Learning to Love. (Uchiha Sasuke)

Chapter 62.

Kaira's POV.

''You're going too fast!'' I shouted in his ear as Izuna skated over his self-made rink. ''You're going to slip!''

Izuna didn't say anything back, but he didn't ignore me. He began to skate slower as we neared our destination. The strong chakra we sensed before was now nowhere to be found, which probably meant that Sasuke and the others won.

I felt my heart ache a bit. He was really dead, wasn't he?

I buried my face in Izuna's shoulder. ''Why does it hurt?'' I whispered softly.

''We've lived with him for about 18 years.'' Izuna replied. He really tried to sound strong, but I heard his voice waver. ''He raised us. No matter how much we hate him, he's still our father.''

I didn't say anything back. Suddenly, the smooth ride stopped. Izuna jumped and landed on the ground. I didn't look up yet. I was too tired and didn't feel well. Maybe I should indeed go back to sleep. Looking for Suki in this state wouldn't work. After a short nap, I'd be able to walk around again without feeling dizzy or exhausted.

I was about to close my eyes, when I felt Izuna tense up a bit, and he stopped walking. I moved my head a bit to look at his face, but I could only see the side. ''Izuna?"

He didn't respond, but slowly let go of my legs. I knew I had to get off of his back, and that was exactly what I did.

''You again.'' I heard a voice say.

I looked past Izuna to see a few reincarnations stand there. Most of them were from Konoha. I recognized them by their forehead protectors, and I even recognized the people themselves. Even though they were people of the past, I still learned about them in the library.

''The Hokages..'' I muttered. Were they all brought back to life? Even a few of the other kages?

''Izuna, was your name? I heard someone call you that.'' Hashirama asked. ''You look a lot like Madara when he was young.''

Tobirama frowned. ''Madara's brother's name?''

Izuna chuckled, but he didn't look very amused. ''I'm not exactly flattered by your comment, Hashirama-san.'' he sighed. ''But yes, I'm named after my father's brother.''

''So that's your connection.'' Hashirama said. ''And the young woman behind you?''

Izuna pulled me forward. ''My sister, Kaira.'' He introduced me. ''But enough with this. Tell us what happened here.'' He demanded. ''Where is Madara, and where are the others?''

''In another dimension.'' Hiruzen answered. ''They're fighting Kaguya. Madara's body was used to revive her.''

That already explained why I couldn't sense his chakra anymore. I bit my lip and looked at Hiruzen. ''Is he dead?''

Hiruzen opened his mouth, but Hashirama answered in his place. ''Not yet, but no matter what happens, he won't survive.''

I looked away. ''I see.'''

I gasped when Izuna suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me with him. ''We don't have time to talk.'' He said walking away. ''We need to find Suki.''

I almost stumbled over my own feet. I was still exhausted, and even lifting them was quite a challenge for me. ''She got caught in the roots of the Tree! How are we supposed to find her?''

''I'm a Sensor Type, remember?'' Izuna spoke, not looking back to me. ''I can recognize her chakra.''

''It doesn't matter if you find her.'' Tobirama grunted. ''She's affected by Madara's jutsu. Even if you find this 'Suki', she'll be nothing but a brainless body.''

Izuna stopped walking, and I looked at his hand when he squeezed my wrist slightly. ''Izuna..''

''That doesn't matter!'' Izuna yelled, turning around to face the Second Hokage. ''I'll only be retrieving this 'brainless body' of hers. I'm leaving the rest to the others! I just need to get her back.''

I pursed my lips and followed Izuna as he began to walk again. I wasn't sure about leaving the reincarnations like that, but Suki was more important to me at the moment. I looked away from the Hokages and looked at the tree roots, which were huge. Of course, I had already seen them from where Izuna and I were standing before, but now standing in front of them..

I glanced at Izuna. His eyes were closed. He was concentrating on finding Suki, which wouldn't be easy. There were dozens of roots, all full with people who were connected to them. They were in some sort of cocoons, hanging on the roots.

''She's all the way over there.'' Izuna said while pointing. ''We have to hurry. It seems that the tree is taking chakra from everybody who's stuck up there.''

Izuna was already about to pick up the pace, but I grabbed his shirt before he could take even one step. ''Izuna.'' I whispered. ''What are we going to do after the war? Everybody is dead, we have nowhere to go to, and after this Kaguya is defeated, we're the next enemies on the list.'' I paused shortly to breathe before continuing hesitantly. ''That is, if they succeed in defeating that woman. The chakra we felt a while ago must belong to her. She is, without doubt, stronger than Madara. If the Allied Forces win, or if Kaguya wins, we lose in both situations.''

Izuna shook his head and turned around, grabbing my shoulders firmly. A glint of determination was visible in my eyes, and I wondered how he'd still be so confident. ''That's exactly why we're going to pick up Suki now. Because of us, her identity is revealed. We take her with us and leave the battlefield to hide. If Kaguya wins, she'll stay asleep, and if the Allied Forces win, she'll wake up and the three of us will be safe.''

I gritted my teeth and took his hands, removing them from my shoulders quite violently. ''I'm not abandoning Sasuke!''

Izuna bit his lip, looking somewhat annoyed. ''You can contact him later. Getting Suki and ourselves in safety should be our priority.''

Clenching my fists, I took a step back, putting distance between me and my brother. ''I agree with helping Suki, but leaving the battlefield is the same as abandoning Sasuke. It's simply running away! I don't know what happened to your pride, but I still have mine!''

Izuna grunted and stepped forward, now looking very frustrated. ''You can't do anything in your state! Sasuke doesn't even want you near this place. He wants the same as me! We want you to be safe, and for that, I'm willing to throw away my pride and run!''

''I know that I can't assist them the way I am now, but I'm still not leaving!'' I yelled back, and just when I was going to continue, I saw Izuna stiffen. Being his sister, I knew he just sensed something. ''And?" I asked slowly, actually a bit afraid he wouldn't answer me because of our argument.

''They're back.'' Izuna spoke. ''Dad too, but by the amount of chakra I feel, he doesn't have long anymore, just like Hashirama said. Sasuke is also there, with some others.''

I looked at Izuna, and he could probably see that I was debating with myself. I really couldn't choose; Suki or Sasuke? Suki was my dear sister, but Sasuke was another very important person in my life. I know now that Suki is safe, but Sasuke could be seriously injured.

Izuna sighed and ran a hand through his hair. ''Just go.'' He said. ''I'll take care of Suki.''