Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered ❯ Glass ( Chapter 1 )

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Konoha, the sunlight making the village explode with colour. A cool gentle breeze swirled around the buildings, stroking and cooling the people that travelled through the streets. The people were relieved to get back to their normal routines after the long, hard rebuilding after Orochimaru's attack. They had picked up the pieces and started to move on.

Sakura and Yamanaka Ino weaved through a small street, each carrying a small pile of gift-wrapped boxes. The sunlight glinted off their Konoha forehead protectors, the proud mark of the Leaf shinobi.

"Thanks for helping me with my errands, Ino." Sakura smiled at her old friend. "Ah, I wasn't needed at the flower shop." Ino smiled back. "And, well... you looked like you could use the company, Sakura." she quietly added. Sakura's emerald eyes flitted downwards, and she sadly smiled, mumbling a thanks. Ino sighed, then chuckled "Come on, Sakura, I'm sure that at any minute now, Naruto will be dragging Sasuke back through the front gate. Whether he likes it or not." Sakura laughed at the mental image of Naruto dragging a sulking Sasuke through the streets by his foot. "That's more like you, Sakura." Ino smiled sincerely. "And in no time, we'll be at each other throats again over Sasuke-kun, ugly forehead girl."

"Ino-pig." Sakura smirked.

"Forehead girl." the blonde shot back playfully.

Sakura laughed once more, and smiled. "Thanks a lot, Ino...pig." "Anytime, forehead girl." Ino jeered.

The girls rounded the corner, and found themselves in the main road leading from the front gate. Sakura and Ino paused. Where there had been peace, there was now chaos. A crowd had collected at the front gate. Something was going on. The air was shattered by the shout of a woman.

"Get the injured to the hospital NOW!"

Ino and Sakura whirled around in shock, and saw Shizune sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her, with six medics following her, stretchers in hand. Shizune was hollering at the top of her voice... and her face... Something was horribly wrong.

The girls' eyes followed Shizune as she shot past them, medics trailing in her wake, towards the crowd.

Sakura experienced a horrible, painful, crushing feeling in her stomach, her heart seemed to shoot up to her throat. She could feel her heartbeats thudding throughout her body. Her eyes widened at the crowd. "Ino..." she croaked. "Naruto... Sasuke-kun..?" Ino's face also washed over with dread. Shikamaru. Chouji. Sasuke-kun.

Without any further words, the two kunoichis shot towards the crowd, running as fast as they could. Their boxes lay in a crumpled heap, forgotten, in the street.

The girls had almost reached the crowd, when a stretcher, bore by two medics, shot out. As they quickly stood aside, Ino and Sakura caught a glimpse of the patient's face.

Neji was drifting in and out of consciousness. His striking white eyes were half closed, his breathing ragged, with a gas mask over his face. His body and face were covered with his own blood. His usually immaculate hair was all over his face, matted with blood and sweat. His headband had been torn off, exposing the seal Neji cursed with every fiber of his being.

"No... This... this is horrible..." Ino gasped. It looked like their worst fears were about to happen - there was no question that Team Shikamaru were back and, judging from Shizune's face, things seemed to have gone horribly wrong. She looked at Sakura. Sakura's face mirrored Ino's, drained of colour, fear in her eyes.

Before Ino could say anything, Sakura had shot off into the crowd.

"Let me through! Please! Sasuke-kun!? Naruto!?" Sakura struggled through the crowd, her arms diving between people, making small gaps so she could force herself through. It seemed to take an eternity to dig her way through the bodies. Ino was right behind Sakura, following the path the pink-haired kunoichi had dug her way through.

The sunlight blinded Sakura as she finally broke through to the other side. As her vision swam back into focus, she was aware of a hunched black shape knelt over an unconscious figure sprawled onto a stretcher. Then she heard Shizune's screaming. It was incoherent at first, then individual words began to take shape.

"...Breathe..!"
"...Damn..!"
"Damn it... breathe!"
"...Tsunade..!"
"Get Tsunade-sama here now! "
"Damn it, Naruto, breathe!"

Naruto...?

That thought pierced Sakura's heart like a needle. This did not feel real.

"NARUTO!?"

Sakura screamed her lungs out, yelling his name. Her eyes shot to the boy laying on the stretcher. His spiky blond hair was matted and filthy. His bright, cheeky face was now pale and lifeless. His mouth was covered with blood. His trademark orange jacket had been flung to the ground on the side. A ripped, blood-spattered shirt lain alongside, staining the ground underneath it with blood. His cherished Konoha headband, his most treasured possession, lay atop the jacket, catching the sunlight.

