TO LOVE AND TO LOVE AGAIN

BROTHER

To Love and to Love Again Chapter 36: Brother

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER AND AUTHORS NOTE: I do NOT own Naruto. The awesomeness of the Naruto Manga and World is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto. This is Purely Fanfiction. All things Medical in this entire fanfiction should not be taken as serious medical advice or facts. PLEASE CONSULT AN ACTUAL DOCTOR FOR ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION/QUESTIONS. THANK YOU AND ENJOY!

"His mission was to kill her."

Naruto decided to think before shouting; a first for him. Sasuke wasn't just saying that to get a rise out of him, and Sai clearly didn't kill Sakura. But the question still lingered. Why would he say that?

"How did you come to learn that?" Naruto asked with an uncharacteristic calmness.

"I have my ways," Sasuke answered.

"You have your ways. That's all you're going to tell me?" he said narrowing his eyes.

"Do you understand what I'm telling you?" Sasuke asked patiently.

"Why don't you spell it out for me," Naruto said, retaining as much control that was humanly possible. All it took was the right push, and he could have a relapse right here. "Unlike you, I've met the man. I knew Sai and I know he never would have done that to her."

Sasuke, sensing the gaps, complied. "You knew of the protection detail placed on her when she was sixteen," he stated. Naruto nodded. "Didn't you ever question why an Agent from Black Ops was needed for something like that?"

Naruto was about to shake his head, but stopped himself. "Yeah, but only for a split second. Like I said, Sakura was and still is a high priority target for vengeance. Kakashi has a lot of enemies and she was his only weakness. Regular protection didn't cut it when she came close to dying at one point."

"So they put a Black Ops Agent on her," Sasuke continued. "They chose a very specific Agent for that; an Agent, who up until that point had virtually no identity."

"They thought it was necessary, though no one could have imagined the direction that assignment could have taken," Naruto mumbled, not knowing how to put his thoughts into words. But then the weight of his words finally began to sink in. Sai didn't kill Sakura… but he wassupposed to which meant…

Naruto sat up straighter as the revelation stuck. "Son of bitch! It's ROOT. They wanted her dead!" he yelled. "I gotta call this in," he said reaching for his communicator. Sasuke laid his blade across Naruto's throat, stopping all his movements.

"I told you…it's being taken care of," he said. "They aren't going to get away with this, but the minute you notify anyone they'll escape."

"How the hell are you taking care of it from here? Kakashi has to know what's going on. They all have to know!" Naruto said desperately.

"Think before you act," Sasuke ordered. "If they go hunting for the dirty Agent, who's to say that he won't tip off Sound and warn them of an incoming attack? We'll lose them," he said fiercely referring to Sakura and the children. The Sound Organization had no qualms about abandoning works in progress, even human works, for death.

Naruto shoved the kunai away from his neck and slammed his fist into the console. "Dammit…," he muttered. "So ROOT's not only responsible for Sakura's life, they're in cahoots with Sound? Son of a bitch!" he huffed once again. "How the hell could something like this happen? How could a sworn division of the agency turn like this?"

"It's the consequence of one botched mission and the agenda behind it," Sasuke answered. "Everything comes back to Sai."

"He protected her," Naruto insisted. "He never would have killed her."