Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

The Book of Love	By : TheChieftain Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 3193 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the series of Naruto (which belongs to Masashi Kishimoto), nor any of the canon characters and I definitely don't make money with this either. I'm just someone that wants to fill in the blanks properly.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Sakura, the Cabalist
Sasuke had been quick to drop Sarada off at Kakashi's new place, deciding that sticking around was probably not the best idea. Hours turned into days at the Hatake residence, where everything ran an hour late and a ryo short, and Sasuke was growing too old in years to deal with the slow moving laze of his former sensei. It was Sarada's responsibility to own up to the consequences of her actions, and with all that happened during the previous day, her mother was just as eager to drop her away at the home of the Sixth Hokage. It was thus, agreed that unlike with other instances, Sarada would simply have to go alone. It was not that the Sixth Hokage was unlikable or a pain to deal with, but the parents seemed to very much value their time on this particular day. Of this, Sarada was suspicious.
She knocked on the door of the man's house before leaning back to take it all in. It was large but practical, with no fancy trimmings or emblems. It was in it's own way, an impressive place, which made the young genin long for the days where she lived in her old place.
Time moved slow while waiting, and it didn't take much for Sarada to suddenly let her eyes wander. Few things in the yard caught her attention, which in turn had her looking at her watch instead. It moved even slower when she actually looked at it, which elicited a groan of exasperation.
It was right before knocking that the door decided to open, causing her to catch her movement before she'd beat at the larger man's chest. When she looked up, her eyes met with exhausted ones. The bags beneath his eyes were not only an indication of his age, but his experience. The bottom half of his face was hidden beneath a mask of the same color as the clothes beneath the bathrobe he covered himself with. The fluff at it's fringes reminded the younger of the comforter in her room.
The two continued to watch each other, sharing eye contact without thought or speech. She had never seen the man up close before, and from the Hokage rock, his eyes looked vacant, like those of a vigilant God that cautiously watched over his land. These were nothing like that, though. These were the same eyes her father had, though instead of reflecting introspection, this man seemed tired. Perhaps this was the fate of a Hokage?
"You definitely have your father's eyes," Kakashi would finally speak, his eyes seemed almost as though he was smiling, though she couldn't tell. She looked to him curiously, a glimmer through them that seemed to catch the older off guard for almost an instant. His eyes would reveal the reflectiveness that she had thought was lost within him."But you look through them like Sakura."
She made a small sound of confusion, as their eye contact broke. His eyes were radiating on his forehead, to the point where she slapped her hand over it. She almost felt like there would be a hole through it if she didn't shield it from view.
It wasn't until she heard footsteps fading away into distant echos that she looked up a gain. It was taken as an invitation, and she would follow inside, closing the door behind her carefully. Placing her shoes at the front of the house beside the Sixth's, she took notice of how much larger his sandals were than her's. Did her parents ever notice how massive his footsteps were when they walked a road behind him? Did they feel the massive weight of respect and admiring that she felt for their sensei? This man had a legend that was now read to them in their history books. Did they know of his past before then? After all, she had read his name was known well throughout the shinobi world as Kakashi of the Sharingan, the copycat ninja." She only wished she could have seen him in action. The best she could do was see him lounging around on his sofa, with arms danging from the top, with his head tilted back as though he was asleep. Of course, she knew he wasn't.
Once she properly entered the room, not merely peeking through the corner, she stood before the man.
Kakashi would tilt his head forward again, back at level with Sarada as he leant towards her. It was clear she had something she wanted to say, though he didn't have to actually encourage her to say it, as he would have had to with Sakura or Sasuke.
"I made a mistake, honorable Lord Sixth! I'm deeply sorry for having destroyed your home." The bow given was low, though not enough that she would be better off dropping to her knees on the floor. "I will do whatever it takes to repay you for what I've done."
Kakashi dismissed the apology with simply a wave of his hand. "Oh, I know. I already had something in mind for you to do."
"What will you have me do?" The voice came with a tinge of concern. What would he have her do, she wondered to herself. Would she have to do some very difficult mission? Or maybe he'd have her do something humiliating as payback! Sarada would shake her head at the ideas. No, it all sounded like too much effort with someone with eyes like his. It was going to be something extremely mundane.
