CHAPTER 5

Neji was having difficulty with the large quantity of Naruto clones he was fighting against. He had already called Kakashi to set up a monks' barrier at the center of the village. Somehow he knew that the inevitable would happen. He had a hunch that the situation would surely worsen.

Right now, he was using his Asura—an advanced defensive Hyuuga technique. He had created a twelve-armed chakra god, controlling it as his own body. In some ways, it was similar to Sasuke's Susanoo. The only difference was it used Jyuuken as its main artillery.

He was already reaching his limit, but Naruto was not giving him the chance to rest. He was being attacked by a constant barrage of Great Ball Rasengan. Three clones sprinted from the right. The Asura quickly attacked the clones' throat, heart, and spinal cord. One of these clones dropped a smoke screen before turning into smoke. Neji's Byakugan could only see the chakras now. Fifteen clones attacked him simultaneously with Rasenshuriken, the wind type Rasengan which had blades of winds that rotated around the Rasengan's swirling chakra ball. The Rasenshuriken was a double attack. So, when the Asura impaled them with its fingers, they turned into spherical tornados. The rapid acceleration of the tornados shredded the ground and also sucked the air around Neji. Neji couldn't breathe. His Byakugan momentarily deactivated and that lapse was all Naruto needed to land a decisive blow. It was the same blow that Naruto had used to defeat Neji eight years ago in the Chuunin Exam. A clone had dug itself into the ground and shot out from under Neji's feet with its palm stretched out towards his chin. The clone's palm connected and it threw back Neji's head, lifting him off the ground. Neji's vision swirled, but somehow he had managed to keep the Asura from disappearing.

"I heard that you were one of the most feared in Konoha," Naruto said. "What is this? The actual me haven't lifted a finger, yet, but you are already on the ground."

"Wake up, Naruto. What you're doing is wrong," Neji muttered through his bloody mouth.

"So you're saying that you're not doing this seriously."

"No. I'm using everything I have. If you just want to know if you're the strongest, you are. Stop this. Please don't let my admiration for you disappear."

Naruto laughed. "You admired me? This is funny. I didn't know that."

"Please, Naruto." Neji coughed up blood.

"All right. I know what you want. I'll do the finishing blow myself." Naruto raised his hands up and formed a Rasengan in each. "Now let's see how you would cope being a cripple." He walked towards Neji with brutal slowness to make Neji realize his impending defeat. Naruto was enjoying this very much. "Say goodbye to your precious Jyuuken."

Naruto lifted the Rasengans and launched them down towards Neji's hands, but suddenly he stopped. The Rasengans vanished and he clawed something in his throat even though nothing was there. His face was straining, veins emerged from his skin, and he choked. He began to break some sweat.

The real Naruto had managed to put a chain around the evil Naruto's neck. Now he was pulling the evil Naruto towards the sacred cell. The chain rubbed against the bars, creating a maddening clink-clink-clink that echoed like death through the darkness. The Demon Fox was trying to cut the chain by its teeth, but the chain was tough. Realizing this, the Demon Fox could only growl at the real Naruto.

"You dipshit! Let go of me!" evil Naruto demanded, his voice raspy from the pressure on his throat.

"I'll never let you go on. This is enough," Naruto said.

"If you kill me, you'll die too, stupid!"

"I don't care. Neji! Stand up!"

"What is happening?" Neji said. He tried to push himself up.

"Neji! Now's your chance!" Naruto said. "Kill me!"

"What?"

"Just do it before it's too late!"

"But—"

"Stand up, now! I can't hold this anymore!"

Neji tried but pain shot through his senses. He fell back. "Shit!" he muttered. He looked up at his Asura. The Jyuuken chakra god was limp. He needed to activate his Byakugan. He sipped in air and yelled, "Byakugan!" The veins on his temples erupted. It was painful, but he ignored it. He tried to take control of Asura. The act proved itself almost impossible in his condition. The Asura was very heavy.

"Neji! What are you doing?" Naruto said. "Stand up!"

"Asura!" Neji clenched his teeth. The Asura moved. "That's it." To Naruto, he said, "Forgive me, Naruto. Jyuuken: Eight Trigrams Seven Hundred Sixty Eight Palms Demolition Strikes!"

