Author’s note: This chapter is a preview from several chapters ahead in this story’s timeline. It contains several characters that have not made an appearance yet — including the one you’ve been waiting for! It’s my way of saying thank you for 500+ reviews! So, I hope you enjoy!
The green light at the edge of her hands flickered ominously. With a deep, steadying breath, Sakura pulled out even more energy and forced it around her hands. It worked. The glow of chakra returned.
The ragged wound on the young nin’s shoulder wasn’t healing as nicely as she’d like, but it would have to do. These skirmishes were coming so quick these days, they barely had time to heal from their losses before responding to another desperate plea for help. And Sakura had been moving with them, healing everyone who needed it. Reinforcements were coming, but not fast enough.
She helped the teen to his feet. Though he was not yet a chunin, he was capable enough. Sakura well remembered being that age. It was only five years ago, but it might as well have been a lifetime. But, this kid was strong too. As she had been. He’d live to fight many more battles. With a tight nod, the youth headed off with his waiting team.
A branch cracked in the woods behind her. She turned quickly — too quickly — and stopped with a little wobble. Chakra exhaustion. Shit. And there would certainly be more to heal.
Familiar faces appeared, dirty and blood smeared. Neji, Kiba. Lee. A handful of chunins from the years after her. She hadn’t bothered to learn their names. But it was the one in the back who made her stomach turn in knots.
Coming out of the forest shadows, his cold blue eyes fixed her with a serious gaze. She never trusted the way they seemed to reflect the light in even the darkest places. Or how he always seemed to look at her as if he was looking for something to be revealed. Like a weakness. She realized he must have seen her sway momentarily.
Damn him. Sakura jerked her head sharply to the injured. She pointedly ignored him — he was probably hoping to unnerve her by still watching — and bent to start on the worst of the new wounds.
She focused on her task, eyes filling with the green glow from her hands, but her mind wandered as it always did when he was around.
“Naruto,” her mind whispered above the buzz of chakra and rote healing techniques.
She knew nothing about him. She could never trust him like the rest of her compatriots had grown to. Nor could she accept him so easily as Tsunade had. A long-lost Leaf nin miraculously returned to the fold? She doubted it.
Sakura knew she would never trust anyone who had any association with Itachi. And as such, she would never trust Naruto. And he must have understood it too. Because he watched her so closely.
She sat back, letting one nin get up and another take his place. Wiping her brow, she glanced to her hand. Trembling. Four or five more injuries then she’d have no choice but to stop. She could only pray there would be no more incoming wounds.
A quick glance around showed her only a few more in need of serious treatment. Blue eyes snagged hers. He had noticed her shaky hands. His brows wrinkled with concern.
Sakura’s face burned with anger. She certainly didn’t need his pity either! She’d seen a hell of a lot worse than some minor chakra depletion.
She worked furiously over the next wounds, healing at surprisingly fast clip, given the amount of time she’d already been at work. But her racing thoughts spurred her on.
She would rather have him acting like the enemy she knew he had to be, than someone who cared one jot about her. He was a mystery. And just when she thought she’d nailed him down as a spy on a secret mission, he would show some other side that had her rethinking what she knew. She wanted to believe in Tsunade. And sometimes that look in his eyes…well she couldn’t deny that sometimes it went right through her. Like he really was reading her thoughts, searching out her secrets. And that made her even angrier. Not even Sasuke made her feel that way. Not even— She shook her head, banishing the stray thought. She promised herself never to think about the past.
Naruto unnerved her. And she hated it.
Last patient healed, Sakura stood swiftly. She needed to put some space between herself and the object of her most troubling thoughts. But the quick movement sent her reeling. She took two steps and reached for a tree, flattening her palm against the bark until her equilibrium returned. She desperately needed to rest. Cringing inwardly, she could also guess that this slip was not missed.
She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head lightly.
“You need to rest,” a serious voice sounded beside her bowed head.
Cracking open her eyes, she saw that look that made her furious. Concern.
Naruto leaned close to her, studying her face. His eyes held that pale glow they always did, but his blond hair was dimmed with the grime of hard battle. Blood was dried in thick clumps at his neck, a testament to some hidden wound. A purple bruise was blossoming along his jawline.
He raised a hand her shoulder, intent on helping her, when Sakura noticed the bloody bandages around his hand.
Defiantly, Sakura summoned all her strength and pushed off the tree before he could reach her. “And you still need to be healed.”
His face closed off to her, but he didn’t step back. They both knew what he’d say. They’d been through this before. It was another reason she refused to trust him.
He shook his head slowly, never breaking eye contact. “I don’t need to be healed.”
Something in Sakura snapped. Feelings, pent up for so long, bubbled to the surface. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes.
“Why? Why won’t you let me—” she demanded, but her voice cracked at the end. She was mad at him and herself now.
If she couldn’t control her damn emotions, then she certainly wouldn’t give him that satisfaction of seeing this momentary weakness. She moved to sidestep him, but she swayed dangerously.
Naruto seemed to be expecting it. He stepped with her, ready to catch her if she dropped. She tried to push him away, but the swipe of her hand nearly knocked her off balance. She grabbed his arm involuntarily.
Naruto was unfazed. He had already unfastened his cloak, and in the moment she steadied herself he wrapped it around her shoulders. Sakura felt the weight of impending defeat: She knew she was truly exhausted. But she wasn’t going to give in yet.
She tried to shrug off the cloak. “Don’t…. Don’t—” she bit out. The little flare of anger finally giving her control over her emotions.
But Naruto continued undaunted. He slipped the cloak under her hands, edging it closer around her neck, while gently propelling her toward a soft patch of moss at the base of a large tree.
“You’re exhausted, and I—”
“Don’t try to be nice to me,” she said, determined to hurl her last bit of energy at him. “If you won’t let me heal you, then why should I accept this?” She tugged hopelessly at the cloak which was already fastened at her neck. The weariness was seeping into her bones. She would never admit it to him, but sleep was exactly what she needed.
He seemed to understand anyway. He pointed to he cool spot and, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, helped her down steadily. Sakura was simply too tired to fight.
She settled on her side, the moss surprisingly soft under the cloak. She breathed deeply, her muscles and joints relaxing.
Naruto tucked the cloak around her legs, her arms, her neck. When she was settled, he brushed the hair back out of her face.
Though he knew he shouldn’t, he let his hand linger in her hair. He leaned closer to her ear.
“I have a lot of chakra, and I just don’t need to be healed. Don’t waste your energy on me,” he said softly. “Trust me, Sakura. It’s my loss, not yours.”
She turned suddenly at his words and looked up into his face. He moved back only a little, his hand still loosely cupping her head. Their faces were very close.
