夢

Chapter Fifteen

カカシ班
team seven

...---...

When they fall apart.

...---...

"What do you mean, she left?!" His cerulean eyes hardened into narrowed slits as he looked at the older man before him. Though he was a few inches shorter, he looked ready to put the older man down. Next to him was his raven-haired rival, who stared blankly as the fight unraveled.

"She packed her bags and left, Naruto." The older man responded, gesturing to the barren apartment. "What more do I have to tell you? The pathway she took to the gates?"

"Cut the crap, Kakashi!" The boy responded, his blonde hair growing wilder as the lines on his cheeks grew thicker. "Why did she leave?"

"She left because she knew we wouldn't stay together."

...---...

To: Hyuuga Hiroki, Aburame Tatsuya, and Mireya

We regret to inform you that your sensei, Akira (no surname), has been reported as KIA on a mission. The Hokage will place a sensei on your team at most in a month.

"She died?" Mireya wondered as she read the scroll. I thought...she was the closest to invincible I'd seen. Hiroki picked the scroll and rolled it up.

"It seems so. She was a good sensei." Tatsuya nodded along, but Mireya seemed unconvinced.

"Yeah."

Dang it, that means we'll get a horrible sensei.

...---...

"What do you mean 'she knew we wouldn't stay together'?" His shrill voice challenged the sound barrier of the room, but thankfully, his rival grabbed his arm--making him halt.

"Dobe, are you going deaf? He said that she knew our team wouldn't stay together." Sasuke Uchiha stated.

"I know what he said." Naruto responded, but his claws were gone and his temper subsided. "I just don't understand. We were supposed to stick together. She even said that herself! Why did she leave?"

"It's what you said. We were supposed to stick together." Sasuke concluded.

"I guess then..." Kakashi started. "We have to split up now."

What Naruto didn't understand was that Sakura didn't leave because she was mad at them for not listening to her. She was only annoyed at that--maybe a bit more, considering the fact that Sasuke was about to murder Danzo and Naruto was chasing after the Akatsuki.

Sakura left because she came the to conclusion: we can't do anything if we're stuck together.

And she was right. If they spent too much time together, then they'd have less time. She contradicted her earlier words of we have to wait and replaced them with we can't work together anymore.

She didn't reach this conclusion because of their disagreement. This conclusion had been bothering her from the start, since Naruto had weaved the hand signals to the Jutsu. A dark part of her mind had just wondered.

What if we have to split up?

Just a simple thought.

Oh god, what if we split up?

But it sparked and spread through the tresses of her head. Like an airborne disease, like the water running through rivers as it travelled across the country. The thought was an epidemic that had worsened.

And it all began with:

Even if I had stayed, I wouldn't be able to save them.

...---...

Don't you start going insecure on me now.

You already know, Inner. I didn't start now.

You're strong. You've trained for years! You can save anyone and you have this superhuman strength!

But I'm still not strong--

Then get strong! Don't sulk around and keep trying, okay?

Sakura smiled.