"You fuck! Do you think I will just stand here and let you do that?" Evil Naruto made thirty-two seals in only two seconds. "Forbidden Technique: Unseal! Demon Fox's Seal Invalidation!"

Real Naruto's eyes widened. "No!"

"You take care of everything, now, Demon Fox," Evil Naruto said.

Real Naruto pulled at the chain and evil Naruto let himself be pulled. Evil Naruto hit the sacred cell. Electricity attacked his body. He screamed. "I'll never forget this, you stupid shit! Don't think that this is your win, yet!" Evil Naruto disintegrated into dust of light and was gone.

Real Naruto tried to reverse the unsealing, but he couldn't. He was weak and it was already too late.

A large red hand swiped Neji's Asura away before its attack could land a finger.

…

Kakashi couldn't believe his eyes. "It's the Demon Fox," he muttered.

"How…" Tenten put her hand over her mouth.

"Lee and Neji are in danger," Sasuke said. "I'll go there."

"Stop," Kakashi said. "I'll go. You support the monks with Susanoo. We know how powerful the Demon Fox's black ball is. The villagers' safety is our priority. Tenten, let's go."

Kakashi could clearly see the hideous face of the Demon Fox even from a distance. As he and Tenten leaped off from roof to roof, he looked around to see if the evacuation had been completed in areas outside the monks' barrier. All he saw were the confused and frightened faces of the Jonins who had been posted around. Suddenly, he felt his skin prickle. He jerked his head towards the Demon Fox. His eyes widened when he saw a black ball materializing from the Demon Fox's mouth. The black ball grew and grew until it was larger than Demon Fox's own body. Kakashi knew it was too late.

"Get out of the ball's way!" Kakashi yelled at the Jonins.

The Demon Fox launched the large black ball towards the fleeing villagers. It cruised over the houses and pried the roofs away. It reached and hit the monks' barrier, bounced back, and created an explosion that destroyed everything in the east of the Konoha gate. Every house and structure in the area was turned into nothing.

The monks continued their chanting, blending their voices into one. The invisible barrier they made and maintained separated the village in two halves. Everything outside the barrier was doomed to be destroyed.

The Demon Fox launched another black ball. Sasuke, knowing that the barrier would not last if a powerful ball of dark chakra would hit it repeatedly, summoned his Susanoo. The giant chakra monster with the body of an oversized human skeleton and a bull's skull stood up behind Sasuke. Susanoo sliced the ball in half with its sword. The halves flew in opposite directions and made large explosions. Susanoo snarled at the Demon Fox.

The Demon Fox began running for the village. It crashed its massive body into the gate, destroying it into concrete and wooden debris. The Jonins started attacking it with a variety of Ninjutsu ranging from fire releases to water releases. It was not affected by any of the attacks. It whipped around its tails and slashed with its claws at the Jonins. It destroyed everything near its paws and mouth. The Demon Fox was destroying everything.

Naruto shot threads of chakra from his hands and feet to try to control the Demon Fox's movements. When the Demon Fox was about to bite off the head of a Jonin, it suddenly stopped. Blood rushed up Naruto's throat from the damage the feat had dealt inside his body. He was stubbornly holding the Demon Fox down.

Out of nowhere, wooden ropes sprouted from the ground and crept around the Demon Fox's body. Yamato was doing it.

"Yamato!" Kakashi blurted out. He went beside his Jonin friend.

"What the fuck is going on? Why is the Demon Fox outside?" Yamato stared inquiringly at Kakashi. "Don't tell me Naruto did this."

"Yes. We were just fortunate you came on time."

"Where is Naruto?" Ino said. She, Hinata, Shino, and Yamato had just arrived from a mission.

"He's inside the Demon Fox."

"Seal it!" Yamato ordered. "We don't have time for useless chat!"

Kakashi whistled for reinforcements. Jonins squatted around the Demon Fox and started to draw circles in front of them.

"This will take time, Yamato. Can you hold it until we're finished?"

"I'll try. Get going!"

