Somewhere I will find you

Chapter 10

Sakura could barely keep her eyes opened as she sat still and let the maids put on her obi and prepare her for the Daimyo's ceremony at the crack of dawn. The sky outside was still dark as the sun had not risen yet. She let the two girls pick an outfit for her and let them work on her without complaint. Tenten, who was in her room next door, was probably subjected to the same treatment as well.

After Kakashi sent the note to Rin and said he would not be home, Sakura decided to go after Tenten and spend the rest of the afternoon with her. After finding her friend at the Trade district in an irate mood since the weapon she had been eying for some time was bought by someone else, Sakura tried to cheer her up by taking her to the sweets shop and had some fancy dessert together.

Later, they decided to go to Hayate's shop. Although they did not get to talk to the two merchants, both were very happy to see how crowded the shop was. A lot of noblewomen and their maids were there and all the shop assistants were fully occupied. So she and Tenten decided to go window shopping around other fancy shops instead to see the trends around here and maybe find some ideas of their own. However, since there were so many visitors and resident citizens out for shopping at many interesting shops and partaking in the entertainment available on the street, they took a lot longer than they supposed and consequently returned home late last night. Although they went straight to bed as soon as they washed up, Sakura still felt the sleep deprivation keenly, and she was sure that Tenten felt the same.

Sakura mused to herself how she had gotten used to the life of comfort and luxury and made a silent note to herself to be a little more careful in the future that she would not become too dependent on this way of living. A ninja was supposed live simply and be alert in all kind of situation at a moment's notice, after all, and that was what she was and what she wanted to remain, not a pampered lady whose hands could not lift and whose shoulders could not bear any burden.

Sakura was a little startled from her reverie as the cool metal tip of the delicate little hairpin gently brushed past against her scalp as the maid deftly slipped it in to complete her outfit. She sat down in front of the copper looking glass and the maids brought out the powder and crimson rouge in a lacquer box. The older maid entreated her to put on a little makeup, but she firmly refused the powder the two maids wanted to put on her face and, but relented when they insisted that she at least needed to put on a little red rouge she made on her cheeks and lips. She allowed only the lightest touch, which seemed to disappoint the maids a little, but Sakura herself was satisfied with the result.

She was then rushed out of her room into the hall where Rin was already waiting. She looked quite resplendent in her regal dark blue kimono with white obi embroidered with gold thread. Such rich colour against her pale skin made her look quietly elegant. Her hair coiffure was neatly held up by a golden comb embedded with rubies and twin gold hairpins studded with pearls, which must have been quite costly seeing how detailed the craftsmanship was. Despite the stateliness of her outfit, Rin still retained the appearance of a more youthful beauty rather than a matronly one, and although normally Rin preferred to dress in a much simpler manner, her outfit enhanced her beauty so perfectly that Sakura could not help but thought how lucky her sensei was to find such a woman for himself.

Rin turned to Sakura and smiled brightly as she observed the young woman. The little hairpin caught her eyes immediately. It was a gift that Kakashi had given her at her coming-of-age ceremony earlier this year, one that suited her so well. It was made of rare white jade decorated with pale pink rose quartz carved into tiny cherry blossom petals and held together into an image of a vine of cherry blossoms. The ornament framed her face delicately, and coupled with her pale pink furisode that was almost white with light green obi that matched the color of her eyes, her entire outfit and her unique coloring gave her an air of unaffected purity. The melodious jingling sounds from the swaying cherry blossom hairpin also enhanced the effect and made her person seemed almost ethereal. She looked as if she was the personification of spring herself.

Sooner or later, Kakashi would have to stave off suitors for the girl, Rin thought amusedly to herself. She tried to imagine her husband's expression if one of those young men approached him on the subject, but then remembered that they would have to find him first, and felt that half the fun had diminished.

Tenten came running in just as Rin was about to send someone to check on her. She was wearing her fiery red furisode with yellow obi that Rin herself had picked for her, and she was delighted with the result. Her twin buns were decorated with gold hairpins inlaid with red garnets and made into the shape of peacock with fanning tails with pearl strings cascading down on the side, which was also a gift from Kakashi when Tenten came of age. Like Sakura, Tenten refused to have thick powder makeup put on her face saved for the slightest touch of rouge on her cheeks and lips. Her beauty, unlike Sakura's, was bright and bold, like the fiery sun at the height of summer.

Seeing the two beautiful girls together, Rin thought it was only a matter of time before they caught someone's eyes, and while she hoped they would both find happiness with someone worthy of them, she had a feeling that somehow such person would hardly be anyone from the Fire Court. While the two girls were proficient with the way of court and their manners and accomplishments were more than qualified, their point of view was much more progressive than the narrow-minded people here could accept. They were both independent and headstrong, but these traits were undesirable in women in the mind of men in this place. Sooner or later, these young women would need to decide where their future would lie...

