Let It Begin

28. Another confrontation part 2

Happy New Year, everyone!

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With the echoes of chaos from the Samurai Bridge still fresh in her mind, Sakura breathed deeply, steadied herself, and began to step forward into the clearing.

"Now, you guys mentioned something about Tobi telling you the truth about Itachi..." she began, her voice unwavering despite the tumultuous sea of feelings crashing within her. "Is it true? And why?"

"What do you mean?!"  he replied, struggling to his feet, eyes wide with concern. "We don't have time for this, Sasuke—"

"Answer me!"  she interjected forcefully, cutting through the moment like a blade.

"This goes both ways, Sakura," Kakashi interjected, his tone serious but tempered with underlying concern. Even though she was his former student, right now, at this moment, she was his enemy. "I mean, that's the least you could do for this moment, if you know what I mean."

"Heh, I knew you would catch on," Sakura smirked. "I mean, it was never my intention to fool you, but I do want some answers. Fine by me; we'll do this both ways."

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you talking about?" Naruto asked, confused, looking back and forth between Kakashi and Sakura.

"Sorry, Naruto. Sasuke is long gone by now," Kakashi said with a heavy heart as he rested one of his hands on Naruto's shoulder.

"W-what? N-no!" Naruto's brows furrowed with anger. "Why are you doing this, Sakura?! Don't you see what Sasuke is doing is wrong?!"

"Well, Kakashi? We have a deal?" Sakura asked, ignoring Naruto's outburst, to which Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"Naruto, for now, don't interfere." Kakashi commanded as he removed his hand from Naruto's shoulders.

Naruto's frustration simmered beneath the surface, unable to comprehend why his friends, especially Sakura, were so willing to let Sasuke walk deeper into darkness. "You can't be serious!"

"Yes, Tobi visited us and told us the truth about Itachi, but I don't know what his true goal was in telling us the truth, or if it's true..." Kakashi answered. "Why did you guys attack the Kage Summit?"

"You guys really joined the Akatsuki... you even went after a jinchuriki..." Naruto mumbled in disbelief.

"Alright! First of all, we are not working for that bastard! While I was away doing something, that masked bastard set Sasuke up! The Eight-Tails was the one who attacked Sasuke first."

The clearing fell silent as the weight of Sakura's words hung in the air like a thick fog. It was a dangerous game they were playing, controlling the narrative amidst chaos and bloodshed, especially when emotions ran high.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly, processing the information with the calm detachment of a seasoned warrior. "So, you're saying Sasuke was acting in self-defense? Are you certain that Sasuke isn't lying?"

"Because I was there. That Tobi guy is trying to manipulate Sasuke to join him, and Sasuke rejected him, but he won't leave us alone," Sakura explained, her voice trembling but resolute.

Naruto looked at Sakura, searching her eyes for any hint of uncertainty. But all he found was a fierce commitment that reminded him of all the times they'd trained together, fought together, stood together against impossible odds.

"Anyway! Back to your question, Kakashi; it's true. I don't know exactly what kind of perspective Tobi told you, but I can see that we are somewhat on the same page," Sakura answered dryly, as if it didn't bother her what kind of consequence this was leading to. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts even as she felt the weight of Naruto and Kakashi's expectant gazes on her. "It's true we attacked the Kage Summit, and to be fair, it was my idea—"