Chapter 4
The night has been the coldest one yet. Sasuke picks up the pace of the wind, his feet touching the rooftops of almost every building in Konoha until it decides to settle on one. The moon is full and suspended as if one leap from where he’s seated is all it takes for its capture.
“Naruto.” He knows his friend does not need trails to follow him. Before he gets to emphasize his preference for solitude, Naruto’s legs cross beside him as he settles down and Sasuke is suddenly a child again unable to unravel the tangle of his emotions.
“Sakura,” Naruto begins, “she has been through a lot.”
The silence that follows is his hint to continue.
“After the war, it was…chaotic. And the medical department had a huge role to play. With so many deaths and twice as many injuries, it was hard to even visit the hospital,” he says after a pause, “I’ve seen her then, Sasuke. I’ve seen her battle a war that could not be won with taijutsu or genjutsu, could not be won by you or me, and I have seen her succeed.”
Seriousness in Naruto is rare and even the surroundings freeze as if caught off-guard by its oddity. The only movement is the soft ruffling of their hair by an occasional winter breeze.
“Well,” he says in his usual cheery tone, “I guess what I’m saying is she’s strong and intelligent enough to make the right decision, whatever that is,” he peers at Sasuke through the corner of his eyes, “Thought you’d want to be reminded that she'll choose what brings her happiness.”
Sasuke does not speak, not yet. Naruto picks himself up from the floor and sighs, expelling a puff of fog as his eyes wander the tops of buildings withholding small cages of light.
“You know,” Naruto’s voice is soft in a way that tells him the words were almost left unsaid, “even amidst all that, whenever she saw me she always asked about you.”
He welcomes the darkness around him, a reliable source of consolation. So is the anonymity and insignificance of their location. He finds himself in need of it because for once, Sasuke’s confidence in maintaining his typical facade of nonchalance falters.
“I would hate myself for not being able to do anything and I couldn’t bring myself to ask her to understand. But I know she did, you know? She never complained. It was always just a question asked just once every time. And it was like she was searching for hope.”
Naruto walks away from him to the other end. Just before his feet part from the floor, he says, “I wish I could say don’t you dare hurt her or get hurt yourself,” a smile is evident in his words, “If only it was that easy.”
With that, Sasuke is alone again.
—
“I think you should break up with Kaito.”
No matter how much Sakura tries, it is impossible to wrap her head around the statement. Ino has never mentioned a dislike towards her boyfriend. She straightens her back against the headrest, trying to decipher Ino’s expressions.
“What?”
When Sakura and Kaito started dating, everyone she knew almost popped balloons singing congratulations for her. She was not stupid enough to assume that this enthusiasm stemmed from their good opinions about him. While Kaito did not seem like a bad person, her friends didn’t know him enough for this verve to be natural. To them, this was her breaking free from waiting for someone who wouldn’t show up, this was her moving on with her life.
“Sai was invited to drinks yesterday with his ANBU friends and—”
Sakura’s eyes narrow, apprehending the look on Ino’s face. If she didn’t know her, she’d think Ino was going to retch. But to Sakura, this is familiar; this is Ino’s face before she starts breaking someone’s skull.
“Ino, tell me what happened.”
And so Ino does.
A worried Ino had come prepared to deal with her friend shaking with rage like herself or at least be immobilized with shock but that is exactly what does not happen. All sentiments seem to have passed Sakura as if through a hollow vessel. She contains no pain or regret, no chaotic breakdowns or long moments taken to organize her thoughts. She is empty and the only thing that claims her is the persistent headache.
“Sakura?” Ino scoots closer to her.
“My head hurts.”
Comforting arms wrap around her. Sakura draws her knees close to her body and shrinks herself against the warmth of her friend’s love. When Ino pats her back, she closes her eyes, promising herself that by tomorrow, she will be ready again. Sakura just needs today, this afternoon to crumble so that she can be remade.
