Naruto Fanfic: Naruto's Memories, Sakura's pain
Deep in the village konohagakure the ninja training grounds were quiet, except for training area seven. What was left of team seven was finishing up their daily training. The team included the number one hyperactive ninja Uzumaki Naruto. He only returned from his training with the toad sage Jiraiya, but Naruto would just call him ero-sennin instead.
Next was Haruno Sakura, one of the youngest medical ninja in konoha. Most would know her though as one of the original members of team seven but also an Uchiha Sasuke fangirl. Naruto is in love with Sakura but she has shown no affection whatsoever in return.
Sasuke though was still training under one of the other sennin Orochimaru. Both Naruto and Sakura have been desperately attempting to bring back their long lost friend.
Finally was Hatake Kakashi the sensei of team seven. During the time when the team was together he favored the Uchiha and chose him to train more than the others; breaking his own rule of teamwork. He is now only training with the two remaining from his team. Usually he is out doing solo missions for konoha letting one of his close friends train them instead.
They have just finished their training and Naruto saw fit to ask Sakura out. "Hey Sakura I was wondering if you would like to-" "Forget it Naruto." The annoyed girl walked back towards her ninja gear.
After the sudden rejection that has happened thousands of times before; the blonde turned around made his way back to the main part of the village almost in a happy mood. His smiling mask was perfectly blocking away the tears yet again like it has for many years.
The pink-haired or pinkette ninja made her way over towards her gear thinking nothing of the failed attempt at a date with her teammate. She then decided to talk to her near bye sensei. "Kakashi-sensei?" The grey haired ninja only replied with an hmm while still reading his perverted book.
"What was is Naruto's story, when he was a kid?"
The jonin then proceeded to put his book away, something he only did in serious conversation. "A little curious?" The girl only nodded. "Naruto's life as a child is a very touchy subject. Not many people know what Naruto has gone through. If you would ask me I would call it hell. But going through that hell he was still sane enough to try and please you. And he did a good job as a matter of fact."
The pinkette got a very confused look on her face. "What do you mean? He was just loud and annoying, he hasn't done much to help me." The grey-haired sensei let out a deep sigh. "I should have guessed you would say that. Actually he has been in life or death situations in his academy days in an effort to keep you from being sad."
The pinkette then got an angered look on her face. "Hey I would have noticed that he was doing something to help me wouldn't I?" She said back in anger. "Probably not he would have kept them secret from you so you would feel bad. After what he has gone through it is amazing that he has a good heart like he is now." He then sighed again before continuing.
"My sharingan can collect memories from people. I have compared Naruto's with yours and he did a damn good job at keeping it a secret from you." "Can you tell me some of them, out of curiosity?" She asked innocently. "I don't know I would be ending his huge effort to keep you happy." Kakashi said with a depressed tone. "Please I need to know if he has kept a secret to protect me." Sakura replied. "I can't tell you, but I can show you. I don't think that this would be a good idea though. Lots of these memories are pretty gruesome." "I don't care, I want to see what you mean."
"Alright but don't say I didn't warn you." The copycat ninja lifted his headband showing his sharingan eye. Sakura glared into it until everything faded into a white light.
There seemed to be nothing except for the two ninja. "Well lets get started." The gray hair man asked. Suddenly random colors began to appear taking shape into a familiar view of konoha. They were then standing on a branch outside what appears to be Naruto's apartment.
"Here is when Naruto was seven years. You know that Naruto has Kyuubi inside of him right?" The medical ninja only nodded. "Well the other villagers didn't take to kind to him. Remember this only a memory we can't interfere." Suddenly a flaming object flew through Naruto's window.
The apartment window was blown out in a fiery burst. Sakura could only gasp as the complex caught on fire. She could hear cheering coming from the streets. She looked down and saw a dozen villagers cheering at the burning building.
Out of pure rage Sakura jumped down from the branch her and her sensei were in and went to punch the closest villager. The fist faded through the villager still smiling and cheering.
She looked back up at the window enough to see an object fly out of the window. The villagers stopped cheering and their expressions turned into anger when the figure landed on the ground quickly patting the flames on him and rolling across the ground in an attempt to put out the clinging fire.
