your ninja career."
Sakura looked at him. "Did you… tell her what happened…?"
Itachi shook his head. "No. However, I will report this to the Hokage."
Anxiety gripped Sakura by the claws. "N—Naruto's father…?"
"Yes." Itachi gave a nod. "It is necessary."
Sakura took a deep breath. "Um… What happened with… with the man in the cloak…?"
"I managed to drive him away," Itachi responded promptly. "He seemed startled to see me there. Perhaps he did not expect anyone to…" He hesitated a bit. "…come to your aid."
Sakura nodded slowly, fresh tears leaking out of her eyes. "I—I see…" she choked out. "Thank you, Itachi-nii-chan… I'm really sorry that you got hurt because of me…"
"I'm all right compared to you." Itachi's features softened as he noticed her trembling fingers. "Is something else the matter, Sakura-san?"
Sakura broke at Itachi's inquiry. "I—I couldn't do anything… I was too weak. I let him hurt me… I—I'm a genin now, but all I could d—do was scream a—and be useless… I just froze in fear… If you didn't come for me, Itachi-nii-chan, I—I would've…"
Itachi watched as the little girl in front of him cried. She looked like a fragile little thing, wearing Konoha's headband. She was a young, talented girl based on the fact that she graduated the Academy early, but she was momentarily incapable of this.
Itachi himself was an ANBU, but he was still a pre-teen. As someone only five years older than Sasuke, he was talented in his own right, but the kidnappings and murders — both successful and attempted — that were occurring in relation to Konoha ever since the night the Ky ū bi appeared bothered him a lot. He wanted to help and contribute the peace they currently had, but he didn't know if he was strong enough, both physically and mentally, to protect it with his life on the line.
The cloaked man was strong. And fast. Itachi had noticed that when he fought against him. He didn't know who was stronger between the two of them since both of them didn't show each other's true strength, but it was apparent that he was not one to take facilely. That man was fully capable of breaking bones in one strike just by using a mere stone; it spoke volumes of his strength alone.
"You were no match for him," Itachi told her gently, "and it's not your fault. You haven't gotten to that point yet where you can defend yourself against enemies like him.."
"…" Sakura stared at him, weeping slightly. "…Do you believe that… I will someday…?"
This time, Itachi smiled, resting a hand on top of her head. "Of course, Sakura-san. Now, please rest. You need to recover."
Sakura shook her head. "I—I can't, Itachi-nii-chan. I have to go home… My parents… they might be worried for me… Wh—What time is it?"
Itachi frowned minimally. "It's almost past dinner. You've only been asleep for two hours."
"P—Please let me go home… I want to go home."
"Sakura-san," Itachi tried again. "The hospital is the best place for you to recover. If you leave now…"
Summoning what was left of her strength, Sakura clutched Itachi's uninjured arm, her eyes pleading. "I'm… I'm fine," she added a firm note to her voice. "It doesn't hurt as much anymore. Please help me, Itachi-nii-chan…"
• • •
"Sakura!" Mebuki exclaimed when she opened the door. "Where have you been? It's almost eight—"
"I'm sorry, Mom," Sakura said, forcing a smile as she inconspicuously concealed the sight of her bandaged hand from her mother. "My teammates and I trained late, and I'm tired. Can I go to bed?"
Mebuki's eyebrows knitted together in an indication of confusion and surprise. "Your teammates? You mean Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun? And you're going to sleep now? What about dinner?"
"We ate at Ichiraku's," Sakura lied. "And I'm really exhausted. I'll be going to sleep now. Good night, Mom. Tell Dad that, too."
Mebuki stared as her daughter listlessly trudged upstairs, her pace lethargic and her expression indeed weary, but it didn't seem like it stemmed from something like physical exertion.
Mebuki shook her head. 'I'm probably overthinking things.'
• • •
When Sakura came inside her room, she locked the door and collapsed onto her bed.
She couldn't let Naruto and Sasuke know about this. Especially Naruto. Itachi was going to report the incident to the Hokage anyway, and she told him everything she knew on the way to her house. The Yondaime could take care of it. It didn't mean that Naruto had to know that he was in danger. Sasuke, too. And Itachi told her not to tell anyone.
