Mari Makinami
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Chapter 12. Ambivalence
"I swear, I'm going to kill this moron one day..." The pink haired kunoichi growled and slapped her face as she observed her blond teammate practice his so-called 'new move'. Even the fact that it actually was the Hokage's order for him to learn it didn't make the impact that his performance was making any better for her.
"Uh..." She heard the sudden gasp of confusion to the left and turned her head to look at the newcomer – truth to be told, she was ready to watch freaking stones for hours instead of Naruto's training if she had anything to say about it. "Since when you're able to use Shadow Clones, eh?" Ino mumbled, sitting next to her past rival.
"Not funny at all, Ino-pig." Sakura growled again, closing her eyes in irritation.
The blonde smiled, narrowing her eyes teasingly.
"Isn't it? As far as I can see, that clone of yours is enjoying what Naruto's doing quite a lot."
"Really? Then you must be pleased to know that there is your copy, too!" Haruno barked, clearly not willing to be embarrassed alone anymore.
But Ino always was different. Instead of blushing as Sakura expected her to, the blonde whistled, gazing in the direction of Konoha's jinchūriki who was now too occupied to pay them attention.
"Oh... so our Naruto-chan has some taste for real women, after all." Dodging Sakura's punch, she laughed, turning back to the Uzumaki. "Why are you so mad about it, though? I think he's doing great. I tried to enter one of the clone's mind, and it took me seven seconds to recognize that it's fake. That's pretty impressive, if you ask me."
"It only means that you're so stupid that even someone like Naruto can fool you, dumbass."
Ino simply shrugged, not taking the insult serious.
"Whatever... but seriously, shouldn't you be proud of him? I thought you two were getting..."
"No, we weren't. And let's drop this subject. I don't wanna talk about it." Sakura snapped, turning away and looking at the horizon.
The Yamanaka girl was right, of course – Naruto was doing great. Kakashi-sensei warned them that this training might damage his psychic, or even lead his personality to split, but according to Ino's daily checks, there was no sign of any harm to his mind, while his progress was just splendid – there was no denying this fact.
Actually, the problem wasn't related to his training at all. She just couldn't stand seeing him chatting with herself... so freely. So joyfully. So... different from what their conversations were recently.
His task could seem to be simple at the first approach, but, in reality, she doubted that even Ino, or someone else from her clan who were very skilled in mind games could make it work.
First, the Uzumaki had to create a dozen of Shadow Clones – that, of course, was child's play for him.
Then he had to transform them into different people – both the ones he knew personally, and the ones his imagination could create. Not that hard for someone as skilled at using Henge no Jutsu as him, either.
The real deal started after that point. Naruto, or Naruto's clone, to be precise, had to learn to clear it's mind, and then to start acting as a completely different person – the one he was being transformed into. Of course, it was slightly easier to act as if he was somebody he already knew – the only problem there would be the differences of his perception of the certain person from what they were in reality. After all, nobody could do it flawlessly, since it was impossible to copy someone's soul. He could only simulate their behavior and possibly emotions, thanks to his tailed beast.
In other words, they intended to make a move somewhat similar to what the Zetsu army did during the war – an extremely strong and destructive way of creating diversions.
Despite all the hardships on the way of mastering it, Naruto was doing great. For instance, the clone that looked like Ino and was currently talking to the clone that looked like Shikamaru, was hardly distinguishable from the real Ino who was now sitting next to her.
Sakura lowered her gaze to the ground, hugging her knees.
This newly discovered talent of his wasn't as surprising to her as it was to everyone else.
"So I basically need to make a clone that would pretend to be you, Sakura-chan?" He asked for the third time as they walked towards their small camp near the broad river on the border between their country and the Land of Rain.
"Yes, either a clone, or you can try doing it yourself. I know, it's extremely hard, but it's the only way to make Kakashi-sensei's plan work, so..."
He suddenly laughed, locking his hands on his nape.
"Na-a-ah, doesn't sound hard at all! And I already did something like that once before, so..."
She blinked in surprise, looking at the blond jinchūriki with confusion.
"Did you?" The girl asked doubtfully. Was he trying to impress her with a childish lie again...? He did no such thing for quite some time by now...
"Yeah! You even saw it yourself, although you don't know you did!" He now seemed so proud of himself that she couldn't help but give out a small smile. Her teammate was so cute and adorable now...
"Really? And when was that? Enlighten me."
He smirked, scratching his nape.
"Well, I think it was right after we graduated from the academy... remember when Sasuke nearly kissed you?"
She stopped, feeling her heart skipping a beat.
"How do you know about it?"
He stopped, turning around to look at her and laughing carelessly, as if it wasn't a big deal at all.
"Because that was me! I turned into Sasuke and approached you, because you wouldn't even talk to me back then if I did it normally! I really liked you, so..."
But she didn't hear the ending of his sentence, too shocked by the fateful revelation.
All these years... that memory was the only thing that gave her hope. That supported her delusions about Sasuke having some feelings for her. He really did want to kiss her back then... but then he ran away, embarrassed by something. He even complimented her forehead there... and because of that, she always thought that he simply closed up because of the trauma his brother caused to him. That he actually liked her, but was too proud, or too embarrassed to admit it...