Shizune kept yelling at Naruto, her hands glowing with Chakra and pumping his bare chest. Her hands were covered with blood. His chest was smeared with blood. There was an ugly wound in his right breast - which was covered with a blood-stopping ointment. Shizune was choking back tears, all the while pumping with her hands and screaming at Naruto to come back to life. Naruto's prized necklace glinted in the sunlight as his chest was jolted.

"Naruto!? What happened!? Naruto!? Sasuke-kun!?" Sakura kept screaming. She began to run forward, but she was forcefully restrained by a green blur. Rock Lee wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back. Sakura was shocked. "Lee-san..? Lee-san, please let me go!" Sakura demanded, tears streaking down her cheeks, and her fists pounding Lee's legs and arms. Rock Lee was clearly struggling to contain her and himself. "Please stay back, Sakura-chan! Help is coming for Naruto-kun!" Sakura tore up, sobbing uncontrollably. They both sank to the ground, Sakura burying her face in Lee's shoulder. Lee moved his hand up to the back of Sakura's head, trying to comfort her. While he did not show tears, his mouth was pulled down into a deep, trembling frown, his brow furrowed.

I had hoped I would never see the tears of an important person again... Lee thought, letting Sakura cry onto his shoulder.

Sakura sobbed, Ino simply knelt open-mouthed and wide-eyed with shock. She could not believe the sight before her very eyes.

Uzumaki Naruto was on the brink of death. The loud mouthed ninja was lying there lifeless. Ino could not believe it. The boy had seemed so indestructible in spirit and body. She remembered his Chuunin tournament fight against Neji, where he had somehow reactivated his Chakra after being hit with Neji's Hakke 64 Hands technique. He had completely blown away everyone's doubts, including her own. Naruto's victory had made the entire shinobi crowd reassess him. No-one had known he possessed such enormous chakra within him. He was no longer dropout-boy. No longer Dead Lastremembered Sakura's words after Team Shikamaru had left to recover Sasuke.

Sakura was sitting on Naruto's swing under the tree next to the school. Ino sat on the plush grass, next to Sakura in the tree's cool shadow.

"This is where Naruto used to sit alone after class, isn't it?" Ino asked. Sakura didn't respond, simply rocking back and forth on the swing.

"What's on your mind, Sakura?" Ino enquired softly, her head cocked towards Sakura at a quizzical angle, an eyebrow arched. Sakura gently rocked to and fro on the swing, her chin resting in her hands, her elbows on her knees. A few seconds silence passed until Sakura quietly spoke.

"I'm starting to think that I've treated Naruto badly..."

"Oh..?"

"Right before he left... I begged him to bring Sasuke-kun back to me... What he said next hit me so hard." Sakura sighed sadly, and her voice began to break. "H-He said.. 'You really like Sasuke, huh? I know how much pain you are in because of Sasuke...' Then he said..."

"...'I can understand.'"
tear rolled down Sakura's cheek. "Ino, he always knew. He always helped me so much." Her voice was cracked with emotion. "How could I have treated him so hard? He always helped me so much, and I put him down so often."

"Hey, Sakura, maybe you can talk with Naruto when he gets back." Ino smiled. "After you've told him off for dragging Sasuke-kun along the ground."
sniffed and smiled. "Yeah, Naruto's gotten really strong now. He was also the one who saved me from Gaara the Sand. Sasuke-kun told me Naruto gave everything and risked death, even showing powers we've never seen." Then her eyes softened and sadness returned. "... I realise now I never said thank you to him... I was grateful and touched, but I didn't say thank you..."

"Hey, hey, you'll have your chance to say thank you, Sakura!" Ino chided Sakura. "You won't do yourself or anyone any good just sitting here crying... I'm sure they'll be back soon and you'll get your chance to thank Naruto and tell off Sasuke." Ino finished with a smile. Sakura simply nodded and smiled, once again pushing herself on Naruto's swing, her hands gripping the ropes of the swing.

::End flashback::

A horrible thought entered Ino's head as she looked at Sakura, who was still in Lee's arms, her emerald eyes now upon Naruto. What if she doesn't get the chance to talk to Naruto... What if he dies..? Where is Sasuke-kun..?