Kakashi's voice seemed to cheer up in an instant. "Well, I'm glad you asked." It was his cue to stand up and walk out of the room. There were a few soft sounds of glasses clinking and boxes being rearranged before he'd return, broom and dustpan in hand. "You'll be doing a little spring cleaning."
'How did I know,' she thought, softly groaning in protest before the items were placed in her hand. It was almost too predictable, this man. Did he ever do anything exciting in his life?
"Well then, best get to it. There's a lot of reading I have to catch up with." Picking up a small lavender book with a red cross mark on one side and a small chessboard on the other, he only looked away from it when he noticed that Sarada didn't move. "Aren't you going to start cleaning?"
A bead of sweat dripped down Sarada's face, her eyes not visible through the glare from her glasses. "You...that's make out paradigm, isn't it?"
"Hm?" Kakashi seemed to take sudden interest in the young one. He looked quizzically towards her before glancing towards the cover of the book. "How do you know?"
"Mama..." Sarada remembered the small bookshelf in the study. It held an array of dry reading textbooks on fluvial illnesses and rare medical conditions found in arid and tropical environments separately. Each one had been thicker and less intelligible than the last. "I was looking for my headband after we came back from saying good-bye to papa."
. . .
"Ehh, Make out paradise?" The medical books from the shelf had been strewn about on the floor, revealing the set of books arranged by shade and color spectrum that were neatly tucked behind. Before she could actually open the small orange book however, it was quickly snatched out of her hand.
"Sarada," Sakura would call loudly. It sounded almost as though she was overcompensating. "Who told you you could go through my books and throw them all over the floor like that?"
The child was quick to respond. "No one! I bumped into it while I was running around trying to find my forehead protector! I wanted to show it to dad before he left but-" Catching glimpse of the back cover, her eyes were immediately drawn to the red marking. It was a book for adults only. "Is that a romance novel?"
The mother was quickly shoving everything back into place, tying to cover up the existance of the books by completely eliminating them from view. The boring texts covered the spines, covers and tops of this set. "What?! Of course not! They were a gift from the Lord Seventh last year! I haven't read them yet but-"
Sarada's voice fell flat. "The Lord Seventh, huh?" There was a brief pause. The idea was ridiculous, really. The Seventh Hokage was too pure and righteous for things like this! "I can only imagine what kind of stuff that book has in it. Actually...no, I don't want to do that." She'd slowly stand up from the floor and start walking past her mother, towards the door.
The red-faced woman tried very hard to keep some of her pride, and put up an angry fist at the other. "H-Hey...Don't walk away from me! Shannaro, look at me while I'm talking to you!"
Almost instantly, she felt all her respect for her mother was gone. "Sorry, mama. You are dirty."
"SARADA!"
. . .
"Poor Sakura." Holding back laughter was easy when the embarrassment felt heavier at the pit of his stomach. 'I suppose she had to do something while Sasuke was away...' The silence that followed was only slightly awkward, as the two of them seemed to be feeling the same sort of discomfort. Quickly shaking off the topic, he clasped his hands together. "As much as I would love to continue this topic, I think maybe you should get to cleaning. Your parents will most likely want you back by dinnertime, right?" His attention was quickly ripped away from the conversation and directly poured into the book infront of him.
Sarada heaved a heavy breath before kneeling down and beginning to broom small piles off dirt and dust off the floor. The fact that Kakashi lifted his feet onto the table irritated her slightly. This was going to take forever.
Or at least, it felt that way.
There was no time that she had constantly kept looking at her watch than when she started brooming the floor. With as small as both the pan and the broom had been, it was agonizingly tedious to just finish the first floor. The task continued as she trailed her cleaning out of the living area and towards the hall. Each individual room on her way up the stairs was taken care of before going to the next.
As she worked in each room, she also made sure to dust if she could, and straighten out everything that didn't seem to be in place. It wasn't something that was specifically asked of her, but considering that she was doing this as an apology to the man, it was definitely worth going the extra mile. Still, she found herself wondering more about him as she would fold clothes from the floor and straighten out the knick-knacks on his shelf. Why had he lived in such a small home before? Was it likely that he wasn't home a lot as a shinobi? Her father had been gone for nearly a decade, and so it was a possibility in her mind. Perhaps when a ninja gets sent on many important missions, they simply don't have need or time for a spacious home. Sarada's many guesses listed off under her breath as she'd take herself up to the second floor.