Naruto's father and Sasuke's brother could very well take care of them.
Sakura noted, with a dull ache in her heart, that it was only her that didn't have anyone who could protect her.
She had to lie low and avoid Naruto as much as possible. With Sasuke, it wasn't easy, but it was possible.
Was this really the right thing she was doing, though? She cuddled her pillow to her chest, still mindful of the lingering pain in her hand and stomach. She had left the hospital as discreetly as she could, with Itachi supporting her without a word.
The cloaked man's dreadful words haunted her as she slept.
----------------------------------
Naruto stared at her as she finished her explanation of what happened.
"You… didn't want me to know… because you didn't want me to get worried…?" he said slowly, the words barely registering into his mind.
Sasuke, on the other hand, was not so gentle. "You should've told us," he said in a hard tone. "This is important!"
Sasuke sent Naruto a glance that said, Someone knows about us?
But Naruto wasn't looking at him.
"I—I'm sorry," Sakura sobbed, wincing at Sasuke's tone. "Itachi-nii-chan told me not to… He said it's not something you need to know about… He—He said he and the Hokage would take control of the situation."
Sasuke gritted his teeth. That meant that Itachi and the Yondaime knew that something was up. The outermost layer of their secret was already starting to peel off. Just who was that cloaked man?
Was it possibly… Obito…?
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan," Naruto finally said, gripping her by the shoulders reassuringly. "We're not mad at you." He sent a pointed glance towards Sasuke. "Nothing will happen to you. I'll make sure of it."
Sakura stared at him with something akin to awe mixed with hope on her face. "Naruto…" She forced herself to look away, clasping her hands together as a sign of repressed fraught. "I… was scared because we're outside Konoha. I keep thinking that he'll find me again and—and finish what he didn't manage to do the last time…"
Kakashi and Konno watched the exchange, both quiet and not expressing a single word of complaint. Kakashi was listening to their conversation, his mind picking up the pieces and analyzing them. Konno, on the other hand, just felt confused, but stood there and tried to imitate Kakashi's attentive expression.
"And I'm a little confused about what he… told me about me punching… the ground or something," Sakura continued on, fretting. "I don't understand any of it. Am I supposed to know something? A—And how are the three of us a nuisance…?"
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances with each other.
Kakashi took that moment to interrupt.
"You're saying, Sakura," he drawled, "that someone managed to get inside Konoha's barriers undetected in order to kill you?"
Konno inconspicuously wiped sweat from his brow, taking a few steps back and turning his attention towards his goods. This was Konoha's issue; he had nothing to do with this. Besides, he didn't think Kakashi would be pleased if he listened in any further.
Sakura nodded in response. "I don't know why, but he seems to think of me, Naruto, and Sasuke-kun as enemies, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi nodded as well, indicating that he was listening carefully. "Or… I may be wrong, but it may also be a Konoha shinobi who's working as a spy," he speculated, looking at the reactions of his genin team. "However, it's a good thing Itachi encountered Sakura that night. What matters is that the Hokage is informed of this unfortunate event."
Interestingly enough, while Sakura's expression remained fearful and confused, Sasuke and Naruto's features remained tense and unreadable.
'Intriguing…' Kakashi thought to himself as he walked over towards Sakura and placed a warm, reassuring hand on top of her head.
Sakura looked up at him, her eyes wide in surprise at the unexpected gesture.
"It must've been hard for you, Sakura," Kakashi told her, his lone eye closing as an indication of a smile. "Good job on staying strong."
A blush coated Sakura's cheeks as she nodded. "Thank you, sensei."
Kakashi retracted his hand from her head and turned to all three of them.
"Well, since we are all in no state to continue walking right now, we'll set up camp here. I will stay here and accompany Konno-san while you three provide the necessary materials. Naruto, you go gather firewood. Sakura, go replenish our water supply. There's a nearby river to our right. Sasuke, go with Sakura and try to catch some fish for dinner. Naruto, if you can finish with your task quickly, you can help Sasuke out with the food." Kakashi looked serious. "Stay together. Don't go too far. If you encounter something, throw a kunai towards our direction. I will know by the sound. Understood?"
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke gave prompt nods.
tbc