He was her dark knight who was supposed to come after her one day. To take her with him. To let her heal his wounds, to cure his soul...
And all these fantasies, all these dreams she treasured for so long...
All of it was fake. Mere delusions.
She wasted years of her life in blind hope for someone who never cared for her, for someone who, in fact, really despised her – of that Sakura had no doubt by now, since after hearing what Naruto told her, she had no reason to believe that Sasuke was lying to her, hiding his true feelings, anymore.
Come to think about it, she couldn't remember the Uchiha ever lying to anybody – actually, when he called you trash, that always meant that he actually thought you're trash.
Which meant that he truly considered her nothing but an irritating annoyance, through all these years... he actually meant it.
This sole thought made her desperately try to hide her tears from Ino now, though it wasn't hard at all – her friend was too absorbed by watching Naruto's training.
All these years... were for nothing. Her life was no better than that in the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
And all this... was thanks to Naruto, who was now perfecting the move that broke her life.
That's why she couldn't look at him doing it now again and again with such ease, as if it was nothing.
Especially when his clone that was turned into her was chatting to him normally, just like she would do before he told her what he did...
Sakura wasn't sure how she felt about him now. And that went for Sasuke, too.
Before that day when she found out the truth, she still hoped for a happy life with the Uchiha... some day in the future... and, on the other hand, she felt her heart being torn apart, because she was growing more and more attached to her blond teammate who always was there for her when Sasuke wasn't. And this duality was slowly driving her insane.
He was cute, fun, strong and smart, in his own way. He also was extremely charismatic, and even though he was only seventeen years old now, it was obvious to everyone that he was going to become the next Hokage soon enough. Just like he always dreamed to...
He always was the one to make his dreams come true, to achieve his goals no matter what.
She never could be as strong as he was. Soft and kind on the outside, he was unbreakable and almighty under his shell. Quite the opposite to her...
On the other hand, he still was annoying sometimes. And she wanted to hate him for what he did years ago... making her life so miserable up to now by his pure stupidity. Could she really blame him, though? He was merely a lonely child who sought friendship and some warmth from his teammates, the only people he could make bonds with back then...
Now that she knew that she never had a chance to be with Sasuke, she started to get rid of his image in her head. Of course, it was still painful to think about the Uchiha, but Sakura was slowly beginning to see him as just her teammate and... friend. Yes, after all, he said that he was sorry... and his goodbye to her was kind and gentle. Perhaps Naruto really managed to change him, and now the raven haired boy finally considered her a comrade, especially since he saw that she actually wasn't as useless as he always thought she was.
It was a relief to understand that she managed to make him respect her, but... something told her that he would never love her in the way she wanted to be loved. On top of that, he didn't need someone like her. Sakura believed that he needed someone who could soften his pain, who could grant him a calm, measured life – someone of a temper completely different from her own.
And, more importantly... did she actually want to continue clinging to her false hopes? To the broken dreams that would never come true? If she managed to become his wife in future... did she want such life? To always doubt his, let alone her own feelings? Considering that she probably wouldn't be able to even talk to him any time soon, and that he could stay away from the village for years again... what if he comes back when she's twenty? Or twenty five? Was she truly ready to wait for him, for this phantom chance...? To waste even more years for something nonexistent?
Her answer was 'no'. She would always be happy to have Sasuke around, for their team to be together once again... and, of course, the doors of her home would always be open for him should he ever need her help in anything.
He still was her friend, her teammate, someone who gave her the drive to become what she'd become... possibly the strongest kunoichi alive. For that, Sakura would always remain grateful to him.
And to Naruto, too. In fact, although she didn't realize it back then, he was an equally strong reason for her to work hard to break through every obstacle on her way of becoming stronger and better, up to now...
But...
Did she love Naruto now?
Before he told her the truth about that accident with the clone years ago, Sakura believed that she was starting to fall for him. As a matter of fact, with years passing, the Uzumaki probably became even more dear to her as a teammate and friend than Sasuke. Yet still...
Could she forgive him for what he did back then?
Probably, yes. After all, that wasn't the stupidest thing Naruto ever did. And he certainly didn't mean to hurt her – in fact, he just wanted to make a friend, and to kiss the girl he liked...
She finally raised her head to look at him, still talking to multiple fake persons that he created with his signature technique. A weird show indeed...
This couldn't last any longer. They needed to settle things between them once and for all.
And to do so...
She needed to know what he thought of her.
Five long month passed since the end of the war. And if in the beginning he still tried to make her like him in the way a girl is supposed to like a guy, apparently he noticed that it didn't work, so he nearly stopped their dates... on top of that, he was so concerned about Hinata's disappearance... of course, that was to be expected from Naruto, but still... for some reason, Sakura had a feeling that it was almost as if he felt guilty for something he didn't tell her. Did something happen between him and the Hyūga? Something she had no idea about?
