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Sand in the Leaves	By : ahmenet Category: Naruto > General Views: 1274 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any money from this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 21
- 22
- 23
Again, I state, these are
pre-written chapters. I've simply done a little work to them.

0.0.0.0.0.0

Each sat at the end of an examination
table. Each wore a similar scowl. Neither was budging and Sasuke
was getting tired.

“Naruto. We do this every time.
Please! For me. Let Tsunade check you out.”

The short blond never took his eyes off
his nemesis while he answered his father with a simple, “I
don't want to!”. Sasuke groaned and dropped back into his
seat.

Once every four months his oldest son
was required, along with himself, to undergo a thorough physical and
psychiatric evaluation. It wasn't unpleasant, simply inconvenient
and though he'd found it a little demeaning in the beginning, he
understood the necessity. He'd seen first hand what some of
Orochimaru's more creative experiments could do so it was little
wonder the village wanted a close eye on the late snake wielders
prize vessel and the child he'd managed to create with it. But
Naruto had never been a very good patient.

“Maybe you should check me
first?”

Tsunade kept her annoyed glare on the
young man in front of her as she answered, “No.”

Sasuke's sigh was heartfelt. He stood
and watched the two blonds sit at a stand still for a moment longer
before shaking his head and turning to the door.

“I'm going for a walk. Please
send someone to get me when you're done.” He opened the door
then stopped when Tsunade made a small sound.

“Send Shizune in for me, please,
Sasuke.” She sounded pleased with herself when Naruto growled.

“Sure.” He sighed heavily
and stepped out of the room.

“But Daddy!” The door
closed on his son's wail.

Turning down the hall, Sasuke headed
for the station where he could just see Shizune's bowed head. He
never liked being there when Naruto had to be held down. Hiro had
once come for support but the first time he'd seen them strap his
older brother to a table for his exam he'd cried so horribly Tsunade
had asked he not be allowed back. Of course, the bite scar she now
sported on her left ankle might have had something to do with that
too. Sasuke smiled at the memory.

“You're very happy considering
what day it is.” Shizune's voice cut through the memory but he
kept the smile as he looked at her.

“Just remembering a good day.”
His smile widened to a grin.

Shaking her head, the dark haired medic
gripped the chart in her hand and tucked it under her arm. “I
doubt Lady Tsunade would call that a good memory.”

“To each his own.” He
shrugged. “She needs you, by the way. Naruto's being
difficult.”

Shizune sighed and put the chart back
on the desk. “You'd think after all this time he'd be
comfortable with this.”

“I'm not comfortable with it.”
His smile dropped.

“You don't require restraint.”
She countered.

“I'm not five and I did this to
myself. It's not his fault and he feels like he's being punished.”

Her dark eyes closed for a moment
before she lifted her head and looked into his darker ones. “You
understand our position. We don't know exactly what was done to his
mother during her pregnancy. You admit you don't even know who his
mother was.”

Sasuke looked away. He didn't know
anything about Naruto's mother. Only that she'd shown up at an
orphanage and died a few days later. She'd mentioned two names to
the priests running the place but neither had known what they meant,
until he showed up in their village.

“We're not hurting him. We need
to watch him, not only to make sure he is stable but also to make
sure nothing was done that could be harmful to him.” She
rubbed her fingertips into the bridge of her nose. “How are
your eyes?”

He didn't blink at the change in topic.
The discussion about his son was over. “No worse, if that's
what you're asking.”

She nodded, knowing that was the best
she'd get until Tsunade brow beat him into more. “I'll go take
care of Naruto. You'll be on the grounds?”

He nodded. “I'll be on this
floor.” He watched her turn and walk down the hall. The door
to the room he'd just left opened and he could hear his sons protests
as Shizune walked in. The sounds of his angry cries were cut off as
the door closed.

0.0.0.0.0.0

“No change.”

Sakura took the chart from the medic
and read it over. Nothing had changed. They'd managed to extract
the poison but it had been in his system too long and had done too
much damage. His organs were starting to shut down one by one. Each
muscle freezing as it deteriorated. They'd stabilized him yesterday
morning when they'd brought him in. It had taken until late in the
afternoon for them to extract the poison and assess the damage.
They'd held out hope and Sakura had stayed with him all night but
sometime early in the morning his kidneys had started to shut down,
then his lungs and as they spoke, his heart rate was dropping. Every
organ shutting down at the same time, as if his body just decided it
was tired and needed a rest. And maybe it did.