It is to no one’s surprise that Dr. Haruno is back at the hospital by the next morning. With rest, what will normally take a week or two to heal takes her a maximum of a couple of days. A viral fever can only cling onto her self-healing body for a day if it tries with all its might. Her quick return to health is no longer marveled at, the hospital staff are accustomed to it by now. However, in the morning, the title of the Chief brings not only the most comfortable chair at a meeting but also an endless stack of papers that greets Sakura on entering her office. With no surgeries scheduled until later in the day and the queer absence of casualties demanding her immediate attention, she decides to work on them right away. No distractions, she tells herself. Her thoughts do not put up a challenge. She may make bad decisions when it comes to her personal life but one thing that this importunate attribute has taught her is how to deal with it.
The weak afternoon sun hangs outside the window and Sakura is no more than halfway done with the papers when she is interrupted by a knock on her door. The door opens upon her excusal, revealing a rather unexpected visitor.
“Naruto?”
He turns the offer for a seat down, assuring her it will only take a minute.
“Sorry for interrupting your work,” he says, “just wanted to ask if you are free tonight.”
“Tonight? I was on leave yesterday and as you can see,” she gestures to the stacks around her looming like towers, their shadows are ominous fingers on her desk, “there’s much to be done. I don’t think I’ll have time tonight.”
Her attempts at enquiring about what she’s being invited for are continuously neglected save for the one sentence that’s reiterated: Just a dinner Hinata and I are hosting.
“What about tomorrow night? Is that okay?” She asks, reflexively.
Naruto nods with a smile that can brighten the whole village. “Tomorrow night, then. I’ll expect you to be there, Sakura.”
Her eyes fall on the heap that seems to only multiply with time. But when they shoot back to meet her friends, the words that escape her are full of confidence she doesn’t feel.
“I’ll make it work,” she says.
No .
She is going to make this work. Burying herself in work doesn’t have to be the only solution. She gives him a reassuring smile which he returns with warmth.
“Well, sorry again, for interrupting. I’ll see myself out. There’s no point in asking you to take it easy, right?”
“I’ll thank you for asking anyway.”
When the door closes after Naruto, the paperwork seems doable. As for tomorrow night, she will rearrange her night shifts so that she can afford a gap. For now, no distractions.
—
“It’s important.”
“You can just tell me now and I’ll treat it with importance.”
“Just show up.”
Sasuke knows he will give in eventually. He has spent the better part of his life managing to miss almost every social gathering partly because it does not interest him in the slightest and also because of his inability to navigate what is expected of him. Naruto is well aware of his disclination and this is why usually his invitations are tailored to Sasuke’s preference—meaning it will be just the two of them. So, this once, Sasuke doesn’t argue back and nods instead.
The next night finds one among many restaurants owned by Kaito’s family filled with several reserved tables. Naruto and Hinata being hosts, sit in the middle of a long wooden table located away from the main part of the restaurant divided by a half-wall. Heaps of food shine under the light with vanity. Steam arises from the dishes like a ghost, the wisps swirl and bend. Even those who are exempt from the event can’t help but peer at the meal as they pass in the opposite direction.
Sasuke’s entry is rather late. He recognizes no faces other than the hosts’. When Naruto beams at him he realizes that he doesn’t, after all, regret showing up. However, the revelation doesn’t last for long as the place starts filling up at an alarming rate. Naruto being the outgoing friendly person he is, has befriended the entire village and almost everyone who enters the restaurant turns toward the reserved tables, exclaiming at the sight of Konoha’s favorite couple.
Recalling the rare people who greet Sasuke is not a challenge. Although it has been a while since he saw many of them, his memory doesn’t fail him.
“Who’s missing?” Hinata looks around. Sasuke remains silent although the answer is ready on his tongue.
“I don’t see Sakura.” Naruto’s narrowed eyes search the room.
“I’m here!”
She is slightly out of breath when she walks in. Tonight, her hair is pulled into a ponytail save for a few locks that have escaped the hair tie falling onto her face. A trenchcoat is hastened on her hospital scrubs, giving away that she barely arrived before the feast began. He is not sure if their eyes meet. If it does, they don’t linger on him for more than a second. Without thought, she drops her bag on the floor and slips onto the chair in front of her, far away on the other end of Sasuke.
“We’re still missing Ino.”
“Oh, Ino said she’ll be late. She wants you to start without her.” Sakura says.