"Damn it Demon brat why can't you just die already!" One villager yelled out in anger. The villagers then charged the blonde boy with weapons and clubs. The kid scrunched so only his back was showing possibly trying to protect something under him.
"Stop it! What are you doing? PLEASE STOP IT!" Sakura yelled at the crowd. But they did not stop they continued to beat the boy until a pool of blood emanated from the boy. As the villagers dispersed going in different directions, the medical ninja saw several kunai lodged into his back bleeding profusely.
Sakura ran over to the boy still covered in blood, attempting to comfort and to tend to the boy. She started her medical justu on the boy. "Sakura, you know that won't work."
The jutsu had no effect making the girl continue to sulk. Slowly the boy got up still covering something tightly. With his spare hand he pulled out the kunai in his back making quiet yelps of pain with each tug.
Slowly he made his way down the road. A sizzling noise telling the two ninja that he was healing. Sakura continued to sob seeing the boy's determination even at such a young age. He started walking normally telling them that he was done healing not looking back at his burning home.
They followed him until he reached the ninja academy still covering something in his hand like it was his own life. He had picked off the blood that had crusted onto his skin. He looked almost completely normal.
Sakura walked in followed by Kakashi seeing the blonde haired boy looking at Sakura's younger self. He slowly walked up to her revealing a thin black vinyl case. Younger Sakura got an annoyed look to see him. "Happy birthday Sakura-chan!" He said actually smiling giving her the present.
She looked at the present for a second before taking it from his hand. She looked into the box revealing a beautiful necklace. It had a small pink jewel hanging from a golden rod connected to a golden chain. The older Sakura looked at the present almost gasping at it from how it looks and how much it would have cost. She would have hugged him and thank him for it… when she was older.
The younger Sakura looked at it for a second hinting a smile before looking back up seeing the blonde smiling. She then got an agitated look before saying.
"Naruto this is the worst present I have ever gotten." Crushing the boy's smile. She closed the box and threw it at him. The box hit him square across the face flipping up into the air. The box landed on him and back into his hands. Older Sakura started the waterworks in her eyes again.
The young pinkette turned around and ran back to a blue-haired boy not noticing the tears coming from Naruto's smiling face still trying to keep his mask on. But the older Sakura was tearing as bad as the boy. "How could I have been so mean to him? He was trying to be nice to me and I threw his present at him."
Then Iruka came into the class. "Alright everyone today we are going to be working on shuriken throwing." The class perked up because that meant they did not have to take a test that day. They all walked out, Naruto wiping away the tears from his face walked normally outside.
They all went to trees outside the academy. The trees had small gashes in them from past training exercises. Naruto's place was next to Sakura's and her to Sasuke. They all began throwing shuriken at the trees. Naruto was doing poorly, Sakura, was average while Sasuke was above average.
Both Kakashi and Sakura who has composed herself from the rejected present were watching the three's skills. Sakura marveled how she has improved since then. She could easily hit the tree with her eyes closed but her younger self rarely hit it. Kakashi's hand landed on Sakura's shoulder causing her to turn around. "Look over there." He said blandly pointing towards a stonewall.
She turned and suddenly a ninja jumped onto the wall staring down Naruto. He had a chunnin vest on and a headband with the leaf symbol on it. The ninja drew a shuriken and aimed at the blonde. Before he threw it he slipped on the wall causing the shuriken to miss its target.
Instead it went for the pink haired girl, the ninja then left quickly thinking what will happen.
Naruto happened to turn and see the shuriken and it's target, without thought he jumped into the way of the shuriken hitting him instead. Older Sakura gasped seeing him just jump in the way of her. With it pinned into his back he cringed slightly before falling forward. Unfortunately young Sakura was in the way of Naruto's landing. He landed on top of her before she could say anything.
With Sakura on the ground with Naruto laying on her she didn't act nicely. "What are you doing get off of me!" Following her orders Naruto scrambled up almost frightened. He then gave his hand to help her up. She got up on her own ignoring the hand.
Naruto still cringing from the shuriken in his lower back and began apologizing. "Sakura-chan I'm sorry there was a-" He was cut short by a punch to the face followed by Sakura yelling "PERVERT!" Naruto was sent flying into the wall.