“Finish the report.” Her
voice was raw from lack of sleep and constantly talking, trying to
wake him. “I'll stay and finish this.”

The medic, being a veteran, didn't
argue as he backed out of the room. He flagged down a young student
and sent her to give the Hokage Sai's status report before moving to
the desk to finish the chart. While he busied himself with his work
he missed the dark haired man looking into Sai's room then opening
the door and stepping in.

Sakura didn't look up from her
teammate's peacefully sleeping face as Sasuke slipped into the room.
Her hand wrapped lightly around Sai's still fingers, she pulled a
nearby chair close to the bed and sat.

“Your wife is on the next floor
down.”

“Naruto is down the hall. I came
to see Sai.”

She reached out and brushed Sai's hair
from his face though it didn't need to be. “There's nothing to
see. He's already gone. We're just waiting for his body to stop.”

“I see.” A moment of
silenced stretched uncomfortably long before she heard another soft
intake of breath. “I'm sorry.”

Sakura watched Sai's breathing falter
and leaned over him with a hand to his chest. Instinct had her
checking for the problem though she knew what was wrong. She had to
fight the need to fix it. They'd done all they could and nothing she
did now would make him live. Slowly, reluctantly, she pulled her
hand away.

“Maybe you shouldn't be here.
Let one of the other medi...”

“Why are you here, Sasuke? We
didn't let anyone know he was here since his mission was classified
and we can't answer questions. And don't tell me Tsunade told you.
I'm not an idiot.”

“I never thought you were an
idiot. I...”

Sakura turned her head to look at her
former team mate. The boy she'd pined for so long was still there
but he'd unwrapped the shell he'd always hidden behind. She barely
knew the man in front of her now. Had she ever really known him? It
hurt to think she hadn't. And now he was nothing more than a painful
memory of everything she'd lost.

“Why are you here?”

His dark eyes blinked closed and she
knew he simply couldn't look her in the eye. He hadn't been able to
since Naruto had died almost two years ago. She hated him a little
for being that weak.

“Gaara hasn't told you? I guess
I'm not surprised. He never seemed to be much of a gossip.”
His eyes blinked open and she stiffened. There was guilt along side
the pity looking out at her. And a need for understanding she was
pretty sure she wouldn't be willing to give. “The mission Sai
was on was commissioned by me. Kakashi and I came up with it when it
became apparent Konoha would be unable to do anything without
starting a war.”

The mission to Suna. She'd heard about
it but she'd assumed it was kept quiet to prevent leaks. She should
have known the council wouldn't allow that bold a move without
someone else footing the bill and taking the blame. And Kakashi had
been in on it. Was most likely in Suna right now doing whatever the
mission had specified.

“I saw Sai's name on one of the
charts while we were waiting for Tsunade. I thought maybe... I'm
sorry.”

“You already said that.”
She stared at him a moment longer before turning her attention back
to Sai.

His chest was barely moving now and she
raised a hand to lift the lids of his eyes. Vacant. They'd been
that way since the night before but it still hurt her to see nothing
when she looked at him. Just an empty shell. She moved her hand to
his chest and lay it over his heart. One sluggish beat after another
then a shutter before the rhythm started again.

“I know this isn't your fault.”
She pressed her hand harder into Sai's chest, willing it to keep
beating. “I know that, but right now... right now, I hate you.
I hate that you can stand there and say your sorry and he can barely
breath. I hate you for having everything you want while I'm losing
my friend and I've already lost my...” Her voice cracked and
tears started to fall down her cheeks.

“I would save them if I could.”
He breathed harshly in the silence of the room. “I would have
saved him. But you know he would have died no matter what I
did or where I was. You know that!” He stepped closer to the
bed. “I'm trying, Sakura. I've been trying! You keep
getting farther and farther away from me.”

“I used to think I knew you
better than anyone. I used to think I loved you more than anything.”
She never took her eyes off of Sai as his heart skipped beneath her
fingers again. “When we went to look for you I was sure you'd
left because you were angry and confused. But we'd bring you back.
You'd understand and you'd come back.”

“Sakura...”