Kakashi sat on the ground and drew a circle himself.

…

Tsunade was watching the scene from the balcony of the hospital. She clenched her fists at her sides, praying that everything would be okay. She was still not fit to fight because she had lost too much chakra in reviving Sakura.

"Master Tsunade," a weak voice said behind her.

She turned around and saw Sakura trying to get up from bed. "What are you doing?"

"Take me to Naruto."

Tsunade went to Sakura and tried pushing her back to bed. "No. You will not be of any help to them."

"Please. I remembered everything. He has to know. I believe he would stop if I told him."

"It's already too late. The Demon Fox has gone outside Naruto's body."

"I know he can still hear me. Please, sensei, bring me to him."

Tsunade stared at Sakura for a long time. And then she said, "Okay."

…

Sasuke tried to attack with Susanoo, but the Demon Fox thwarted it with a medium-sized black ball. Susanoo instantly broke into shards and disappeared. Not giving up yet, Sasuke unsheathed his katana and wrapped its blade with Hell's Fire Amaterasu. However, upon contact, needles of red chakra pierced his body. The needles' force threw him away.

Yamato felt the raw power of the Demon Fox pulling at every sinew in his body. It was difficult to keep his hands together for the Bull hand seal of his Wood Release Technique. He could also see that the wooden ropes were beginning to give in. "Faster, Kakashi! I can't hold it much longer!"

Shino tried to use his bugs to suck the massive quantity of chakra out of the Demon Fox. At first he thought that he was succeeding with it. However, the Demon Fox growled and the killer bugs burned to death.

"It's very strong," Shino said.

"I'll try to get into his mind," Ino said.

"No. Naruto is currently inside a massive clump of hatred. You will not be able to help. You'll only lose your mind."

"But—"

"Naruto is doing everything now to hold the Demon Fox down. All we can do is trust in him and the sealers."

Reluctantly, Ino nodded.

Tsunade supported Sakura as they walked towards the Demon Fox. When they were out of the barrier, Tsunade let go of Sakura.

"Naruto, listen to me!" Sakura yelled.

The Demon Fox looked ahead and saw her. Naruto grew afraid when he saw Sakura yelling in his direction.

"Get away from here! Run away!" Naruto yelled back. "Sakura, run away!"

The Demon Fox felt the slight loosening of Naruto's threads. It surged forward and broke a number of wooden ropes around its hind legs.

"Shit! What is happening?" Yamato said.

The Demon Fox surged again. Now a number of ropes around its front limbs broke.

"Naruto, I remembered everything!" Sakura continued. "Nothing had happened between me and Sasuke! He stopped me! Please, come back! I'll never give myself to anyone but you! Naruto, you're the one I love!"

"Too late!" The Demon Fox said. "Too late for reconciliation."

The Demon Fox surged forward. Yamato's arms erupted. The Demon Fox freed itself and leaped up towards Sakura. "Now die, bitch!"

The surroundings slowed down as adrenaline shot through everyone's blood vessels and lend them extraordinary keenness of senses. Every Jonin threw a weapon since no one had the time for Ninjutsu. Kunais, shurikens, staffs, spears, and swords went flying towards the Demon Fox. Sakura stood frozen on her feet.

Naruto opened all his chakra gates. A large quantity of chakra chains gushed out from his body and shot towards the dark walls. Naruto heaved and pulled the walls towards him.

The Demon Fox screamed. "What are you doing?" Naruto pulled again. "Stop!"

Naruto succeeded. The Demon Fox appeared in front of him, chains around its large body. Naruto wound the chains extending from his body around his left hand and with his right hand created a small orb of light. "Soul Release: Bridge of Conscience!" The orb shot through the Demon Fox. Naruto pulled at the string of light and the chains of chakra. With a heave and a loud cry he pulled apart the pure chakra of the Demon Fox and its inherent hatred. "Lock!" A huge hand with thick, black claws, and blue scales grabbed the Demon Fox's hatred and pulled him into an abyss, never to be let out again. Naruto regained control of his body.