Of course, the medic nin couldn't say that he's become colder than usual. It was still the same Naruto, shiny and cheering as always... but for some reason, he started to keep away from her, furtherer and furtherer, and she both felt and saw it clearly by that moment.
Right now, her decision depended on his answer.
This cat-and-mouse game had to stop.
If he said her that he wanted to be with her, then she'd be with him. Simple as that. After all, he deserved it, and she... she liked him. No matter how much it hurt to find out the truth, she still liked him, both as a person and as a boy.
And if he said that he wanted it to stop, then... she would start looking for her own path, just like her other two teammates always did.
The problem was that Sakura didn't know which option she herself would prefer at the moment...
"Hey, girls! How ya doin'?" The cheerful voice of Rock Lee asked, making Sakura slip out of the depth of her thoughts and flinch, looking up at him in confusion. Lee wasn't supposed to be on this mission, was he...?
"The manners, moron. Lee never talks like this." Ino threw a boulder at the taijutsu specialist, and, with a gasp and a poof white smoke, he fell onto his butt, transforming back into wincing Naruto.
"That hurts, Ino, y'know...!" He moaned, slowly getting up from the ground and brushing the dust off his orange pants. "But you're right, yeah. I totally forgot about it when I noticed the two beauties right here. Can't blame me for that!"
The Yamanaka giggled, coquettishly covering her mouth with a palm.
"True, true... anyway, are you done for tonight?
His wide smile shined in the soft rays of the sunset.
"Yeah! At this rate, we'll be ready to start the operation even before the set date!"
Apparently he didn't notice how Sakura looked away, avoiding his eyes.
Ino was more observant, though – quickly realizing that her best friend had something on her mind concerning the Uzumaki, she nodded to Naruto, lightly tapping his shoulder.
"Great job, knucklehead. Although you still need to work on hiding your emotions." She smiled, getting up again, once again noticing how much he grew up during the past few months, being at least five inches higher than herself now.
He smiled even wider, even though it seemed to be impossible.
"Didn't I tell you already? It was because you girls distracted me! I couldn't stand such hot chicks peering at me while I'm training! Impossible to focus!"
Ino laughed again, slightly shaking her head.
"Dumbass... anyway, I'm out for dinner. The next shift is in less than an hour, and it's our turn, so I recommend you two to tag along shortly." She turned around, leaving Naruto and Sakura alone.
The Uzumaki watched the blonde leave until she disappeared in one of the huge tents, and then he finally turned to Sakura who frowned right away, finally meeting the piercing gaze of his blue eyes.
She assumed that he was oblivious to her desire to talk to him, but apparently he realized that something was off with the girl.
"So... what's up?" He simply asked, sitting next to Sakura onto the spot where Ino rested just a minute ago.
She didn't reply for what seemed like a minute, and he didn't try to hasten her, either, carefully and patiently waiting for the girl's response. That was Naruto in the nutshell – always so caring, so kind... so serious when the situation demanded it.
"I..." The pink haired girl finally opened her mouth, but her voice sounded weird, so she cleared her throat before continuing. "Naruto... what's going on between us?"
This time he was silent for a few seconds. She was afraid to look at him, again, but knowing him as good as she did, the kunoichi could see his expression even with her eyes closed.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about, Sakura."
She flinched. This was probably the first time when he addressed her without the 'chan' suffix after her name.
Just like Sasuke always did.
"I..." Confused, she collected the remains of her willpower and turned her head to him, finally meeting his eyes which were now full of resolve and... sadness? "I mean... I know I've been acting weird recently, but I..."
"I know your reasons. And you have every right to do so."
So he knew...? But how? Oh...
She then remembered that there always were the two of them, not just Naruto.
Kurama, then...
"If you know it... then you must also know that I've forgiven you. For what you've done back then, that is."
"Yeah. I know it, too. I'm glad that you're over Sasuke now."
Sakura flinched again, feeling uncomfortable and confused around her blond teammate, possibly for the first time in her life. He was acting unlike his usual self... was that because of the fox? No, he claimed to have full control over his tenant. Then what on earth...
"Don't worry about Kurama. I'm talking to him from time to time, discussing different stuff, but I can block my head from his jabbering whenever I want. He's not interfering right now unless it's something urgent. This goes for the other fellows, too."
"Then how...?"
He gave her a sad smile.
"Remember, I can feel people's emotions. And I know you well enough, anyway... even though I'm not the smartest person around, I'm not an idiot. I can see it, you know. Though Kurama told me that it's not polite to show everyone that I know what their feelings truly are..." He smiled slightly, with a hint of unfamiliar grief deep in his eyes. "Anyway, I know what's going on in your heart, no need to explain it."
Sakura suddenly hugged him tightly, burying her face in his jacket, trying to hide the unexpected burst of tears.
"Then tell me, Naruto... what should I do? I'm so confused right now... I can't decide what to do with my life from now on. Please, help me..." She sniffled, and he carefully waited for her to finish the sentence. "I'm so pathetic... can't even handle my own problems anymore..."
She could feel him sigh loudly, and then he carefully squeezed her shoulders, slightly pushing the girl away from himself to meet her light green eyes which were now filled with tears and desperation.
