Save Me | A Naruto Fanfic

Chapter Seven

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~Sasuke's POV~

What the hell? What is wrong with me? What is this stupid feeling?

I grit my teeth as I jump from building to building. I have a feeling that Naruto is chasing after me, as usual, but I ignore him. My objective right now is to find the base of these uncharacteristically soft emotions.

I need to clear my head, but I can't do that without seeing her. I can't believe it, but I need to see her. And it's driving me insane.

~Naruto's POV~

"Sasuke!" I call again, growing frustrated. He ignores me... again. He's running around the city like a maniac, everyone's gonna figure out he's here sooner or later. And he'll probably get arrested. That will definitely NOT help with this whole situation.

I speed up and manage to get within a meter of him. I grab hold of the end of his robe and pull him to a stop. He looks at me, eyes angry.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I growl at him.

"What I need to do," he replies flatly.

"Everyone probably knows you're here by now."

"So?"

I roll my eyes, "Sasuke, what are you really planning on doing? Are you going to kill Ryuu? Are you going to kill Sakura for not staying loyal? Are you going to blow up the entire city because you're angry again?"

He looks at me with stone cold eyes, "I'm not planning on blowing anything up, but killing Ryuu sounds appealing."

"Sasuke!" I shout, "You can't just waltz around and kill people. Especially if it's someone Sakura may... you know."

His eyes narrow, and he whips around and starts running again. I follow, but not for long. We're stopped, by the one and only, the Hokage himself.

"Sasuke," Kakashi says.

Sasuke stops in his tracks, and I hear a low growl escape from his mouth.

"Kakashi sensei," he replies coldly.

"Not anymore," Shikamaru says from beside Kakashi. "That's Lord Hokage to you."

"Shikamaru," Kakashi murmurs, rolling his eyes.

"What's wrong, Kakashi sensei?" I interrupt.

"Next time we get a visitor that we haven't seen for a year and a bit, I would like to be informed, Naruto," he says.

"Uhh, well, you see..."

"Lord Hokage," Sasuke says, a little too sarcastically, "Would you excuse me?"

Kakashi takes on a stubborn look, "No."

Sasuke's fists clench, and he gives Kakashi a threatening glare.

"I'd rather like to talk, catch up. Come, to my office, or be arrested on the spot. You choose."

"But Kakashi sensei..." I mutter.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi says, ignoring me.

Sasuke just nods, and Kakashi smirks under his mask, "Very well. Let's go."

~Shikamaru's POV~

Who would've known? Not me. I had a small bet that Sasuke would never return, die somewhere on his journey through the ninja world. Too bad.

So troublesome.

I stand in the Hokage's office, listening to Kakashi talk some bullshit small talk to keep Sasuke distracted. Right now, most ninja's in the city know that Sasuke is here. And half of them, our friends, want to come and see him, not believing the rumors. Well, they all know, except one.

Sakura.

Which is surprising after what Naruto told me, about encountering him on top of Sakura's house. Sakura must have some suspicion about him, after sensing his chakra. Once she hears the rumors... oh boy.

And then there's that Ryuu guy. He gives me a weird feeling every time I see him. I can't explain it, but something's up with him. Something I can't ignore. And I really don't like the fact that Sakura is hanging around the weirdo. They met under some pretty unlikely circumstances.

And then there was another strange thing, around the day he showed up. The two guards that were doing their daily job at the city gates suddenly died. And I wish the numbers would add up, but they don't. We're missing something.

The door to the office bursts open, and Sasuke and Naruto both turn. Kiba, Ino, Sai, Tenten, Lee, Temari, Shino, and Choji stand in the doorway, all dumbfounded. They all stumble into the office, mouths hanging wide open. Finally, Tenten manages to snap back to reality.

"Sasuke Uchiha," she mutters. She glares at him intently.

"Ino, Kiba, Shino," Sasuke greets. "Tenten, Lee, Choji, Temari."

Temari growls when she hears her name.

Damn, he's got a good memory.

Sasuke looks extra long and hard at Sai, then snickers quietly. "Right, you were my replacement."

I stifle a laugh at the look on Sai's face. Angry, hurt, confused. True emotions look weird on his face.

Kakashi clears his throat, "Well. I'm glad you could all make it. Surprising, isn't it?"

"No shit," Tenten murmurs. I have a feeling that she half-blames Sasuke for Neji's death.

"Naruto," I ask. "Where's Hinata?"

"She's telling Sakura," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. Everyone in the room looks to him, silent.

Temari makes her way through the clump and comes to stand beside me. She elbows me in the side.

"What the hell is he doing back?" she mutters in my ear. I just shrug in response, and smirk when she rolls her eyes.

Tenten starts talking to Kakashi about a new job, and Lee joins in the conversation. Ino, Sai, and Kiba start talking to Naruto, while Shino just stands near the back, probably sizing Sasuke up. I notice that Choji is gone, probably to go get food. Sasuke just stands in the middle, eyeing his former comrades with an expression foreign to his face. Admiration.

Suddenly, everyone in the room stops what they're doing. We hear quiet chatter coming from down the hallway. My heart stops. What is going to happen?

Sakura, Hinata, and Ryuu appear in the doorway. They all stop.

And Sakura and Sasuke's eyes meet.

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*EDITED (mildly)*

-Aleyna