Chapter 29
Sakura Haruno
The night air was cold. Sakura zipped up her light jacket and tightened her hoodie as she stood crouched behind the oak tree, waiting anxiously.
The park was engulfed by thick, grey fog, blurring everything in the distance. Though it was closed, the park was well lit, the warm lights from the tall, brown streetlamps getting caught in the night’s fog. Thankfully, the place chosen to meet at was not far from Sakura’s home and in the center, there was a still running tiered fountain. The running water was the only sound in this park. There were no people or animals. No wind to blow across the trees to relieve this place of it’s heavy, scary silence. It was almost midnight and it was a school night. Sakura had snuck out of her home to come here.
This is so stupid, she thought as she hid behind the tree, her eyes set on the fountain 20 feet away. Though the fog made it difficult to see, it might prove to be beneficial, she concluded. If she can’t see, nobody else can see her. Why am I doing this, she asked herself, fulling knowing the answer.
Two days ago, she received a text from Sasuke, telling her to meet him here at midnight.
My fucking nosiness. I might get kidnapped or robbed or arrested! Oh gosh, I could be arrested- shit! My parents are going to kill me if I get arrested.
But it wasn’t just curiosity that brought her here. It had been seven months since she’d seen Sasuke and considering everything that’s happened, she was concerned. His uncle was almost killed and most of the guards (or drivers or whatever the hell they’re called), were killed. She believed Sasuke probably witnessed all of this since it took place at the school after the rally.
He also was looking for Naruto, she thought, anxiety building up within as the clock approached 12:00 AM. And later, Naruto ends up killing the guards and the principal.
It didn’t make sense. Hours before Principal Sarutobi is killed along with most of Sasuke’s bodyguards, Sasuke is looking for Naruto. And this happened at school too?
And the day on the football field. When Naruto went crazy and burned Rock Lee’s arm. The fox… animal thing that Sasuke said was inside him. The news has never mentioned it.
And the threat Jiraiya made to shut us up about what happened on the football field, she thought as the time hit 11:59 PM. Naruto has a fox thingy in him according to Sasuke, which is why he went crazy on the football field and how he burned a bunch of people. Then, Sasuke, who is looking for Naruto for some reason he can’t explain, tells us to bring him backstage at the rally.
She remembered Sasuke’s face then. It was the last time she had seen him. Though the boy was usually very mellow and monotone when he spoke, that day Sasuke’s face was anxious. His face even looked a tad bit sweaty. His voice was higher pitched, and he was stuttering when he asked the gang to look for Naruto.
And then hours later, Naruto kills his adopted dad?
It was finally midnight. Sakura’s anxiety was overflowing out of her. She found herself nervously fidgeting behind the tree. The chilly night air did nothing to stop her from sweating.
I’ll either see Sasuke or…
She hid behind the tree afraid that it wouldn’t be Sasuke that was coming to the park. Anyone could’ve taken his phone and texted her. Especially if you’re the president’s nephew.
I know too much. I know about the thing inside Naruto. I know that Sasuke wanted to know where Naruto is before Naruto killed everyone. I had detention with Naruto too. He was my friend… kind of.
It was 12:01 AM. Sakura looked intently but did not see anyone except a blurry outline of the fountain and the dark silhouettes of trees further in the distance.
Maybe it would be Dahlia just telling me to leave the guy alone. I should calm down. If I was going to be assassinated or kidnapped or whatever, they would’ve done so by now. Why would anyone wait seven mont-.
“Boo!”
Sakura turned around fast, fist closed and punched. Her fist made contact but what she hit was gooey and when the punch connected, it made a sound like she had slapped water really hard.
“Ow!” Suigetsu squealed, his face returning to its normal form. The punch’s force made him fall on his butt. “What was that for?”
“YOU-,” Sakura started but then took a breath before continuing in an angry whisper. “You snuck up on me! What did you think was going to happen?"
“You put your strength quirk behind that punch,” Suigetsu loudly whined, rubbing his face as he got up. “That punch could’ve killed someone.”
