夢

Prologue

"There's second chances for everything."

Why did she feel like this second chance was to rot? That she would fail? That this second chance was pointless?

The apprehension made itself obvious as sweat trickled down her forehead. She felt the uneasy beating of her heart as the four of them jumped through the trees. Her mind wandered.

How did we get here?

Although it happened two hours ago, she remembered what happened.

"Are you sure?" She'd asked, wary of the idea. With exhaustion pulling her down like the heavy weight of her armor, and her energy draining low, she felt as though the plan would lead to much more exhaustion.

Haven't we worn out our lives long enough?
We've avoided death countless times, maybe this is the time...

From the looks of it, her peers weren't taking it quite well either. Her raven-haired comrade's eyes were clouded; she assumed he was thinking back to the dark days of his childhood. Their sensei wasn't taking it easy either; she could tell he was shaken with the fact that he'd see his deceased friends yet again.

How could he ever forget those dull, cold eyes? Those dry, cracked lips, with cries dying on them as the life drained from their bodies? Those rough, calloused hands that once pat him on the back--from before the chaos?

Naruto, who'd suggested the idea, was troubled with him being neglected and hated yet again.

"Monster!"
"Freak!"
"Demon!"

Sakura was still reluctant with the suggestion--no longer because she was exhausted (her mind threw the tiredness out of her head once the gears started processing the outcomes of the plan), but because she doubted she'd be able to handle being weak and useless as she was during her genin days. How could she handle the power being stripped from her?

She looked at her hand. How can I live without this power? I've worked so hard to earn it...if I go back, I'll just be the same as before...She looked to her teammates. And I'll just hold them back.

Now, two hours after that discussion, Team Seven had fled from the battlefield as the remainders of their forces held the enemy back. The team was headed to a secluded and isolated location, somewhere they could perform their plan without being interrupted.

"Stop here." Naruto croaked. When he landed, Sakura's green eyes watched as his knees buckled with weakness. Once her feet skidded to a stop, she approached him slowly and put a hand on his shoulder.

His frame is so fragile, Sakura thought as she channeled chakra into his body. Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth parted to protest, but one look from Sakura told him to be quiet. After transferring enough chakra, the medic did the same to the rest of her teammates.

The Uchiha glanced at her, blankly, as she poured her chakra into him. Without saying a word, he looked away and focused on the silent blonde.

After Sakura healed them, they were left in silence. I guess we have to do it now, Sakura thought and looked up, trying to see if anyone would start the plan. But Sasuke had a grave look on his face, Kakashi was busy saying his farewells to his dog summons, and Naruto was trying to regain his strength.

"Are--Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked hesitantly, fearing how they would react. They only started at her. "You do realize that if this fails, then everything..." she drifted off, thinking about all her friends, family, all the efforts she'd risked to stop this enemy. Was it worth it?