The clatter of bowls, spoons, and chopsticks begins only shortly after. The beauty of the dishes is consistent from appearance to taste—a testament to the mandatory journey each plate takes around the table at least once. The “mmm” and “wow” are ceaseless.
Sasuke doesn’t see Sakura anymore. With several faces between them, it is impossible to even catch a glimpse of her. The dinner proceeds with ease, the absence of anything requiring his attention is a relief until he hears Hinata who sits facing him hiss.
“Sakura,” she says. The rest is inaudible although he can see her motion towards the outside of the restaurant. Sakura leans forward from the opposite end.
“He’s over there,” Hinata gestures to the same place again before returning to the conversation with her fiance. Naruto’s voice taking over doesn’t let Sasuke to his thoughts.
“Guys, listen.” He says. Only a few heed him, the others completely immersed in their dinner. Naruto clears his throat and tries again, “Guys!”
Every pair of eyes glues to him immediately. He takes Hinata’s hands in his, looking at her with the gentlest gaze which she reciprocates before turning to the guests in front.
“We…have something to announce,” he says. Breaths hold and spoons stop halfway to open mouths. The silence is one saturated with anticipation, like the wait for a kunai to make the final thud against the bullseye.
“I’m pregnant!” Hinata says. A roar of exclamations follows, causing a few patrons’ heads to turn from a distance. Sasuke finds himself at a loss of words. He has no idea how to engage in the conversation or about the right questions to ask, he is not even sure if he wants to be doing this. Perhaps, he should. Perhaps, Naruto expects this of him. When he meets his friend’s gaze, he can’t help but nod, a strange overwhelming joy swelling his heart. He can barely imagine it: loud, clumsy, childish Naruto being a father. But the person smiling at him from across the table has grown to be much more than that. He’s responsible, kind and warm. Everything Sasuke is not. And he’s going to make an excellent father.
Desserts are enjoyed with more enthusiasm as if the sweetness of the freshly revealed news has contributed to its flavor. Amidst the unabating casual conversations now ringing with excitement, Sasuke, managing to dodge any discussion that steers his way, feels Naruto’s eyes on him. On meeting his gaze, his friend briefly tilts his head towards the exit. When Sasuke hesitates, Naruto makes a second gesture of approval: you can go . Waves of relief wash over him.
His retirement is unnoticed by the majority. When he makes his way out, a seated Naruto says under his breath, “Thank you for coming.”
A hotel connected to the restaurant looms behind, hard to miss, especially since he’s taking the exit next to it. This chain of hotels is owned by one of the few business groups that has begun to flourish. Sasuke has seen far-grown cities in his travels but to the people of Konoha, all this is still a novelty. Side by side with the restaurant glows a breathtaking pool, the lighting so cleverly done that one look at it lures the viewer in no matter the chillness of the night. A poolside bar is active with a few men Sasuke doesn’t recognize. He walks past them towards the main exit, inevitably overhearing their conversation.
“—said it himself that day.”
“So doesn’t that mean he cheated?”
Sasuke proceeds forward without concern. It is not his business to pry into the privacy of others nor does he find any particular joy in it.
“It’s fine because he said Sakura doesn’t have a lot to offer in bed anyway.”
Sasuke stops dead in his tracks, forgetting to question why it concerns him now. Laughter erupts from behind him. Did he hear wrong?
A new admission in the discussion conveniently put his doubts to rest.
“Kaito! We were just talking about your immoral ways to meet bedroom needs.”
“That was one time and she didn’t know about it when I proposed. I don’t know how she can reject me. I mean, her breasts aren’t even a handful—”
The sentence is interrupted with pain that tears through the speaker like a sword.
—
The shrieks come a little after Hinata’s announcement: the first one brings vigilance, a precarious silence spreading all over—even the music that felt merry hitherto feels eerie. The muffled fluttering of leaves outside becomes suddenly audible over the stillness. The next scream is accompanied by one produced by the legs of Sakura’s chair.
“That’s…” Naruto’s eyes widen against hers, “Kaito.”