The Demon Fox disappeared and Naruto reappeared in midair. The fear the Jonins had felt earlier for Sakura all of a sudden changed direction. They tried to stop the impending but inevitable result. But it was too late. The kunais, shurikens, staffs, spears, and swords impaled Naruto's body ruthlessly and a rain of blood fell on the ground. Naruto looked like a cushion full of pins. He crashed on the ground on his knees seemingly without any life remaining in him. But he looked up at Sakura with tears of admission in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he managed to say. He bowed his head and it was all over.

…

"I told you. Your softness will never take you anywhere," evil Naruto said. They were in a white washed place where the rays of the sun intruded from the heavens.

"Where did your darkness take you then?"

"Hmph! If you didn't stop me, I could have made you famous."

"Would that have made you happy?"

Evil Naruto regressed into a fifteen year old boy. "Don't you get tired of people being fickle around you? They only notice you when you did something amazing. Did you think they would have been nice to you if you didn't defeat Pain?"

"It's not important how they behave towards me as long as they do no harm to anyone. I didn't even expect gratitude from them after I defeated Pain. All I want is for everyone not to experience everything that I've been through."

Evil Naruto regressed into a twelve year old boy. "Everyone is making a fool out of you. They embarrass you in public. They laugh at you. They don't even want your help because they believe you're an idiot. Even Sakura avoids to be seen with you as if you're a sore."

"I believe in myself. As long as I do, people's opinions don't matter to me."

Evil Naruto regressed into a five year old kid. "They are mad at you. Why are they mad at you? Did you do something wrong?"

Naruto knelt down in front of the kid and hugged him. "It's over now. Everything has changed."

"Really?"

"Yes. We have friends now. Believe in me."

Five year old Naruto smiled. It was the warmest smile Naruto had ever seen. "Okay. Bye-bye."

Naruto stood up and he began to vanish. "Grow well, little one."

…

Three years had passed after the incident with the Demon Fox. It became a global legend not because of its terribleness, but because on that night, miraculously, nobody died. It is still a subject of curiosity for battle analysts up until now. Yumi Natsuna was sentenced to life in prison after she was proven guilty of treason. She shouldered the cost of the reconstruction of damages in Konoha. A trial never occurred since she admitted everything and refused to defend herself. Naruto was treated as a victim and no charges were pressed against him.

Shikamaru got his tongue back. Fortunately, his family had been in possession of Ares, the Flower of the Wind. When his mother brought the powdered flower to him, he cried and appreciated his mother like he had never done before.

Shizune had many suspicious visits to Naruto while he was still in the hospital. Sakura dismissed these as friendly, but as time passed, she grew unhappy with them. She couldn't contain her curiosity anymore when Shizune started visiting three times a day.

"Why do you care so much for Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"That man is important to me," Shizune said. "As important as you think he is to you."

"Could you be honest with me?"

"I'll try."

"Did something happen between you two?"

Shizune shook his head and smiled wistfully. "Almost." With that she left.

After six months of intensive care, Naruto's wounds healed perfectly. However, before he was released from the hospital, Ino came by and proposed that Naruto should be subjected to psychological therapy. Naruto had never been himself ever since the unfortunate incident. He acted like a child. He only called Sakura the kind onee-chan and the male ones he called onii-chan. After Ino had gone inside Naruto's mind, she had only bad news.

"His memory frames are blank. I can't find him anywhere," Ino said. "I'm sorry, Sakura."

Because of that, Tsunade decided not to release Naruto.

One day while Sakura was sleeping beside Naruto's bed, she was woken up by a deep voice.

"Sakura, wake up," said the voice. "I'll take you to where he is."

"Who are you?" Sakura said.

"I'm the Kyubi."

Sakura abruptly stood up. "What do you want? Are you here to take Naruto?"

"No. I'm not the Kyubi that you knew of. I'm the pure chakra of Kyubi inside Naruto. I'm here to take you to where he is. Could you trust me?"

Sakura thought for a while. Then she said, "Take me to him. I want to see him."

"Enter his mind. I'll guide you."

Sakura did. The Kyubi's form was that of a beautiful woman with jet-black hair. She was wearing a priestess' robe.

"Are you surprised?" The woman giggled. "This is my appearance when I was still human. I'm Akane."