Sakura studied him openly. He was a mystery to her. Part of her wanted to hate him, just for choosing Itachi. But she couldn’t deny that part of her wanted to trust him, to see him the way Tsunade and Kakashi did. She wondered sometimes what it would be like if she had met him under different circumstances.
If they had just been two shinobi, growing up together in Konoha. Her eyes roved over him. The sunny blond hair, always falling over his forehead. The grey-blue in his eyes, that only revealed itself in the right light.
Would she know him by heart, like she knew Sasuke and Sai? Then, would she be able to read his expressions and decipher his thoughts? Because it did seem like there was always something going on beneath surface. Especially when he looked at her the way he did now. As if he was searching for something. It was a troubling familiarity.
But that was the trouble. She didn’t know anything about him. He may be a Leaf nin, but she hadn’t grown up with him. And she absolutely could not trust him. She’d learned that lesson long ago.
Naruto’s hand had stilled in her hair. He openly studied her, eyes lingering over her face, her cheeks, her mouth….
But the thin puff of breath hinted at the direction of his thoughts. Sakura felt the pulse of air on her lips. Her stomach went tight, and her mouth tingled traitorously.
No, no, no. She didn’t want this. Anything but this.
She tipped her chin down just a fraction, away from him.
‘Please don’t, please don’t,’ her mind chanted desperately.
And, almost as if he’d heard her, his open expression closed. The fingers slide out of her hair, and he sat back against the tree.
“Get some sleep,” he said quietly. “I’ll keep watch.”
Sakura wished she didn’t feel the quickening of her pulse, the tightness in her gut, or the ridiculous sense of disappointment when he pulled away so suddenly, leaving only the cold air to rush in where he had been. She cursed her chakra-exhausted mind. It was distorting everything around her. Making her feel things she knew she didn’t. She rolled back onto her side and pulled the cloak tightly around her.
She didn’t expect to rest, but detaching from all her responsibilities slowly worked its magic. The soft ground, the concealing cloak, even his persistence in remaining beside her all helped her feel safe enough to unwind. And if she was to continue to do her duty as a med-nin, then she had to find some rest in the midst of these skirmishes. He’d found her a way.
She yawned and finally gave in, making herself comfortable in the cloak, breathing in the damp woodland air. And sooner than she would have ever guessed, her view of his bent legs blurred into nothingness.
Naruto glanced down at her unmoving form, sure she was finally asleep. Leaning back against the rough tree trunk, he cursed his own weak will. This wasn’t the girl he knew, and he shouldn’t look for her. He promised himself he’d let her go.
But seeing her laying there wrapped up in his cloak, feeling put out because she couldn’t help him, well, it was just too much. He had only wanted to reassure her, maybe even touch her. But it wasn’t the same.
That day, so long ago, under the tree on a grassy hilltop, in the summer, in the sun — well, she wasn’t that girl. And he, in fact, wasn’t the boy he was then.
She was a hardened shinobi, like all the rest of them, exhausted and bloody, trying to catch a few hours of sleep before she would have to do it all again. And there were no clouds in her eyes.
He let his head tip back against the tree. It didn’t matter anyway, he lied to himself.
A annoying buzzing sound kept winging past her face. Sakura groggily batted at it, but it she only succeeded in knocking back the dark fabric which had blocked out the morning light. She blinked into the sudden glare, disoriented for a moment.
Panic set in. She had slept more than a few hours. Where was everyone? Where was Naruto?
Shino’s quiet voice preceded the crunch of his footsteps.
“Ah, you’re awake. Good. We’ll be moving soon.”
Sakura propped herself up, rubbed her eyes, her irritation growing as the scenario became clear.
“Naruto asked me to keep an eye on you,” he said flatly.
Now that pissed her off. She knew she shouldn’t have trusted his kind gesture. He must have dumped her off as soon as he could.
“So we were left behind?” she said bitterly, kicking off the cloak to stand.
“No, not exactly….” At that moment Hinata dropped into the clearing, along with a few of her shinobi clansmen.
Sakura bit her lip, understanding slowly dawning on her. Naruto had waited for the backup team, tacitly moving her to their squad to give her more time to sleep.
Well, she was still too groggy to be grateful, but it did make her feel a little better. She moved to leave the clearing with the backup squad.
“Sakura-san,” Hinata said politely. “You forgot your cloak.” She pointed behind her, at the pile of dark fabric on the flattened moss.
“Oh. Yeah.” It was her cloak now, wasn’t it? She scooped it up and shoved it into her pack, ignoring her troubled feelings about the cloak’s real owner. She’d sort it out when she rejoined them.
Sakura pushed on with the back-up team, securing the areas behind the forward squad, but she did not see Naruto again that day, or the next.
Sakura picked up the perfectly folded cloak. It had spent the better part of a week on the corner of her table, laying there in all it’s blackness. Reminding her of that night, and him.
She needed to return it. And she knew, deep down, she needed to thank him. If she had not slept on that mission, then she would have been useless or worse. The inability to perform her duty might have cost a life.
So why couldn’t she bring herself to feel truly grateful? If it were anyone else, she knew she would.
Sakura plunked the cloak back down, resolve slipping. Maybe she could put off another day….
She dropped her hands to her hips, looking at the rumpled pile of fabric. She wished she felt normal about him, like everyone else apparently did. Truthfully, she wished she could just forget about him, never thinking of him until he was right in front of her. Like every other shinobi she knew. But Naruto plagued her thoughts.
Sasuke was the one who first brought her attention to it. And then she’d just chalked it up to some inflated rivalry.
“Naruto has an uncanny sense about you, you know. Like he is connect to you,” Sasuke said cooly, watching her face. Sakura just rolled her eyes. But he persisted. “Do you know, I no longer have to look for you when we’re all summoned. I can find you by where he is standing.”
Sakura just laughed. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
But Sasuke’s face was blank mask, still waiting for her response. He cocked an eyebrow, as if her silence meant she was hiding something.
“Don’t look at me like that! You know I don’t want to have anything to do with him. And I don’t know why anyone else does either,” she grumbled. Her teammate finally smiled, his dark eyes glinting, pleased that they were still in agreement.
But Sasuke had cursed her with the notion. And now she was inclined to agree. It did seem like Naruto felt some connection to her. He was always around, like a boat on the water, either pulling towards her or away in response to her.
She found herself thinking about Naruto more than even Sasuke. And she certainly wouldn’t tell her teammate about this latest incident.
If only she knew a little more about Naruto. Just enough to squelch her questions. To finally decide, for good, whether he was a threat or not.
And to put an end to those distracting feelings which only he seemed to bring about.
