the storm bringer | ✓

Chapter Thirty-Five ~ Letters, Forked Roads and Final Words.

~Chapter Thirty-Five~

Winter sits in her room packing her clothes and several other items, sealing them into scrolls before placing them in her backpack. Her eye was sad as she stood up, her cloak securely fastened around her neck. She looked down at the crumpled list in her her hands as she walked out of her cabin, making sure everything was locked securely.

A beautiful sunset was painted onto the sky with vibrant colors, only one cloud in sight. She first went inside Lee's house, dropping a white object on his bed silently before leaving. She repeated the process for Tenten and Neji, though she had to explain what she was doing to the Hyuga's standing guard at the entrance to their compound.

She hesitated before sneaking into Gai's house, her senses on high alert as she dropped the object on his counter. She dashed all around Konoha; leaving letters for Kakashi, Iruka, Izumo, Kotetsu and Sakura. Ducking into a flower shop, she pays for two white lilies before hurrying away. 

Kneeling down she places a flower under each grave stone, her mood growing solomon. "I've decided to take a huge risk, one that I know you two wouldn't agree with. But it will give me the building step I need to defeat him and let your spirits finally rest. I took your guy's advice and made a new friend, his name is Naruto."

She gulps, her throat closing slightly as she whispers. "I can't say goodbye to him, it would be to hard and I hate that word. I don't want to make it seem as if I'm never going to see him again, ya know? I think you two would really like him, he's a big prankster but has a very bright future as a shinobi. I can see him achieving his dream of becoming Hokage. I can only hope I may still be here when that day comes."

Two tears slide down her cheeks with her lips curling up into a sad smile at the end, the purple haired Jonin watching from in the woods watching her whisper those three words that made her heart break a little. "I miss you." And with those words Winter walks away, her cloak lifting in the breeze slightly.

Clutching the white letter with the name Naruto written on it in swooping letters, she hesitates before opening his window and tumbling in softly.Looking around at his dirty apartment she quickly makes ten shadow clones and cleans it up before placing the letter on his bed. Getting one leg out of the window she freezes when the door opens, "Winter?"

Naruto blinks, confused as he spies one of his best friends sneaking out of his newly cleaned apartment. She quickly jumps out, running away and leaving Naruto more confused than ever. He spies the white envelope on his bed and hurries over, opening it and taking the letter out.

Dear Naruto,

I'm terrible at saying goodbyes, and I honestly hate that word. Goodbye seems so... final, as if I won't ever see you again. But that won't be the case today. I received a letter two days ago, and I reread every single sentence, scrutinized every little detail and have decided it is in fact real. I cannot disclose all the details to you, but it involves my old village and it may be the only chance I have to see a certain someone again. I understand if you're going to be mad at me, seeing how I'm leaving for a long time to train and get stronger, but I hope you'll understand once I return.

When I get back I'll tell you everything, I promise.

Do me a favor 'Ru, do what I'm doing in a way. Find a sensei, or convince that Sannin to train you for two years. Become strong, strong enough to become Hokage. Because I want you, to become more powerful than I am. I want you to be able to beat me, because one day you may have to.

But don't worry too much about that last part.

I want to let you know how thankful I am that you are my friend, you helped me find my way out of the darkness when I was lost and I can never repay you for that. I hope that when our paths cross again that we'll both be much more capable shinobi.

I'll see you around.

Winter.

He quickly dashed to the window hoping to catch a glimpse of the black haired girl one last time. But there was nothing, not even a silhouette.

***

Pulling her hood up to cover her hair and hide her face, Winter starts walking out of the giant gates. "You know, I didn't think I got a letter."

She whistled lowly, "That has to be the longest sentence you've ever said... Sasu-baka." The teen boy grunted and walked forward, a bag on his shoulders as well. The two started walking as the night drew on, stars shining in the sky. "I didn't leave you a letter because I saw you packing, so I figured I'd give it to you personally."

She holds out the white paper and he takes it after a minute tucking it away. They walk side by side in silence as the air grows colder, the trees looming overhead looking like black shapes. "If you do this..."

She turns her head and looks at him evenly, "Then you'll become dead to me. Any past ties we had and any future events in which we could have been allies will be forgotten. If we cross paths again, I'll fight to kill not to bring you back to the Leaf."

Her turquoise eye glints in the darkness, "I will have no ties to a Rouge ninja associated with Orochimaru."

He looks back at her evenly as they come to a forked crossroad, his hands stuffed in his pockets. On the right pathway up ahead were four silhouettes waiting, the left pathway clear of any human life. "I'd expect nothing less."

"So this is it then. It was nice knowing you." Her words were cold and decisive, though her mouth twitched up in a small smirk that mirrored the dark haired boy's as they each walk one more step together. "Goodbye, Sasuke Uchiha."

And with that the two young ninjas, two ninjas that each carried great burdens on their shoulders, took their separate paths... neither looking back.