There were only two rooms at this point, one of them being an already sparkling clean bathroom, and a second door, that seemed to be blocked with a chair. Quietly moving it out of the way, she made her way inside, only to find herself in literally the most cluttered up room in the house. Books and documents were all over the floor haphazardly. Boxes were stacked and unopened in front of the other doors within the room and the floor itself, making it difficult to navigate without tripping. The dust was so thick that the rays blocked by a closed curtain was still made the air visible. Sarada sneezed upon entering, but did not take either of the cleaning utensils in with her.
Instead, the young Uchiha couldn't help her more adventurous side and found herself rumaging through the many things within. It wasn't snooping if she was organizing things as well, right? She took great care to not actually read through documents, but instead spent far too long looking through any photos that she might have found. "Lord Sixth's gone to so many interesting places..." There were lands in the photographs that she'd never be able to describe in words! Buildings sitting among the clouds, deserts with canyons so deep that they reached molten lava, snowy landscapes with trees so stiffly in place that the man in the photo had was a full limb with ease! With interesting images like that, it wasn't long before she would intently begin looking for his photo albums, which were surely found as the sole book on a shelf beside the entrance. Unlike most of the other things in the room, there was no filth or dust on the book, but instead a lot of wear and tear within.
The photos ranged from age, starting seemingly with the Hokage as a child in his team photo. Sarada would widen her eyes as she saw the fourth standing over a young Kakashi and two other children. Were all the Hokages related like this? Could her chances of becoming Hokage increase if Konohamaru became Hokage at some point? "I guess that's worth investigating," she murmured to herself before flipping through pages. There were few other photos of the man as a child, though suddenly there would be many of him as a young man. There were then even more of those mysterious other lands that had captured her imagination. What an interesting life that the Sixth had lead!
Once she had reached a particular page, she had stopped. It was a photo of the original Team Seven. The Seventh glared at her father while he would simply stare off into the general direction of the camera. He wasn't focused on it, and wasn't into the group shot at all. Predictably, her mother was the complete opposite, sporting a rather cute pose inbetween the other two genin whilst Kakashi hand one hand on either of the boys' heads, seemingly expecting their antics as it were. It perfectly captured everything that her mother had ever told her about her former team, and at the same time somehow made certain things the Seventh told her seem less than truthful. "Coolest kid in class, huh?" Those were bitter blues if she'd ever recognized them. In a way, it made her appreciate her father more than before.
Strangely, it was the only picture of her father as a child. All those that came after that particular photograph only had Sakura and Naruto, all taken seemingly on the same day. Naruto stood by the gate with a group of four other shinobi around the boy's age. Only one of them actually wore a flak jacket. Sakura also posed for the photo, though it was difficult to focus on her face. There was something about it that seemed...lost. The smile she would put on besides the others was rather hollow. She felt her eyelids tighten and eyebrows knit themselves tightly together with concern. "This was..." He was gone at this point, and she knew it. 'Figures,' she thought to herself. 'When hasn't Papa not been in the village?!' The reminder that the book was not hers was the only thing that kept her from throwing it against the wall. Instead, she would flip through more pages, now seeing a more grown up Team Seven, with new people. Strangely, one of the new men looked particularly familiar. "...Inojin?" That was his dad, wasn't it? Her mom always did say that there was more than one Team Seven.
Not dwelling much on it, she would look quickly through the rest of the photos, until suddenly, her father would show up again, this time, with no arm. The Seventh seemed to be missing one as well. Sakura was sat between the two, her arms folded as Kakashi placed now one hand on one shoulder of the two men. The clouds were grey, and the air seemed still thick with smoke. There was visible concern on her expression at this. "This is...after the war..."
She couldn't dwell on it too much, as the photo beside the post war one immediately caught her attention.
