Memories of the Blossom Heart

Chapter 27: The Midnight Howl

"What's taking them so long?" Choji grumbled as he sat on the log.

"We need to pack our things before we leave the island tomorrow. We've stayed here for two months," Shikamaru said.

"Oh, look..." Ino pointed her finger at the two figures.

"Sasuke!!" Naruto exclaimed, running up towards them in deep worry. "What happened to Sakura?!"

"She passed out," he said.

"Again?"

"Her immune system has been getting jumbled these days," Ino noted.

"I think she needs to go on a treatment," Sai suggested.

"That's what I was thinking," Lee agreed.

"She will be once we head back home," Sasuke said and walked inside the tent, whereas Naruto and Hinata were beside him.

"I'll check up on her," Gaara murmured.

"Bro-" Kankuro was about to say something and sighed dismissively. "Never mind."

The red-haired Kazekage gave a notion of a smile at him and jogged all the way to follow their friends.

"Why is Sakura always being afflicted so much?" Choji asked.

"It's not just you who sees her that way," Lee said.

"Yeah. Ever since she and Gaara returned, her face was all rosy and elated," Neji stated.

"You don't think they-?" Kiba implied.

"They are still together," Shino uttered.

"You expected that they wouldn't be palsy-walsy," Tenten snorted a little.

"That's not what I was hinting at. Although, I would think that is certainly the case," Kiba clicked his tongue as Akamaru made a tiny soft bark.

"Actually, you guys are correct. You see, Sakura is experiencing mild symptoms of fainting, which is an early sign..." Ino explained briefly.

Temari nodded in what she was describing

"What would Sasuke's reaction be if he finds out?" Kankuro queried with a neutral grin.

"I'd say he's going to burst out of joy and hug the hell out of them both," Kiba exclaimed with a shout.

"Umm...That's not the case," Choji muttered bizarrely.

"I was being sarcastic," he said and rambled on. "Yeah, he's going to flip, but should he care? Nah, bro..."

"Look, there they are," Sai noted.

"Sasuke! Sakura! What happened?!" Naruto exclaimed, along with the other members approaching them in concern.

"She passed out when we were in the forest," he murmured while carrying her in his arms.

"Oh no. She looks more pale," Hinata gasped shockingly.

"Let's take her inside the tent," Ino said hurriedly as they both walked beside them.

"I'm coming along," Gaara blurted.

"I-" Kankuro paused for a second, then sighed. "As you should..."

He then watched him and their friends escort Sakura on the way there. His older sister's hand touched his upper arm as a sign of reassurance that her condition will be stable. He didn't want to question as of yet, and so he lets the silence take over.

...

...

...

The sound of their footprints were made in a loaming click with their backs bents and arms out behind them. They quickened their pace and hopped on the solid tree logs to advance further into their reconnaissance.

"I knew they shouldn't have visited here. This place is full of trees and shrubbery. They're all eldritch," Kurenai commented.

"They weren't there in the first place, so my guess is that those rogues have implanted them to distract others," Kakashi noted.

"Do we now have access to use our chakra? Because last time, there was interference," Guy said.

"Shikamaru and Temari informed us about it through their letter. No doubt that they would be ensnared," Kurenai answered.

"If the enemy is just one of Orochimaru's test subjects, then it's easy for us to tackle him all on one," Iruka thought.

"He was the only one able to use his Shari-nnegan as he was in a hideout to summon the white wolf that attacked Sakura a week ago," Kurenai added in.

"Regardless of how powerful he is, we'll have to confront them ourselves. Here's the plan. Since there are five of us, we need to split into different sections. One of us has to take more than one route to track down the enemies," Kakashi instructed.

"I'll take North," Guy said.

"East," Kurenai muttered.

"West," Iruka said.

"South," Yamato said.

"Hehe. So I guess that leaves me to go to the center and on top of the hillside," Kakashi sighed.

"Heck yeah. I haven't done this for a while. It's more than a treasure they want to obtain," Yamato smiled in excitement.

"You bet," Guy smirked with a chuckle.

Suddenly, their eyes began to widen in alarm and trepidation by hearing the long howl.

"It's the White Wolf," Kurenai blurted shakily.

"Yeah. Let's hurry," Kakashi sighed laboriously as they all were speeding up their movements.

The white wolf stepped out of the shadows of the cave with its hazel eyes glowing red. There, it howled for the second time, along with the blood moon taking place through the nightfall.