Fate Wheel | Naruto

𝟖𝟏| Lachrymose

"Although you're trying to reassure me, I don't feel that reassured." Sakura quietly commented, hugging her calloused hands to her chest, the callouses being a reminder of her vigorous training with Lady Tsunade. "It was just so sudden, Dawn came to talk with us and shortly after she left— one minute things were fine and the next, he started screaming out in pain."

Lately, the air felt imbalanced. A mantle of unusual credences and events that differed from the norm. An inescapable change, the sort of change that she was uncomfortable with. Her mother always told her whenever a situation appeared to be too sudden or too out of order, it was a sign that change must occur in order to fix the imbalance of things and create a path that promoted progress, that if revelations were revealed and truths were creeping out of hiding it only meant that it was meant to be in order for something good to happen.

Her guidance were always so brisk and irregular, but Sakura was thankful that her mother took the time to share her insight on the world despite the lack of faith she had in her to begin with.

"Sensei— is everything really okay? Please don't sugarcoat it." Sakura asked, her narrowed eyes glancing at Kakashi who pursed his lips in response. "Maybe it's just me or my inability to keep up with sudden changes, but what happened to Naruto isn't normal. This burning thing, isn't normal. The fire, the crime rates, the weird feeling in the air, it just puts me on edge. What happened to Lord Fourth wasn't normal as well— but it just seems like everything that happens is so quickly forgotten, as if it didn't happen in the first place."

"You're not the only one feeling like this." Kakashi sighed apprehensively, the night was young— but it had been raining for long hours. "But trust me when I say that there is nothing to worry about. Naruto is a Jinchuriki, it was bound to happen at some point in time— maybe he just let his guard down and the demon took advantage of him. With the Sasuke situation... his Clan wouldn't allow Sasuke to face any severe punishment, Itachi will certainly prevent it from happening. And Dawn, you should know by now that she is a very strong person- stronger than all of us, she is changing for the better and all we can do is help her and your teammates along the way."

Sakura slowly nodded, still anxious and worried, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it. Dawn was another subject, a sore one at that, she couldn't help but feel responsible for not noticing anything sooner— for not being nosy and keeping a closer eye. Guilt overwhelmed her like a tsunami enfolding a tiny island. It didn't help that Sasuke was all alone too, trapped in his own mind and unable to speak or voice what he wanted to say.

But then again, it had always been like that. Sakura remembered their Academy days, where they had just began their first year, young and unaware of the world around them. He was quiet, observant she noticed, nitpicking his surroundings, kept to himself and spoke when addressed. It was nothing like how he was now. He was still quiet and introverted— but that guarded look in his eyes lowered, softened a little and warmed when he was around her. Unbeknownst to the Dawn herself, but she had always been helping him in unimaginable ways. Kami forbid if Sakura was still that ignorant and naive girl who sought pleasure in useless crushes and incessant bullying.

She recalled how she projected her insecurities onto Dawn, envious of the girl who managed to do the one thing she could never do. She once wondered: what was so special about her that wasn't special in me? She has long hair, Dawn didn't. She was a social butterfly, Dawn wasn't. She was strong— no, she wasn't. She was mentally and physically weak, Dawn was everything she wasn't.

I'm strong now. Strong enough to stand besides her. To stand besides all of them.

Sakura looked up at the bleeding skies, a flash of lightning entering her line of sight. "I know they'll all be okay in the end, I get that. It's just... I won't be able to sleep at night if I didn't make sure of that myself, you know? Kami- my mum would laugh at me for sounding so much like her right now, but I can't help it. I want to walk alongside them, just as much as I want to be the one to protect them rather than watch them hurt themselves so recklessly. They're my best friends, it feels wrong to standby and do nothing."