Tears of the Forgotten (Various!Naruto X OP!Reader)

Chapter 14: The Weapons Known as Shinobi

        He yelled again, running at Kakashi, slashing his sword. However, Kakashi grabbed Haku's corpse and jumped out of the way, landing ways away from the attacking rogue. Zabuza chuckled.

        "Haku died and you were able to move, huh?"

        Naruto's shoulders trembled with rage as he growled at Zabuza. "I won't forgive you!"

        "Naruto!" Kakashi quickly called. "You just stay there and watch!"

        The silver-haired man carefully laid Haku's body on the ground and gently closed the boy's wide eyes. He lifted his head slightly to glare up at the wielder of the giant sword. "This is... my battle!"

        From the side, Sakura blinked at the sight of you and Naruto.

        "Naruto! (A/n)-chan! It's good to see you again! Where's Sasuke-kun?" she asked as she waved her hand in the air.

        Naruto turned his head to the side.

        "Where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura repeated. Naruto's face twisted with grief. Her excited expression fell as she realized what his silence meant.

        "Kakashi!" Zabuza suddenly exclaimed, zooming over to where the man he called was crouching. "You have no time to take your eyes off of me!"

        Kakashi swung his foot forward and hit Zabuza square in the chest, sending him stumbling backward. Sakura seized Tazuna's hand and ran toward where you and Naruto were located, determined to check up on Sasuke. She slowed down as she approached his cold body and gasped slightly. She took a shaky breath, unable to process that the boy she loved was dead. Sakura fell to her knees, cupping his cheek. 

       "He's cold. This isn't a Genjutsu, is it?" she asked.

        "Don't mind me," Tazuna mumbled. "This isn't the time to hold back your emotions..."

        Sakura stroked Sasuke's face softly. Her eyes darted around until they landed on you, who was watching her intently, your eyes occasionally flickering over to Zabuza. Her mouth parted softly, and she set to work, carefully pulling out all the senbon that were stuck in Sasuke's body. Once all the needles were out, her hands hovered over him before she hesitated. She glanced over at you then turned back, squeezing her eyes shut and praying that Sasuke wouldn't explode like all her other attempts. Her hands were soon engulfed in a green glow, and all the cuts slowly began to heal.

        She spoke up again after a few moments.

        "I-I always got perfect scores at the Ninja Academy... I memorized all the hundreds of Shinobi rules. All the tests were a breeze. Until one day, this question came up... State Rule ♪ 25 of the Ways of Shinobi... As always, I simply wrote down the answer without batting an eye." Tears began streaming down her face. "'A Shinobi must never show his true feelings under any circumstances, no matter what... The mission always comes first. A Ninja must have the strength of character never to shed any tears...'"

        Sakura sobbed, tears dripping down on Sasuke's face. She softly wailed his name as she healed him. Naruto, having his back turned to the three, clenched the area of his heart. 

        Further down the bridge, metal clanged against metal as Kakashi and Zabuza clashed. The latter collapsed on his knees, panting heavily. Two kunai knives were stuck in his left arm. 

        "Darn you!" he roared, charging at Kakashi once more. He swung Kubirikibocho, but his opponent only punched him in the face, sending him flying to the side. Kakashi spun once, using that momentum to get closer to Zabuza and punch him in the face once more. He snarled between his heavy panting.