Sakura picked up the cloak again, twisting it slightly, imagining the person who wore it. She wished she could be like the cloak, go with him everywhere and learn his secrets. But she couldn’t. And it was foolish and childish to stand here, daydreaming about someone’s clothing.
She shook it out a little, deciding to refold it and be on her way. But the movement sent a light, woodsy fragrance up from it’s rippling cloth.
Impulsively, she brought the collar up to her nose, hoping a sniff of obviously male stench would cure her of this distraction. He’d just be another stinky shinobi, like all the rest she knew.
Well, not Sasuke. But he was different in all things, she supposed.
She sniffed the collar. Yeah, it smelled like him. What did she expect? It was warm, masculine, a not-unpleasant mix of sweat and forest floor.
But it didn’t turn her stomach as she had hoped. Instead, it brought back the memories of a few nights ago. In the woods, exhausted, burrowing down in the warmth of the cloak and giving over to sleep. If she were honest with herself, it reminded her of feeling safe.
Medically, she knew that scent was the strongest memory inducer. But this was ridiculous. When had she become so close to him that she could discern his smell? And assign emotions to it?
Coming to her senses, Sakura hastily folded it up. She was immensely glad that no one was there to see her, sniffing someone’s cloak and obsessing over it like a school girl.
She tucked the square of fabric under her arm and set off for her errands, intent on disposing of the troublesome garment first. But she remembered she also needed to speak to him. Thank him. She took one look at the direction of his apartment and went the other way. She’d feel better about it later, she told herself, after she’d taken care of her other tasks.
But later never came. And in the early evening, everything else done, she slowly climbed the crumbling steps of his apartment building.
It was a modern building, but very run down. She bet he didn’t care, though. Sakura walked slowly down the covered walkway, past the peeling doors, to the last one she knew to be his.
She knocked once. No one came. She blew out a long, low breath.
Great. A day’s worth of worrying, and he’s not even here.
Sakura was about to turn and go, more mad at herself than anything, when she heard a strange thudding noise inside. She frowned and tipped forward to listen.
Another plunking noise echoed out, like something was slammed on the floor.
“See, I told you before you’re doing it wrong!” Naruto’s voice raged from inside.
Sakura’s eyes went wide. She held her breath and leaned closer to the door.
There was another muffled noise, another voice. Whatever had happened, it must have made Naruto furious.
“No one’s supposed to know we’re here, dammit! You’re fucking up the whole plan!”
Sakura’s mouth dropped open. She forgot about the cloak and pushed her ear against the door.
Stuff started crashing inside. Naruto was going after somebody, and it didn’t sound good. But Sakura was thrilled. Maybe she’d finally discover the truth about him!
Ear smashed against the door, Sakura was listening so intently she almost didn’t register another person approaching at the end of the long walk. She blinked in slow surprise.
The object of her eavesdropping was coming up the steps. Naruto had a sack of takeout boxes in one hand and was pulling his keys out with the other. He had just fanned them out and was setting his foot on the top step when he saw her.
Sakura leaned away from the door slowly. It was clear she had been listening, her shoulder was still pressed against the door, as was her hand, but she tipped her head to the side in confusion. She could still hear his voice inside.
However the Naruto in front of her seemed to instantly understand what was going on. He frowned thunderously and dashed straight for her. Sakura shot back from the door, hands up in defense. She had found something out about him. What was he going to do now? Her mind switched gears: She had no weapons, and there was no where to go from here but down. She’d just have to rely on her strength to—
Instead of attacking her, however, he jammed his key in the lock and threw back the door.
Water dripped from the ceiling. Trash littered the floor; the empty basket that once held it rolled on it’s side nearby.
Suddenly, from behind a futon, a fist flung through the air. A blond head reeled back, followed by a second flash of yellow hair. Then, a loud, painful “oomph.”
Sakura couldn’t believe what she was seeing: There, in the middle of his apartment, were two perfectly identical Narutos. In an all-out fist fight.
Directly in front of her, the newly arrived Naruto cursed. A sopping wet mop head arced over the couch. From the doorway, Sakura was actually hit with a spray of water. But it couldn’t be nearly as bad as whoever was on the receiving end of that wet smack. There were angry sounds of vengeance after that one.
Naruto stomped through the doorway. Craning her neck to look past him, Sakura noticed a full bucket of water had been overturned and was slowly moving toward the door. More water was running from somewhere inside. She followed him in without invitation, moving out of sheer curiousity.
Naruto splashed across his apartment, snatching up the empty basket and overturned bucket as he went.
“I gave you a list! That’s all you had to do! Just stick to the list!”
The two replicas of Naruto popped up from behind the futon, letting go of each other’s collars and scrambling to standing.
“Sorry boss,” one said.
“Yeah, sorry.” The second one jerked his thumb at his partner. “He was too busy talking, not working.”
“What!” the first one shrieked, balling up his fist.
But his counterpart was only baiting him. Using the opening, he threw a punch. The other dodged it. However the momentum sent both slipping on the puddled water.
Sakura winced. She could barely watch them crash and do more damage. But the loud sound never came. Only two simultaneous popping sounds.
She opened her eyes. The lone Naruto left in the room was just dropping his hand, releasing some jutsu in the nick of time.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he walked slowly around the futon, surveying the damage, avoiding the puddles of water in the uneven floor. He picked up a crumpled, soaked piece of paper.
“The list,” he muttered, then pitched it onto the futon.
She could only see the corner, where something was written in thick black ink:
1. Be Quie—
2. Mop
Were they…. Were they clones?
Setting the bag of takeout down on the counter, Naruto darted across the small kitchen and turned off the water.
“More work to do now than when I left,” she heard him grumble.
Sakura found her voice.
“They were clones? You had clones doing work while you went to…to get dinner?”
When he reappeared, he had the good grace to look a little embarrassed.
Sakura was amazed. How did he have enough chakra to make clones, then leave? And not just be around, but leave…go away. And have enough chakra to make two, then set them to menial tasks? How was it possible?
One clone was a feat. It took years of training. And the drain on the system offset any marginal usefulness. Clones were usually a desperation tactic.
“I told you, I have a lot of chakra,” he said with a laugh, brushing it off.
Her eyes went wide. That would be an understatement.
Suddenly, Naruto grabbed a dishrag and dashed around her to stop a huge puddle that threatened to spill out the door. Throwing the rag over the puddle he stepped outside, looked back and forth down the hall, then closed the door.
“Don’t want anyone to know….” she said quietly.
He toed the sopping rag back toward the puddle, hoping to keep the water from spreading any further.
“Nah, the guy who owns the building is a jerk and will give Baa-chan an earful if he thinks I’ve flooded his place.”
