“Idiot!”
“Aw, come on, Sakura!”
“You are an idiot, Naruto.”
“You’re being mean.”
The two friends bickered lightly as they walked toward the Hokage’s Tower. They had gotten up at dawn for a spar then breakfast. It was Naruto’s suggestion that they go to the Tower and harass Tsunade to send them back out to try and get Sasuke back. It had been three weeks since Tsunade had ordered Team Seven to return to Konoha without any explanation.
As they got close to the Tower, something caught Sakura’s attention. Izumo was posting something on the wall of the Tower. She frowned. That was usually done for important proclamations and she hadn’t heard of any when she left Tsunade’s office the night before.
She watched as people gathered round to read the poster. The wind carried shocked gasps to her ears and she watched as both shinobi and civilians read what was on the poster then dash off. Their faces showing a variety of shock, glee or sadness. She nudged Naruto.
“What?”
“There’s something going on. Izumo posted something on the Tower.”
Naruto looked at the people gathered around reading. “It must be important. Do you know what it is?”
“No, Tsunade didn’t say anything last night.”
“Let’s go read it!”
Sakura nodded and the pair walked closer to the Tower.
As they got closer, Naruto noticed the smirks, glares and the occasional tears. He knew that he wasn’t very observant a lot of the time but he could see that something was very wrong. “Sakura?” his voice was tense but low.
Sakura didn’t answer but she grabbed hold of his hand.
People noticed them and moved out of their way. Nudging others until they saw Naruto and Sakura and moved out of their way as well.
Sakura was glad that Naruto was holding one hand because she had the other in a fist. The looks alone made her want to attack someone.
They got to where they could read the poster but what caught their eye first was Sasuke’s picture and stamped across it in lurid red printing was two words:
“HUNTED”
“EXECUTED”
“Nonononononono…” Naruto’s denial was almost non-stop.
Sakura squeezed his hand tightly as she read what the poster said:
On 5th day of this month, the order was given for Uchiha Sasuke to be Hunted for his crimes against Konoha and the Land of Fire. Charges are Desertion, Desertion in time of War, Aid to the Enemy, Attempted Murder of multiple Konoha Shinobi, Assault of multiple Konoha Shinobi, multiple Violations of Various Treaties.
Sakura wanted to vomit. She clung harder to Naruto’s hand and continued reading:
On the 21st day of this month, the missing nin Uchiha Sasuke and his companions: Hozuki Suigetsu (Missing nin/Mist), Karin (Missing nin/Grass) and Jugo (affiliation unknown) were located in a village 5 km southwest of Ishigakure. Upon discovery, the three companions attacked the Hunter-nin and were executed. Uchiha Sasuke was then located and executed.
No funeral rites will be performed and the names of the missing nin will go unheralded.
“Sakura.” Naruto’s voice was barely a whisper.
“I know.” Sakura tried to fight back her tears but several escaped.
A hand landed on each of their shoulders. “Sakura, Naruto, come with me.” It was Yamato’s voice and they blindly obeyed him. He led them away from the Tower towards the residential area.
Sai appeared in front of them. “I’m sorry for your loss.” Sai’s monotone voice broke Naruto’s shock.
“You bastard!” Naruto hissed he took a step forward, fist raised. “You’re just saying that.”
Sail held out a hand in peace. “I know I’m still learning and I know that I have much more to learn. I don’t understand much but I do know a little about grief.” Something flared briefly in his eyes. “I mean it. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Sakura pulled Naruto’s arm down. “Thank you, Sai.”
The older boy nodded then disappeared.
Yamato gently got them back to moving. He led them to an apartment building and up the stairs to the top floor. He took them to the last door on the left and gently knocked.
The door opened and Iruka stood in the door. Over his shoulder, they could see Kakashi.
Iruka looked at the trio. “What’s happened?”
His two students reverted to being young children and flung themselves at him. “Sensei!” They cried.
Iruka wrapped his arms around them and pulled them into the apartment.
Yamato followed. Kakashi looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
Yamato sighed. “Sasuke was Hunted and Executed.”