She heard the change in his voice.
Heard the steal and resolve in her name as it passed his lips. She'd
always imagined that tone was defiance. That he'd simply been strong
willed and easily swayed by his emotions where his family was
concerned. She'd imagined wrong.

“He was surprised when you came
back with your son. He told me, when you left the village, that you
wouldn't come back. He was really surprised. It took me a while to
figure out why.” She squeezed Sai's hand when his body jerked
a little. “You only stayed because Naruto wanted you here.
Because he was the closest thing to a brother you'd ever had. If he
hadn't been here, you would have left the moment Tsunade let you go.”

She looked up when she heard the rustle
of clothing and the scrape of wood on the tile floor. Sasuke sat on
the edge of the chair, poised to leave at a moments notice. He was
giving her that pitied look again. She hated him even more for it
now.

“He was my brother. I stayed for
him but I never promised to stay forever. Izanami and I talked about
leaving and then they found little Naruto. He needed something
stable and a place that would understand him. Konoha was the only
place I trusted he wouldn't be treated like...”

“Like a monster.”

Sasuke nodded and Sakura turned her
attention back to the man slowly dying in front of her.

“I don't like who you are. I
thought I could blame Orochimaru for the way you'd changed but this
is really you, isn't it?”

From the corner of her eye she saw him
swallow before he nodded. “Yeah. This is who I am.” He
stood and she heard the soft scrape of his sandals over the floor.
“You tried to stop me when I left and I thanked you for that.
You were the only one who cared enough to try, but nothing you could
have said would have made me stay. I owe you and Naruto a great debt
but I can't change who I am for you. Nothing you say will make me
apologize for protecting my family instead of fighting a losing
battle next to your fiancée. And I'm sorry about Sai, but
he's a shinobi. He knew the risks.” The door squeaked as he
opened it and Sakura moved closer to lay her ear on Sai's chest. “I
don't like who you are either, Sakura. But I've tried.”

“Please leave.”

The door closed. Sakura lay there with
the soft patter of mid-morning traffic in the halls and the nearly
imperceptible beat of Sai's heart. One beat, two beats, three beats.
She closed her eyes and envisioned the first time she'd seen Sai
really smile. The first time he'd told a joke. The first kiss he
botched so horribly he decided not to date again for a year. Silent
laughter shook her shoulders as she listened as closely as she could.
But all too soon the sound was gone and she place a chakra soaked
hand to his chest and felt the ebb and flow of him as it slowed
little by little. Then everything stopped.

0.0.0.0.0.0

Neji stepped out of the small house and
pulled the door closed behind him. Stepping out into the street and
nodding greetings to those who passed, he headed for the gates of the
Hyuuga compound. But one of the passersby caught his attention and
he stopped directly in front of her. The smile that started building
across his face only seemed to annoy her.

“Get out of the way, Neji. I'm
tired and I need a shower.” Hinata tried to move around him
but he blocked her path.

“When did you get the mission?
It must have been a rough one.” He swallowed the
chuckles he knew would only set her off.

Hair matted full of knots and clothes
wrinkled beyond hope,dotted with barbecue stains, Hinata stood tall
and lied through her teeth. “It was a last minute mission. I
just got back this morning.”

“Oh. Where was the mission?”

“Classified.”

“Ah... I see.” A snort
escaped.

Hinata's eyes narrowed. She tried to
move around him again but an aunt stopped her and the cousins had to
take a moment to exchange pleasantries. When the woman was suitably
convinced Hinata didn't need a medic and Neji wasn't dating his
teammate she moved on. Hinata's smile was smug as she looked up at
her now red faced cousin.

“Tell me, cousin, has father seen
that book?”

Neji sneered. “Maybe you do need
that medic. You have some rather sever looking wounds on your neck.”

Hinata's eyes bugged and she pulled the
collar of her coat up to hide the now visible hickey's. She glared
up at Neji but couldn't muster the energy to get angry. She sighed
and slumped.

“All I want is a shower and a
nice long nap. Truce?”

Neji's smile turned soft and he nodded.
“Truce. And no, uncle hasn't seen the book. I'm saving it
for a special occasion.”

“That's cruel.” She tried
to look stern but a giggle escaped.

“I know. How's Choji?”

“Wonderful.” Hinata sighed
almost dreamily. “And very energetic.” She groaned and
rolled her shoulders.