“That was the point,” Sakura hissed. “And stop talking so loud, someone might hear us.”
“Like who?”
“And crouch behind the tree! Someone might see us.”
“Like who?”
“I don’t fucking know!”
“Then I don’t fucking care,” Suigetsu put his hands on the back of his head and walked towards the fountain.
“Suigetsu! What are you doing,” Sakura’s voice had risen significantly. It barely had any resemblance to a whisper.
“Sasuke said he’d meet us at the fountain at midnight so I’m going to the fountain to see him,” the fog slowly turned Suigetsu’s body into a silhouette the further away he got. When he got so far from Sakura that he became a dark, blurry figure he yelled “And he’s late!”
He was right, the time was 12:03 AM and still no Sasuke.
So much for the element of surprise. She got up from her hiding spot and made her way to the fountain a couple of feet away.
The fountain reminded her of the pond, except instead of the school building surrounding it, it was four tall oak trees, one for each side of the square fountain. The ground around the fountain was a circular concrete that was part of the park’s walking path that continued to Sakura’s left and right. There were no benches to sit so when Sakura arrived, she found Suigetsu seated on the ridged edge of the fountain’s pool. When Sakura looked closer, she saw that at the top of the tiered fountain was a statue of a woman in ancient armor and the pool’s floor that the water flowed into was covered by coins that sparkled in the moonlight.
“Is Jugo or Karin coming,” Sakura asked as she looked around her surroundings, still anxious about who was going to show up.
“Karin got caught trying to sneak out,” Suigetsu said, yawning. “And uh Jugo- well…”
“Didn’t see anyone Suigetsu,” Jugo said, appearing seemingly out of thin air with how quiet he was sneaking up on the two of them. Though he only startled Sakura, Jugo caught Suigetsu so off guard that he fell back into the pond.
“Damn it, Jugo!” Suigetsu yelled. “Why would you sneak up on us like that?”
“I wanted to be as quiet as possible,” Jugo responded, helping Suigetsu out of the pond.
“I better not get a cold,” Suigetsu warned, sitting back down in his original spot.
Though there was no more element of surprise, Sakura felt grateful to see two from the gang here. The past couple months, she had doubted if the others even cared for Sasuke but seeing them here in the middle of the night proved her doubts wrong. It also calmed her anxiety watching Suigetsu’s and Jugo’s interaction, and if her anxiety hadn’t been so high, she probably would’ve laughed watching Suigetsu fall back into the pool.
Plus, Jugo is a big guy and tough, she thought.
Jugo to a seat next to Suigetsu while Sakura still kept her eyes to her surroundings. It was 12:10 AM now, and the trio sat in silence, waiting for whoever was to come.
Then it was 12:15 AM. No one came.
12:30 AM. Still no one.
1:00 AM.
By this point, Sakura had taken a seat and was finding herself fighting to stay awake. An entire hour and still no one had come. Suigetsu was shivering and sniffling while Jugo played with a small pebble in his hands, passing it back and forth between each hand.
1:15 AM.
“T-This is bullshit,” Suigetsu got up, still soaked, still shivering. “I-I-I can’t w-w-wait any l-longer.”
“You should go home then,” Sakura said. “You’re going to get sick staying out here.”
Suigetsu looked to the distance and then back to Jugo and Sakura. He grimaced and sat back down.
1:45 AM.
Sakura was half asleep, having only one eye open. Suigetsu had mostly dried off now, but considering his sniffles, he was most certainly getting a cold. Jugo seemed to be the most unphased out of all of them, distracting himself by watching the stars. Sakura slapped her face to open her closed eye.
I won’t fall asleep, she thought. Not right now. I need to stay up and alert.
“I think he’s not coming,” Jugo said, awaking Sakura from her nap.
“Hmm?” She groaned, confused and then looked at her phone for the time. It was 2:35 AM. Suigetsu was doing jumping jacks seemingly to stay warm. Jugo was watching Suigetsu for entertainment.