“Shit.” Kakashi rubbed his face with one hand then nodded. “Thank you for bringing them, Yamato. We’ll take it from here.”
Yamato simply nodded and left, closing the door behind him, shutting away the young pair grieving for someone who would not have shed a tear for them.
8888888
Years later, Naruto became Hokage and, to the surprise of many, was very good at it. It was a time of peace. Peace that was brought about because a little boy was determined that he’d make people like him…and he did.
Naruto was busy with paperwork when he felt Sakura enter the office. He looked up because Sakura felt…agitated.
He looked at her and saw that she was clutching a scroll. And she was biting her lower lip.
“Sakura? What’s wrong? What’s with that scroll? Why does it make you unhappy?”
Sakura took a deep breath. “This is Sasuke’s scroll.”
“Sasu…” Naruto’s eyes widened. Years ago, the pair had promised themselves that if Naruto became Hokage, they would find what had actually happened to Sasuke. Naruto had been Hokage for over a year but he finally had some breathing room.
Which explained why Sakura had that particular scroll.
Naruto stood up and walked over to the sofa at the side of the room. He motioned for Sakura to join him. She placed the scroll on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
And they stared at it.
“I don’t think it will bite.” Said Sakura cautiously. Still staring at it like one would a venomous snake.
“At least not physically.” Naruto stared at the dangerous scroll. “Do we really want to do this?”
“We made a promise to ourselves.”
“Yeah. I remember. So, open it.”
“I can’t. Only a Hokage can unseal it.”
“Oh…”
“…NARUTO UNSEAL THE DAMNED THING!”
“OH! Right!”
Naruto performed the necessary signs and the scroll transformed into several files.
Sakura sorted through them. “Birth record, family record, school…criminal record…death record.”
“The last two.”
Sakura opened the criminal file and the pair leaned over and began to read. Naruto knew that he would never be a fast reader but he was always willing. Sakura knew that Naruto would read every word of any file that was handed to him but she, and Shikamaru, learned that if Naruto was given bullet points or a summary, he absorbed things better. So, as they went page by page Sakura spoke softly about key items on the pages.
When they finished the criminal record, Naruto leaned back and closed his eyes. “They kept a lot from us, didn’t they?”
“Yes.”
“Sakura…”
“Hmm…”
“Do you think that the missions we were sent on…we were told that it was to find Sasuke…but maybe it was to keep us busy?”
Sakura leaned against Naruto. Her fingers running through his hair. “I don’t know. Maybe. Perhaps. But remember we were out looking for him then Tsunade recalled us back to Konoha. Then after that Sasuke was Hunted.”
“So, it wasn’t ‘busy work’.”
“No. And look how many friends and allies we made while we were doing it.”
“True.” Naruto sat up. “You ready?”
Sakura reached for the last file. “No.” She opened it and they began to read. She gasped. “They sent Panther after Sasuke?!”
Panther was the code name of the most elite shinobi in the Hunter-nin Corps.
“Tsunade wasn’t playing around.”
“No, she wasn’t. I wonder who this Panther is…was. Surely he can’t still be active.”
Naruto looked at the report written. His eyes narrowed. “I know who Panther used to be.”
Sakura looked at him with surprise. “You do?”
“He has a husband and four children.”
“How do you know that just by looking at the report?”
“Look at the kanji.” Naruto pointed at four different characters…and a particularly distinctive quirk.
Sakura’s eyes widened in shock.
888888
Naruto and Sakura stood outside the modest home. The walk through the Clan grounds was rather nice considering the Clan just a few years before was almost extinct. It was still small but there were hopes for its growth.
Naruto extended his arm to knock on the door but Sakura stopped him. “Let me. We don’t want to deal with the Naked Ninja, do we?” She grinned at Naruto who just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Sakura knocked softly and flared her chakra so that the people inside knew who was outside.
The door opened and Iruka smiled at them. “You two are out and about rather late.”
“May we come in, Iruka-sensei? We need to talk to you and Kakashi.”
Iruka stepped aside and motioned the two in. Naruto and Sakura took off their sandals and walked inside.