"Sakura... I can't decide that for you. Nobody can. But if it helps... I can tell you what I'm going to do. I've been thinking, you know... especially for the last few weeks, when we nearly didn't talk at all... do you remember what I told you after the war? About my dreams and goals?"
She quickly nodded, sniffling again.
"Yes... I do. You wanted to become the next Hokage... to unite the world and to become the one who will break the endless chain of hatred." The girl nearly quoted his words, slightly smiling at the memory. Before the war, she could only laugh at his naiveness. Now... she believed in him, just like everyone in Konoha did. "You also said that since it worked with Sasuke, then the world will be easy to handle..." He smirked, and she giggled. After all, she truly loved her teammates, no matter what they did...
"Do you know what's changed since then?" She shook her head, waiting for him to continue with bated breath. "Almost nothing. But recently, I began realizing that I was a brat back then. Now I know that such goal can't be achieved by loud words of bold claims alone. Just like Obito told me back there, on the battlefield... when I declared that I'd never let my comrades die, and then he killed Neji, as well as the others... now I understand that he was right. I need... no, I must be able to back my words up. Simply not going back on them is not enough anymore. There are things I can't allow to happen... mistakes which can't be corrected, thus can't be allowed to be made. Half a year ago, I've made my last one."
She gasped, still not believing that this was Naruto before her at the moment. Did his mind games with the clones affect him, after all? Or... no, he didn't seem to be insane in any way. It was quite the opposite, actually – for once, he was completely serious, dropping his usual goofy behavior.
"A mistake...? What did you do?" He didn't reply, looking away from her, hiding his eyes for the first time in a while. She gripped his shoulders, forcing the blond to look back at her. "What happened, Naruto?!"
He sighed again, and for a split second she thought that he wasn't going to tell her, but...
"It's Hinata... she's left because of me."
The kunoichi could feel her heart slow down it's beating to the point of nearly stopping. Hinata? So he lied to her about not knowing what's happened to her...? Was that why he didn't go after her right away, like he did for Sasuke? But he never tried to look for her, not even once... which meant...
"You know where she is, don't you?"
He was silent for what seemed like eternity – the time lost it's meaning for Sakura at the moment anyway.
"Yeah. I do." Naruto finally muttered, looking away again.
So he did know...? And never said anything to anyone, even to the Hokage, to Kakashi-sensei? That was hardly believable.
"And...?"
The jinchūriki brushed his hair hesitantly, and it was weird, because it was unusual for Naruto to hide something, especially from her. Why was he refusing to tell her?!
A sudden burst of anger filled her, and she pushed the boy away.
"Tell me, Naruto! Clearly you're not stupid enough to tell me about the accident that happened years ago now that, of all times, when we're starting to become something more...! You planned all this, and you knew damn well what's going to happen! Why?! Why did you do it?!" She yelled, getting up and towering over him who still refused to meet her enraged gaze.
"Because I wanted it to end." He finally said. "I wanted you to grow up, just like I did. We're not children anymore, Sakura. At least I'm certainly not. I can't afford being one. You know, back when I met dad and mom... they made me realize that I'm capable of lots and lots of things. During the war, I also realized that a lot of people put their trust in me..." He got up from the spot he was sitting at, turning to face his furious green eyed teammate. "I won't fail them. No matter what. It's true that, during our last fight, I managed to change Sasuke, but... he's changed me, too. In the end, both of us were right and wrong at the same time. And now... I want you to grow up, too. You are very important, both to the village and to me... and to Sasuke. As ninja, we must learn to endure above everything else. Our personal feelings do not matter when it comes to the matter of safety of the village... let alone the entire world, and this responsibility is on our shoulders now. Please... I want you to understand and to accept it."
She gasped, having a hard time believing that this was truly Naruto before her right there. He was... really different. And now she realized that he truly grew up, indeed. He was a man now, not the boy she considered him to be up to that moment. And somehow she managed to miss the day when he's changed so much... or perhaps she just refused to notice it?
For a split second, she could swear that she saw the white cloak of the Fourth Hokage waving behind his back, only to realize that this was probably just her imagination. Yet still...
"Is that why you said that you're glad that I'm over Sasuke now?" She quietly asked, rapidly calming down. He was right about everything, there was nothing to argue with. And she had to accept it as the reality.
Sakura was done living in the haze of illusions.
"Yeah, basically. I thought it's a good sign. About damn time, if you ask me. Took you long enough." He smiled, and his expression was sincere as usual.
He was still the same Naruto, just... more mature. Exactly like he told her before.
"I see." She replied, brushing the tears away and taking a deep breath. "You still haven't answered my question about Hinata. If you know where she is, why didn't you tell everyone?"
He smirked, and his eyes shined with his usual ardor again.
"Knowing how smart you are, I was actually pretty sure that you've already figured it out. It's not about where she is, it's about with who she is. He might get in trouble if her clan finds out, so, considering that Kakashi-sensei already knows it, I thought that I should keep my mouth shut and pretend to not know anything. After all, nobody could imagine that I, of all people, would find it out, eh? At least Sasuke clearly doesn't want me to know. Probably thinks that I'd do something reckless again."