But for now, Rin only smiled and ushered the girls into the waiting carriage. The most important thing for now was to get the to the celebration as soon as possible.

Another elegant carriage slowed to a gentle stop at the front gate of the Fire Palace. Since the sun had already risen, allowing the driver to clearly see the long line of carriages ahead queuing to get into the palace. The line was moving slowly but steadily, and there were many people still lining up behind, so the driver wasn't in any rush and followed the carriages in front of him patiently.

While there were so many people here, the guards seemed hardly flustered. They were obviously well-trained and had a very good idea of what to expect. The queue ahead were becoming steadily shorter and shorter until they finally reached the front gate of the palace.

The captain of the guard hailed to the driver and signalled the carriage to halt. The driver complied, and as the guard captain approached, he handed a sealed authorisation to him immediately. He took a swift glance at the Senju clan symbol on the carriage and opened the sealed letter, which was the invitation written and sealed by the Daimyo's personal attendants. Once the man was satisfied that the authorisation was genuine and everything was in order, he nodded to the driver and gestured to the rest of his guardsmen to make way so the carriage could pass. The driver thanked him quietly and spurred the horses forward at a gentle pace, keeping the pace in sync with the carriage that went before.

The guard captain kept watching the intricate emblem on the carriage intensely until it was out of sight. He then turned to one of the younger guardsman and gestured him forward.

"Inform the others inside that the Senju had finally arrived." The young man promptly bowed and went running for the shortcut towards the palace complex as he had been taught to do. The guard captain's brows creased into a worried frown as he looked toward the direction which the carriage had taken.

Everyone knew of the enmity that existed between the Senju and the Uchiha, and knowing that soon both parties would be here in the same place, he could already feel his stomach tying itself into knots. Only the Gods could predict what would happen when they see each other. He did not even want the contemplate the possible results should the inevitable confrontation happen, let alone how to stop such a confrontation.

He prayed to the Gods that nothing would happen today, at least not on his watch.

Naruto could barely keep himself still as the carriage finally slowed to a smooth stop inside the Fire Palace.

He had been told vigorously by both his godparents to be on his best behaviour today. They wanted him to come here to observe the way of the Fire Court and, if possible, establish his presence in this place. This was not only for his sake, of course, but for the Uzumaki clan who had been unjustly persecuted by the ruthless Shimura clan. If he could somehow win over some influence here, he might be able to garner allies to help him in his quest to reclaim the clan's properties from his enemies.

This was the eye-opening experience his mother had intended for him to experience and not the trip to the gambling houses. Kushina felt it was time for Naruto to be exposed to the wider world, and under the guidance and protection of the Senju Princess, she felt it was the best learning opportunity that Naruto could have had. With the Senju as his sponsor, he would have a much easier time establishing a foothold here due to the Senju's great reputation. Of course, Kushina could have easily come here herself or send Minato in her stead, but she felt it was time to prepare Naruto for the future, as he was now designated as one of the few heirs to the Uzumaki clan who was qualified to the lead the clan in the future, should their land and holdings be returned to them.

This was the main reason why she wanted Naruto to accompany Tsunade and Jiraiya to the Fire Palace, but unbeknownst to her, Naruto now had another motive altogether to be here.

'Sakura-san will be so relieved that you're back!'

That sentence from the little girl who took Tora kept reverberating in his mind.

Could it be his Sakura-chan? This had been the question that had been floating in his head for the past few days, and he knew this was the only opportunity for him to enter the Fire Palace and find out. With top-notched security measures, this place was too tightly guarded for him to even think of infiltrating, not to mention he would be putting himself and his clan in perilous position should he be discovered.

He only had one chance, and he was going to make the most of it.

He followed Tsunade and Jiraiya down from the carriage and they were greeted by one of the senior servants who stepped forward as they entered. He bowed courteously to Tsunade with a polite smile plastered to his face as he greeted them.

"Mistress Senju, it is my great honour to welcome you to the Fire Court on behalf of my liege." He bowed deeply again and gestured them inside. "Please follow me to our humbly arranged seatings."

Tsunade nodded and followed the servant with Jiraiya right behind her. Naruto automatically kept the pace with them, all the while he kept thinking and looking for an opportunity to excuse himself as soon as possible. He looked around and tried to remember the layout of the place just in case.

Then, as they approached the main hall of the Fire Palace, Naruto was greeted by the most famous sight of the Fire Palace's structure. The place was famed for its numerous golden decorations and was consequently named 'The Hall of Midday Sun' for its golden light reflecting from the lavish ornamentation. The windows were fitted in various places in an exact position so that when the sun was at its peak at noon on the Daimyo's birthday, the room would be completely bathed in golden lights reflected from the golden decorations from all directions. The occasion repeated annually and to the eyes of many master architects and connoisseurs, this place was an architectural masterpiece of the era for its ingenious design. On top of that, it held vast collections of priceless work of arts made from gold that had never been seen in the entire continent.

