Konoha's New Prodigy: A New Path

32

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other, trying to have a proper reaction to what they said.

"Uh...Kakashi-sensei....that journey happened a long time ago....we left the village after...." Sakura tried to say but her voice betrayed her.

"Sarada's....death..." Sasuke finished trying his best to sound cool.

I stood at the door watching how Kakashi established a conversation with them. It took a while, but Sakura managed to bring his mind back to the times we're living right now.

"Ah, forgive this old man. Time has not been fair you see..." he said between coughs. "At least, I got to see you two one more time..."

"We're glad to see you too Kakashi-sensei... If we knew about this sooner, we could've helped."

"There wasn't that much you could do. Besides this wasn't your fight. This was all set up so she could finally find her place in this life." He coughed. "Unfortunately, things got out of control, and many people died because of it."

He took a big breath, "I'm sure Naruto feels sorry about your loss. He saw a huge potential in his new Team 7, but he took them for granted."

"We underestimated the enemy. And we thought that the new team was an exact copy of ourselves. We expected them to be like us because they were the next generation. And forgot that despise all the similarities, they were different in their own way." Sasuke said while lowering his head.

Kakashi nodded in silent before his facial features changed. His eyes looked at the couple with shock. "S-Sakura? S-Sasuke?" He said with surprise and sadness. "You're alive! The war, everything....I thought you...I thought you were dead..."

By this time Sakura was crying, realizing that Kakashi's mind erased the whole conversation they just had second ago. "It's okay, Kakashi-sensei.. Everything's fine...we're okay..."

"It's been so long...." he said between sobs. "So long...."

Sasuke watched the scene in pain as I entered the room with another nurse. "She'll take care of him, let's go".

Sakura and Sasuke nodded in silence as the nurse proceeded to take care of Kakashi.

****

There was silence while walking. I noticed how Sasuke and Sakura held each other's hand, as if they were supporting themselves. Surely they have to be struggling with the fact that her sensei will soon be gone.

"You want something to eat?" I said, breaking the ice. "I can arrange some food for us with Yamanaka ChoCho. She's the head director of all the food supplies of the vi-"

"Yamanaka ChoCho?!" Sakura asked.

I looked at her and giggled awkwardly. "Uh....she and Inojin got married after the war. Same thing happened with Iwabe and Sumire, Shinki and me... The only one who hasn't got married yet is Shikadai, however he has a girlfriend for now that works at Konan's palace. Anyway, we're here..."

We entered a building we made specifically to arrange all the strategies and negotiations we need in order to protect the alliance. Sakura and Sasuke followed me silently, inspecting every aspect of it. Then we entered a room where Shikadai Iwabe and Shinki were discussing.

"I told you, I'm not having a baby girl. It'll be a boy." Iwave said. "And he'll be strong as hell."

"You're going to have a baby girl Iwabe." Shinki said.

"No I'm not!"

"If Sumire hears you, she'll kill you." Shikadai said.

"You should be glad I'm not her Iwabe. Otherwise you'll be dead" I said with a smile.

"W-What?!?! How long have you-"

"Long enough" I said with a giggle. "Anyway, what do we have Shikadai?"

"The alliance is under control now but we'll soon have to deal with the rogue ones." Shikadai said.

"There's still rogue ones left?" Shinki said.

"Where the sand village used to be. We believe there's a small base there and they're kidnapping people to enslave them, or worse."

"Use their power to overcome us..." I said. "Then we have to destroy it."

"You mean make a rescue mission" Iwabe said.

"Yeah, and destroy it too." I replied. "It's the only base that is left and has been reported about their activities. Once we do that, our people will be safe."

"Hima..." Shinki said. "Even if it's the right thing to do, it's a suicide mission. Is in the middle of the desert and the desert has its own minefields and traps."

"Shinki's right." Shikadai said. "You're the face of this alliance. Your death will shatter everything and start a new-"

"I know. We don't want that to happen." I sighed.

"What if we call-"

Iwabe earned a cold glare from me and Shinki. "We will not seek their help. It goes against our way of living."

"But that was how you got out of that day alive. I mean, we got ourselves a major threat off by doing that."

"The cost is too high. Himawari made an oath and she won't break it. It's too risky for all of us." Shinki replied in anger.

Sakura and Sasuke heard the whole meeting in silence. They both knew the whole mission was risky and it if wasn't dealt with it intelligently, the whole new world that they just saw will be at risk.

"Food's here!!!!!!!" ChoCho yelled while entering the place with all the food. "Here you go, although I don't know why you asked for two extra meals if you're not preg-" she gasped in surprised.

"SASUKE-SAN!! SAKURA-SAN!!!" she yelled in excitement. "YOU CAME BACK! OH MY KAMI!!"

"And we're about to leave" Sasuke said.

"What?" I asked.

"There's a mission to complete. We have to rescue those civilians at Sunagakure's ruins."

"That's right" Sakura said. "We will do it for you."

"No! I mean, you just arrived." Iwabe said. "It's our fight, our mission."

"Yeah, but we've lived enough years. Let us do this one last time."

"We owe it to you. For not being there when you needed us.." Sasuke said.

I stood in silent for a while. "You know, you don't have to do this."

"We want to" the couple said as I sighed.

"In that case....okay... We hoped you'd stay here with us for the rest of your lives. But if that's your choice, then I won't stop you." I said.