It was yet another one with her father, but unlike the others, it only had him, her mother and Kakashi between the two in his Hokage attire. Though the man in the middle seemed as though there was joy to be found everywhere, Sakura and Sasuke seemed to think otherwise. The pink-haired Kunoichi wore the standard Konoha uniform as though she hastily had dressed herself at the last moment. The flak jacket remained open, with shirt riding high and pants hanging low on her hips. Her hair was clung to her face, slightly damp, with strands standing on their ends. With one end, she almost looked to be trying to fix this disheveled in appearance. On the other side, her dad wore a massive coffee colored poncho that covered most of his body. She could barely make out the tips of his knuckles helping him clutch to a scarf. His hair seemed a mess too, but at the same time, it seemed to be quite a flattering look on him. The only thing that would actually be wrong with the way he stood before the camera is that he clearly had absolutely no desire to be there.
"Well, I'm guessing you found my album book," a voice behind her said with amusement. It was enough to have Sarada fling the book upwards as she jolted from shock. The man behind her quickly caught the book and opened it back to the page she was on. "
Sarada spun on her heel and stopped her foot down, arms locked straight with her fists at the end of them. "You scared me!"
Calmly, the Sixth pointed to her. "And you were snooping."
She gulped.
His eyes fell to the photo that she had been looking at just a moment ago. He paused slightly before speaking. "Ah, well, I do suppose its a very...interesting photograph of your parents. Very candid. There wasn't much choice in the matter." He leaned back against the now empty bookshelf with legs crossed and arms folded. "I can tell you what happened on that day, but in return, you'll need to accompany me somewhere I need to be. Shouldn't take too long."
Without thinking twice about it, she agreed. In truth, it was much better than having to clean the entirety of this backroom.
"Okay then," Kakashi's smile was clear beneath it's mask, and he'd close his eyes as he did so. "Lets take a walk."
Sakura walked the streets alone, as she had every night, taking in a silence that most people would find uncomfortable. Indeed, she herself had chills as she did this every night, but somehow, she felt safer here than she had anywhere else. The memories of a past she could not recall could not haunt her dreams, but it gripped at her heart, and she prayed for the spirits of those cut down to find peace. They were there, she knew. Her presence surely bothered them, for she was no Uchiha- merely a guest welcomed by the last of their kind.
Her hand unconsciously placed itself over her chest. Perhaps one day, they would accept her if he would too.
Since those days, many things had changed, though in her heart, her feelings were still the same. What had one been a child's crush quickly had developed into an eternal love that endlessly hounded her.
She could still remember the days where she felt she would betray nations for him, and quite literally almost would. She thought to herself, perhaps she became less foolish about her feelings towards him. She had been ready to kill him for the sake of her country, after all. Of course, she couldn't truly go through with it and it nearly cost her her life.
'Yes,' she agreed with herself in thought. Less foolish, but no more blinded than when she was a genin. Maybe, she was even more blinded than before.
Two years, she has lived in the Uchiha compound, and for those two years, without fail, she thought of him as she walked. She wondered how it must have felt to lose everything in a single night. Quickly, she was reminded of her own words.
"I have family and friends. But...If you leave, for me...To me, it's the same thing as being alone!"
She spoke without even noticing. "How foolish of me." Had she ever been truly alone in the world? Perhaps she was, but who could say? If she was alone, it was her own fault, for there was a world now that knew her name, and a village of people that depended on her. "I can't help it, can I? These feelings..." Completely overtaken by her thoughts, she didn't even notice she arrived home until she'd see the massive white circles on the building before her. It was the only way to distinguish her place from all the others, which had the emblem of the red and white paper fan thrown literally on every home and banner within the district.
Looking back towards the largest flag of them all, the wind made the clan's symbol fly high. It waved for a proud clan that would not be able to see the recovery of the village they had lived in. Of course, she knew that not all hope was lost. At least not yet.
"Sasuke..." His name alone made her heart tremble with delight, but without him there, all she had were memories of a past they had together. Perhaps for now, that was enough, as it had always been.
She walked into her new home and threw off her sandals haphazardly. It was one of the perks of living alone. Quickly, she made her way to the kitchen and picked up a spoon, along with a small, previously opened tub of ice cream. To keep any more contemplation at bay, she shoved a spoonful into her mouth before placing both the container and it's spoon back into the fridge. The sweetness was a comfort that made it easier to forget, but as she went up the stairs, she could feel a sudden change.
