Reunion
"So, Naruto. You came too." His voice was unmistakable, carrying that distinctive Uchiha authority that seemed to run in their blood. Sasuke stood atop the crater's edge, his silhouette dark against the blazing sun, forcing them all to look up at him. The air grew thick with an overwhelming chakra presence that could only belong to a Uchiha.
The tension between them stretched like a taut wire, years of unspoken words and broken bonds compressed into a single moment. Their eyes met - blue against obsidian - and in that brief exchange, both understood that nothing and everything had changed since their last encounter.
Sakura's presence nearby only amplified the weight of the moment, her hands trembling slightly at her sides. The Team 7 reunion they had all dreamed of was nothing like the countless scenarios they had imagined during those long three years. Instead of warmth, there was only cold calculation in Sasuke's eyes as he surveyed his former teammates.
Each attempt at reaching him, each word spoken, seemed to bounce off an invisible wall of indifference. The distance between them wasn't just physical - it was an abyss of ideology and purpose. Finally, Sasuke's patience wore thin, his expression hardening as he looked down at the village's shinobi with unconcealed disdain.
And there he was, in a blink of an eye, once again by Naruto’s side. This time though, not as a comrade, but as an enemy, with his sword unsheathed. Sai moved quickly and shortly after so did others. Sasuke and Naruto clashed again when darkness enveloped their space. They hadn’t moved for a while, deep in Kyuubi’s domain, until finally Sasuke broke off and rematerialised on top of the ledge where they had first seen each other, putting himself at a safe distance from the group.
"Konoha," he spat the word like poison, "I've had enough of you guys."
Sasuke was ready. He attacked without warning. In an instant, Orochimaru materialized behind him, halting the young Uchiha mid-strike. Impatience and cold hatred, which Sasuke had masked with an indifferent expression, now surfaced on his face—a detail Naruto did not miss. Naruto wanted to turn on his heel and walk away, but Orochimaru gripped his wrist firmly.
"Don't bother with that jutsu… Sasuke"
"Let go of me"
"If…"
"Maybe we should just get to the point and tell him the truth..." Sai's voice broke the tense silence, noting the others' hesitation to confront Sasuke. Sakura, Yamato, and Naruto exchanged pained glances.
"Shut up!" Sakura hissed, though she knew Sai was right.
"What could they possibly..." Sasuke began, spitting out the words in frustration, then stopped mid-sentence as a flicker of hope timidly awoke within him. He fell silent, turning his head in anticipation.
"Sasuke, it would be wise of you to listen to what they have to say," Orochimaru pronounced firmly.
"Fine," Naruto muttered after a tense pause holding Sasuke's gaze, lowering his head. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve to keep more tears at bay. The failure of his mission was slowly dawning on him. Reaching into his backpack, he carefully pulled something out. Sasuke watched intently, fists clenched.
"We know where Izumi is being held," Naruto began, lifting a scroll. "She's alive."
Sasuke felt as if he'd been struck by an unimaginable jutsu, his heart stopping for a moment before resuming its beating with full force, taking his breath away. He clenched his fists and jaw to suppress any reaction on his face. Yet he blinked and swallowed, his interest returning along with the vivid image of a smiling but oh-so-annoying black-haired girl, covered in mud after hours of ninja training in the forest and throwing shuriken. Orochimaru couldn't shake off the feeling that young Uchiha's energy had changed exactly as if he had told about his older brother.
The face of an older, more serious girl who suddenly held so many secrets within her. Years spent with Orochimaru, the deepening loneliness that only she understood, the loss of beloved family, the only ones close to him, and that pure deep need for revenge. Something that Naruto could never understand. He would never be able to feel what he and Izumi felt, that deep despair, would never be able to connect with him truly. His hatred and contempt for Uzumaki deepened the longer the boy couldn't give up chasing after Sasuke. The more he hated him, the stronger he felt the emptiness of missing that one person whose single glance was enough to know that this one person truly understood him.
That same person whom he’s been rejecting and keeping at a distance all these years. Being too blinded by hatred for Itachi to let any softness inside, for the fear of failing in pursuing his revenge. Would she make him weaker? Would he stray from his path eventually not becoming as strong as he needed to be?
“If you want her to survive, don't try to find us.” Akira's last words echoed through his head, piercing with a familiar hiss of threat. Her sister was alive.
Besides, where Izumi is, Itachi is there too.
And there lies his revenge.
The cavern had become a grotesque tableau of devastation—a battlefield strewn with the remnants of shattered puppets and scorched earth. The air hung thick with the acrid stench of burning wood and seared metal, a pungent reminder of the fierce combat that had transpired. Sakura, her body battered and breath ragged, stood her ground beside the indomitable Chiyo. The elder's hands moved with practised precision, orchestrating a macabre ballet as she guided the remaining puppets in a synchronized dance of destruction.
Sasori, now cornered and driven to desperation, unleashed his final, frenzied attack. But Sakura, summoning her last reserves of strength, delivered a swift and powerful strike. The resounding crack that followed signalled the shattering of Sasori's core puppet, its wooden frame splintering into a thousand fragments.
In the fleeting moment before her devastating blow connected, something had been amiss. Perhaps it was this—a split second of hesitation—that created the opening the pink-haired kunoichi had exploited so effectively.