Just as the thought finished, Naruto gasped, taking in breath. Sakura gasped, "Please don't die, Naruto..." She jolted forward, but was held back by Lee. "Sakura-chan, please." Lee whispered. The crowd suddenly parted and Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, sprinted through with a bag of medical supplies. She quickly went on her knees, skidding along the ground before coming to a halt. Tsunade's face was etched with worry, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead, over her curious diamond mark. She quickly slipped a gas mask over Naruto's mouth, and felt his face.

"My god, he's so cold." Tsunade's deep brown eyes darted all over Naruto's body. "His heart is now beating, and he is breathing, Tsunade-sama, but he's so weak. He's lost a lot of blood." Shizune whispered, her brow furrowed, her face contorted with grim worry. "Okay, Shizune, we need to get Naruto to the hospital right now. We can't do anything more for him out here." The Hokage picked Naruto up in her arms, his gas tank secured by a sling to her right shoulder. "Stretcher is far too slow, I'll carry him there! Take care of Shikamaru and the others!" With that, Tsunade shot up into the air and away to the hospital.

"Naruto! Wait!" Sakura cried after the blur.

Ino didn't know what to say... she was lost for words. To see Sakura so wrecked with grief and worry hurt her so much. Her eyes wandered with no purpose across the scene. Kiba was being helped to his feet by a medic, with Akamaru appearing to be asleep within his jacket. Then she spotted a pony haired Chuunin, kneeling on the ground next to a draped figure.

"Shikamaru..."

Ino had never seen Shikamaru like this. He was normally so laid-back, dispassionate and would constantly complain about the smallest thing. But this time, he was crying. Hot tears ran down his face, which was twisted with sorrow, his teeth gritted in anger. He looked so angry and upset. He was shaking all over with rage.

"Shikamaru! What happened!?" Ino yelled. She jolted herself off her knees and sprinted the short distance to him. She knelt down and her face was level with his. Shikamaru sobbed, his eyes half open at Ino. He was in so much pain. "Ino..." His voice was a mixture of grief and rage. He slowly drew the words out of himself, like they were a dagger buried deep within himself.

"Chouji... my best friend... is dead. Naruto... Neji... they're dying."

Ino felt sick. She was sure she was going to vomit, and tears started gathering under her blue eyes, rolling down her cheeks. "What... what happened..? Shikamaru?" Shikamaru sniffed, trying to control his tears. "Chouji sacrificed himself, defeating one of the Sound ninja while we sped ahead in pursuit of the rest. He, he used the red Akamichi pill. He became so... so strong and defeated that monster, but it was too much and he died."

Ino's eyes drifted from Shikamaru to the draped figure. She reached out with a trembling arm, and gently picked one end of the sheet. She carefully pulled, slowly uncovering Chouji's face. He looked so peaceful, a faint smile across his lip. He looked like he was just sleeping.

"He died for nothing! My best friend died for nothing! Naruto and Neji could die for nothing !" Shikamaru spat the words out.

Shizune had knelt down beside Shikamaru, her hand on his back. Ino was taken aback by his words. "What..? What do you mean by that..?" she gasped, in-between sobs. Sakura was also listening, and her sobs showed no sign of slowing down. Lee closed his eyes, staying silent, but his expression betrayed him, showing his pain.

"That bastard betrayed us!" Shikamaru's head went even lower, his tears falling onto the ground. His fists slammed into the ground. "I saw him! That bastard , Sasuke!"

Sakura and Ino gasped, not believing what they had just heard. Lee remained silent, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut even harder. "S-Sasuke-kun..? What did he do..?" Sakura gasped. She was in so much pain it did not feel real. Shikamaru looked at Sakura and Ino angrily, tears still streaming down his face. Shizune remained still, her mouth gaping slightly in shocked silence.

"That traitor... I saw him and Naruto at the waterfall..." His tone became enraged. "I used to respect Sasuke so much, as a skilled ninja and Uchiha. But now..." His teeth gritted so hard. "... if I ever see his face again, I will kill him!" Ino could not believe this. She had never seen Shikamaru so angry. "What did he do!?" Ino demanded. Sakura could only gape, her emerald eyes wide open with disbelief.

"We saw them... Sasuke was holding Naruto up... with that Chidori in Naruto's chest... Then he threw Naruto down the waterfall. The bastard tried to kill him! Sasuke tried to kill Naruto!"

Those very words brought Sakura's world crashing down. Everything around her seemed to shatter like glass, the pieces falling in slow motion.

Sasuke, the object of her love, had turned his back on the Leaf. And he had tried to kill Naruto.