However, to Naruto's humble eyes, they were just gaudy furnishing and a big, fat waste of money. So he hardly paid any attention to the opulent surrounding. Instead, he kept noting the possible directions in which he could begin his search.

As they entered the inner hall, the room became even more spacious and that was where the Daimyo's numerous guests were already gathered. The Fire Daimyo, garbed in his resplendent red haori embroidered with golden threads and purple silk hakama, sat on elevated tatami mat surrounded by his twelve guardians and councillors. As each guest entered, they were announced and then they approached the Daimyo to wish him happiness and present him with their gifts.

As Tsunade and her entourage were announced, the chatter in the entire room dimmed a little as people turned their head to watch the eternally beautiful Senju Princess. While some were in awe of her beauty and others revered her strength and her vast knowledge of medical ninjutsu, none could deny her air of confidence and authority. They unknowingly fell into silence as they listened to her proud voice.

"On behalf of my brother and the entire Senju clan, I would like to congratulate you on this happy occasion." Tsunade knelt down and bowed politely as her voice rang loud and clear in the quietened room. She motioned to Jiraiya, who stepped forward carrying a tray of gift from the Senju and handed it to the waiting servants who rushed forward to accept them on the Daimyo's behalf.

The gift from the Senju was rare and exquisite indeed. The crowd murmured excitedly as they realized the blackwood box contained various rarest and most expensive herbs found in the entire land. These herbs were rumoured to only grow only in the Senju territory and could only be harvested only once every decade or so, making them the most coveted medicinal plants that could not be bought with just money.

"Thank you, thank you." The Daimyo, needless to say, was very happy and gracious in his response. "I'm honoured that you have decided to come yourself this year."

"The honour is mine." Tsunade politely replied. "Since this is quite an auspicious occasion, my brother and I feel that sending only our representative is inadequate."

The conversation continued along these veins for a brief moment. Then, they bowed to the Daimyo and made way for the others in line waiting to approach the Fire Lord. The old servant who led them here quickly guided them away from the centre of the room to their assigned seatings, which was the place for guests of honour on the left side of the Daimyo, and he politely took his leave once he saw them seated in their supposed place.

As they sat down, both Tsunade and Jiraiya were immediately greeted by their neighbours, who, from their appearance, were some nobles of the Fire Court. They inwardly thanked their star of fortune for being seated next to the representative of the Senju, and immediately engaged them in conversations in the hope of securing a good relation with the most powerful Senju Princess and her companion, who was just as well known as she was. This left Naruto to his own device, and he immediately scanned the room for anything that could point him to Sakura.

However, as he casted his eyes to his left and right, he found that with the exception of Tsunade and a few female representatives from a few ninja clans, most of the occupants of this room were male. The nobles of the Fire Court in this room were singularly male, and so was most of the ninjas present here. He also could not detect any familiar face from the representative of each clan either. He made a mental note that he would need to explore other parts of the palace as he waited for an opportunity to sneak out.

The Hall of the Midday Sun was filled with soft murmurs of idle chatter as noble vassals and representatives were being announced one by one, and the atmosphere was seemingly relaxed and pleasant. Yet, for the one man in the room, this occasion was anything but.

Just as the Uchiha decided to come the Fire Capital, the Senju Princess also decided to turn up to the Daimyo's celebration without warning. If the Senju and Uchiha weren't bitterest of enemies, he would have thought they were conspiring with each other. Either that, or fate had the sickest sense of humour and enjoyed his suffering. Both their presence here meant that he needed to be much more careful with his operations in the Fire Capital

However, not everything was bad news. After all, Senju Tsunade also brought the survivor of the Uzumaki clan along with her as well, and he couldn't complain about that. It at least made one part of his job much easier.

So he tried his best to appear as relaxed as possible. He looked around, and from the crowd he managed to identify the Hyuuga representative who just approached the Daimyo with his clan entourage and presented their gift to the Fire Lord, then glanced towards the representatives from the triumvirate clan, the Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi who had banded together not far from the Fire Capital, who were waiting in line to approach the Fire Lord with another group from the Sarutobi clan, who were the triumvirate clan's staunchest ally. The Inuzuka and the Hagoromo were also there, already seated and watched the procession with great interest, undoubtedly gleaning information to report to their masters, just as he was doing.

It seemed that most major powers throughout the Land of Fire were asserting their presence here, whether it was out of reverence for the old Fire Lord or for other nefarious purposes. But then again, with the Daimyo's temperament, their absence could lead to suspicion, so at least sending a representative might be a 'better safe than sorry' defensive approach against the Daimyo's suspicion as well. Moreover, this was an important occasion, so attendance was required, even though it was not spoken of as such.

However, while they all had undeniably valid reason to be here, it still made his jobs a lot harder as each clan was sure to increase their activities in the Capital. He made yet another mental note to tell his people to be god damn careful and on highest alert.

