Fragments (Sequel to Dollface)

The Rogue Nin

Oh how tired he was.

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Naruto pulled the straw hat down, hiding his face. Inhaling deeply, he shrunk his massive chakra down to a mere civilian. It was truly a difficult task due to his inadequate chakra control and the sheer size of his reserves. It was one of the few tricks he always had a hard time with, regardless of practice.

"Naru-chan slow down~" The little girl huffed and he couldn't contain the chuckle that escaped his lips. Giving her a gentle smile, he slowed his pace down a little bit.

She gave him a cheeky smile. "So should I call you big sister now or..." She gestured vaguely with her chubby arms, bubblegum hair swaying with every movement.

He grinned,"Whatever works Skippy."

It must have looked strange to the other villagers. A woman talking to thin air and seemingly laughing at nothing. However, that didn't matter to him. So what if they thought he was crazy? Surely everyone in his line of work was a little bonkers. You could never stay sane with what horrors lie beneath the hilt of a kunai.

He made sure that no Konoha shinobi passed through this particular route in over three months. He was safe. Somewhat.

There were some perks of being a rogue shinobi. He had no ties, he didn't have to correspond with any higher up, he could go wherever he wanted, whenever.

But he was always hunted. It was a given. With the huge ass bounty they placed on his blonde head, there was no telling just how many people were after him. He had to be extra careful and even stronger.

It was the criteria of being a rogue ninja: to be strong. You just can't leave your village if you know you can't stand on your own. It was how you survive out here. It was simple. Just be powerful enough to tell everyone to fuck right off.

And it was with his past year, Naruto had spent searching for a way, a chance to bring Sakura back. He traveled through forests, desert tundra, crossed vast oceans and fought killer after killer.

And not a single lead he could find.

There was nothing that worked. He tried almost every possible thing he could think of, or find. It never worked. Her 'condition' was strange and unheard of(he's pretty sure no one but him knows). The little girl had the body and eyes of a child, she spoke like one but the way she saw the world was almost unique and mature.

And after all of his searching, the Uzumaki was starting to lose hope.

"Naru-chan!" He felt a gentle tug on his coat and looked down to see Sakura looking at him with inquisition behind those heterochromatic eyes.

"Hmm?"

"Let's eat something!" She walked quickly, to fast for her short legs and ended up stumbling. And he watched with amusement as she winced, and got up.

"Ouch..."

Maybe there is still hope after all.