Of Ghosts and Cherry Blossoms | A Sakura Haruno AU

Chapter 19

AFTER POINTING OUT THAT Sai was missing, Yamato quickly told them what was happening.

"Sai is travelling together with Orochimaru." Yamato said. "Together with..?" she asked, bewildered.

Yamato nodded. "What does that mean?" Sakura asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "Both of you, follow me." Yamato didn't answer the question.

They arrived at the gigantic crater Naruto created. "The earth is still soft, dattebayo." Naruto spoke up. "The bridge is busted... and this place is in such an awful state. What the heck... happened..?" Naruto asked.

"Don't you remember..?" Yamato asked and Naruto tried to remember, but he couldn't.

Sakura stared down at the ink in front of her, on the ground. "Come to think of it, why was I unconscious?" He asked Sakura.

"You were unconscious because you got creamed by Orochimaru." Sakura replied.

"Are you serious.?! Damn!" Naruto groaned.

Sakura walked over to Sai's notebook. "Sai's things are scattered all over the place." She murmured, looking at the drawing of a boy on his book.

"But why is this here..?"

She got flashbacks from when Sai didn't let her look at it.

"Sai valued this picture book. But despite that, here it is in a place like this." Sakura continued.

"If he had to leave something so valuable behind, it demonstrates that he was in a tense state in front of Orochimaru."

Sakura snapped her head to Yamato, narrowing her eyes. He saw this and swallowed thickly, remembering the look she gave him earlier.

"You seem to know that as if you witnessed it yourself." Sakura said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"..I placed my wood clone here, and was in communication with it using the wireless radio implanted here."

"..What happened to Sai?" Sakura asked, coldly. "After Sai's... conversation with Orochimaru. He went away with Orochimaru and Kabuto."

"What does that mean?!" Naruto asked, shocked.

"What did they talk about?" Sakura demanded. "They were talking a distance away. So I couldn't make out the conversation." Yamato replied.

Why is he lying..?

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "I wonder what they were talking about?" Naruto hummed.

"He might have been kidnapped and taken away." Sakura said. "No. It seems he approached Orochimaru of his own volition... and handed him something.. like a letter.. it was just like he was trying to cozy up to Orochimaru."

"W-wait a minute! Even a disgusting guy like him wouldn't betray us, would he?" Naruto asked, shocked.

Sakura looked down. "No.. there's a possibility."

~~~~~~

"A long time ago, he competed with the late Sarutobi-Sensei... over the position of the Third Hokage. Unlike the Third Hokage, he's the leader of a hard-line military faction... based on rigid logic... and is Sai's superior. He hates me because... I'm the granddaughter of the first Hokage as well as a student of the Third Hokage, who was moderate."

~~~~~~

"Dan..zo." Arata whispered and Sakura frowned. "Who's Danzo?" She asked and Arata frowned. "Council.. member. Bad man.." He weakly replied and Sakura clenched her fists. "He took civilian kids.. clan kids.. and forged them.. into.. mindless soldiers.." Arata coughed and Sakura widened her eyes.