“You’re probably right,” Sakura said, standing up. “We should go home them.”
“Yeah, we should,” Suigetsu stopped, panting.
Suigetsu and Sakura both looked at each other. Their expressions both communicated the same thing.
Are we really going to leave when Sasuke needs us?
They both looked at Jugo. His face was grim and tired. It seemed the exhaustion was finally catching up with him. He took a deep breath and said “It’s been two hours, almost three now. He clearly has no plans of meeting with us.”
“He would’ve texted,” Sakura said. “If he got caught like Karin, he would’ve texted, right?”
“Maybe he got lost,” Suigetsu said, starting to do jumping jacks again.
Jugo looked at the both of them and sighed again. “So be it. But it’s my turn for a nap.”
“Worry about that later.”
The voice shocked all three of them. Jugo jumped to his feet, in his rock form. Suigetsu pulled out a knife and turned to the sound. The voice came from directly behind Sakura, but unlike the other two, Sakura recognized it immediately. She turned around and gave a sigh of relief.
“Fucking finally,” she exclaimed, giving Sasuke a hug before feeling embarrassed at how friendly she was and jumping back. “Ahem. Sorry, but it’s been a while.”
“That’s the first time someone’s hugged me in seven months.”
It was then that Sakura got a good look at him. In the moonlight, he looked like a ghost. His eyes were dark and gloomy. He had eye bags, and though not known to be a heavy guy, looked to have lost weight. His face was gaunt and though he typically looked mellow, tonight he had a brooding face. He looked much older too. Maybe it was because of the moustache and beard he was starting to grow.
No, it’s not that. It’s something in his soul. His broken soul, she thought. He’s seen some shit.
Suigetsu rushed towards Sasuke and hugged him so tightly that Sakura was sure Sasuke would snap. After a long while, he let go.
“Why’d you make us wait so long,” Suigetsu whined. “And why haven’t you answered my texts!”
Sasuke gave a weak chuckle. “No hi, how are you? It’s been so long?”
So was Suigetsu just gaslighting me into thinking he didn’t care, she thought. She then realized that he was probably too embarrassed to admit how much he cared.
Jugo gave Sasuke a handshake. “Hi, how are you? It has indeed been so long.”
“That’s more like it,” Sasuke responded.
“Why’d you have us meet here,” Sakura asked.
Whatever warmth he had left in his face went away. Sasuke became cold and serious. “I need your help,” he said.
“With what,” Jugo, Suigetsu, and Sakura said in unison.
The warmth came back into Sasuke’s face. He smiled. “Shit. I’m not a sentimental guy, but I’ve fucking missed you all.”
“Then why haven’t you texted,” Suigetsu whined again.
What’s with him, Sakura pondered. Sasuke didn’t respond to my texts but I’m not being a baby about it.
Sasuke looked sad. “I’m sorry- I really wanted to text you, but these past months I-…” His voice started to crack and all of a sudden, he was a boy again. But Sasuke quickly found his resolve and continued. “My uncle. He’s… a monster. A liar. He killed them.”
“Killed them? Killed who,” Sakura asked, afraid of the answer. Her mind had already begun connecting the dots to what really happened the day of the rally.
Sasuke took a deep breath and said, “My uncle killed Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunadae, and his bodyguards.”
Jugo looked at Sasuke shocked. Sakura’s heart rate began to rise, but unsure if it was out of fear or out of the excitement of knowing she was right to been suspicious. Suigetsu, however, looked surprisingly serious for once and not shocked at the news.
Did he know? Did he also figure it out like I did?
“You’re lying,” Jugo said.
“It’s true,” Sasuke said in a tone that brooked no argument. “I saw it. I saw it all.”
The park was silent except for the fountain’s running water. The news Sasuke dropped on Sakura weighed on her heavy.
No wonder he looks like this now, she thought. Sakura had heard reports of the bodies of the guards and how most funerals were closed caskets for a reason.