‘Damn that bitch Izumi... may she rot in hell,’ Sasori cursed, his face contorted with undisguised astonishment. His words did not escape the keen ears of his adversaries. In a crucial instant, one of the chakra threads manipulating his puppet army had snagged and snapped. From several marionettes at its end, moths began to emerge, their presence wreaking havoc on the delicate mechanisms. A seemingly inconsequential detail, yet it proved sufficient to turn the tide.
‘What did you say? Izumi?’ Sakura exclaimed, scarcely believing her ears. But there was no time for contemplation; action was imperative.
Sasori's heart—the last vestige of his humanity—shot from the chest of his lifeless puppet, seeking refuge in one of the remaining marionettes. Its goal: to reanimate and deliver a final, lethal blow to the elderly Chiyo. Sakura, in a display of selfless courage that visibly impressed even the puppet master, intercepted the attack with her own body.
“What does Izumi have to do with this battle?” Sakura pressed, refusing to relent. Every morsel of information extracted from her dying opponent was invaluable.
“Sasori never misstepped in his techniques,” Chiyo observed, peering out from behind Sakura's protective stance. "Someone must have tampered with his equipment. Someone who had intimate knowledge of his secrets."
“Very well, little girl,” Sasori conceded, his voice tinged with resignation. “As a reward for defeating me, I'll share one more secret beyond Orochimaru's whereabouts. You see, for several years, I was entrusted with the care of a girl much like yourself. A troublesome brat, but breathtakingly beautiful—and a jinchūriki, no less.”
“Jinchūriki…” Sakura whispered, her mind immediately conjuring images of Gaara and Naruto. Chiyo's brow furrowed in concern.
“They called her the last heir of Nanusake,” Sasori continued. “She's with us in the Akatsuki now, but in what condition... who knows? Time marches on, and soon it will be her turn to have her demon extracted. What happens after that... well, that depends on you.” With a final, grotesque flourish, the puppets of Sasori's parents pierced his heart, bringing the deadly confrontation to its grim conclusion.
As the dust settled in the cavernous battleground, Sasori's defeated form crumpled to the ground, the fierce glow in his eyes dimming to nothingness. The victory was theirs, but the toll of the battle and the weight of the information gained hung heavily upon their shoulders, a sombre reminder of the challenges yet to come.
Memories of the tumultuous past weeks flashed through Sakura's mind as she watched the confrontation between Naruto and Sasuke, their long-lost friend. The weight of recent events pressed heavily on her heart, each memory more vivid than the last.
She remembered rushing back to Naruto and Kakashi after confirming Sasori's death, her heart pounding with the unexpected news she carried. It hadn't just been Sasori – Deidara had mentioned Izumi to Kakashi and Naruto as well. When Team 7 finally reunited after the battle, the words had tumbled out of all of them at once, their voices overlapping with the same shocking revelation. Even as they completed their mission to save Gaara and prepared to return to the Hidden Leaf, the discovery consumed their thoughts.
Naruto's reaction had been particularly moving – his face had shown both deep concern and unmistakable joy at the news. He couldn't stop theorizing about how they could save Izumi, his eyes shining with that familiar determination. While everyone agreed it was necessary, the shadow of danger loomed over their discussions. They all knew confronting Akatsuki could cost them their lives.
The irony wasn't lost on Sakura. Just before embarking on this mission to retrieve Sasuke, they had visited Izumi's memorial, paying their respects to what they thought was a fallen friend. She could still see the fresh flowers they'd laid there, still feel the solemn weight of their prayers. All this time, the Little Moth had been alive, surviving somewhere in the shadows.
Naruto's passionate words echoed in her memory: "Sasuke left us by choice, but Izumi was taken – that's the difference! If we save Sasuke first, he can help us rescue Izumi. With him, we might actually stand a chance against Akatsuki..." The plan had seemed so logical: find Orochimaru and Sasuke first, then confront Akira and the Akatsuki. This sequence of hopes had kept Team Kakashi moving forward, despite the odds stacked against them.
She watched Naruto now, noting how he struggled to maintain control over his emotions. The pressure of protecting everyone – saving Sasuke, rescuing Izumi, defending Sakura herself – while keeping the Nine-Tails in check was a burden he carried every moment. Yet he persisted, his determination unwavering even in the face of Sasuke's cold indifference.
"You're bluffing." Sasuke challenged Naruto, finally finding his voice.
"Everything is in this scroll." Naruto hesitated, then threw it toward Sasuke as Yamato placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.
"Did you know about this?" Sasuke turned to Orochimaru with a challenging look.
"We had an interesting meeting earlier on the bridge. Let's say I was already briefly informed of this. I knew it would interest you. We both have stakes in this."
"Akatsuki is holding Izumi at their headquarters in Amegakure," Yamato spoke up, still keeping his hand on Naruto's shoulder. For them, perhaps it was too late to bring Sasuke back, at least not now. But if this confrontation meant they would return to Konoha empty-handed, there was still a chance that Sasuke and Orochimaru would rescue the young Nanusake with their own hands. "If the timing is right, they should be preparing for the extraction ritual now."
"They do this with all jinchuriki," Orochimaru added, noting their puzzled looks. "The ritual usually lasts three days, after which the jinchuriki dies."
"If you won't return with us today... It's not too late for you to save her yourself," Naruto added through gritted teeth.