Quickly, the chills returned, and Sakura found herself clutching at herself by the shoulders. Why was she becoming so overwhelmed? This feeling...it was a presence that made her feel small and weak. She fought against it, and it was then that she noticed, that she was sensing a familiar chakra. Bolting for the room, she burst right in with a slam of the door against the wall, only to end up simply standing there.
Inside, he was there, standing alone in the clothes of a vagabond.
"Sasuke..." His name escaped her lips without thinking, and suddenly, the entire world disappeared around her. It could have been her room, or the training grounds, or even the damned moon. She felt tears welling up as she watched him simply stare right back at her. A breeze came from the window, revealing a dark wild eye from him, as the other remained closed.
"Sakura," he said her name softly, almost as though he was calling her over. Or perhaps that was how she wanted to interpret it. Either way, it was she that closed the gap between them, literally lunging for him and pulling him into an embrace. While her face and body were pressed against him, he did not respond, either physically nor verbally. Instead, he merely watched as his cloak began getting wet with tears. Her body shook against him. It was the first time he could actually feel the effect he had on her, physically.
Her emotions ran through her like heavy waves in a storm on the high seas. They rocked her violently, leaving her little energy to talk, or stand, and so she held onto him for support.
Silently, the two shared this silence, a reunion promised in the destruction of their village, two years ago.
A rare occurrence, he broke their silence first. "Why are you still here?" It was not a question she was probably expecting, but it was one he wanted an answer to. "All veterans of the war receive a stipend, and I assume you still do missions beyond that. By now, I would have imagined you'd have enough money to be on your own two feet."
Sakura to this, looked up, still holding onto him, before placing the side of her face against his chest.
"Well, Lady Tsunade, she's got a bit of a gambling streak in her..."
. . .
"Honestly, Sakura, how long are you expecting to wait for this Uchiha?" Her master had little patience left, her arms folded and foot tapping. Shizune behind her lugged most of the heavy luggage. A piglet had several smaller packages tied to it's back. "You should come with us and travel around. You know, see the world you fought hard for...take some time off."
Sakura bowed deeply, her eyes shut and tone respectful. "Wish as I might, I should probably stay in the village. We're still not done with reconstruction! I just helped found a hospital and Ino needs me to help-"
The blonde was having none of it. "Oh, cut the crap. It's plain as day why you don't wan't to go." She glanced off to the side with contempt, seemingly dismissive towards the idea of the man. "Seriously, Sakura, I just don't know what you see in a man like that. In the end, he may have allied with us, but..." Her gaze returned to her.
"Does that mean he'll return to you?" There was slight amusement at the idea. "I highly doubt it. Now, if you want to have some real fun, you'll pack your bags and meet with us at the gates! You're even of age now to gamble, so I can teach you the art of that too!"
Sakura shook her head violently at this and bowed even deeper. "I really don't think that's such a good idea!"
The sannin quirked her eyebrow at her, a slight irritation present in her eyes. She watched her student as she remained bowed to her, taking notice that her eyes were hidden by the shadows and her hair. Still, there was a gentle sound of dripping, as drops were now present on the floor. In the end, she couldn't do anything but sigh.
"If you say so. First Shizune wants to stay and now you. At least she's willing to have a little vacation before getting to her duties again." She'd turn around at this point begin walking away, a cue that both her ninken and assistant took to hurriedly follow along. However, she suddenly stopped, causing the two behind her to nearly drop their things as they stopped just short of their master. "Oh...and one more thing."
Sakura looked up to then, straightening out again.
Tsunade took this moment to turn around and walk towards her again, palm up and out. "Give me all your money."
"Huh?!"
She placed her hands on her hips and frowned slightly. "Did I stutter? Look, you're barely going to even use it- you're still living with your parents! You don't have any living expenses!" The tone of accusation in her voice was thick, and more than slightly hurtful.
The pink-haired woman put a fist up defensively, her own voice raising only slightly. "What are you talking about, I am living on my own! I'm living in the Uchiha compound all by myself!"
This took the elder aback, to the point where she even took a step backwards. She'd halfway expected more out of her than that. "Wait, what, seriously? You're living in his house?"