The girl's eyes widened at the sudden realization. It all clicked in her mind now, the puzzle was solved – that's why Naruto was so calm about her disappearance. That's why he didn't expect the Hyūga to come back anytime soon. He was absolutely sure that she's safe, that's why... wait.
"You also said that it's your fault that she's left. What did you do?" She didn't expect him to reply right away, but apparently the Uzumaki didn't really consider it a big deal.
"That night, during the fest after the war... remember how I went after Sasuke when I spotted him? Me and Hinata, we bumped into each other, and, well... she reminded me of our talk just prior to the war. Well, not really a talk, but... anyway, back there, she had said that she loves me."
Of course she did. It was obvious to everyone in Konoha and, and even to some people outside of the village, remembering the Kazekage and his siblings.
"And?" She asked, a little impatiently.
He shrugged.
"I told her that I like someone else. That was true. I liked you. I still do."
She gasped again, refusing to believe her ears.
"But why..."
"Because back then, even though I didn't completely realize it, I already was on the way to what I've become now. I wanted her to get over her crush. Just like I wanted you to get over yours. All this stuff, this is what remains of our childhood. It would be fine to play these games for a couple more years, but we can't afford it. Not us, not with the responsibilities that we bear."
Trying to comprehend everything he said, she sighed, staying silent for a minute or two, before finally uttering:
"But if you still like me... we... can we..."
"No." He suddenly snapped, which sounded rather harsh, making her legs start shaking and her heart skip a few beats again. "I want to be honest with you, Sakura. Over these years, I grew to have different feelings for you... I like you as my teammate, and I love you as my dear friend. But... you were my first crush, too. That's a thing from our childhood as well, and it needs to remain there, in the past. I already told you once, during the Kage Summit... I don't want us to lie both to each other and to ourselves . You don't love me. And I don't have such feelings for you, either. Let's face it... there is no such... thing between us. And the sooner we admit it, the better."
She was ready to laugh at the irony. Naruto Uzumaki was basically breaking up with her... if what they had up to now – a few dates and clumsy kisses – could be considered a real relationship. Naruto, of all people... that boy from her childhood who she considered a ridiculous annoyance... her future Hokage, and the hero of the entire world.
And her own crush, who apparently never had any feelings for her what so ever, was now with the one who was once obsessed with Naruto the same way she was obsessed with Sasuke.
Life was truly a cruel thing...
Sakura could feel another burst of tears incoming, so the kunoichi clenched her fists as tight as she possibly could, forcing herself to suppress the urge to break in front of the jinchūriki again.
Was this how her sensei felt towards Naruto's teacher, Jiraiya? Tsunade once told her, when the female sannin was drunk, that she realized that she loved the man when it was already too late... and considering how similar their stories seemed... should she tell Naruto now that her feelings for him were already about to bloom...?
But perhaps that was just another delusion? Shouldn't he, the one who could read people's hearts and emotions, know better?
And she always trusted the Uzumaki without a question... so...
The girl swallowed hard, trying to think quick, and then she finally uttered:
"I see... you are right, Naruto. I gave you a promise once, that I'd become strong to keep up with you... and I kept my word."
He smiled - though she didn't see it, she could her it in his voice.
"Yeah. I remember that."
"Now I'll give you another promise. I will grow up, too. I will keep up, I always will. And I will help you and Sasuke achieve our goals, because you're right about everything, especially about our responsibilities."
He smiled even wider, nodding.
"I know. You're Sakura-chan, after all. Couldn't expect any less of you."
"But..." She interrupted him, still peering at his sandals. "I want to ask something."
"Anything for you!"
The kunoichi sighed, unsure how to present her request.
"If something changes in the future, a few years later, maybe... if the two of us fall in love with each other or something... I want both of us to promise to not hide it. Ever. I don't want to repeat Tsunade-sama's fate."
He smirked, hugging the girl tightly.
"Of course. Anyway, when did I hide something from you, Sakura-chan?" She gave him a deadpan look, making him let out a guilty laugh. "I mean something important..." They silently gazed at each other before he finally raised his hands in defeat. "Fine, fine! Promise, I won't hide anything from you anymore. I just didn't want you to know about Sasuke... thought it might distract you and all..."
She suddenly gripped his hand and walked towards the camp, pulling the blond along.
"Yes, yes, I know... by the way... how did you know Hinata's with Sasuke? Is the range of your sensory abilities that long...?"
He shook his head, smirking.
"Nah... not that. I told you, I'm not as stupid as you think! It's just that after what Nagato did, I decided to always leave a clone at home, back in Konoha. Should something urgent happen, the clone is supposed to dispel itself, so I that I can instantly find out what exactly happened."
She slightly raised her eyebrow, not quite getting where he was leading. "So?"