She nodded slowly. She forgot, Tsunade had gotten a place for him. She wondered now if they paid for it too.
Naruto seemed to recall himself.
“Hey, do you want some dinner? I just got ramen, and I know you like ramen.” There was a stab of silence. “Or, at least, I heard you do.”
“Who told you that?” she said with a snort.
“I don’t know,” he flubbed, walking back around her, mentally kicking himself. “Just heard it somewhere.”
But Sakura was saved from giving him an answer. Naruto picked up the stack of boxes from another huge puddle on the countertop. The bottom box was waterlogged, and water was seeping up through the next two.
He let out a frustrated groan. Sakura couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I just came by to return your cloak,” she said, holding out the folded fabric which she’d nearly forgotten she’d wedged under her arm when she leaned against his door. It was warm in her hands.
“Oh yeah. I’d completely forgotten about it.” He took the cloak and casually held it against his chest. But something about it drew his attention.
Without another thought, he breathed deeply the air above the folded garment.
“Smells like you,” he said softly. He looked up at her, blue eyes clear and wide. It made Sakura feel transparent. The corner of his mouth tugged up into a lopsided grin.
Sakura’s cheeks went suddenly hot. There was no way he could have known that she had done the same exact thing. But she felt like he knew it, just the same. That nervous tightness was returning to her gut. She had to get out of here.
Sakura turned toward the door, ready to make a hasty exit, but stopped at the sight of the watery mess.
It would be rude of her to leave. Not that she wanted to stay, but she really wanted to treat him like anyone else she knew. And if he were any other shinobi, she’d certainly offer to help clean up. Not run off in ridiculous embarrassment.
She turned back. “Uh, can I help you clean any of this up?”
“Nah,” he said coming around to her. She stepped closer to the door. “I’ll bring ’em back, have them clean up their mess.”
She was just twisting back the door handle when she paused, remembering the mystery of his extra chakra.
Naruto hopscotched over the puddles to get beside her. He slid a hand up the doorframe, still regarding her warmly.
Sakura tried to ignore how close he was, never looking too long at the grey flecks in his eyes, and absolutely refused to breathe too deeply for fear that he would smell as woodsy and reassuring as his cloak.
“Hey, we should go out for ramen some time,” Naruto said, trying to look casual, even as the water was seeping into his shoes.
Sakura glanced away, flustered by his easy directness. But she had a burst of inspiration. Maybe this could work out in her favor. A calculating smile lit up her face.
“Sure! And maybe then you could tell me about how you have all this extra chakra!”
Naruto looked stricken. His easy smile slipped, he laughed nervously. Sakura watched with smug satisfaction. She had guessed right: That was way more than he bargained for.
“Well, I don’t think…. I mean…. That is…. I, uh….”
But for Sakura, his secrecy at least returned some of her equilibrium. She couldn’t trust him. At all. It didn’t matter how good he smelled.
And really, she was relieved. Because if he’d agreed to tell her more, then she would have had to say yes. And the strange feelings she had toward him were nothing she wanted to develop further. She’d find another way to uncover his secrets.
“Thanks for the cloak,” she said dryly, cutting off any further discussion.
Sakura opened the door. Apparently the towel trick hadn’t worked. There was already quite a puddle on the landing, and more water was steadily dripping down from the doorstep.
“Yeah, sure,” he said, deflated. He watched her until she disappeared down the steps. Then he closed the door. It was going to be a long night.
Naruto turned around, surveying the dripping apartment. With a swish of his hand, two identical copies popped up in front of him. Both sheepishly rubbing the backs of their necks.
“Sorry boss.”
“Yeah sorry.”
“We’ll get right to work cleaning this up.”
“Hey, she was cute.”
“Yeah, is she your—”
“Just shut up and clean up this mess.”
Author’s notes:
So, I have all these future scenes just sitting on my computer, waiting to come to light. And I thought I might as well give everyone a taste of what was coming, and what better time to do it than as a thank you for 500 reviews! I am truly blown away by amazing responses. I know I say it a lot, but I’m so grateful to have people who look forward to reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it.
Preview chapter notes:
So posting a preview from several chapters down the line, after lots of plot twists and character development, is a tricky thing. But I think this preview can stand on it’s own with minimal explanation. However, to preserve the suspense of the story, there will be some things I can touch on, and other points I simply can’t.
Also, if the characterizations seem too harsh, too trusting, too…whatever…please understand that this in from the future, after lots of development that hasn’t yet occurred in the main story. But hopefully the motivations behind their actions will still shine through.
Things I can reveal:
• So, this preview is set in the future, a few years out from the current timeline. Naruto has returned to Konoha, and Sakura doesn’t trust him. And she feels completely alone in that except for Sasuke.
• Yes, there is a conflict or conflicts going on around them. It’s not an all out war, but Konoha is battling on several fronts. Though it’s not so overwhelming yet that all teams are required on the field at all times. Thus the battle scene, followed by the more relaxed village scene.
• Sakura has grown into a strong no-nonsense shinobi, and she has successfully bonded with her team, as seen through the little interaction with Sasuke. And Sasuke, even in this universe, harbors that latent rivalry/jealousy toward Naruto. Some things never change! lol
• Many other rookies make appearances too, and the future section of this story will focus around Konoha and it’s environs. So many more familiar faces to come.
• Both Sakura and Naruto have put their pasts behind them. But only Naruto seems to be aware of his long ago connection to Sakura. Hmmm…. However they both are encountering their own struggles in reaching some common ground.
• Clones aren’t truly a “desperation tactic” in the manga. But I needed to illustrate Sakura’s shock here. His tactics would be unheard of. No one uses clones the way Naruto does!
• If you remember, Naruto’s clones in this story are an unruly lot. He has this great power of being able to make clones, but the drawback is that each one has some little facet of his personality. And most of them, as you can see, are just dying for a good brawl. They also have short-term memory. They may not always remember who Sakura is, but you can bet that they always think she’s cute. Drives the real Naruto crazy too!
• Oh yeah…. This preview foreshadows an event that hasn’t happened yet, but will come up in the next chapter. The bit about the ramen! So would that be a flash-forward, flashback, foreshadow!? Lol!
Things I won’t be revealing: What happened to Katsuro; how did Naruto get to Konoha; what changes have occurred in the lives of Sakura, Sasuke, Sai, etc; where is Itachi and the Akatsuki. Don’t ask me. I’m not gonna tell ya!
Next time, back to where we left off, with Katsuro and Sakura at the cherry blossom festival. Chapter 27: The Festival, Part 2.