She retreated at this quickly and put up both hands with palms oven, waving side to side. "Well, not his house specifically! Just...a house. The first one I could get the keys to with his permission."
"That's good, then you can ask him for a little money for your living expenses! I'm sure he's got money if he can afford to travel so much! Consider this a favor to the person that's helped you become what you are today. Or a loan. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Sakura pursed her lips at this, and shoved her hands into her coat. Her head hung low. "I guess I don't have much choice, do I?"
. . .
At this point, Sasuke slowly begun prying Sakura away from him. First with a hand on her shoulder slowly pushing back. She quickly took notice and let go on her own, allowing him to place distance between them. His left eye was still closed, but the one that was opened seemed more serious now. "Why didn't you leave with your parents?" His tone remained stern and unmoving.
"Sasuke...I'm going to be twenty years old soon. Everyone's moved out of their parent's places a long while ago...heck, Naruto and Hinata got married. They're going to have a baby in seven months! I-..." She bit her lip to hold back even more tears. Memories of a foolish girl chasing after a criminal flooded her mind. It was the story of her life because she chose it. And what did she have to show for it? Nothing. Wiping away her tears, she tried to keep her voice even enough to speak. "It's unbecoming of a kunoichi to rely on her parents at an age like this. These are supposed to be the years of my life where I feel most free, and yet..."
The snow began outside as the wind would still itself. The silence was deafening, to the point that when he heard her words, he felt they'd shatter him.
"I'm trapped because I'll always wait for you, Sasuke!"
Sasuke simply stared out to her, not allowing mere words to faze him like they would Naruto.
"If my parents had their way, I'd be retired, living a civilian's life...have a husband that's here for me. That's not the sort of life I want, Sasuke. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this village...into my life as a kunoichi! My parents would have me give that up if I let them."
Sasuke's eye widened, and an audible reaction was heard.
"The war...it changed a lot of things. People are different now...they've changed as well."
"People don't change," Sasuke found himself repeating this like a mantra.
Sakura furrowed her brows at this and contemplated how much Sasuke hasn't changed at all. He was still as stubborn as when he was a child.
"Does Naruto know you're home?"
"Naruto knows I'm not going to stay home."
"Huh?"
"I have somethings that I still need to take care of. I also made you a promise, that the next time we met, I would take you with me." The excuse was too convinient. It almost seemed as though he was relieved as he spoke.
Sakura's expression brightened up. "Really?" The smile continued to linger for a little while longer, but suddenly she looked down as her expression became bitter. "It's strange...how you just show up here unannounced and ask me to leave with you. I knew it would happen but...I suppose there's a reason why I..."
His eyes slid shut as he felt her pressing her head more against his chest. He could now feel the rhythm in his chest, slow but powerful. She knew.
"You don't know how many years I've dreamt about this...you taking me away. Us traveling together alone. It almost seems like it's a dream to me, you know? Something little girls dream of about the boys they like. I guess that makes me silly, right?"
Sasuke's eyes opened halfway as he watched her, returning no affection nor movement with any of his own. "Dreams are things children have. You should let go of such childish things." He saw her as she looked up to him, her steps slowly moving away from their close distance. Now able to move his own, he removed his scarf and pulled down the cloak just enough so that his face was visible. Could she not see what he was? What she was in love with? "I made a promise to return and take you along. Of what it is, you should know I have my reasons. I don't waste my time with people that do not benefit me."
"I see..." Her own eyes became half lidded, looking down through the corner, towards the ground. He knew what she felt.
Sasuke doesn't say anything at this, but it's clear that he isn't particularly pleased about this. He is unsure about whether it was a waste of time, or a very long term goal. Reaches the conclusion that Sakura's abillity to wait is an admirable trait, and that most others would have given up.
"Still...there's some things I need to take care of first. You know, tie up loose ends and the like."
There was no response from the brunette.
She took the silence as contempt. "You think I can just drop everything at once, right? I have a lot of responsibilities now, you know! I'm a medical-nin! I've founded hospitals, clinics, and I'm a member of the medic corps! There's so much I need to do...so many people that rely on me! I-"
Sasuke cut her speech short. "I don't care," he told her with a loudness he'd not exhibited throughout the entire meeting. He then paused, and looked to her. The cuts he made were as real as any wound, and yet he felt that she simply forced his hand. "You waste your time with so many unnecessary words. Long before now, you said you would help me fulfill my ambitions. This is your chance to prove it. To prove to me how solid your words are."
