Marked {Naruto Fanfiction}

Scroll 32

My gaze fell to the ground.

I'm sorry? Everyone keeps telling me that. Do they even know what it means to say 'I'm sorry' ?

It means, It won't happen again.

I turned to the stone, again my eyes squinted at the names.

'Sarutobi Asuma'

'Jiraiya ...'

Feeling a terrible churn of pity rolling around in my stomach. I almost felt compelled not to ask,
"Asuma-san did he suffer too much?" My head was still facing the stone.

"No." He said trying to sound reassuring. But why didn't I believe him? Maybe because he's a ninja.
Asuma-san was a ninja too.
Maybe it's just that I had gotten all too accustomed to hearing the suffering and pain us shinobi go through that believing he didn't suffer, didn't fit the job description.

That is the true ninja-way. To sacrifice and suffer, so others can enjoy and prosper.

"How did..." I paused for a bit, pursing my lips, my eyes half-lidded. Asuma-san, he was one of the few people here that treated me like a person. He was one of the first to welcome me. Kurenai-san and him said they consider me like a little sister. He cared and took care of me. Trained me.
He was just a little short of a fatherly-figure to me, right after my uncle.
Now I couldn't do anything, but stand here and feel bad, feel a huge resentment towards myself.
I took a deep breath, "How did it happen? Who did this to them?" I asked plainly.

"They both were on a mission and..." he stopped.

I looked up at my sensei. He couldn't face me either. His head was slightly tilted to the side facing the ground.

He's lost a friend.
Should I feel bad? Let it go?

"And?" I persisted on him telling me. I didn't want to be left in the dark about anything anymore. It was hard for the both of us, I'm sure, but it was something that I had to hear.

He turned to look at me, he spoke plainly and clearly- as if delivering a report, "There was nothing anyone could do to save them. Pein was too strong for Jiraiya-sama and Hiden- as we got to know, was immortal, Asuma didn't stand a chance. Both the men were from an organization called Akatsuki. "

So that's it? That's it!? And now they're gone. Gone like the rest of them.

I suddenly felt my heart sink, a piercing pain throbbing in my chest. My heart. It always feels pain and nothing else. Never anything else.
My eyes closed tightly.
Never again.

I'll make sure of it.

I had decided what I had to do.

I nodded once before leaving, but I stopped, remembering something I wanted to ask, "Kakashi sensei?"

"Hn?..."

"I need you to do something for me, but I'll only tell you if you agree." I managed a faint smile.

"What is it?" He tried retuning the gesture, I think. His eye crinkled.

I walked over to the stone for the last time. I bent down, stroking my fingers on all the names I recognized. "You have to convince the Hokage to place Uchiha Itachi's name here too."

"What?" His voice seemed startled, but still calm.

"Will you do that for me sensei?" I asked, my eyes locked on the names.

He didn't answer.

"I'll take your silence as a yes then." I smiled and finally left.
I didn't look back.