"Back in December, Sasuke came to the village and spoke with Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade-no-bāchan... My clone felt a trace of Hinata's chakra on him, so I... or the clone... no matter, we decided to follow him to find out what this was about. Turned out that Kakashi-sensei knows that Hinata's traveling with him. And there also was Hinata's little sister... can't remember her name, but I think you should know her, that little shrimp... anyway... after they talked, Sasuke went somewhere, and, well, I decided to not follow him afterwards."
Sakura turned around to gaze at him in surprise and confusion.
"Why? Didn't you want to talk to him? I thought that was a rare opportunity, considering how seldom he comes back to the village..."
"Yeah, but I didn't want to embarrass him. I don't think he wanted to meet someone he knows back then."
Now that was completely weird.
"Why was that?" She asked, not understanding the Uzumaki's reasoning at all.
The blond scratched his nape, blushing a bit.
"Well, you see... I noticed him going into a store..."
Haruno finally stopped, turning around completely to face him and frowning.
"What kind of store? Come on, Naruto, you promised to not hide things from me."
Naruto looked around, lowering his voice.
"You know, where the girlish stuff is being sold... trinkets, cosmetics and everything..."
The medic nin now frowned even deeper, shaking her head.
"And here I thought you became more serious... that's an awful joke, you know?"
But Naruto suddenly laughed.
"You know, thing is that it's not a joke at all. I thought it was weird and kinda creepy, but then I checked the calendar, and it all clicked – that day was the day before Hinata's birthday.
Sakura's eyes widened in complete, utter shock. Sasuke... bought... someone... a birthday present? A present for a girl...? For... Hinata...?
But why? What kind of relationship they shared? Did they become close? And why did Sasuke agree to allow her to follow him when he refused to let her, Sakura, join him...?
She suddenly felt betrayed and jealous.
Sasuke barely knew Hinata. As far as she knew, they never even talked to each other. And he certainly wasn't interested in her back in the academy, like at all, and that was mutual.
Then why...? Why her...?
But then again... come to think about it now, the Hyūga was a prefect match for the image she had in her head just prior to her speech with Naruto, when she was thinking about an ideal girl for Sasuke. Yet still, to think that the Uchiha did something like that... for a girl? He never payed attention to any girl what so ever... but, on the other hand, Hinata was the only girl in their class who never cared about him, either. Perhaps that was the reason...? Or something else?
No, this was just the stupid jealousy clouding her mind right now, she realized. Sasuke never did anything without a good reason. If he allowed Hinata to follow him, then he either needed her for something... or she managed to convince him with a very good reason. Or perhaps both these things...?
Well, no matter. It was Sasuke's private life, she had no right to meddle into it. But still... Hinata? The shy, quiet Hinata...? That was so unbelievable...
Sakura was suddenly ripped out of her thoughts when Naruto stopped abruptly, his expression completely changing within just a few seconds as his face became pale and collected, as if he noticed a ghost in the bushes.
"What... what happened?" She asked anxiously, meeting his slightly lost gaze.
"It's Kurama... he says that it finally happened, after all. A bijū has been sealed, and they said it's impossible to say where and by who."
That was bad. They expected it to happen at some point, but so soon...
"Which bijū?" She quickly asked, slightly shaking her teammate to help him recover from the news.
He looked her in the eyes, and she could read apparent pain and grief in them.
"Kurama's other half."
It was a really rough day for Jun. Certainly not the worst one up to date, by far, but it didn't make his mood any better – his work was shit, and he knew there was no way out of his current position.
They all were prisoners, and only the very few people in the village realized that. Most of them were brainwashed ever since Akatsuki overthrew Hanzo – and even the fall of their 'god' didn't make the situation any better. They still had that blind faith in the idea of locking themselves up from the entire world, and only 'the best of the best' shinobi were allowed to go out of Amegakure, in order to complete whatever secret missions they were given by their new leader.
Personally Jun hoped that things would get better after Pain's downfall. First, the memorial in the middle of the village was just a memento for everyone... but that didn't last long. Soon enough, it turned into a sanctuary. When Pain's 'angel' got herself killed, too, and their symbols of leadership – the rings – were lost forever, the only thing they had to remind them of their fake pantheon was that stupid statue... what a bunch of idiots.
That was the nature of people – stupid, easy to be fooled, easy to be manipulated, easy to believe whatever nonsense was being spread among them.
In other words, they were weak.
And Jun was relatively fine with that, despite the fact that being around these sheeps made him feel uneasy.
He disliked animals.
Fortunately enough, he always managed to be on top of the food chain. Years ago, he was one of the guardians of Pain's Tower. There weren't a specific name for his residence, so everyone simply called it the Tower, even now.
And these days he was the personal guardian of the current leader of Amegakure, and Jun hated this job.
Back then, all he had to do was to stand near the entrance ten hours a day and get payed for doing absolutely nothing. It was insane to assume that anybody would try to enter the facility, knowing whose residence it was.
Now, he received far lesser amount of money, and he had to do all the dirty work for the leader. Well, not quite all the work, since there were five other guardians aside from himself, but still, that was too much after years of easy payments and relatively measured life – well, as measured as it was possible in a place like this damned village.