Looking up at him, she felt an overwhelming seriousness overcome her. It sounded so similar to the last time.
"This time, I mean it. Do whatever you need to do." He had taken notice of her expression, and remembered it too. He had been different back then and hoped that she understood that with no words required from his part. Of course, she didn't truly, and he returned a concerned gaze with his own, much calmer eyes. The rinnengan opened once more. There was not a single tomoe within it. "You have until midnight tomorrow. I will wait at the village gates in the evening."
As he walked past her and to the door, Sakura watched, until she suddenly turned to him and spoke up. Walking closer, she held him by the edges of the cloak. "Do you have things you need to take care of here? Why tomorrow night?"
"No queustions." He pulled at his coat forcefully and started again, making it to the entrance of the room. Looking off to the right side, he placed his hand against the wall beside the frame and traced part of a curve. Closing his eyes, he completed the circle, running it over against the surface several times lightly.
"Is there something wrong?"
Upon hearing Sakura's voice he paused, turning his head so that he could side glance her, as his hand would then trace the symbol of his clan. "Change back the crest, when you leave tomorrow."
She blinked at this, but the instant that she opened her eyes again, he was gone, with only a photoframe on the floor in place of where he had once stood. Stepping closer to pick it up from the floor, she saw herself as well as the rest of Team Seven. Her eyes were instinctively drawn to the boy with eyes as pitch black as his soul had been. Sasuke was a man now, and his eyes reflected something that had not been there before.
Placing the frame over her chest, she smiled to herself. "You have changed too, haven't you, Sasuke?" She embraced it fully, and let her eyelids slide shut.
"Thank you."
Sasuke opened the door leading outside, only to stop at the sight of him. There was no reason for this man to be, and so the Uchiha had no problem trying to find out why. "What are you doing here?" It was not a very warm tone.
Kakashi wordlessly pulled out his phone. Pressing a button at random, the screen flashed brightly before showing the photo of a particular orange wearing ninja.
To this, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He cursed that damn loser in his mind. Phones were perhaps the most irritating invention that's been brought into the leaf village.
Kakashi closed his eyes, seemingly smiling behind his mask. "My, my...how you've grown up. Well, grown into your own age, at least."
The Uchiha male was having none of this. "What are you talking about?"
There was silence as the grey haired man found himself looking up at the window where Sakura's room should have been. He felt the glare from the other radiating on the side of his face. Still, he didn't speak until the curtains drew shut. "Why don't you walk with me? You know, for old time's sake."
This was not something that the other wanted to do. Very predictably, he would stay quiet at the offer, but the moment that Kakashi begun to actually walk, he followed.
His former sensei's tone was more than casual. "Sakura has matured into a woman, hasn't she?"
"Stop, I don't want to hear this," he commanded.
To this, Kakashi placed hands on his waists and leaned the slightest bit forward. "But you will...if you want me to actually let Sakura leave the village."
Sasuke looked to Kakashi at that moment, his eyes slightly wider than usual. There was a growing tension now.
"I'm the Sixth Hokage, so if I decide that I don't want my jonin running off with unsanctioned ninja, it's my right," he reminded him, pointing towards his own face in the massive mountain behind them using his thumb. The tone seemed almost playful, as though the other was still the twelve year old genin he used to be.
Without much choice, Sasuke relented. "Fine, what do you need to say?"
"I know you have ulterior motives for taking Sakura with you."
Sasuke continued to watch Kakashi but said nothing, his reaction slowly returning to a glare.
"You've been avoiding the village for nearly two years. Sightings of you have been numerous by Anbu agents, but once you reached the five mile perimeter, you'd just turn back." Looking up to the moon, he remembered their reunion. All three seconds of it. "Had it not been for the moon incident, you might not have come back at all."
"What are you trying to say here?"
"Sakura has been one of the most important people to the recovery of the village. She's built hospitals here, clinics for children, and veterans of the war. All on her own coin as well. Any pension that she may have had for her efforts in the war immediately went into rebuilding this place. She's saved countless lives because of that." Kakashi went back to looking towards the other. He seemed serious now, and pulled his headband up to reveal yet another average eye. "I need to know what you plan to do with her.
