Until Then

Part 8 ~ Encounters

House number 56, she recalled what she had read two days ago. But with missions she never wanted to make any mistakes, so she slid off her backpack and pulled out her mission scroll to recheck the address of the house which the retired ninja lived.

56.

Rolling the scroll back up, she pushed it in her bag and walked around in search of the house. The air felt thick and congested, and she wondered if it had to do with the lack of trees.

Dressed in her Jounin uniform with rosy pink hair, she sure did stand out amongst the villagers who seemed be average working class people in their casual everyday clothes.

A gasp came from behind her as two preteen girls caught sight of the pinkette. She turned her head, seeing them eye her in disbelief. "Sakura-san of the Leaf?" The less shy girl of the two asked. She nodded with a friendly smile at the strangers.

"I'm Milian, and she's Kanna. We've heard so much about you from the Great Ninja War!"

It was no surprise. News spread like wildfire, especially when it came to the Hidden Leaf Village where many great ninjas resided.

"Really? All good things I hope." Sakura laughed out politely. The quiet girl oddly reminded her of one of the patients she had treated at the Childrens Hospital back home.

She hoped everything was fine there.

"Of course! I want to learn medical ninjutsu just like you did." The girl exclaimed ethusiastically as she straighted the aliceband on her head which was similar to the red ribbon that would adorn Sakura's hair when she was around her age.

She was flattered. A medic's job was very important. But to her it was somewhat of a lifestyle, helping people came naturally to her and when she was busy healing and treating people, she really felt at peace despite the constant chaos surrounding her.

"I'm sure you'll be an amazing medic." She encouraged proudly. "Thank you. It was nice to finally meet you Sakura-san." The two girls bowed respectfully before the Jounin stopped them with a question. "Do you know where house number fifty six is?"

After listening to their instruction, she made it to a simple facebrick building that appeared to be relatively new.

Bringing her hand up, she knocked on the door. A few minutes later a man in his late forties opened up. Despite the obvious indication of his age from the scattering of wrinkles that marked his face, the dark brown hair on his head held not a single strand of grey.

"Konichiwa. I am Haruno Sakura." She introduced. He looked at her headband and smiled to himself almost reminiscently.

"Sora Akiyama. I assume Lord Kakashi got my request?" He asked cutting to the chase while still standing at the doorstep.

She nodded, taking off her bag and pulling out a pouch containing a pack of tablets. "Yes, you were a former Leaf ninja, right?"

He chuckled lowly under his breath, recalling past experiences. "Yes, for thirty two years. Lost this during the war." he said, pulling up the right leg of his pants to reveal a prosthetic limb from foot to knee.

Even though Sakura had seen many cases like this, it didn't make it any easier to accept all the damages that horrific event caused to everyone.

"May I?" She asked permission as her hand reached foward with a light green glow to examine his leg.

He stepped back waving his arms i front of him as he pushed down the pants. "There's no need. It is perfectly healed now. But it's the medication I ordered for, which I need."

The medic placed the pack of tablets in his hand, still curious she asked, "This lung disease, it's very rare. How exactly did you come into contact it?"

Clutching the card of medicine, he spoke "During the Madara attacks, there was a sudden rock fall, my comrade and I got trapped under and some sort of chemical was leaked. I just remember passing out and waking up in hospital, somehow alive. But I'm just assuming that's how it happened."

She nodded in understanding, giving him a thorough explaination of the dosage of the prescription.

"If the pain still troubles you, I would suggest coming to the Konoha hospital where we can try to find a better alternative solution."

He gave her a closed eyed smile, " I will. Especially with how advanced the medical system has gotten there."

The way he spoke, he was so fond of the village. And with the knowledge and experience he had, he was indeed very wise. It was a wonder he decided to retire in a place such as this when Konoha had long since been his home.

"Is there...is there any reason why you moved?" She asked, making small talk as she readied herself for the journey back.

As if on cue, a woman with grocery bags came into view being greeted by Akiyama as he took the heavy bags from her hands. There stood the reason.

He was definitely smiling now, and the woman stepped into what seemed like her house too after returning the small bow Sakura did towards her.

"It had been too long that I made her wait for me. Distance was a problem and so after everything that happened, I figured it was time to start anew and coming here instead, to marry and live with her was the best way how."

Sakura thought it was one of the cutest stories she had heard. Akiyama really moved away from his home to live in a foreign land just so he be with the one he loved, even though they were much older than usual couples who did such grand gestures.

"Well thanks again."

With the closing of the door, she begun to make her way back when the grumble of her stomach came loudly as a reminder that she hadn't had breakfast or lunch yet.

This village didn't resemble anything like the one of her home. Everything was different, and she needed a proper meal to keep up her energy.

Finally locating a small restaurant, she sat at a corner table getting a clear view of her surroundings. The menu was simple but she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at some of the overpriced meals for simple dishes which she would pay less than half the amount for anywhere else.

Settling on a spicy curry of some sort that actually looked appetising as it came with a trail of steam from the heat. She dug in, the burning of her tongue was nothing compared to her hunger.

The bell above the door chimed softly, indicating another customer entering.

Too caught up in her meal, she didn't bother to look up until she heard the voice from the front ordering counter.

That voice. She knew that voice anywhere. The spoon in her hand dropped onto her plate with a clink.

Eyes widening, she stared at the back of the man in shock, standing up to get a better view.

"Sasuke-kun?" She whispered after almost a year. Judging from the sudden jerk in his posture, it was no doubt he has noticed her presence too.

Turning around to her, the surprise on her face became more evident as she assessed his new appearance. Clad in a brown poncho, with a band covering his forehead leaving parts of his raven locks to fall over effortlessly.

Her half eaten food was long forgotten as the pair stared at each other.

What were the odds they would meet each other after so long, with one on a mission of self discovery and the other on one from the Hokage. However small the chances were, here they stood just steps apart.

And oh how lucky they both were for this small meeting.

••••••••••

Hey guys! It's been a while! I hope you liked this chapter, it was much longer than the ones I usually write, and I would love to see what you think so please leave a comment :)

Also, has anyone read Naruto Retsuden or got the book yet? I saw some spoilers and it is soooo good. It is SasuSaku year for sure hahaha!

Thanks for reading💚 hope you all have a great day!