Then, just as the line of people finally dissipated, the door was graced with one last visitor, led by Hatake Kakashi towards the dais upon which the Daimyo was seated, the most anticipated one hailed from the western territories of the Land of Fire. Every eye in the room was upon them as they finally made an entrance.

It was the Uchiha.

The female guests attending the Daimyo's celebration were gathered in another the part of the Fire Palace known as the Ooku, or the Daimyo's harem. Since the distinction between genders in this society were still too great and the belief of male superiority was too strong, women were forbidden to put themselves forward, especially the noble ones. Thus, they had their own separate celebration in the different section of the palace.

Inside the Ooku, or the inner palace, the Daimyo's principal wife, or the Lady Shijimi, held her court here. Unlike many of her peers in different land, she asserted quite a startling amount of influence over the actual governing of the Land of Fire despite the grumbling of the more traditional populace. This was partly due to her family background as the most powerful merchants who controlled more than a quarter of the Land of Fire's economy, and while she might not look like much, underneath the seemingly flippant and airheaded personality was a shrewd mind that people often underestimated. This led to her advantage, and she used her position to amass influence and power in anyway that she could. So during this time, the inner palace held much more power than ever.

Consequently, nobles with female relatives often sent them to accompany the Fire Lady in order to garner favours from her. This was why today the Ooku was overflowing with throngs of female guests from all over the country. Even without the colourful decorations, the colours of all the kimono worn by the young ladies would have brightened up the room considerably. The atmosphere in the Ooku was also less formal and much more relaxed as well with sounds of soft murmurs and quietly refined laughters resonating all over the room.

Lady Shijimi herself was dressed resplendently and decked with so much jewelry that Sakura could not help but wonder how she could have sit up straight at all. Just like the Fire Daimyo, his wife was also a show-off at heart and would never pass on an opportunity to outshine everyone in the room. She was surrounded by the wives of many high-ranking officials who fought among themselves for the attention of the Fire Lady.

Just as everyone tried to swarm the Fire Lady with praises and pleasant conversations, Sakura and Tenten were talking pleasantly with a group of young ladies their age who hailed from a noble family from the Land of Wind. All of them were gently reared and softly spoken, yet so well-versed in the art of making pleasant conversation that sometimes led to information gathering from their families, so much so that Sakura thought hey would have made a great information-gathering ninja, had they been born in Konoha that she remembered.

But right now, they were just girls who were discussing nothing more fripperies like the latest fashion from the Land of Wind and places of interest in the Fire Capital that they would like to visit. Sakura herself made a not so subtle recommendation for them to visit Hayate's shop, to which they expressed strong interest. Tenten flashed a knowing smile at Sakura before offering to take these girls there herself.

Just as the conversation flowed smoothly, Sakura felt a small gently tugging at her sleeve and turned to see a young girl in servant garb politely sitting behind her. She recognised the girl immediately. She gave the girl a slight nod and as the girl withdrew silently. She waited a little while before she managed to excuse herself from the group, leaving Tenten to continue conversing as she made her way to a secluded spot on the veranda of this room.

"Sakura-san." The young girl called out the her as soon as she stepped on the veranda. Sakura smiled at her as she approached, and saw another young boy with a big smile next to her.

"Sakura-neechan! You look so pretty today!" The boy called out happily, and his older sister immediately shushed him.

"Be quiet! I told you many times since you start working here that you can't be boisterous like you are at home!"

"I'm not!" The younger boy argued back. "I'm just talking to Sakura-neechan!"

Sakura smiled gently at the two youngsters and suppressed the urge to laugh at their childish bickering. Both of them were children from the Gate District, whom she helped found work in the Fire Palace for. Their father became handicapped after an accident at work and their mother bore the responsibilities of providing for the entire family. The two siblings wanted to somehow helped their mother, so they came to her for help. She knew that both of them could read and write, as they have been taught by Iruka-sensei, so she managed to utilise the connections with those in the Fire Palace to get work for them.

While the work in the palace could be hard at times, it paid extremely well for an impoverished family and provided a stable career with possible advancement in the future, so both of the siblings and the other children she helped found palace work for were extremely grateful for her help and always found a way to look out for her whenever she was here. Just like the other day when the girl managed to find Tora for her before Lady Shijimi returned.

"Sakura-neechan," the little boy called her attention back to him. "Kakashi-san asked me to pass this message to you. So I asked my sister to bring me here."

He handed a folded, tiny piece of paper to her. She thanked them both before sending them on their way.

"Don't get in trouble, both of you." She reiterated with them. "The palace people are not as kind as Iruka-sensei, remember?"

Both of them nodded emphatically before running back to their post. Once left alone, Sakura deftly unfolded the message which Kakashi sent to her with almost unintelligible scrawls of his own handwriting.

'Meet me in the Garden of Seasons. Same spot. Come Alone. K.'