Sasuke seemingly didn't hear the question, as he had narrowed his eyes and remembered her words to him about Tsunade.
"Sakura," he whispered under his breath. It was so like her to not have him worry. The fact that he believed her meant that she was getting better at it. He looked at his own hand before balling it up into a fist. His eyes were hidden by the shadows of the scarf he wore on his head.
It seemed as though at this moment, Kakashi would realize what the other was thinking. His journey, it wasn't done in his eyes, it seemed. "What you're doing...it's an admirable goal," the Hokage began. "It's also foolish. No matter how strong you are...you can't save everyone nor with just your own power. Additionally, becoming headstrong or reckless about it won't help."
Sasuke stayed silent.
"You can atone for yourself and bring peace just as easily in the village. You don't need to subject yourself to this exile of yours."
"I know all that."
"So why do you do it?"
"Naruto..." He shut his eyes. "That loser is going to become Hokage one day. He will realize his true potential here, but I..." He felt the burning in his left hand again, urging him to look but when he did, he found the pain was gone. In it's place, he felt the clenching of a fist that did not exist. "I need to understand who I am. I can no longer be the avenger I used to be. That part of my life is over."
"What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and kill...a certain someone."
"I was a foolish child who didn't understand what he was getting into. In the end, I wonder if it was worth it all. I'm not worthy of the place at their side that they have offered."
Kakashi remembered that foolish boy as well.
"I've seen my share of troubles. You're not the only one who knows what it's like to lose somebody...still, we're not all that bad off. At least you and I have been lucky enough to find new comrades to help fill the void."
He found himself shutting his eyes, being taken back to the fateful day that Team Seven was born. Since those days, his eyes have since changed. Where there was once a boy, there was a man who had seen enough with blinded vision. "You've opened your eyes again...it's been a long time. There's a path for you in the light, you know. It isn't as far away as you'd like to think."
"Sasuke, you're more than just your clan, you're more than just hatred. Look deep inside your heart once more."
The Uchiha nodded slowly. He knew what his former sensei was implying by this. "That's why I need to see the world and atone. Its the only way to bury the past properly and begin walking my new path towards a better world."
"Here is that path, Sasuke. This is where you're needed most. Why don't you just-"
Once again, Sasuke would nod at this. "I will. One day." It was not a forlorn dream of a future that would not be his. He had been saved, but did not forget the damage he'd wrought. How could he live such a life within the village without first making right as much as he could? His life had been forfeit so many times over...the least he could do was one service to the world.
"Why did you come back now?"
"I came for Sakura," he said curtly.
"Why?"
When he shut his eyes, he remembered the dream. It had filled his mind with a thick fog from which he couldn't be released...not until he opened his eyes again. She was there, a woman with power he had never imagined she would have. She had proven her worth as a shinobi, and yet her compassion did not waver. He could remember another time he had demanded for her to do this...demanded her to prove her loyalty. He almost would have...
"Well, can't you handle this Sakura?" He had watched her stand over Karin with a kunai. She was near death, breathing shallowly, watching the kunai tremble in Sakura's hand. He could see it in the way she stood there, that whatever she had come to do, she wouldn't be able to go through with it. The currents in his hand sparked loudly as he prepared for his own kill. Neither of them could do anything for him now.
Sasuke clenched his remaining hand as tight as he could, trying to shake away the memories. His internal struggle was beginning to seep through in his expression. He was rigid now, the roughness behind his cool facade beginning to surface. Still, this did not mean he would show his weakness, only that he would double down, with a certain sharpness appearing in his eyes. "She has always said that she could help in my ambitions. It just so happens that now a time has come where I have need of her."
"I see..."
The look he received was not of a man that believed what he said. There was suspicion in his voice as well, and almost knowingly, he gave the other a smirk. "My words do not have a second meaning as you believe."
"A shinobi's words are always full of double meaning and deception. Not everyone can be as straightfoward as Naruto."
"So it seems." Turning around once more, Sasuke would then walk away. "This conversation is over."
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The Book of Love