01 Aug 2011 No Comments
Chapter 26 – Special Sneak Preview
Author’s note: This chapter is a preview from several chapters ahead in this story’s timeline. It contains several characters that have not made an appearance yet — including the one you’ve been waiting for! It’s my way of saying thank you for 500+ reviews! So, I hope you enjoy!
The green light at the edge of her hands flickered ominously. With a deep, steadying breath, Sakura pulled out even more energy and forced it around her hands. It worked. The glow of chakra returned.
The ragged wound on the young nin’s shoulder wasn’t healing as nicely as she’d like, but it would have to do. These skirmishes were coming so quick these days, they barely had time to heal from their losses before responding to another desperate plea for help. And Sakura had been moving with them, healing everyone who needed it. Reinforcements were coming, but not fast enough.
She helped the teen to his feet. Though he was not yet a chunin, he was capable enough. Sakura well remembered being that age. It was only five years ago, but it might as well have been a lifetime. But, this kid was strong too. As she had been. He’d live to fight many more battles. With a tight nod, the youth headed off with his waiting team.
A branch cracked in the woods behind her. She turned quickly — too quickly — and stopped with a little wobble. Chakra exhaustion. Shit. And there would certainly be more to heal.
Familiar faces appeared, dirty and blood smeared. Neji, Kiba. Lee. A handful of chunins from the years after her. She hadn’t bothered to learn their names. But it was the one in the back who made her stomach turn in knots.
Coming out of the forest shadows, his cold blue eyes fixed her with a serious gaze. She never trusted the way they seemed to reflect the light in even the darkest places. Or how he always seemed to look at her as if he was looking for something to be revealed. Like a weakness. She realized he must have seen her sway momentarily.
Damn him. Sakura jerked her head sharply to the injured. She pointedly ignored him — he was probably hoping to unnerve her by still watching — and bent to start on the worst of the new wounds.
She focused on her task, eyes filling with the green glow from her hands, but her mind wandered as it always did when he was around.
“Naruto,” her mind whispered above the buzz of chakra and rote healing techniques.
She knew nothing about him. She could never trust him like the rest of her compatriots had grown to. Nor could she accept him so easily as Tsunade had. A long-lost Leaf nin miraculously returned to the fold? She doubted it.
Sakura knew she would never trust anyone who had any association with Itachi. And as such, she would never trust Naruto. And he must have understood it too. Because he watched her so closely.
She sat back, letting one nin get up and another take his place. Wiping her brow, she glanced to her hand. Trembling. Four or five more injuries then she’d have no choice but to stop. She could only pray there would be no more incoming wounds.
A quick glance around showed her only a few more in need of serious treatment. Blue eyes snagged hers. He had noticed her shaky hands. His brows wrinkled with concern.
Sakura’s face burned with anger. She certainly didn’t need his pity either! She’d seen a hell of a lot worse than some minor chakra depletion.
She worked furiously over the next wounds, healing at surprisingly fast clip, given the amount of time she’d already been at work. But her racing thoughts spurred her on.
She would rather have him acting like the enemy she knew he had to be, than someone who cared one jot about her. He was a mystery. And just when she thought she’d nailed him down as a spy on a secret mission, he would show some other side that had her rethinking what she knew. She wanted to believe in Tsunade. And sometimes that look in his eyes…well she couldn’t deny that sometimes it went right through her. Like he really was reading her thoughts, searching out her secrets. And that made her even angrier. Not even Sasuke made her feel that way. Not even— She shook her head, banishing the stray thought. She promised herself never to think about the past.
Naruto unnerved her. And she hated it.
Last patient healed, Sakura stood swiftly. She needed to put some space between herself and the object of her most troubling thoughts. But the quick movement sent her reeling. She took two steps and reached for a tree, flattening her palm against the bark until her equilibrium returned. She desperately needed to rest. Cringing inwardly, she could also guess that this slip was not missed.
She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head lightly.
“You need to rest,” a serious voice sounded beside her bowed head.
Cracking open her eyes, she saw that look that made her furious. Concern.
Naruto leaned close to her, studying her face. His eyes held that pale glow they always did, but his blond hair was dimmed with the grime of hard battle. Blood was dried in thick clumps at his neck, a testament to some hidden wound. A purple bruise was blossoming along his jawline.
He raised a hand her shoulder, intent on helping her, when Sakura noticed the bloody bandages around his hand.
Defiantly, Sakura summoned all her strength and pushed off the tree before he could reach her. “And you still need to be healed.”
His face closed off to her, but he didn’t step back. They both knew what he’d say. They’d been through this before. It was another reason she refused to trust him.
He shook his head slowly, never breaking eye contact. “I don’t need to be healed.”
Something in Sakura snapped. Feelings, pent up for so long, bubbled to the surface. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes.
“Why? Why won’t you let me—” she demanded, but her voice cracked at the end. She was mad at him and herself now.
If she couldn’t control her damn emotions, then she certainly wouldn’t give him that satisfaction of seeing this momentary weakness. She moved to sidestep him, but she swayed dangerously.
Naruto seemed to be expecting it. He stepped with her, ready to catch her if she dropped. She tried to push him away, but the swipe of her hand nearly knocked her off balance. She grabbed his arm involuntarily.
Naruto was unfazed. He had already unfastened his cloak, and in the moment she steadied herself he wrapped it around her shoulders. Sakura felt the weight of impending defeat: She knew she was truly exhausted. But she wasn’t going to give in yet.
She tried to shrug off the cloak. “Don’t…. Don’t—” she bit out. The little flare of anger finally giving her control over her emotions.
But Naruto continued undaunted. He slipped the cloak under her hands, edging it closer around her neck, while gently propelling her toward a soft patch of moss at the base of a large tree.
“You’re exhausted, and I—”
“Don’t try to be nice to me,” she said, determined to hurl her last bit of energy at him. “If you won’t let me heal you, then why should I accept this?” She tugged hopelessly at the cloak which was already fastened at her neck. The weariness was seeping into her bones. She would never admit it to him, but sleep was exactly what she needed.
He seemed to understand anyway. He pointed to he cool spot and, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, helped her down steadily. Sakura was simply too tired to fight.
She settled on her side, the moss surprisingly soft under the cloak. She breathed deeply, her muscles and joints relaxing.
Naruto tucked the cloak around her legs, her arms, her neck. When she was settled, he brushed the hair back out of her face.
Though he knew he shouldn’t, he let his hand linger in her hair. He leaned closer to her ear.
“I have a lot of chakra, and I just don’t need to be healed. Don’t waste your energy on me,” he said softly. “Trust me, Sakura. It’s my loss, not yours.”