When an extremely painful scream came from the rubble older Sakura knew exactly what happened. The shuriken was pushed all the way into Naruto's lower back.
He pulled himself up out of the rubble still with his mask on.
The training continued with more shuriken practice until it was the end of the day. Naruto left for his apartment with a bag on his back. The two ninja followed him surprised he was not confronted or anything.
When he reached his house it was merely a charred structure. He sighed and walked away onto the Hokage Mountains.
He climbed the steps up the mountain with the two ninja following close behind. They continued until the boy was on the fourth Hokage's head taking the bag off of his back. Slowly he began biting his lip trying to ignore the pain of taking his shirt off to find the shuriken.
Both Sakura and Naruto gasped of horror. Due to his extremely fast healing Naruto felt that his skin has completely covered the shuriken only having a bit of the skin jetting out from where the shuriken must be. He kneeled down opening the bag pulling out a kunai keeping one had on a point above the bump.
Sakura closed her eyes at the sight while the boy brought the kunai to the point. Slowly and painfully he opened his skin while yelling out a painful scream. He pushed the kunai all the way down past the bump making an incision. He then pulled out the kunai letting out another yell with the pull before dropping it to the ground.
Sakura opened her eyes just in time to see Naruto's hand go into the wound letting out another yell of pain. He then began pulling the shuriken out biting his mouth shut trying not to scream. The bloody shuriken was out in blonde boy's hand. The wound began to sizzle and close again. He dropped the shuriken right next to the bloody kunai.
He bundled up his shirt on the ground making a pillow. He laid down on it before rolling over to the bag next to him. He pulled out the infamous black vinyl case. He held it tight in his arms before crying. Sakura again began crying knowing that through all the pain he has gone through he will go through it again the next day.
"I think we've seen enough." The grey-haired ninja said. The image the boy crying himself to sleep still holding the black vinyl case tightly to his bare chest began fading into the white light.
Then random colors began appearing around the two ninja revealing the training grounds. "If you want to talk to him, the jutsu only lasted a few seconds." The copycat ninja said in a saddened voice. The pinkette only nodded and ran in the direction towards konoha.
Further up the path:
Naruto was walking down the path with his head down. He was thinking of the same memory the other two ninja of team seven were participating in. He let a saddened sniff out of his smiling mask. But then a dark voice came into his mind.
"Okay kit, you need to let go of that girl." The blonde boy found himself in the caged room he has been in many times before. "Why the sudden interest in my personal life fox?"
"Our connection is growing, I'm beginning to feel the emotions you feel and I can't stop crying damn it." Kyuubi said with water running down from his red eyes. "I didn't no that you could cry?" Naruto said back.
"Why don't you just go for that Hyuuga girl, or even the Yamanaka, at least they don't hit you. Besides, doesn't she love the traitor?" The fox said trying to compose himself. "I thought about it-" "No you know that you like them as well and she is still in love with that Uchiha."
"Fine I'll try and let her go." "It's for the better kit." The demon said. "Was the great king of demons trying to comfort me just now." "Hey just because I 'm a demon doesn't mean I've never had girl trouble." The blonde just got a stunned look on his face before coming back to the world around him.
"Naruto!" came a voice from behind him. Said man turned around to see his female teammate running towards him. 'I guess she does still love him, but that doesn't mean I can't still be nice to her.' "Hey Sakura-chan." He said in a calm but happy voice. "Naruto I've changed my mind I will go on that date."
"No no no no no no no no no no no n-" Kyuubi said "Sorry Sakura-chan it's getting late and I should get some sleep." He said. 'Did Naruto just say no to a date with me? Maybe he could be trying to give up on me. No, no I-I won't let that happen I won't stop, because I-I-I LOVE HIM! Yes he's always been there for me I feel safe around him. Sorry Naruto but saying no won't be that easy.'
"Your going on that date with me." She then grabbed him by his jacket and began dragging him towards Konoha. 'Oh well maybe one more try wouldn't hurt.' "You could probably guess what is going to happen." 'I know but I need to know for sure.'
Sakura continued to drag her crush along the road all the way to Ichiraku ramen. 'Huh? Sakura would always try to talk me out of going here if she ever agreed to go on the date. Something is up.' "Hey Sakura-chan why are we going here?" "This is your favorite it place to eat right?" "Well yeah but I didn't know you would like to go here."
