Beacon of Hope

Despair

When I realized it, my cheeks were already wet, and Kakashi sensei had held me tightly to prevent me from collapsing.

"Sasuke..." I mumbled, clutching Kakashi sensei's sleeve with my hand. "Why, what's wrong with him? Why doesn't he wake up?!"

"Calm down, Sakura; listen to me carefully; the report I received was thanks to one of the ANBU hunters. I had to infiltrate someone to keep me updated on Sasuke; there is no official report from the prison, but I will ask the feudal lord for permission to let you visit him."

My lips were trembling, as were my legs. Kakashi sensei had kept a spy on Sasuke; had he told him about the poison, or didn't he know?

I sat up firmly and took a deep breath. I had to calm down and not panic. I thought maybe Sasuke would be okay, and I just had to check on him.

I saw Kakashi Sensei pick up the phone, but his action was interrupted when there was a knock, and they frantically opened the door. We both looked in that direction, and there stood a man from the Feudal Lord's Protection Division.

"I am sorry to barge into your office like this, but this is a very important matter."

Kakashi sensei hung up.

"I was just about to call you. I need a meeting with the feudal lord."

"The Lord won't be able to see you; he is in poor health."

My ear vibrated when I heard this. I remembered the night before and knew that the poison was working.

"What? Is his health very bad?" asked Kakashi Sensei.

"He has been unwell for a few hours now. He feels terrible, and the family doctor hasn't been able to find out what's wrong with him; even the medicine isn't working. We need the assistance of a good ninja doctor. I came here on the orders of the Lord."

I didn't say anything because I knew that Kakashi Sensei was looking at me. I looked back at him when I felt the pressure, and I could almost hear what he was thinking: "Use this opportunity to convince him and get permission to see Sasuke."

"Sakura, I assign you the task of taking care of the Lord."

My concern at that moment was Sasuke. I didn't want to let too much time pass for fear that things would get complicated with him; I didn't even know why he didn't wake up. Going to the feudal lord would take me maybe more than an hour, and including the way to the prison, it would have been more than six hours. That is, if I could get permission.

But I could not refuse; it was also a great opportunity. I had the antidote; the problem was how to keep it from them. If I arrived and healed them, I would still be in evidence; I couldn't be that obvious.

"Sakura?"

I reacted. I was lost in my thoughts, and that was not good because I had to concentrate. The moment I had waited for so long was here, and I had to do everything I had planned with effort and tears.

I accompanied the shinobi to the place where the leader of our country was. He told me the details of his health. The feudal lord returned to Konoha after dinner at the Ash Tower; he would have arrived in this village in the early morning, and his symptoms would have started around eight o'clock in the morning.

If it was after noon, then the rest of the lords would be suffering from the same symptoms. The amount of poison I used would be fatal if more than sixty hours passed after consumption. Perhaps that was the exact time they gave Sasuke before killing him.

We arrived at the feudal lord's mansion. I was quickly ushered into the room of the powerful man who led our nation. Upon entering, I saw him lying on his bed with a pale complexion and purple lips. He looked devastated.