She turned suddenly at his words and looked up into his face. He moved back only a little, his hand still loosely cupping her head. Their faces were very close.
Sakura studied him openly. He was a mystery to her. Part of her wanted to hate him, just for choosing Itachi. But she couldn’t deny that part of her wanted to trust him, to see him the way Tsunade and Kakashi did. She wondered sometimes what it would be like if she had met him under different circumstances.
If they had just been two shinobi, growing up together in Konoha. Her eyes roved over him. The sunny blond hair, always falling over his forehead. The grey-blue in his eyes, that only revealed itself in the right light.
Would she know him by heart, like she knew Sasuke and Sai? Then, would she be able to read his expressions and decipher his thoughts? Because it did seem like there was always something going on beneath surface. Especially when he looked at her the way he did now. As if he was searching for something. It was a troubling familiarity.
But that was the trouble. She didn’t know anything about him. He may be a Leaf nin, but she hadn’t grown up with him. And she absolutely could not trust him. She’d learned that lesson long ago.
Naruto’s hand had stilled in her hair. He openly studied her, eyes lingering over her face, her cheeks, her mouth….
But the thin puff of breath hinted at the direction of his thoughts. Sakura felt the pulse of air on her lips. Her stomach went tight, and her mouth tingled traitorously.
No, no, no. She didn’t want this. Anything but this.
She tipped her chin down just a fraction, away from him.
‘Please don’t, please don’t,’ her mind chanted desperately.
And, almost as if he’d heard her, his open expression closed. The fingers slide out of her hair, and he sat back against the tree.
“Get some sleep,” he said quietly. “I’ll keep watch.”
Sakura wished she didn’t feel the quickening of her pulse, the tightness in her gut, or the ridiculous sense of disappointment when he pulled away so suddenly, leaving only the cold air to rush in where he had been. She cursed her chakra-exhausted mind. It was distorting everything around her. Making her feel things she knew she didn’t. She rolled back onto her side and pulled the cloak tightly around her.
She didn’t expect to rest, but detaching from all her responsibilities slowly worked its magic. The soft ground, the concealing cloak, even his persistence in remaining beside her all helped her feel safe enough to unwind. And if she was to continue to do her duty as a med-nin, then she had to find some rest in the midst of these skirmishes. He’d found her a way.
She yawned and finally gave in, making herself comfortable in the cloak, breathing in the damp woodland air. And sooner than she would have ever guessed, her view of his bent legs blurred into nothingness.
Naruto glanced down at her unmoving form, sure she was finally asleep. Leaning back against the rough tree trunk, he cursed his own weak will. This wasn’t the girl he knew, and he shouldn’t look for her. He promised himself he’d let her go.
But seeing her laying there wrapped up in his cloak, feeling put out because she couldn’t help him, well, it was just too much. He had only wanted to reassure her, maybe even touch her. But it wasn’t the same.
That day, so long ago, under the tree on a grassy hilltop, in the summer, in the sun — well, she wasn’t that girl. And he, in fact, wasn’t the boy he was then.
She was a hardened shinobi, like all the rest of them, exhausted and bloody, trying to catch a few hours of sleep before she would have to do it all again. And there were no clouds in her eyes.
He let his head tip back against the tree. It didn’t matter anyway, he lied to himself.
A annoying buzzing sound kept winging past her face. Sakura groggily batted at it, but it she only succeeded in knocking back the dark fabric which had blocked out the morning light. She blinked into the sudden glare, disoriented for a moment.
Panic set in. She had slept more than a few hours. Where was everyone? Where was Naruto?
Shino’s quiet voice preceded the crunch of his footsteps.
“Ah, you’re awake. Good. We’ll be moving soon.”
Sakura propped herself up, rubbed her eyes, her irritation growing as the scenario became clear.
“Naruto asked me to keep an eye on you,” he said flatly.
Now that pissed her off. She knew she shouldn’t have trusted his kind gesture. He must have dumped her off as soon as he could.
“So we were left behind?” she said bitterly, kicking off the cloak to stand.
“No, not exactly….” At that moment Hinata dropped into the clearing, along with a few of her shinobi clansmen.
Sakura bit her lip, understanding slowly dawning on her. Naruto had waited for the backup team, tacitly moving her to their squad to give her more time to sleep.
Well, she was still too groggy to be grateful, but it did make her feel a little better. She moved to leave the clearing with the backup squad.
“Sakura-san,” Hinata said politely. “You forgot your cloak.” She pointed behind her, at the pile of dark fabric on the flattened moss.
“Oh. Yeah.” It was her cloak now, wasn’t it? She scooped it up and shoved it into her pack, ignoring her troubled feelings about the cloak’s real owner. She’d sort it out when she rejoined them.
Sakura pushed on with the back-up team, securing the areas behind the forward squad, but she did not see Naruto again that day, or the next.
Sakura picked up the perfectly folded cloak. It had spent the better part of a week on the corner of her table, laying there in all it’s blackness. Reminding her of that night, and him.
She needed to return it. And she knew, deep down, she needed to thank him. If she had not slept on that mission, then she would have been useless or worse. The inability to perform her duty might have cost a life.
So why couldn’t she bring herself to feel truly grateful? If it were anyone else, she knew she would.
Sakura plunked the cloak back down, resolve slipping. Maybe she could put off another day….
She dropped her hands to her hips, looking at the rumpled pile of fabric. She wished she felt normal about him, like everyone else apparently did. Truthfully, she wished she could just forget about him, never thinking of him until he was right in front of her. Like every other shinobi she knew. But Naruto plagued her thoughts.
Sasuke was the one who first brought her attention to it. And then she’d just chalked it up to some inflated rivalry.
“Naruto has an uncanny sense about you, you know. Like he is connect to you,” Sasuke said cooly, watching her face. Sakura just rolled her eyes. But he persisted. “Do you know, I no longer have to look for you when we’re all summoned. I can find you by where he is standing.”
Sakura just laughed. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
But Sasuke’s face was blank mask, still waiting for her response. He cocked an eyebrow, as if her silence meant she was hiding something.
“Don’t look at me like that! You know I don’t want to have anything to do with him. And I don’t know why anyone else does either,” she grumbled. Her teammate finally smiled, his dark eyes glinting, pleased that they were still in agreement.
But Sasuke had cursed her with the notion. And now she was inclined to agree. It did seem like Naruto felt some connection to her. He was always around, like a boat on the water, either pulling towards her or away in response to her.
She found herself thinking about Naruto more than even Sasuke. And she certainly wouldn’t tell her teammate about this latest incident.
If only she knew a little more about Naruto. Just enough to squelch her questions. To finally decide, for good, whether he was a threat or not.
