A Different Life

Chapter 7. The Distant Past

Soon, he was dragged into that store by Sakura's strong grip on his wrist. Sakura casually talked with the cashier and the cashier in her late fifties seemed to warm up to Sakura's bubbly attitude so she let them test on a few of her things. 

"Here, hold it like this." Sakura demonstrated on how to hold a paintbrush, behind Sai who was mesmerized by the colors the paint brush gave. He stopped and looked at Sakura. "You're silly. I do know how to draw." He said catching Sakura off guard as she tilted her head. "Eh? So, why haven't I seen you draw before?" 

Sai let out a small, almost unnoticable smile. "There isn't anything I could draw on... except the ground and trees." He said and instantly, Sakura understood as a sudden resolve formed in her determined eyes.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Sai pried his eyes from his thoughts and drawings as he looked at the door and stood up to see who it was. It definitely isn't urgent since the messenger had the decency to knock and not just 'poof' himself into his room. 

Team Taka were in some town far away from the boarders of Fire Country. After Sasuke's rampage, he seemed to reverse right back into his cold, composed and stoic self although you could still sense his anger. They didn't dared ask him about his actions seeing and sensing that he would crush them if they even messed with him. Even Suigetsu and Karin were quiet.

"Any location on Itachi?" Sasuke asked demandingly. "None, but I can feel something familiar but it's too far and I can't actually pinpoint the location." Karin said concentrating.

"Direction."

Karin hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "East."

And East they went, sprinting like their group's namesake.

Naruto laid awake in his bed with his arm in his forehead. 'She's alive.' his mind reeled again for the nth time the morning. He couldn't focus on anything, just the thought that Haruno Sakura, his first and probably last love was well breathing and alive but he also sensed the disarray of her chakra signature. He could feel it even though he was no Hyuuga.

'What had happened?' he asked himself again. So first, he was sent on a simple mission to Suna and somehow, they stumbled into Cloud Village and that's when everything went downhill. He remembered how he felt when he noticed two painfully familiar chakra signatures. It overwhelmed to the point he couldn't decide if he was feeling pain or happiness. Then he saw his two most important person with one holding a kunai to the other's throat, an action of intention to kill. He didn't think twice as he charged to them, his feet just did and his mind couldn't really process it all. Seeing Sakura alive just hit him so hard like you were told the Apocalypse is within 30 minutes. 

He heaved a deep sigh. "I need answers. NOW." He tilted his head so he was looking outside and a longing gaze followed after with a strong resolution. "I will find you and get you back here, to the place where you belong and I'm gonna drag that bastard's body back here. Both of you alive, though I'm not sure I could bring that Teme back unscathed, but you will. Definitely. Hang in there." he said to himself as he decided to do what he needs to do, going out into the window and straight to the Hokage's Tower.

"Understood, Hokage-sama." Ino said as she bowed and left, leaving the Hokage with a deep from on her youthful face. Somehow, the Hokage has been gloomy and moody these days. "I wonder what triggered that." she said to herself as she began enumerating personal problems to village problems. She didn't realized she was already outside the Hokage tower until an orange flashed pass her. She looked back and noticed that it was Naruto. Ino thought it was unusual for Naruto to just pass-flash by like that without greetings. It must have been urgent or probably complaining about Ramen or whatsoever. Ino slightly laughed to herself. She remembered how it would be back then. She wasn't that close with the obnoxious blonde-head back then but she would always notice him being so stubborn, but at the same time, giving off a soothing aura.