She continued to drag him until they reached two stools. Naruto stood up brushing off his orange and black jumpsuit. The two proceeded to sit down calling the old man for the two.
"So what's up Sakura-chan?" The girl turned around facing the confused blonde. "Well I just wanted to thank you for all the times you've saved me. Think of it maybe as a gift." "Oh what reminds me." Naruto reached into his ninja pouch while Sakura was slightly confused. He pulled out a small black vinyl case making Sakura's eyes widen.
"Happy birthday Sakura-chan." He said in a slightly quieter voice than those years ago. She slowly took the case from him; with a trembling hand she opened the case. Inside was the same necklace that was given to her when she was seven. She then started crying remembering all the events from that fateful day. She looked up to see the smiling blonde open his eyes. "Hey Sakura-chan, what's wro-" He was stopped by the tight hug around him from the pinkette.
"Naruto," She said half crying into his chest. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I talk down to you all the time. I'm sorry I hit you all the time. I'm sorry, so sorry."
"Sakura-chan-."
"Naruto, me and Kakashi-sensei looked into your memories. We saw my seventh birthday, your house being set on fire, you being beaten, me throwing this present at you, the shuriken, everything." She said in between sobs before continuing. "That's when I realized that, I LOVE YOU!" The blonde let his arms going limb looking down at the pink hair still gripped onto his chest.
"Sakura-chan, please don't say that." The girl looked up at the sobbing boy in front of her. "W-what?" "The only reason I have left for bringing back Sasuke is how much you love him." He said beginning to cry. 'He still wants to keep that promise from all those years ago?'
"Naruto, you have done so much for me, Sasuke is a lost cause, and he never even said a good thing to me. But you, I feel safe, confident, and happy. Even if it causes you extreme pain you always put on a smile just so I don't feel bad. I love you, for all those reasons." The blonde pulled the girl into a hug. "I love you too Sakura-chan."
Sakura pulled away to look into his blue eyes. Both the ninja were still crying from their confessions. Their faces got closer until their lips met. They continued the kiss for what seemed like forever until they let go of each other. "That was amazing Naruto-kun." "Yeah." "Well we should probably eat some of this ramen before it gets cold." "Oh, I almost forgot." Naruto said smiling taking a slurp of his ramen. "Alright." Sakura replied following his example.
Several months later:
Naruto was running through a small village near the border of the fire country along with Sakura his girlfriend and Kakashi. "So Sakura-chan want to go grab some ramen after we get to Konoha?" "What do you think my answer will be?" "Ye- WHOA!" Naruto tripped over the edge of the building spinning into the road. He flew head first into the back of the head of a pedestrian. "Naruto are you- SASUKE!"
The survivor of the Uchiha clan massacre was laying face first into the street knocked out. "This has got to be the most luckiest thing to have ever happened in my life." Naruto said.
A few days later in the Konoha hospital:
"W-what happened?" Sasuke said rubbing his head. "Sasuke your okay!" Sakura yelled from her side of the room. "Sakura, I'm back in Konoha? I thought they wouldn't take me back after what I did." "Well they did."
Naruto was walking towards Sasuke's room to greet the teme before he heard something tat shook him to the bone. "So Sakura, want to go out later." Naruto's hand was a mere inches from the handle. He let his arms go down and began to walk away. "I told you kit, she is just another fan girl." 'Well I gave it a good run.' But then a noise was heard and Sasuke was sent flying through the solid wood door and into the brick wall sending rubble flying. A pissed Sakura came out after him winding up another punch at the Sasuke. She grabbed him by his hospital gowns collar and lifted up in range of Sakura's scream. "IF YOU THINK I CAN GO BACK TO YOU AFTER WHAT YOU SAID TO ME THE DAY YOU LEFT YOU HAVE ANOTHER THING COMING!"
Naruto couldn't hold in the happiness he had stored up in him. He ran from behind the pissed off Sakura and hugged her crying. "I love you Sakura-chan!" "And I love you Naruto-kun." They kissed over the knocked out Uchiha still bleeding with rubble from the wall and bits of the door that was broken.