The appearance of the Uchiha caused quite a stir in the throng of people present in the Hall of the Midday Sun.

While the Daimyo and his council were informed in advance and attempted to keep the information under wraps, some people knew of their impending arrival. Still, it had been more than a decade since they stepped foot here, and since the Uchiha were highly reclusive, so most people had no idea what to expect with this visit, and they waited on baited breath to see what the Uchiha would do.

What intrigued the courtiers even more was the fact the Uchiha would send one of the immediate heirs to the clan leadership as the representative. It was a great gesture of honour toward the Daimyo, and it was an action so out of place that everyone began to question what was going on in the Uchiha Fugaku's mind.

What was his intention?

The room was filled with deafening murmurs and whispers of speculation just as Kakashi stepped forward and bowed to the Fire Daimyo. Then, he wordlessly stepped aside to let Sasuke and Shisui approached the Dais where the Daimyo coolly watched the newcomers with his council.

Both Sasuke and Shisui stood still, and people began to wonder if they were going to kneel as custom dictated. Long moment passed, and just as tension began to fill the room, their knees finally bent and both Uchiha executed an immaculate bow to the Daimyo, whose strained smile instantly relaxed.

"On behalf of my master, Uchiha Fugaku, and the entire Uchiha clan, Sasuke and I are here to congratulate your lordship on joyous occasion." Shisui spoke, his voice smooth and perfectly clear as it reverberated through the hall. "We would like to present this humble gift from the Uchiha clan to you."

He held up the tray and the Daimyo's servant rushed out to accept it and took it to his master. Upon seeing what it was, the Daimyo's eyes lit up with appreciation. While he had seen all kind of luxurious and rarified gift in his lifetime, the gift that the Uchiha brought could be considered as extravagant as it could get.

It was an exquisitely-crafted sword made from pure gold which was kept in a golden sheath encrusted with numerous precious jewels. The sword handle and the sheath was carved in an intricate depiction of dragons catching a pearl in one of its hands, which took every single one of the clan's master goldsmith to complete.

Shisui believed the Daimyo barely noticed anything else with the way he kept his eyes glued upon the jewelled bauble. It was an extravagant gift, to be sure, but Uchiha Fugaku thought nothing of parting with it. After all, apart from the fact the Uchiha clan was immensely wealthy, they were warriors who valued a sword by the quality of its blade rather than how pretty its sheath was. Funnily enough, Shisui thought the gift was an accurate representation of the Daimyo, considering how extravagant and useless the thing was, and he wondered if Fugaku-sama actually shared the same line of thought when he chose this gift.

Nevertheless, this decorative weapon seemed to please the Daimyo so much to the point that he showered them with so much praise that it became more disturbing than welcoming. On his left side, Sasuke could barely conceal his disgust at the Daimyo's greediness, but knew better than to say anything until the Daimyo finally waved them away and a servant led them towards the seating area of honoured guests.

The seating arrangement was a good sign to Shisui, as it meant that the Daimyo still wished to preserve a good relations to the Uchiha clan, or at the very least keep up an appearance of it.

Shisui surreptitiously casted his gaze around the room to identify all the notable people here. Immediately he recognised the representatives from various powerful ninja clans, some of them he had even fought against before during his missions, while others he knew from reputation. He quickly memorised their face and name before his eyes fell upon the ones sitting on the seat of honour on the opposite side.

He had heard of the Senju Princess for a long time now. She was one of the best medical-ninja to ever exist in the history of mankind, and one of the reasons why the Senju's army was virtually unbeatable. On top of the Senju's considerable stamina, the healers she trained to accompany their ninja were skilled beyond their peers who resided with the other clans, making their survival rate even higher than normal. He had some experience in fighting with them in the past, and had to admit that they were indeed formidable opponents whom he would prefer not to lightly cross sword with.

To the left of the Senju Princess was her lover, Jiraiya, whom Shisui only knew through his reputation as a formidable opponent, and then, to her right was a young man whom he did not recognise. Strangely enough, he was staring straight ahead so intensely at them.

Or rather, at Sasuke, who was staring daggers back at him.

While Kakashi had not believed in fate previously, he had to admit that he was sorely tempted to change his mind now.

For years he had been trying so hard to find them. He spared no effort nor expense in trying to find them and found his own abilities lacking. Yet now, when there was no exertion on his part, there they were, both perching upon the seats of honour in the very same room.

Man proposed, and the Heaven disposed indeed. It seemed as if this was the Gods' idea of a joke, and he had no idea if he should laugh or not.

But internal philosophical debate would have to wait as he caught Naruto's eyes on him. The blonde seemed as if he was going to hyperventilate any moment now, while his counterpart, who was sitting exactly opposite of him, betrayed no reaction on his face. Still, since he was sitting next to Sasuke, he could see his hand clenched into a fist. Still, he couldn't quite tell what kind of emotion the raven-haired man seemed to be experiencing. In some ways, Sasuke was much harder to read than his other teammates, and that made him more than a little unpredictable to Kakashi.

