Forged Beyond

Traitors??

HOLY. GOD. 900...+ READS??!?!?!?!??!?! AHHHHHHHHH OMG IM FREAKING OUT WE WILL HIT 1000 SOOOONNNNNNN AHHHHHH!!!!!
ALRIGHT SO,
THIS CHAPTER IS SUPER DUPER IMPORTANT FOR THE PLOT, SO MAKE SURE YOU READ IT!! AND I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE IT! THANKS A LOT FOR THE FOLLOWS AND VOTES!! I COULDNT ASK FOR MORE <333 THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT AND ENJOYYYY

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

The Morning Team 7 Left (6 am)

"Have you noticed how Lord Hiruzen's been looking lately? He's as tense as a kunai about to snap," muttered a Konoha jounin with brown hair, casually chewing on a small stick like it was his personal stress reliever.

"Rumor has it, that Kyuubi kid's up to his usual chaos. Honestly, kinda reminds me of him." The black-haired man walking beside him, sporting a bandage across his nose, gave a shrug. "But it's weirdly... quiet today."

"Hey!" The brown-haired man swatted his friend over the head. "We're not supposed to call him anything like 'Kyuubi,' remember? Do you have a death wish?"

The black-haired man rubbed his head, grumbling, "Relax, nobody's listening... And you didn't have to hit me! Anyway, Hiruzen's always got that 'I need a vacation' look. Maybe he's finally snapped?"

Just then, a familiar figure with silver hair sprinted by like he was late to every training session he'd ever promised.

"Hold up... KAKASHI?! You're awake?! and... running?!" The brown-haired man's eyes widened in disbelief.

Kakashi barely glanced back, shouting, "No time for jokes! There's an emergency! Get to the Hokage's office NOW! Lord Hiruzen's summoned us all!"

The two men shared a serious look, Kakashi's tone erasing any hint of humor. They nodded to each other, then broke into a sprint, their earlier banter forgotten as they followed him at full speed.

–

"Naruto... Sasuke..." Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his wrinkled forehead as if trying to smooth away the worry lines. "I can understand why Naruto might have run, but Sasuke? He had a prestigious life, a whole clan to support him, a future... and with Itachi as his older brother."

"Yes, I agree," a jounin muttered from the corner of the room, crossing his arms. "But now they've left the village. I'm not sure we can trust any of them anymore—especially that... Sakura, or whatever her name is. She's sharp; who knows if she manipulated them into going with her? And why would she want to leave in the first place?"

Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his temples. "Sakura... is it? We don't know what drove her to this. I'll need to assign someone to investigate. She was always such a lovely child; it's hard to believe anything could be wrong with her—"

Before he could finish, a voice came from the window. Kakashi, perched in his usual lazy manner, spoke up. "No. There's... most probably something wrong with Sakura. She wouldn't just leave for no reason. Not from what I know of her."

The jounin scoffed, muttering, "What could possibly be wrong with a girl? Aren't they all flowers and sunshine?"

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "Lord Hiruzen, I have some information I'd like to share."

Hiruzen nodded. "Go ahead, Kakashi."

Kakashi took a deep breath. "Starting with Naruto... it's more than a guess that he's been restless. He's extremely energetic and desperate for recognition. He's lonely, and Sasuke and Sakura are the only people he's truly close to. No matter what I tried to do, I could never fill that void he feels." Kakashi paused, his tone heavier as he went on. "As for Sasuke... I have no idea why he'd even consider leaving. But Sakura..." His voice grew softer, almost haunted. "Well, she... she would often show up with bandages around her arms and legs. When I asked her, she'd brush it off with things like 'I fell, sensei!' or 'Can you believe I hit myself while cleaning?' She'd laugh it away, but Naruto and Sasuke... they seemed to know. They were always careful with her, like they were guarding a secret."