Sakura doesn’t live through the seconds it takes her to reach him, every force propelling her forward. But she is too late: the Kaito she finds is still far—miles, oceans, or dimensions, it is hard to tell—away as he stares into the ink-black pinwheel that sits in its scarlet background. Dread tightens her insides as she watches him, the Magekyou Sharingan hauling him through all his worst nightmares at once.
Sakura doesn’t recognize the sound that escapes her as her own.
“What the hell are you doing!?”
Thud.
Kaito’s body falls limp within the time it takes for the Sharingan to disappear. Sasuke’s eye is pitch-black again like the sky above, with not even a hint of guilt to be seen. There is no evidence for the powers it harbors either; a pall falling on the means to his opponent's most disturbing horrors once again.
“Sasuke!” Naruto shouts. Behind him, gasps arise from a freshly gathered crowd.
“Tell me you didn’t use genjutsu on him.”
The pointlessness of her plea breaks her voice. Sakura’s knees bend, sinking her to the ground next to Kaito. In the background, Naruto’s attempts for an explanation are in vain. Perhaps she should ask for one too but her eyes remain on the trembling body before her. Any emotion that tries to consume her is forced back when her arms extend towards Kaito on their own accord, glowing readily with medical chakra to offer him solace.
“Don’t,” The ease with which the word comes from him is cruel. Heeding him is impossible in the face of someone’s suffering. It is not anger that drives her forward but determination and the certainty that derives from it. The healing chakra is familiar against her palms, urging her to soothe the ailing. She will help him.
“ Don’t ,” each syllable is resolute in his stone-cold voice, “don’t touch him.”
“Why?”
To meet Sasuke’s eyes is to neglect the pain of the patient in front. She won’t do it, she cannot.
“Because he doesn’t deserve you.”
Bearing the weight of his words is as painful as swallowing hard rocks, the jutting sharpness lances through, and it stings all along the way.
“Sasuke, you-” Naruto tries, “you need to tell us more than-”
“You’d be the last person to know anything about me.”
She looks at him once, her voice unwavering this time although the retort came thoughtlessly. For a second, she thinks hurt—raw and unhealed—is so evident on his face that she wonders how she could have missed it all this time. But before a second thought, it is gone again—vanished as if it never existed at all, and its disappearance is exceptionally convincing to the point where Sakura is free to conclude she was mistaken.
It doesn’t matter.
This time, the radiance of the medical chakra on her hands is unmet by any opposition. Personal matters cannot cloud her professional ethics, Tsunade made sure she knew that.
Within seconds, color returns to Kaito’s face and his strained muscles turn lax. Although she has done all she can to relieve his pain, after being struck by genjutsu, rest is the only cure—resting the mind as well as the body as it affects both to a very large extent. With Sasuke’s proficiency, the aftermath of such powerful genjutsu is bound to linger for multiple days if it does not cause permanent damage. Sakura looks up at the thinned crowd and rows of familiar concerned faces stare back at her. Sauke’s absence does not catch her off-guard. She wonders what he must have shown Kaito when a familiar voice cuts through the continuous whispers of the crowd.
“Sakura,” Ino says, “that’s enough.” Relief pours down on her. But she cannot leave him, not like this. Being a doctor, she must see that the patient receives proper treatment.
“We need to take him to the hospital,” she says.
Naruto is about to offer to do it himself when Ino assures him that she has informed the staff and that they are on their way. Sakura's ex-boyfriend constantly avoids her eyes. She would’ve expected as much when he was in pain but now the reason is different. Their last conversation which marked the end of their relationship remains fresh in her memory.
“I was drunk, Sakura, I didn’t-”
“I want to end this.”
“It’s because of him, isn’t it? It’s because you want to-”
“No, Kaito. It’s because of you. I’m breaking up with you because of you.”
“Sakura, they’re here to take him.”
The hospital staff advances causing a rift in the crowd.
“Dr. Haruno, you’ve provided the first aid!”
Sakura rises to her feet, explaining the situation and the extent of his injuries.
“Then you’re going to be fine,” the staff squats on the floor and gives Kaito a blanket, “there’s next to nothing the Chief can’t heal you from.”
Sakura stares blankly at the silhouettes of the staff growing smaller as they drift away.
“We need to leave,” Ino says. She couldn’t agree more.