Neji laughed outright, “I can see
that.” Hinata punched him in the arm. “Ouch,” but
he didn't stop laughing.

“I'm going home now.” She
huffed and started past him but stopped to look over her shoulder.
“Will you be back tonight?”

He shook his head. “Morning most
likely. It's the last boarder patrol before the chuunin exams
start.”

“I'll see you in the morning
then.”

He watched her walk with a slight limp
toward the main house and silently thanked Choji for putting that
smile on her face. As he headed for the gates once again he spared
a thought for that worried look in her eye just before she'd turned
to leave. It had been subtle and not really directed at him... he
sighed and put it away to discuss with her later. He needed to meet
up with Gai and Gaara and grab the mission scroll before heading out.

“I really hate boarder patrol.”
He groused and nodded to the guards before stepping through the
gates.

0.0.0.0.0.0

Matsuri fingered the blood stained
headband she'd laid out on her bed and tried not to think about why
she was there.

“You need to put that away. If
one of the kids walks in and sees it they'll only get upset.”
Kane looked up from his scroll long enough to give her a stern look
before returning to his work.

“I still can't believe he's
gone.” She murmured while slipping the sand forehead protector
back into her pack.

“He may not be. I mean, it was
Aya who told you about it.”

“And that's why I'm afraid I
might believe it.” She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed,
staring at the bare white walls.

Kane put down his scroll and moved to
sit next to her. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and pulled
her into a very brief and slightly crushing hug.

“Aya's a psyco.”

She nodded agreement. Aya was a psyco
but he was also a more than capable puppeteer and hated Gaara and
his family. He'd never forgiven Kankuro for defending Gaara after
he'd killed his father for nothing more than asking the wrong
question.

“He may be psyco but he also
holds onto a grudge. If he was that happy...”

Kane gave her another little squeeze
and touched his forehead to hers. Everyone had been so pleased when
they'd announced their intention to marry. Gaara had been more than
generous and Temari had even congratulated them. It hurt them both
that neither of their friends would be with them when they took this
important step.

“They're all gone now. They
worked so hard and look where it got them.” Matsuri sighed and
pulled back from the comforting touch. They were here on business.
This was no time to cuddle.

Sensing the change in her mood, Kane
stood and walked to the chair where he'd left his pack and weapons
pouch.

“I'm going to round up the genin.
They should have been back from breakfast by now and I don't want
any trouble while we're here.” He strapped his pouch to his
thigh and grabbed his forehead protector. “I still think they
sent us here hoping someone would kill us.”

Matsuri had to agree. “Watch
your back. I'll be going to meet with the guards
in a few minutes. We'll meet back here in an hour.”

He nodded and
reached for the door. It flew open under his hand and he backed up
before it hit him in the face.

“Sensei!
Sensei! I...” Midori ran face first into her sensei and
bounced back into the man standing behind her.

“Oh hell.”
Kane blink.

0.0.0.0.0.0

Kakashi watched the
two men standing by the window and wondered when Kin had been ordered
to kill them all. He was pretty sure Mamoru had been sent as fodder.
The mans short temper and foul attitude only advertised the fact
that he was a mediocre shinobi at best and had most likely gotten his
promotion through money or connections. But Kin was a different
animal. Quiet to the point of seeming shy, Kin blended into the
group with little effort and was still young enough to look innocent
while plotting the deaths of ten people. Only Ronin, a genin
puppeteer from Matsuri's group, managed to chip away at the mans
self-restraint. And because of the 'no lethal force' rule neither of
their puppeteers were allowed to carry poisons and had only been
allowed one puppet each. They'd been hamstrung and he was pretty
sure they'd been followed. If nothing happened in the village to
lessen their numbers, Kakashi was sure they'd be ambushed on the way
back to Suna.

Haya, the only
female guard, stepped into the room and the men spared her an
appraising glance. Mamoru was the only one who seemed to be
interested in body.

“Shiga. May
I have a word with you?”

He
would like nothing more than to have a word with her. He'd been
watching her since the moment they'd left Suna and had come to the
conclusion she was the only guard who was actually guarding
the students. She had something going with the genin but he'd been
unable to decide what it was.

However, for this
mission he wasn't one of the good guys. And if he didn't play his
part, they were all dead.

“Something
you can't tell the rest of the group?” He asked with a little
lilt in his voice.