"You're so pretty." Sakura smiled as she admired the beautiful woman in front of her.

"Thank you. Take my hand. I'll take you to where he is."

Once Sakura touched Akane's hand, the scenery went past in a blinding speed around them. They entered a tunnel and arrived at a field of radiant green grass. Under a tree on a low hill slept a handsome child of five. His golden hair reflected the sun.

Sakura couldn't take her eyes away from the boy. "Is he…is he Naruto?"

Akane nodded. "He is. Come on." They went in front of the sleeping child. "Adorable, isn't he?"

Sakura couldn't stop her tears from flowing. She covered her mouth with her hands. "Naruto…"

Slowly, the handsome child opened his eyes. He made a cute motion of rubbing his eyes and yawning out his small mouth. He blinked and focused on the faces in front of him. When he saw Sakura, he stood up, afraid, and hid behind the tree. His voice was clear and crisp when he said, "Akane-onee-chan! Who is with you? Is she here to scold me? I didn't do anything, I swear!"

Sakura shot Akane a glance asking why. Akane mouthed, "Don't worry."

Akane went behind the tree. Sakura heard them talking. After a while, Akane walked to Sakura holding Naruto's hand. "Sakura, this is Naruto. Naruto, this is your Sakura-onee-chan. She is my friend."

Naruto grinned. Sakura couldn't help but gasp. Was this gorgeous child really Naruto?

"Good morning, Sakura-onee-chan! I'm sorry I did that. The grown-ups when they see me, they always lash out on me without reason, so I run away when I see them. I thought you were one of them."

Sakura shook her head. "No. I will not do that." She glanced up at Akane. "Naruto-chan, could you…could you give me a hug?"

Young Naruto blushed and glanced at Akane asking if that was okay. Akane nodded. "I haven't had a bath, yet, Sakura-onee-chan."

"It's okay." She spread her arms. "Come here."

Naruto glanced up again at Akane.

"Go on," Akane said. "She'll not eat you. She smells nice, too."

Naruto smiled, confident now. He ran into Sakura's arms and hugged her with all the might his small arms could give. Sakura could smell the sun on his hair and skin. She could feel the softness of his body, his warmth. She could never exchange the feeling for anything. She hugged him for a very long time.

Sakura played with Naruto on the grass like mother to her child. Giggles and small screams filled the air when Sakura caught Naruto and tickled his sides. They rolled on the ground. They splashed water at each other in the stream. Naruto created a crown made from wild flowers for Sakura, which Sakura accepted regally like a queen. They played for hours until Naruto's eyes drooped and he yawned for two seconds.

Sakura asked, "Are you sleepy?" Naruto nodded. She crouched down, her back on him. "I'll give you a ride to the tree."

Naruto's small mouth curled into a smile. He got onto Sakura's back and laid his head there. In no time, he fell asleep.

Sakura was now sitting beside Akane under the shade of the tree. Naruto was on her lap, sucking his thumb. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You're welcome."

"Akane-san, do you think he has still a chance to return to his old self again?"

"I don't know about that." Akane paused for a while. "Do you want to know how Naruto lost himself?"

"Do you know how?"

Akane nodded. "When he tamed me the first time, he only succeeded in accepting the negative feelings that he remembered. Not like Bee-san of the Eight-Tentacled Bull, who tamed his parasite when he was still young, Naruto attempted to tame me when he was fifteen. There were so many negative feelings that he had acquired when he was a child, but he had already forgotten about by then.

"I hated my existence and the existence of the world. Before I became a chunk of hatred, my original goal was to destroy this happy place human had learned to live in. I would do everything for that goal whether I was confined in someone or was free to roam the grounds. The first time he tamed me, I still had confidence that I could regain my old hatred. That confidence was coming from the fact that Naruto hadn't still faced and accepted the hatred, fear, and despair he had experienced when he was a child, which he had already forgotten. It was still there inside his subconscious mind, just waiting for a fuse to light it up into action. My chance came when his heart was broken and a feeling similar to the lurking dark feelings inside his subconscious mind presented themselves and triggered those old subconscious memories back to life. His dark personality as a child was resurrected—the self-pitying, distrustful, and unhappy Naruto he had been before he found himself some friends."