But, for now, as the Daimyo's celebration just started as his servant signalled in procession of dancers to entertain them, he waited patiently for the moment of reunion he had been waiting for for so long now.

Sakura found herself wandering into the Garden of Seasons alone as instructed by Kakashi. Since her sensei did not bother to specify the time to meet, and she figured that since no one would miss her presence, she would rather be here early than late. It was a good opportunity to get away from the crowd, at the very least.

The Garden of Seasons was a wedding gift from the Daimyo to his wife, and this place was reserved solely for her and her guests only, as it was situated within the inner palace. The garden was normally closed off to guests or visitors, but since Sakura was now considered a regular at the Fire Court and Lady Shijimi felt a kindness towards her, she was one of a few people who the Fire Lady allowed unsupervised access to this place. Also, since Sakura could use the rare and exotic flowers in this garden to make her a personalised incense scent that she absolutely adored, she was more than happy to let Sakura roam here freely to her heart's content.

The garden itself was divided into four different sections to represent the different beauty of the four seasons in a year. Each section was well-designed and well-tended, creating one of the most dreamlike scenery in the palace. Now, at this time of the year, the flowers were all in full bloom and the entire area was made vibrant by their colours and their scents. It made the landscape before her seemed almost otherworldly, and she had to admit this was by far the most beautiful place in the entire Fire Palace in her opinion.

At this hour, where everyone was still inside the inner palace hall, this beautiful place was deserted, save for her own presence. So Sakura took an opportunity to walk around and absorb in the beautiful atmosphere to her heart's content.

While the season for cherry blossoms had already been and gone, the wisterias in the garden were at the peak of their season. The landscape designer had also created a wooden tunnel for the wisterias to grow from and let it flowering vines hung down from the structure. As the wind blew, the curtain of white and soft purple wisterias swayed gently, and Sakura stood there, lost in her thoughts as she wondered why Kakashi would call her out here at this time, not to mention that there was no sign of him anywhere.

It was just the thing Kakashi-sensei would do, to send her a note and not specify the time.

So, there was nothing else to do but wait.

Sasuke felt that every minute was passing by so slowly as he tried to focus on anything but the passage of time. As he failed to rid himself of such feeling, his impatience grew. Then he began to wonder what other surprise today might hold for him.

First, at the crack of dawn, he found out that the formal emissary the Fire Daimyo sent to accompany them to the Fire Palace was none other than Hatake Kakashi, the man who had been his teacher and mentor in the previous life. He almost couldn't keep his countenance, but in the presence of Shisui and the retinue accompanying Kakashi, he did not have an opportunity to show his recognition or even talk to him.

Still, Sasuke did not doubt that the masked man knew and remembered their past lives, since the gleam in his eyes was telling enough, and the opportunity to talk would come up soon. So he only needed to be a little more patient.

And then, just as soon as his audience with the Daimyo was over and he just sat down, he was immediately greeted with the sight of his long-time… rival? Former teammate? Or perhaps even a friend? A broth...

Sasuke shook his head. It was not important to think of what label to put on Naruto right now, and he focused on the possible reasons for his presence here instead.

From what he heard, all Uzumaki clan members had completely vanished after the invasion of their clan by the Shimura. It wasn't hard to guess that they probably sent Naruto here to gather allies to help in the quest to retake their stronghold from the Shimura's grasp, or even request aid from the Daimyo himself, as slim as the possibility of help from that quarter might be. From the situation, the Uzumaki would be desperate enough to do it.

Also, since Naruto was here with Tsunade and Jiraiya, Sasuke immediately knew that he had been living under the Senju's protection, possibly along with the other members of their clan. After all, the Senju and Uzumaki had always been close, one could almost say interrelated as it had been said that both clan can be traced to the same ancestors.

Sasuke risked a glance towards Naruto again, and as expected, the idiot was still intensely glaring at him. Still, at the least he learned to keep his mouth shut in front of all these people and did not immediately act on impulse.

Then, Sasuke started to wonder what else had changed about his rival. Given the circumstances, what Naruto had been through, it was impossible that Naruto would remain the loud-mouthed, hopelessly optimistic boy that he once knew. A massacre of an entire clan would ensure that.

After all, he would know. Sasuke thought derisively to himself. Who would know it better than he did?

Even though, in this life, it was just a memory of a time that was gone long ago, who could forget such an experience? Not him. The pain that came with those memories couldn't just be erased. Even if he wanted to, he could not make himself forget.

And he wouldn't want to forget, for those memories were what made him powerful. After all, those memories were what awoke his mangekyo sharingan as soon as he was awake in this world.