“We won’t take too long, hopefully.” Said Sakura. “We don’t want to wake the Naked Ninja and his siblings.”
Kakashi who was just entering the room laughed. “Thanks. Because we just got the kids to bed thirty minutes ago and the Naked Ninja just fell asleep in the last few minutes.”
“I wish all of you would stop calling Naoki that!”
Kakashi gave his husband a bland inquiring look. “And what else are we to call a stark-naked child who attacks people?”
Sakura patted Iruka on the arm. “He’ll get past this phase.”
Naruto snickered. “The Stripper Hyuuga didn’t!”
The other three adults cringed. A Hyuuga branch clan kunoichi as a genin decided that the best way to distract an enemy was to take her clothes off. Much to the horror and blood loss of Konohamaru, her sensei.
“Poor Hinata and Neji. They got so much flak from their Clan elders about that girl.” Iruka shook his head. “I know she made chuunin, so where is she now.”
“Long term espionage mission in Rock. At a strip club.” Naruto grinned at the look on Sakura’s face.
“You didn’t.”
“I did. And you should see the intel she’s been getting. She’s good.”
Kakashi seeing the look on his husband’s face, changed the subject. “So why are the two of you here so late?”
Naruto and Sakura looked at each other. It was Naruto who spoke. “We read the report on Sasuke’s Hunt.”
Iruka waved at the two to sit down, he sat down next to Kakashi. The body movement and language of the two older shinobi was casual and relaxed.
The younger two, while they knew how, weren’t. “How could she send you after Sasuke, Iruka?”
Sakura looked at the older man. “He was your student!”
“What makes you think I was the one sent after him?”
Naruto spoke. “We read your report. The handwritten one. I recognized how you wrote some of the kanji characters. The writing method is unique to you.”
Iruka and Kakashi traded a long look. Iruka turned back to his former students. “I was the one who Hunted Sasuke. But he wasn’t the first student I Hunted nor was he the last.”
“But why you? Why did she have to send you?”
“Because I was the very best of the Hunter-nin Corps. Just like Hound was the very best of the ANBU. You just can’t send just anyone after something or someone of that high a level and expect the mission to be a success.”
“You should know that by now.” Kakashi murmured.
Naruto and Sakura looked at each other. Sakura looked down at her hands. “We read the criminal file too.”
Kakashi leaned forward. “Then you know that a lot was kept from you.”
“Yeah.”
“You, the people that you were at that time, wouldn’t have been able to accept or understand the things that Sasuke was doing.” Kakashi’s gaze was direct and steady.
Naruto’s return gaze was just as steady. “I…I…so…BLINDLY wanted Sasuke to return. I think you could have taken me back in time and allowed me to see first-hand the things Sasuke was doing…and I still would have wanted to bring him back to Konoha.”
Sakura nodded. “Me too. We believed that if we could just get him home, he would go back to the Sasuke that we knew.”
Iruka spoke gently but firmly. “The Sasuke that you knew…he was…deformed. Poisoned. Long before there was anything either one of you could about it.”
“The Massacre.”
“Have you read that report yet?”
“No.”
“Do so.” Kakashi’s words were an order. “And you’ll understand more. There will be a few other files you’ll want to read but I’ll tell you those after you read about the Uchiha Massacre.”
“There was nothing we could do to save Sasuke was there.”
“In the long run, no.”
“After we read the report, I wondered if being sent out after Sasuke was busy work but Sakura said it wasn’t.”
“No, we were really trying to get Sasuke and bring him back but it got to a point where it…he was just too dangerous for you, the Konoha 11, the Future of Konoha, to be risked.”
Iruka broke in. “And that’s why I was sent to Hunt him down.” He looked at the two wonderfully strong shinobi before him. One the Hokage, the other the best medic-nin in the Elemental Lands and the Hokage’s right hand. But he saw his two students.
Who needed his comfort.
“Come here, you two.”
Naruto and Sakura shot across the room and into the arms of their teachers…their other family…and were held close.
And this family grieved for the last time over the son, the brother that was forever lost.