And this leader, he was just a young, idealistic fool. He, Jun, wasn't that old for a regular man, but as a shinobi of Ame, he was considered very experienced – one didn't simply live up to the age of twenty nine, being one of the best shinobi in the entire country. They usually died without living longer than twenty years at best.
So, in a way, he was an old man here. An old, respected man. A god's guardian, a sword in that idiot's hand...
He cursed, spitting onto the dirty path under his feet.
Such retards.
He entered the bar, quickly walking to his favorite spot in the corner near the bar table and sitting down there, trying to suppress the urge to explode as the silence fell upon the hall when he went in. Quickly waving everyone dismissively, he sighed.
"So, how was your day?" Asked Mutsumi, the gray haired barman with multiple wrinkles on his face. The real old man there, he received little to no respect from the others. In fact, they usually considered him nothing but a piece of furniture. A detail of the bar's interior.
Nothing else.
"You guess." He took the glass of moonshine, quickly drinking the burning, yet refreshing liquid.
The old man smiled, shaking his head.
"It's all written on your face, Jun... you should've left back when you had that chance."
Jun shrugged, clicking on the empty glass with his index finger and thus ordering another one.
"As if I don't know myself. This stupid country is rotten, and it will get worse at this rate. He is an idiot, I swear."
Now Mutsumi seemed a bit intrigued, but, filling Jun's glass up again, he continued wiping the empty plate in order to not draw any unnecessary attention.
"Something happened? I don't wanna know if it's a secret..." He quietly murmured.
Jun sighed, taking the second portion of his drink and scratching his short, black beard.
"It's a secret, but only these retards around really care. Who's going to interrogate you should you find out? Nobody, because there is nobody to do it. This village's government still hasn't collapsed only thanks to it's citizens, who are all just blind bigots, not a single one with any sign of a brain." He blurted up, taking another sip from his glass.
Mutsumi smiled with corners of his mouth, still continuing wiping the perfectly clean plate.
"I see you can't wait to share it, eh? Fine, then. Shoot it."
Jun smirked. This old man was probably the only one in the whole village who could dare to speak with him like this. Even the leader was more... respectful.
And this was exactly what he needed from someone he could call a friend.
"They keep sending more raiders to the Fire Country... and the more troops they send, the less come back. At this rate, we can wait for Konoha to strike back really soon. And this time, they won't leave a stone unturned here. In other words, we are all doomed."
Mutsumi shook his head, hissing.
"But they do realize it, don't they?"
Jun took another sip, slightly turning his head to check if anyone's listening. But there were nobody around – the seat next to him was empty, as expected; and then there was a beautiful, dark haired woman, not older than twenty, in a humble, yet stylish red dress that matched her makeup perfectly. She seemed to enjoy the glass of very expensive wine – which meant she wasn't just a ***** looking for some easy money, but someone rich, probably having a private meeting here. With a lover? Trying to hide from her husband? Or perhaps just looking for some naughty adventure to get rid of the boredom?
No matter. At least there was someone normal here aside from the two of them.
Lowering his voice, he mumbled to Mutsumi:
"Yeah, they do. Actually, they came up with a solution... or rather with another stupid idea. Kazuhiko's raid has just returned, and they brought a weapon. Something that is supposed to help us defend ourselves. I can't tell you much, because this is where some really dangerous information starts... but... anyway, if you ask me... I think that this will only taunt the great countries even more should they find out what exactly is under the leader's control now. Told you, he's an idiot." Emptying the third full glass of the doubtful spirit drink, Jun could feel that he was slowly becoming drunk.
Exactly what he needed after what they've done with that poor girl the leader called their weapon...
The old man shook his head again, letting out a deep sigh.
"Well, then you're right, and we all are doomed... nothing new here, though."
Jun smirked, cheering him with another glass and narrowing his dark gray eyes.
"Damn right. Can't help it, it's always like this in these damned lands."
He then heard a soft, pleasant female voice to his right:
"It can't be that bad. Even though life here is pretty hard indeed, we're still alive, aren't we? Surely we'll manage to survive whatever is going to happen." The dark haired woman smiled, sitting next to him and offering Jun a glass of wine, the same as the one she herself was drinking. "My treat, shinobi-san."
Jun eyed her up and down, snorting depreciatingly.
"It's easy to say when all you do is pleasing some rich guy in a village full of idiots, sweetie." He still decided to take the glass, cautiously taking a small sip.
It turned this woman had a good taste in alcohol. That, along with the cute appearance, almost made him like her.
"You're saying it as if it's a bad thing to do for a woman." She replied with a deadpan expression.
Yes, he certainly liked her.
"No. Not at all." He replied after a moment of silence, raising up his wineglass. "Cheers, lady."
"Cheers." She smiled, and it nearly looked seductive to him.
"What are you doing here of all places anyway?" He asked, not out of curiosity – because he wasn't really interested – but just to start talking to her.
He already knew what he wanted of this doll tonight.
She smiled again.
"Perhaps I'm looking for some fun... or maybe I like danger. For example, I heard some part of what you discussed with the barman-san here... and I can't help but wonder, who are you? Are you dangerous?" He could feel the light touch of her palm on his knee.