Haya looked over
the group. Kakashi watched the calculation in her eyes that never
showed on her face, then cocked a brow as she sighed and placed a
hand on her hip. Mamoru's eyes went straight to the hand. Kin's
went straight to the weapons pouch two finger widths away. She
opened her mouth to speak then stopped cold and stared at the base of
the door frame.

A moment later
Kakashi's head whipped around to the small window behind him. Kin
pulled a kunai as did Mamoru and all four jounin watched as sand
poured in through the cracks and began to move in individual lines
toward each of them.

0.0.0.0.0.0

His breathing was
shallow but steady. Yugao didn't know how but Kankuro had managed to
survive the night. He'd been well enough to take water that morning
and was now breathing a little easier. The improvement wasn't much
and might not last but at least, for now, he could survive until they
reached the first marker. The medic was scheduled to meet them at
the second marker by the Rain Country boarder.

“You're
almost there, kid. Just hang on a little longer.”

His hand twitched
and she took that as a sign he'd heard her. She lifted the light
gauze from around his neck and pulled it up over his face then turned
to fold the blankets from the night before.

A shift in the sand
still surrounding the trees caught her attention and a moment later
three other masked ninja were at her side and creating a wall around
their injured charge. She heard the soft sound of swords being drawn
and the light touch of sandal feet on tree limbs. Everyone was
silent and Yugao counted the seconds before a soft thud and a groan
had them all looking to the east. She smiled when she heard the next
sound.

“What the
hell?! I'm not a pin cushion. Get that thing away from me!”

Yugao stood, mask
still in place, and signaled for the others to stay with Kankuro.
She emerged from the lite cover of the tamarix than had grown green
with the mild rain and approached the intruder.

“You're early
and this isn't where we're suppose to meet.”

Kouhei glared at
her but didn't move. The blades of her comrades were extremely close
to his throat and one sudden move could mean a blood letting. Kouhei
Hirasi seemed like an easy going person but he was easily irritated
when he thought people were being idiots. Since every man in ANBU
had dealt with him at one point or another they all knew he thought
they were acting like idiots.

“Where we
were suppose to meet is no longer an option. I was ambushed a few
kilometers from the marker. They knew where we were heading and they
knew our path. I had to change directions and head farther into
river country.”

One of the ANBU let
out a string of curses strong enough to tear the hide from a boar.
Kouhei raised his brows.

“Way to keep
a low profile, Yoji.”

Yugao stepped in
and lifted the blades from the medics neck but the man didn't move.
She smiled behind her mask, knowing that though he might find this
irritating, he understood why it had to be done.

“You have
it?”

Kouhei pulled a
small rolled scroll from beneath his vest and handed it to her. She
checked to make sure the seal was unbroken and all safeguards were in
place. Once she was satisfied the scroll had been unread she took
the small tag he held out for her. The script was ornate and in the
Hokages print.

“Am I free to
make sure the poor tortured ninja doesn't die yet?” The blonds
voice dripped with sarcasm and obvious irritation.

Yugao flipped up
her mask and stared him down. “A week without a bath and no
sex and you're a real joy to be around Hirasi.”

He growled at her
then moved past when she motioned the men to bring out Kankuro.

“You can't
just let him go like that. You know protocol. This mission is at a
big enough risk without letting...”

She cut the
youngest member of their team off with a steady glare. “He
didn't have the time it would take to go through all the bull.”

“I'm not
taking the heat for this if he turns out to be...” The boys
partner stomped on his foot. “Ouch! What?!”

The other man
looked him up and down from beneath his mask. “Do you want to
explain to that freaky little red head that his brother died half way
to Konoha because we had to question our own medic even though we
knew it was him?”

There was a moment
of silence as both men stared at one another. Yugao waited. When
Yoji finally shook his head no she dismissed him and looked to the
man standing next to her.

“Just so you
know. Referring to a former diplomatic figure head and potentially
lethal weapon as a 'freaky little red head' may not be such a good
idea.”

“You don't
have to tell me twice.” He moved off toward the outer
perimeter to retake his post.

Yugao turned and
watched Kouhei move around Kankuro with a keen eye and sense of
determination. For the first time since they'd left Suna she took a
deep breath and thanked the Hokages for keeping him alive this long.
Now all they had to do was make it back home in one piece.

0.0.0.0.0.0
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Sand in the Leaves