Suigetsu gave Sasuke another hug. This time, Sasuke pushed him away. “No, I… I need to talk to them…” he whispered, his face looking awkward, eyes pointed towards his own shoes. Suigetsu backed away, seemingly hurt.
Sasuke looked up and continued. “I need your help. You’re the only people who know the truth. You know that Naruto has the fox spirit in him. The country’s weapon that has been missing for 15 years. And now you know this too.”
Jugo raised his hand. “What fox?”
“Damnit Jugo!” Suigetsu exclaimed. “The fox spirit! That was why Naruto went crazy and messed up your hand! The fox-.”
Jugo had a mischievous smile on his face.
“Hah hah,” Suigetsu sarcastically said. “Got me so good.”
“So, your new hobby is pranks, Jugo?” Sasuke chuckled.
“What do you need our help with,” Sakura said. If Jugo hadn’t said it, I would’ve. Fox spirit, that’s what it was. Not thingy.
“The reason why I was looking for Naruto that day of the rally was because my uncle wanted the fox spirit back,” Sasuke said. “But that day didn’t go as… uh planned.”
“What was supposed to happen,” Sakura asked.
“We were going to get Naruto, bring him somewhere safe, take the fox spirit out from him, and then him and Principal Sarutobi could go on with their lives. All my uncle wanted was the fox spirit, nothing else.”
“What fucked everything up then,” Sakura asked. “If it were just that, what happened?”
Sasuke looked he was close to breaking down in tears again before saying “Naruto would have to die to remove the fox spirit from him. That’s when everything went to shit. Everyone started fighting. Tsunadae ended up killing most of the guards, Naruto released the fox spirit and killed a guard. And my uncle and Tobi killed… the principal.”
It was more chaotic than Sakura had thought it was. As suspicious as she was, to think Naruto still killed someone… Everyone’s got blood on their hands, she thought.
“And then my uncle, he… had Tobi kill one of his own bodyguards. But after all that, Naruto still managed to disappear. Nobody knows where he is.”
“Are you meaning to ask us to help find him,” Jugo said.
“Fuck no. I hope he stays in hiding. No, I… it’s all my fault. None of this would’ve happened if I never told my uncle about what happened that day on the football field.”
“No don’t say that.” Suigetsu’s arm instinctually reached out to Sasuke before retracting back.
“It’s true,” Sasuke said. “And I… I have to atone for what I’ve done. The lives of all those guards, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s, and Tsunadae’s lives ended because of me.”
“You didn’t know he would do that. You can’t predict the fut-,” Suigetsu started.
“It doesn’t matter!” Sasuke boomed, voice deep and filled with rage. The words carried through all corners of the park, and they echoed back with his anger. His red eyes seemed to glow. He was breathing heavily. Suigetsu jumped back, startled at the response.
He’s changed so much, Sakura thought. What’s happened to him in the past seven months?
But she knew what happened to Sasuke. The rally had changed him. And the guilt fueled a fire in him.
“It doesn’t matter if I did or didn’t know,” he continued, more quiet but still angry. “What matters is that because of what I did, many people are dead. And I have to make sure they get the justice they deserve! Because if I don’t, who will?”
“Let’s calm down,” Jugo said.
Sasuke looked at all three of them before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he was calm, he said “I’m sorry, Suigetsu. But I can’t accept that argument. I know I’m supposed to let go of the guilt and understand that because I couldn’t predict the future, it’s not my fault. But I’m still alive and they’re dead and what good does washing the blood off my hands do? I was there when it all happened. I saw it all, the deaths, and who killed who.
I have to atone for what I did by getting justice for the people who lost their lives. At the very least, everyone must know my uncle and I’s role in all these deaths. That Naruto has the fox spirit in him and that he was just a boy trying to defend himself, not some evil murderer. My uncle, Tobi, and I need to be tried and sentenced. I want to testify everything I saw, and I want a judge to decide what should be done with me.
I know I haven’t been a good friend these past seven months, but I’m begging you all. Please help me.”