So she wanted to avoid the unnecessary complications...? What a perfect woman.
He smirked devilishly, grabbing her waist which she didn't mind at all, hugging his neck.
"I'm quite dangerous, baby... ever heard of the Tower's guardians?"
Her eyes widened in surprise and her lips slightly parted, revealing perfectly white teeth.
"So you're one of the leader's best fighters...? Woah... that certainly sounds dangerous."
"It sure is, cutie. So, wanna go and have some fun at my place?" He growled, his lips nearly touching hers.
Was it just his imagination, or there was a sign of slight fear in her eyes as she hesitated for a moment?
"Of course. Lead the way, dangerous guy..." She kissed him, and the way she did it made her seem a bit inexperienced to Jun.
But it didn't matter to the man. He was too drunk and he hasn't been with a woman for too long.
"Let's go then." He grabbed the woman's wrist and pulled her towards the exit, forgetting to pay, being followed by Mutsumi's thoughtful look.
His home was pretty close to the bar – they only walked for what seemed like five minutes or so before they finally entered his apartment. Jun started to undress the girl the instance the door closed.
"Easy, easy... let's move to your bed first, if you have one, of course." She hissed teasingly, slightly pushing him away.
Jun smirked grimly.
"And here I thought you like it rough... fair enough." He kissed her thin, elegant neck, entering the bedroom and pushing the girl who gasped in surprise of his assertiveness unto his medium sized bed.
It was when he tore her dress apart or a second prior to it, Jun wasn't sure when exactly, but suddenly the feeling of strong panic embraced him. His every feeling screamed: leave right away! Run as fast as you can!"
Yet still he decided to ignore it, thinking that it was probably some bad alcohol Mutsumi gave him, or the fact that he mixed it up with wine...
This was a big mistake on his part.
A second later, he felt something penetrating his guts, nearly making the man scream of terrible pain, but the girl didn't let him, quickly reacting and covering his mouth with her own.
What...? Why? How the hell this could happen?! She had no weapons with her, of that he was absolutely sure. There was just nowhere to hide such a big and sharp weapon like the one he now felt piercing his insides, and she had no seals on her body, either... then what could it possibly be...?!
But the fact that she planned this was pretty obvious. Why else would she prevent him from screaming and thus alarming the people outside of his house of what's going on inside?
Just who the hell she was...?
But then this girl managed to surprise him once again – too fast for him to notice, she hit a few points on his neck, disrupting his chakra flow by blocking his tenketsu.
So she was a kunoichi, after all. A very strong one, since she managed to hide her chakra from him so well...
Her expression changed, too – now she was calm, cold and collected, the only emotion readable being maybe a slight disgust. Disgust of him? Probably...
Paralyzed by pain and the chakra disruption, he could only wait for her next move, which she made right away, taking the mysterious weapon out of him and pushing Jun off her body and off the bed, turning him around so that he faced the floor without being able to see a thing in the room, and sitting on his back just so that he couldn't move at all.
"You're gonna pay for this. It was probably the most disgusting thing I ever did." She uttered loud with apparent irritation in the voice, confirming Jun's earlier assumption.
But when he already opened his mouth to reply, a foreign, impassive voice sounded from the opposite side of the bedroom, beat him to it:
"You are a kunoichi. You may have to do things much worse than this if necessary." It was a man. What was going on...?
He could hear the girl growling.
"Not happening. I don't care about the village, I'm not doing anything like this anymore."
"And if I ask you?" He could hear the mysterious man smirk while the girl that incapacitated him growled in irritation again.
"You won't. You're too possessive to let it happen. I'm only your tool, no one else's."
Jun heard as the man hemmed, smirking again.
"True. But you're overreacting."
She gasped.
"Overreacting?! This bastard stole my first kiss!" She blurted, and the guardian nearly forgot about his pain for a moment. Her first kiss...?! This ***** surely was well trained if this was true...
"Do I need to remind you who took mine?" The male voice muttered, and Jun suddenly could feel that the girl hardly suppressed the laugh.
"Fine. Touche. Anyway, you should hurry up. He's going to die soon if we don't do something."
"Yeah. Go dress up. I'll handle him for now. By the way, you're gonna patch him yourself. I told you to capture him, not to nearly kill him, so that mistake is yours to fix." He felt the girl getting up from his back, groaning in irritation and stepping away, and then someone grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, turning the man around to face his mysterious captor.
"Woah..." Jun hissed as he looked in his only visible black eye. "So a pair... of brats... took me... down... what... a shame..." It was hard for him to talk due to the immense pain he was suffering, but he still decided to keep his face up until the very end.
But the boy ignored his taunt.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I'm the last surviving member of Akatsuki, and I came here to take this village over. I will use you to do so, whether you like it or not. I advice you to cooperate – this way you won't have to go through unnecessary tortures and other unpleasant means."
Jun gasped, and then he suddenly smirked, finally recognizing the raven haired boy.
Perhaps now the wind of change was near.
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