Tests of Heart

🌸Chapter 1: Reminiscing

A secret folder regarding Sakura's dead parents was found and kept secret, a boy left his village yet again while another started his new training, relationships were forged and some were even broken. Ame started to become a bustling village not just for criminals and rogues, but a place of peace and prosperity. The Akatsuki, completely disbanded, joined the ranks of Ame shinobi, free to roam and no longer criminals. Sakura, though, was reminiscing. Three long years have passed. Some things have changed, but many have been for the better.

Itachi went to Konoha and lives in the old Uchiha compound. He always had a place at Ame, but Konoha was where he felt at home the most. He spent most of his days running errands for various people including the Hokage and even helped tutor students in the academy from time to time.

Hidan roamed the world as a mercenary. He was an Ame elite and would gladly do the jobs assigned to him, but liked the on the road lifestyle he adopted. No one could bother him going around like he was. Being in nature, he barely encountered other people. He was fairly calm minded nowadays though still very devout to his god.

Kakuzu still spent his days counting money and occasionally he'd go out to get bounties if he got a call for a good, legal haul. He went on missions now and then but mostly stuck to staying inside, keeping a close eye on the finances of Ame, and getting people with debts to pay up what they owed not just in Ame but other places as well.

Sasori got bored enough to take on an apprentice to learn his trade. He didn't want to go through the grueling process of transforming himself back into a puppet so he kept his human form and took on Kikuoka who was an orphan. His mother died giving birth to him and his father died soon after from a broken heart. The boy had light green eyes with brown skin a bit lighter than his chocolate brown hair and had a good hand on controlling his chakra. He was ten and never went to the academy but was naturally gifted with chakra control. He was a perfect candidate to carry on Sasori's specific puppet style and adapted to it even better than Kankurou had.

Kisame also took on a student to learn kenjutsu. His one student turned into him taking on a full three man squad. Doda was a grey eyed boy with blonde hair reaching his shoulders. He was 15, a year older than his companions and was very good with taijutsu and chakra control, enough that he started to train in medical jutsu. He was the level-headed one, Kisame's first student.

Kisame's other two students are girls also wanting to study kenjutsu under Kisame. Leoko has green hair with a black patch on the top of her head, a trait from her father. Her eyes were green-grey and she's fairly shy. Genjutsu was child's play for her and ninjutsu wasn't too hard either, though being a mainly earth user in a rainy place wasn't the best combo. Kisame's last girl Shouka is a blunt and rambunctious girl with sharp teeth and an even sharper tongue. Her eyes are onyx and her long hair a bright orange that she kept in a ponytail most days. She's a natural at most things, a little prodigy really. She is good at ninjutsu and genjutsu, even taijutsu, kenjutsu though, that's her specialty.

Kisame was proud of his students. They each had fairly level heads, but they still knocked heads plenty. They all had their own quirks and strengths too, but never had he seen a team that worked together so well. It was funny when Shouka met Kakuzu. She liked the way he worked and from then on made it a habit to find him on her days off to help him or annoy him, it didn't matter to her which. You could say both men had their hands full with the teens.

Deidara was away most days on mission as one of Ame's best Elites. He calmed from his hot headed personality and even found a girl to settle down with to some of the Akatsuki's surprise. She was an interesting person named Momoko Nihoshi. With black hair and dark pink eyes, you could find her in a crowd pretty easily. She actually babysat for Yahiko and Konan quite often.

The two busy bodies that ruled the village with a gentle fist had adopted a young orphan girl when she was but three after they found her in the streets. Takaru has a level head and gentle hand at six with a bright future ahead. It quite fit her turquoise hair and pink eyes well, her being unusual in looks as well as her brilliant mind.

Since Nagato left the village to Yahiko and Konan to take care of, he became Ame's ambassador and mostly settled down. When he wasn't home he was keeping himself busy helping with paperwork or things Konan or Yahiko didn't have time to handle.

All in all, they had all found a new purpose. Peace was achieved even after people came and threatened to destroy their peace again. Sakura rose to fight with Konoha once more and came back to Ame to be where she loved. Fights weren't commonplace anymore and wars, if any arose, could be easily diffused before they really started. Sure fights happened still along with skirmishes, but someone was there to help if needed.

Peace was finally falling over the countries and everyone couldn't be happier. Of course there would always be someone or something to stop that peace from settling completely, but everyone will fight once again for peace to be restored until their final breaths.

Sakura sighed as she looked out at Ame. The city was bustling and it wasn't raining for once. Looking back on all the hard times, she was glad for the quiet that surrounded her. No work waited for her today in the hospital or with Nagato or even Kisame's student Doda.

She smiled thinking of the teen. He was proving to be quite the hard working pupil, though she was going about his medic training a bit different than her old teacher. It was then someone appeared in front of her garbed in the Ame equivalent of an ANBU uniform with very long blonde hair.

"Your presence is requested at the hospital, an urgent child patient," he said as he stood from the bow he gave upon seeing her.

She laughed. "So much for a peaceful morning, huh?"

The man laughed and Sakura studied him. His hair really was long now, down to his waist. She couldn't say anything though seeing hers was about there too.

"Shall we go Sakura-chan, hmm?" he asked with a smile as he moved his mask to show his blue eyes.

Sakura stood and dusted off her white pants with a nod. She took a scrunchy from her pocket and pulled her bangs back away from her face. In another second she had her hair up and smiled.

"We might as well Dei," she answered.

Deidara let out a light laugh at the old nickname and took her hand in his, pulling her along behind him even though he knew she knew the way even better than he did by now. Peace was nice, but familiarity was as well.

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I know the first chapter is super short but it's meant to go over the gap between the first and second book. I hope you all will enjoy this sequel to Battle for a Blossom's Love, Tests of Heart.

♪Koneko♥