"Is that why he chose to be a child again?"

"I don't know. Maybe he couldn't accept the fact that he hurt many of his friends. Maybe he wanted to have the simple mind of a child to avoid the pain of guilt."

After that conversation, the Kyubi didn't appear before her again. She tried calling out her name, but there wasn't' any reply. She awfully missed the young Naruto.

Sakura dedicated herself in taking care of Naruto. Time passed by unnoticed and many changes occurred in Konoha. Shizune finally accepted a marriage proposal. They were both invited and they came to the wedding day. When it was time for the exchange of vows, Shizune looked in the direction of Naruto. The priest turned to her, signaling that it was her turn to say her vow. Shizune suddenly stood up, ran to Naruto, and kissed his lips. She bowed in front of the guests and apologized before running off. She resigned as Tsunade's assistant and was now in the Capital City studying Advanced Medical Techniques.

A week after that incident, Ino had a talk with Sakura. Ino finally confessed her feelings for Naruto.

"Huh? You love him?" Sakura blurted out. "Since when?"

"Do you remember the day Sai told you that Naruto might have been in love with you for a long time? I thought about that for days. I was jealous. I didn't know when it actually began, but by that time I knew I had already fallen in love with him."

"This is not funny, Ino. Not him, too."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. The reason I always keep myself beautiful is because I want him to notice me. Sakura, I'll never give up on him. If you really love him, convince me that you can make him happy. If you don't, I'll snatch him from you."

Sakura shook her head and smiled longingly. "We had the same crushes when we were little. Now we love the same person, too. Could it be that we were also fated to have the same husbands?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" And Ino laughed and cried at the same time. "If I could put up with the jealousy, I could accept that kind of arrangement. But, sorry, I can't. I'm only human."

Two years after the incident, while Sakura fed Naruto his lunch, an unexpected guest dropped by. It was Yumi Natsuna. She was still as pretty as before, but her conduct was not that of a queen anymore. She was handcuffed. Sakura was surprised after opening for Yumi.

"What are you doing here? You should be in prison," Sakura said, seething.

"I'm sorry. I asked permission from Master Tsunade to talk with you."

"There is nothing to talk about. Leave before I lose myself."

"I'm here to tell you that my family in Amegakure has succeeded in extracting the Oil of Auras. You know it right? With proper administration, it can cure mind problems. Sakura, my father is a Psyche Miester. He knows how to bring Naruto back. Please trust me. Sakura, I love him, too. I don't want him to be a child forever. I'm just trying to help."

"Are you…are you telling the truth?"

"I am. Trust me."

"I'll talk with Master Tsunade about this. Now, leave."

"Before I go, Sakura…" she gulped, "…may I see Naruto-kun?"

Sakura considered Yumi. She felt sympathy when the older woman craned her neck to have a glimpse at Naruto. "Okay. Come inside."

Yumi brightened up. "Thank you very much!"

Sakura led Yumi to the table. Yumi was already crying when they reached Naruto. Naruto expectantly looked up.

"Sakura-onee-chan, who is she?" Naruto asked.

"She's a friend," Sakura said.

Yumi smiled sadly at him. "Hi, baby, how are you?"

"I'm fine, onee-chan! Would you stay to play?"

"I'm sorry. I have a lot of things to do."

"Oh, that's so bad. Here, just take a bite. Sakura-onee-chan cooks so well!" Naruto scooped up a spoonful of rice and curry.

Yumi leaned down and accepted the spoon in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. "That's good."

"See?"

"Could you give onee-chan a hug, Naruto-kun?"

"What? We didn't agree about a hug—" Sakura was saying, but Naruto was already on his feet. He hugged Yumi.

Yumi's tears drenched his shoulders. She whispered, "I'm sorry you have to go through all of this."

"That's okay!" Naruto grabbed Yumi's face and gave her a loud kiss on the mouth. Sakura gaped in shock. Yumi gaped in confusion. "That's for you so that you'll not cry anymore. You're very pretty onee-chan. You should not cry because you will look old."