And to put an end to those distracting feelings which only he seemed to bring about.
Sakura picked up the cloak again, twisting it slightly, imagining the person who wore it. She wished she could be like the cloak, go with him everywhere and learn his secrets. But she couldn’t. And it was foolish and childish to stand here, daydreaming about someone’s clothing.
She shook it out a little, deciding to refold it and be on her way. But the movement sent a light, woodsy fragrance up from it’s rippling cloth.
Impulsively, she brought the collar up to her nose, hoping a sniff of obviously male stench would cure her of this distraction. He’d just be another stinky shinobi, like all the rest she knew.
Well, not Sasuke. But he was different in all things, she supposed.
She sniffed the collar. Yeah, it smelled like him. What did she expect? It was warm, masculine, a not-unpleasant mix of sweat and forest floor.
But it didn’t turn her stomach as she had hoped. Instead, it brought back the memories of a few nights ago. In the woods, exhausted, burrowing down in the warmth of the cloak and giving over to sleep. If she were honest with herself, it reminded her of feeling safe.
Medically, she knew that scent was the strongest memory inducer. But this was ridiculous. When had she become so close to him that she could discern his smell? And assign emotions to it?
Coming to her senses, Sakura hastily folded it up. She was immensely glad that no one was there to see her, sniffing someone’s cloak and obsessing over it like a school girl.
She tucked the square of fabric under her arm and set off for her errands, intent on disposing of the troublesome garment first. But she remembered she also needed to speak to him. Thank him. She took one look at the direction of his apartment and went the other way. She’d feel better about it later, she told herself, after she’d taken care of her other tasks.
But later never came. And in the early evening, everything else done, she slowly climbed the crumbling steps of his apartment building.
It was a modern building, but very run down. She bet he didn’t care, though. Sakura walked slowly down the covered walkway, past the peeling doors, to the last one she knew to be his.
She knocked once. No one came. She blew out a long, low breath.
Great. A day’s worth of worrying, and he’s not even here.
Sakura was about to turn and go, more mad at herself than anything, when she heard a strange thudding noise inside. She frowned and tipped forward to listen.
Another plunking noise echoed out, like something was slammed on the floor.
“See, I told you before you’re doing it wrong!” Naruto’s voice raged from inside.
Sakura’s eyes went wide. She held her breath and leaned closer to the door.
There was another muffled noise, another voice. Whatever had happened, it must have made Naruto furious.
“No one’s supposed to know we’re here, dammit! You’re fucking up the whole plan!”
Sakura’s mouth dropped open. She forgot about the cloak and pushed her ear against the door.
Stuff started crashing inside. Naruto was going after somebody, and it didn’t sound good. But Sakura was thrilled. Maybe she’d finally discover the truth about him!
Ear smashed against the door, Sakura was listening so intently she almost didn’t register another person approaching at the end of the long walk. She blinked in slow surprise.
The object of her eavesdropping was coming up the steps. Naruto had a sack of takeout boxes in one hand and was pulling his keys out with the other. He had just fanned them out and was setting his foot on the top step when he saw her.
Sakura leaned away from the door slowly. It was clear she had been listening, her shoulder was still pressed against the door, as was her hand, but she tipped her head to the side in confusion. She could still hear his voice inside.
However the Naruto in front of her seemed to instantly understand what was going on. He frowned thunderously and dashed straight for her. Sakura shot back from the door, hands up in defense. She had found something out about him. What was he going to do now? Her mind switched gears: She had no weapons, and there was no where to go from here but down. She’d just have to rely on her strength to—
Instead of attacking her, however, he jammed his key in the lock and threw back the door.
Water dripped from the ceiling. Trash littered the floor; the empty basket that once held it rolled on it’s side nearby.
Suddenly, from behind a futon, a fist flung through the air. A blond head reeled back, followed by a second flash of yellow hair. Then, a loud, painful “oomph.”
Sakura couldn’t believe what she was seeing: There, in the middle of his apartment, were two perfectly identical Narutos. In an all-out fist fight.
Directly in front of her, the newly arrived Naruto cursed. A sopping wet mop head arced over the couch. From the doorway, Sakura was actually hit with a spray of water. But it couldn’t be nearly as bad as whoever was on the receiving end of that wet smack. There were angry sounds of vengeance after that one.
Naruto stomped through the doorway. Craning her neck to look past him, Sakura noticed a full bucket of water had been overturned and was slowly moving toward the door. More water was running from somewhere inside. She followed him in without invitation, moving out of sheer curiousity.
Naruto splashed across his apartment, snatching up the empty basket and overturned bucket as he went.
“I gave you a list! That’s all you had to do! Just stick to the list!”
The two replicas of Naruto popped up from behind the futon, letting go of each other’s collars and scrambling to standing.
“Sorry boss,” one said.
“Yeah, sorry.” The second one jerked his thumb at his partner. “He was too busy talking, not working.”
“What!” the first one shrieked, balling up his fist.
But his counterpart was only baiting him. Using the opening, he threw a punch. The other dodged it. However the momentum sent both slipping on the puddled water.
Sakura winced. She could barely watch them crash and do more damage. But the loud sound never came. Only two simultaneous popping sounds.
She opened her eyes. The lone Naruto left in the room was just dropping his hand, releasing some jutsu in the nick of time.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he walked slowly around the futon, surveying the damage, avoiding the puddles of water in the uneven floor. He picked up a crumpled, soaked piece of paper.
“The list,” he muttered, then pitched it onto the futon.
She could only see the corner, where something was written in thick black ink:
1. Be Quie—
2. Mop
Were they…. Were they clones?
Setting the bag of takeout down on the counter, Naruto darted across the small kitchen and turned off the water.
“More work to do now than when I left,” she heard him grumble.
Sakura found her voice.
“They were clones? You had clones doing work while you went to…to get dinner?”
When he reappeared, he had the good grace to look a little embarrassed.
Sakura was amazed. How did he have enough chakra to make clones, then leave? And not just be around, but leave…go away. And have enough chakra to make two, then set them to menial tasks? How was it possible?
One clone was a feat. It took years of training. And the drain on the system offset any marginal usefulness. Clones were usually a desperation tactic.
“I told you, I have a lot of chakra,” he said with a laugh, brushing it off.
Her eyes went wide. That would be an understatement.
Suddenly, Naruto grabbed a dishrag and dashed around her to stop a huge puddle that threatened to spill out the door. Throwing the rag over the puddle he stepped outside, looked back and forth down the hall, then closed the door.
“Don’t want anyone to know….” she said quietly.
He toed the sopping rag back toward the puddle, hoping to keep the water from spreading any further.
