The War Angel (A Naruto Fanfic)

Dr.Frankenstein

Third Person POV

The days were bleak. After the success over the battle with the shadows, the Konoha ninjas trekked back home, having said their last farewells to the people of Kumogakure and Sunagakure. The Sand Siblings had led their group back home, their hearts heavy and laden with grief. They all were, actually. They had won the fight, but at the cost of one of their own.

Sakura wouldn't stop crying. Even as they all walked home, tears were running down her face and she was trying -although not successfully- to stifle her sobs. They came out like wretched sounds instead.

"Sakura..." Naruto came up beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She didn't push him away. Instead, she leaned slightly into him, allowing him to comfort her even as his own tears soaked her hair.

"I - I can't believe she's gone," she sobbed.

"Neither can I," Naruto said lowly. For the past few days he had been mad. Boiling mad. But now the anger had drained away, leaving grief.

"Sh-she was so strong, so spunky and-" Sakura broke off, not able to speak anymore.

Silence descended on the group again. At the front was Horo. His eyes were bleak and tortured and red from crying. He had refrained from doing so in front of the kids but when he was alone, he shed a tear or two for the loss of his pupil. Right now however, he had to remain clear headed, and not blinded by sadness.

Kiba and Akamaru trudged along like zombies. Once in a while, Akamaru would collapse, whimpering as if in pain and Kiba would have to pick him up and carry him along. His heart was heavy with both anger and sadness. "How could she leave us like that?!" he muttered angrily, tears running down his face. "If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have beaten that giant shadow! She should be here celebrating with us!"

He kicked the ground angrily.

"K-Kiba-kun," Hinata whimpered, running up to him. "Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down, Hinata!" he barked at her.

"Don't shout at her!" Naruto shouted at the mutt boy.

"Both of you need to stop the shouting," Neji interjected. "Stop all this stupid fighting and crying. We need to get back to Konoha and you're all hindering us."

Both Kiba and Naruto's head turned to face Neji, in slow motion. They stared at him, as if they couldn't believe what he was saying.

"What did you just say?" Kiba asked him.

"You heard me."

"Stop this stupid crying?" Naruto asked, getting louder and louder by the syllable. His face was contorted with rage and he released Sakura to confront Neji. "Stupid crying?! You think this is stupid?!"

"Wake up, Neji!!!" Kiba bellowed. "Lea is dead!! She's dead!! We shouldn't be heading back to Konoha as if nothing had happened!! We should ... we should ..."

"We should what?" Neji asked him, keeping his head trained forward. "Stop, sit and cry? For how long? A week would suffice? She needs a proper burial."

"You-!"

"He's right, Kiba," Shikamaru said, cutting Kiba's words off. His eyes were also slightly red. "We can't linger here with her body any longer. We should head back to Konoha and bury her, so we can have a good and proper cry."

Kiba looked as if he wanted to say something else, but, knowing they were right, he gritted his teeth and looked away. Akamaru snuggled closer to him in a failed attempt to comfort him. Nothing can comfort him.