Yumi smiled. "Yes. Of course. Onee-chan will stop crying now."

"Sakura-onee-chan always does that to me when I have nightmares or I'm hurt."

Sakura blushed. "Naruto, finish your lunch now. It's getting cold." Naruto did. Sakura pulled Yumi by the elbow, steering her towards the door. Yumi gave her a malicious look. She blushed deeper. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Yumi smiled. "Nothing. Take care of him."

"You don't need to tell me that."

Tsunade told Sakura that Naruto would be brought to Amegakure for the therapy. After a week of preparation, Toshio Natsuna, the Psyche Miester himself, fetched Naruto. Naruto stayed for a year in Amegakure.

…

Now, Sakura was standing in front of the gate, waiting for him. A letter had come yesterday, telling her that Naruto would be arriving today. She had been waiting ever since seven this morning. It had been four hours already. She was growing anxious. Her hair, which she had let to grow long again, swayed in the wind.

"Haruno-san, who are you waiting for? You have been standing there ever since early this morning," the Jonin guard said.

"No one special." She hadn't told anyone about the letter.

"You wait for whomever coming like that and you'll say no one special. I won't buy that."

Sakura shrugged. "It's a surprise."

The Jonin nodded knowingly. "Oh, so that's it. A surprise."

"Yup." She beamed at the Jonin.

After another thirty minutes, a couch stopped in front of the gate. A tall man with long golden hair tied in a pony tail got off from it. The couch left without entering the gate. Sakura's heart raced.

"Naruto?"

The handsome man smiled. "Sakura-onee-chan!"

Her heart sank after hearing that. "Don't you still remember me?"

Naruto ran towards her. "I missed you, Sakura-onee-chan!"

"Naruto?" She was about to cry.

Naruto suddenly grabbed her face and kissed her. The kiss was adult. He smiled at her. "Of course, I remember you. You look beautiful."

Sakura suppressed the tears in her eyes and tried to smile. "You really think so?"

"Yeah. Your long hair suits you."

"I missed you, Naruto."

Naruto smiled. He leaned to kiss her. "I missed you, too. Oh, yeah, before I forget, I have something to give you." He produced a silver ring. "I love you, Sakura. I'm sorry I had been a jerk in the past. Would you accept this ring as a sign that you have already forgiven me?"

Now, Sakura couldn't stop the tears. She offered him her hand and Naruto put the ring on her left ring finger. Sakura hugged him for a very long time. "I thought I would never see you again. I thought I already lost you. I will never hurt you again. I promise you that you will always be the only one for me."

"You didn't do something wrong. Everything has been explained to me."

"I love you, Naruto."

"So, it's Naruto-sensei, eh?" The Jonin guard said. "Hey, everyone, Naruto-sensei is back! Everyone!" To Sakura, he said, "I will not let you hog Naruto-sensei for yourself! Everyone!"

Naruto smiled. He nodded at Sakura. When Sakura smiled back, he swept her off her feet and leapt off.

The Jonin guard smiled at them. "It's so good to be young."

THE END

Author's Note: The Consciousness Trespass here is a name I coined for the technique used by Ino's father in the manga. I forgot the actual name and in what chapter that was. It was in the Pain Arc where Ino's father was trying to know Pain's location by going inside the mind of one of Pain's zombies. I borrowed the concept of memory bank as rooms with signs inside the mind from Hannibal Rising of Thomas Harris. To those who are curious about the names of the legendary flowers, here they are: the Flower of the Ice is called Polaris, the Flower of the Wind is Ares, the Flower of the Earth is Hades, and the Flower of the Flame is Auras. Thank you for reading and reviewing. You gave me courage to continue and finish this story up. To those who sent flames, I understand that this story is not of your taste. I wrote this story because I was intrigued with the latest chapters of Naruto where he was training to control the chakra of the Kyubi. I was intrigued too when the dark Naruto appeared and how Naruto handled him. I thought what if he somehow made a mistake and the dark Naruto reemerged in the future? That's the premise I used as the story's foundation. Thank you very much. I hope you also read, review, and comment on my future works.