“Nah, the guy who owns the building is a jerk and will give Baa-chan an earful if he thinks I’ve flooded his place.”
She nodded slowly. She forgot, Tsunade had gotten a place for him. She wondered now if they paid for it too.
Naruto seemed to recall himself.
“Hey, do you want some dinner? I just got ramen, and I know you like ramen.” There was a stab of silence. “Or, at least, I heard you do.”
“Who told you that?” she said with a snort.
“I don’t know,” he flubbed, walking back around her, mentally kicking himself. “Just heard it somewhere.”
But Sakura was saved from giving him an answer. Naruto picked up the stack of boxes from another huge puddle on the countertop. The bottom box was waterlogged, and water was seeping up through the next two.
He let out a frustrated groan. Sakura couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I just came by to return your cloak,” she said, holding out the folded fabric which she’d nearly forgotten she’d wedged under her arm when she leaned against his door. It was warm in her hands.
“Oh yeah. I’d completely forgotten about it.” He took the cloak and casually held it against his chest. But something about it drew his attention.
Without another thought, he breathed deeply the air above the folded garment.
“Smells like you,” he said softly. He looked up at her, blue eyes clear and wide. It made Sakura feel transparent. The corner of his mouth tugged up into a lopsided grin.
Sakura’s cheeks went suddenly hot. There was no way he could have known that she had done the same exact thing. But she felt like he knew it, just the same. That nervous tightness was returning to her gut. She had to get out of here.
Sakura turned toward the door, ready to make a hasty exit, but stopped at the sight of the watery mess.
It would be rude of her to leave. Not that she wanted to stay, but she really wanted to treat him like anyone else she knew. And if he were any other shinobi, she’d certainly offer to help clean up. Not run off in ridiculous embarrassment.
She turned back. “Uh, can I help you clean any of this up?”
“Nah,” he said coming around to her. She stepped closer to the door. “I’ll bring ’em back, have them clean up their mess.”
She was just twisting back the door handle when she paused, remembering the mystery of his extra chakra.
Naruto hopscotched over the puddles to get beside her. He slid a hand up the doorframe, still regarding her warmly.
Sakura tried to ignore how close he was, never looking too long at the grey flecks in his eyes, and absolutely refused to breathe too deeply for fear that he would smell as woodsy and reassuring as his cloak.
“Hey, we should go out for ramen some time,” Naruto said, trying to look casual, even as the water was seeping into his shoes.
Sakura glanced away, flustered by his easy directness. But she had a burst of inspiration. Maybe this could work out in her favor. A calculating smile lit up her face.
“Sure! And maybe then you could tell me about how you have all this extra chakra!”
Naruto looked stricken. His easy smile slipped, he laughed nervously. Sakura watched with smug satisfaction. She had guessed right: That was way more than he bargained for.
“Well, I don’t think…. I mean…. That is…. I, uh….”
But for Sakura, his secrecy at least returned some of her equilibrium. She couldn’t trust him. At all. It didn’t matter how good he smelled.
And really, she was relieved. Because if he’d agreed to tell her more, then she would have had to say yes. And the strange feelings she had toward him were nothing she wanted to develop further. She’d find another way to uncover his secrets.
“Thanks for the cloak,” she said dryly, cutting off any further discussion.
Sakura opened the door. Apparently the towel trick hadn’t worked. There was already quite a puddle on the landing, and more water was steadily dripping down from the doorstep.
“Yeah, sure,” he said, deflated. He watched her until she disappeared down the steps. Then he closed the door. It was going to be a long night.
Naruto turned around, surveying the dripping apartment. With a swish of his hand, two identical copies popped up in front of him. Both sheepishly rubbing the backs of their necks.
“Sorry boss.”
“Yeah sorry.”
“We’ll get right to work cleaning this up.”
“Hey, she was cute.”
“Yeah, is she your—”
“Just shut up and clean up this mess.”
Author’s notes:
So, I have all these future scenes just sitting on my computer, waiting to come to light. And I thought I might as well give everyone a taste of what was coming, and what better time to do it than as a thank you for 500 reviews! I am truly blown away by amazing responses. I know I say it a lot, but I’m so grateful to have people who look forward to reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it.
Preview chapter notes:
So posting a preview from several chapters down the line, after lots of plot twists and character development, is a tricky thing. But I think this preview can stand on it’s own with minimal explanation. However, to preserve the suspense of the story, there will be some things I can touch on, and other points I simply can’t.
Also, if the characterizations seem too harsh, too trusting, too…whatever…please understand that this in from the future, after lots of development that hasn’t yet occurred in the main story. But hopefully the motivations behind their actions will still shine through.
Things I can reveal:
• So, this preview is set in the future, a few years out from the current timeline. Naruto has returned to Konoha, and Sakura doesn’t trust him. And she feels completely alone in that except for Sasuke.
• Yes, there is a conflict or conflicts going on around them. It’s not an all out war, but Konoha is battling on several fronts. Though it’s not so overwhelming yet that all teams are required on the field at all times. Thus the battle scene, followed by the more relaxed village scene.
• Sakura has grown into a strong no-nonsense shinobi, and she has successfully bonded with her team, as seen through the little interaction with Sasuke. And Sasuke, even in this universe, harbors that latent rivalry/jealousy toward Naruto. Some things never change! lol
• Many other rookies make appearances too, and the future section of this story will focus around Konoha and it’s environs. So many more familiar faces to come.
• Both Sakura and Naruto have put their pasts behind them. But only Naruto seems to be aware of his long ago connection to Sakura. Hmmm…. However they both are encountering their own struggles in reaching some common ground.
• Clones aren’t truly a “desperation tactic” in the manga. But I needed to illustrate Sakura’s shock here. His tactics would be unheard of. No one uses clones the way Naruto does!
• If you remember, Naruto’s clones in this story are an unruly lot. He has this great power of being able to make clones, but the drawback is that each one has some little facet of his personality. And most of them, as you can see, are just dying for a good brawl. They also have short-term memory. They may not always remember who Sakura is, but you can bet that they always think she’s cute. Drives the real Naruto crazy too!
• Oh yeah…. This preview foreshadows an event that hasn’t happened yet, but will come up in the next chapter. The bit about the ramen! So would that be a flash-forward, flashback, foreshadow!? Lol!
Things I won’t be revealing: What happened to Katsuro; how did Naruto get to Konoha; what changes have occurred in the lives of Sakura, Sasuke, Sai, etc; where is Itachi and the Akatsuki. Don’t ask me. I’m not gonna tell ya!
Next time, back to where we left off, with Katsuro and Sakura at the cherry blossom festival. Chapter 27: The Festival, Part 2.
by tricksie in Preview