He had kept this fact a secret to avoid suspicion and never resorted to using his mangekyo sharingan until he was much older, and only then when it was truly necessary, so only a scant few even knew. Even Itachi only found out a few years ago during one of the particular difficult battles. He couldn't really meet Itachi's eyes for a while as he glimpsed the sadness in his brother's gaze watching him.

Shaking himself from reverie, Sasuke turned his eyes back upon the centre of the room where dancers were summoned by the Fire Daimyo to entertain the guests. The room was quiet and everyone was seemingly absorbed with the intricate performance, but he knew the truth to be otherwise. The only one who was genuinely enjoying the entertainment was the one perched upon the dais, beaming with childlike happiness while holding the fate of nation upon his hands as if it was naught but a toy.

In his opinion, the man before was the person who was in no way fit to be in any position of power, let alone being a Daimyo. The only thing that placed him above other men was either divine providence or pure, dumb luck, and Sasuke inclined to believe that it was the latter. He had no skills to win battles or defend his people, nor the intellect to properly govern and look after his people.

Sasuke detested this kind of person and could only wonder why he had not been removed from his Fire Throne already. Even someone like Naruto would be better at governing his people, and someone like Sakura would be better at defending them…

As his thoughts turned to her, his hand automatically touched where the charm bag rested underneath his haori.

Now that he was living in a different world, there should have been nothing left to be beholden to. They now lived a different life, going on their own different path. He should no longer be beholden to anything or anyone. Neither the destruction of his clan or his revenge on Konoha happened. Team Seven never existed. He had done her no wrong this time, and there should be nothing left between them.

Everything was now at clean slate, and it should be left at that.

Yet, Sasuke let his hand rested upon the charm bag as he tried to not remember that Juugo told him she was in the Fire Capital, tried to not think of the fact that she was so close.

And he tried not to think of the possibility that he might see her again.

Time could not have passed in a more tortuous manner to Naruto. Every second felt like an eternity, and he felt as if his chest was lit afire with anticipation. The knowledge and possibility that his most important people in the previous life might all be here in the same place with him at this very moment was almost too much to bear. No one would know how much effort it took just to keep himself still as he was doing. What little patience he had was already spent on waiting to get into this place, and still he had to wait for some stiff dances and performances. The only good thing he noticed about them was that they were not the perverted kind that Ero-Sennin preferred.

Then, it seemed all the entertainment finally came to an end as the floor was cleared out. However, Naruto's wish to be released was short-lived as a throng of servants came in bearing exquisite delicacies and sake. So Naruto continued to endure the passing of time as best he could, all the while glaring holes into Sasuke, who occasionally glared back with a clear expression of annoyance, which made Naruto feel a little better. Kakashi-sensei also kept shooting him a familiar glare that plainly told him to be patient.

At long last, after the Daimyo and most his guests had had their fills of food and drink, the Daimyo finally got up and his attendant announced that the celebration would continue again later in the evening. The servants then appeared again and started leading the honoured guests toward their assigned resting quarters to wait as the Daimyo also took his afternoon rest as well. The guests were allowed to explore the outer palace as they wished, so long as they did not invade the inner palace area.

As they were about to be led away to a temporary resting quarter, Naruto turned to see Kakashi, who was accompanying Sasuke out of the hall. The grey-haired commander gave him an almost imperceptible nod, as if to reassure him.

Feeling a little better at the gesture, the blonde ninja reluctantly followed his godparents out of the hall without a fuss. The old servant took them through the winding corridors until they reached a small, yet still lavishly decorated sitting room. As Tsunade and Jiraiya settled inside, the older servant ushered the younger servants and sternly ordered to bring in refreshments and it was quite a fuss as they tried their best to cater to order of their superior. As Naruto stood next to the door to steer clear of the commotion, the older servant came to stand next to him and spoke to him with a smile on his face.

"Young master, please let me know if you require anything. We're here to ensure that you have everything you need." The man said with kindly smile that was such a contrast to the stern tone he used with his subordinates.

"No, no. I don't need anything else!" Not quite following his mood, Naruto waved his hands and shook his head emphatically. "I'm fine, thank you."

The man bowed courteously as an acknowledgement, and after enquiring the same thing to Tsunade and Jiraiya and received their negative answers, the older servants politely bowed and signalled the younger ones to leave.

And just as he was about to leave the room, he turned to Naruto one more time.

"If the young master is not too tired, may I suggest a stroll in the garden outside? The view there is very beautiful at this time of the year." Then, his voice dropped into a bare whisper, but Naruto caught every word he spoke. "In fact, I believe that Master Hatake himself would highly recommend the place, and plans to be there as well."

Naruto looked up, startled at the mention of his sensei's name, and the old servant simply smiled.

"Would you like me to take you to see the place?"

"Where are you taking me?" The curtness of Sasuke's tone would have made a lesser person shivered in fear, but of course, Kakashi wasn't just anyone, so he only said.

"Well, I'm told to take really good care of you, and since you're a visitor, I guess it's customary to take you to see nice views here and all." He smiled at Sasuke and watched him with amusement. "So do be a good guest and follow me around."

They walked together through the winding corridors towards the garden, and then just as the reached the exit to the garden, an old servant appeared from around the corner with Naruto in tow.

"Master Kakashi." He bowed politely and left immediately, leaving Naruto standing face to face with Sasuke. But before either could say or do anything, Kakashi interrupted them.

"Right, this way." He took a step outside, fully expecting his two former students to follow him. "One more stop to make."

At the end of the wisteria tunnel, Sakura had been sitting at the little gazebo erected near an artificially created pond which was now brimming with blooming lotuses, which thrived in the warm air of summer. Their pale pink petals contrasted sharply with their dark green leaf, yet the overall combination was strangely harmonious and very pleasing to the eyes. And although it was already the beginning of summer, the heat wasn't yet unbearable and the weather today was just perfect for sitting outside.

In such a beautiful scene coupled with equally beautiful weather, Sakura felt it was a perfect time to catch up on her beauty sleep. So she sat down on her favourite spot under the roofed gazebo, leaned against one of its post and drifted in and out between the land of dream and consciousness. Normally, she would sleep dreamless, yet, as she tried to reach deeper into slumber, she kept hearing whispers and voices. Their voices, to be precise, and she could only sleep lightly as her mind kept being drawn back and forth.

Until she heard the sounds of footsteps approaching.

She became awake almost instantly. At first, she thought it was Kakashi arriving, so she remained in the gazebo and waited. But as the sounds of footfall came closer, she realised there were more than just one person walking towards her. So she got up from her seat, straightened out her kimono and stood facing the wisteria tunnel where the sound became louder and louder.

Then, across the distance, two familiar silhouettes appeared before her. The silhouettes that always stood before her time and time again. The sight awoke a feeling long forgotten, and her heart clenched almost painfully as she did not dare to believe what she was seeing with her eyes.

She wondered frantically if she was still dreaming and tried so hard not to hope, but as the two forms, one light as day and the other dark as night, came even closer, her legs started moving on its own accord. One step, two steps, and three, and then her feet gradually broke into a run as her heart soared for the first time she was living and breathing in this world.

Her feet tried to match the speed which her heart demanded her to run. Through the tunnel of white and purple, as the wisteria petals gently rained upon them, she went as fast as her feet allowed.

Just as she was about to reach them, she abruptly halted into a stop. Suddenly, as if afraid, she almost took a step back. Yet, her hand uncertainly reached out, as if to ascertain whether the two figures in front of her were real, not some apparition that had always haunted her thoughts and dreams. She wouldn't be able to take the disappointment if this turned out to be another delusion. It was too real this time, and it would hurt twice as much if it was only a dream.

Yet, she gathered her courage and took one, two, three more steps and let her hand touched their faces. Naruto immediately covered her hand with his own as he looked at her wonderingly, as if not believing his own eyes either, while Sasuke flinched slightly, but not moving away from her nor made a move to stop her, his expression was as unreadable as ever.

"Naruto… Sasuke-kun…" she called out breathlessly. Her cold hands were shaking uncontrollably, and she felt her vision blurred from unshed tears. But before her welling tears could escape her eyes, she suddenly put her arm around them and pulled both men into her embrace.

"Naruto… Sasuke-kun…" she called their names like a mantra and finally allowed herself to bawl her heart out. She clutched them both tightly to her as she let out all the feelings she kept inside for so long. She felt Naruto's hand tightened around her waist as he drew both closer and felt something wet upon her shoulder, and while Sasuke remained as still as stone in their three-way embrace, he made no move to step away.

And in that moment, it was enough.

Author's Note

Yay, they finally meet! Hurray! I bet you thought that was never going to happen! (Some of you did at least, hehe) So I had to prove you wrong!

This chapter was by far the longest I've written in the shortest time. One night! (albeit without sleep) So please forgive any error, grammatical or otherwise and let me know, so I can fix them later. I could try to proof-read, but I want to delivery this chapter as soon as I can. On the other hand, I'm worry that I might not be able to deliver the vision I had fully in such a way that entice you.

But then again, this chapter would never be done otherwise (not in the time that pleases the readers anyway, I think), so I decide to put it up anyway and see what you think. After all, putting up this story has always been a test to challenge myself, so I will see how you like it from your reviews.

Thank you again to all those who reviewed the last chapter! I'm really thankful for your kind comments :D

PS.

Did you know that only less than 3% of people who read the last chapter actually made a review?

It was the first time I checked the statistics feature (I just discovered them, how silly of me!) and found that there was 690 something visitors to my new chapters! And here I thought no one was actually reading my stories!

But if less than 30 people reviewed, does that mean my story is actually not good enough?

It's a blow to my confidence, really, and this feeling sucks.

PSS.

I didn't intend to end the note in such a somber mood. So sorry about that. But I'm really feeling down about this.