J A D E

Chapter Fifty - Seven

I lean against the wall as I sit on the floor. I look around, trying to study all of them. I can't name them all, but they seem familiar. I bite my bottom lip as I sigh, closing my eyes. Naruto is already sent off for his training with Bee. Sasuke is with his father discussing something. Itachi and Shisui are off to some arrangements that have to be made. Sasori and Deidara are having last time together for some time, same to Hidan and Anko. Kisame is with Kakashi, while Ibiki and Kakuzu are in the meeting.

"Ah, Sakura-chan." Madara cackles as soon as his eyes land on me. I grit my teeth, anger boiling inside of me. Naruto and Sasuke appear at either side of me, their eyes trained on Uchiha.

"Madara." I sneer back, rage slowly surrounding me.  But he ignores it, he seems amused as he jumps in front of me, his eyes cold as ice.

"What would happen if I let ten tail take away the child of Jinchuriki?" I freeze at his question. But without hesitation I turn around and start running. Running as fast as my legs can carry me. I avoid tentacles by jumping away from them, punching them away from me. My focus is solemnly  on the camp, we deemed safe enough. Camp, where two of my best friends are. I can feel Naruto and Sasuke being close behind me, but I don't stop to wait for them.

I have promised Naruto that I would protect them. His wife and child and now, when we are both alive, they can't be simply gone, because one Uchiha bastard wanted to play games on us.

"NO!" Naruto shouts loudly as several large tentacles crash down the camp in front of us. Sasuke holds him still, to prevent him from running forward. Because if he does it now, we are going to lose Naruto as well.

I fall down on my knees, tears streaming down my face, blurring my vision entirely.

They are all gone.

"Sakura? Are you okay?"  I open my eyes, just to see worried Shisui kneeled in front of me. He wipes my tears away and smiles gently. "What happened?" He asks again, worry lacing his tone.

"N-Nothing." I whisper, shaking my head and sighing. "I-I just had a bad dream." I shrug my shoulders, trying to ignore the fear creeping up on my spine. Fear of losing all my friends once again. Of not being able to help them. Save them.

"Okay..." Shisui trails off, shaking his head and smiling. "Come with me, they are calling you back in the meeting." I nod and stand up, following Shisui into the meeting room.

"Stop blaming yourself, Sakura." Kakashi shakes his head as he puts his hand on my shoulder. "You could have done nothing." He says once again.

"I... I promised, Kakashi." I whisper with more tears pooling in my eyes. "I could not even keep a promise." I choke the words out.

"Then...Do what team seven is great at." I look up at him with confusion in my eyes. "Revenge your loved ones, Sakura. Fight for what you believe."

The room is crowded with people. Kages are sitting around the table, their faces scarred with nervousness and worry. Behind them are standing different clan heads, elite Shinobis, advisors and their personal guards. All of them have same expression plastered on their faces.

During different timeline, I had hope around this time, I still believed that we could win over with minimal casualties. I had the hope of winning till the moment I have seen Hinata and Ino die. I had hope that we could have a chance.

Now, I can feel same hope trembling inside of me. I can feel butterflies swinging in my stomach, but I am not as foolish as I used to be. I have hope, because I don't know what might happen with Uchihas with us. I have hope, because I might be able to change the outcome of the war. But now, I do know that people will die in terrible death. Now, I do know that Madara is not someone to be taken lightly.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Inoichi asks me with worried tone. I nod my head and smile at everyone. Their eyes are on me. Some of them know about my need to save everyone, while some of them don't. But they all know what I am capable of.

"Sakura..." Tsunade starts in low, alarming tone. "We... We want to ask you something." I raise my eyebrows at her motioning to continue talking.

"Are you ready for the war?" Inoichi whispers in a low voice. "Listen, it is not as if we don't trust your powers, but we doubt your mentality..." He says in low voice. No one seems to be surprised and as it seems, they have been talking about it. I know what he means. "I want you to realize that it is war... And some people are going to die, Sakura-chan." He whispers softly.

"I know that, Inoichi-san." I say with a shrug and approach Shisui, Itachi and Sasuke. Sasuke gently grabs my hand and reassuringly squeezes it, as if telling me that no matter what, I am not alone in this. "I know that not everyone will come out alive from the battlefield." I sigh and bite my lower lip. "I know that I will watch people die, because at some point, I won't be able to save them. But..." I breath in and out. "But I am going to save as much as possible."

"We just don't want you to lose control, Sakura." Inoichi whispers once again. I know that he is reluctant to send me to war, especially after witnessing what I have done to Pain. He is worried about my mental state. And I don't blame him.

"I am worried about your mental state, Sakura." Kakashi rubs his temples. His mask is already gone and he still has trouble adjusting to it, stating that it makes him feel exposed.

"Why would you be worried Kakashi?" I raise my eyebrows, punching another one of the monsters, creating large hole in the middle of them.

"You have lost control, Sakura." Kakashi shakes his head, pushing Chidori into one of the monster's stomach. "You became even more reckless."

"I can't promise you that I am not going to go berserk when I see one of my friends die." I start in low, calm and collected tone. "I can't promise you that at some point, I won't lose all the control and sanity I have to defeat the enemy." I bite my lower lip as Sasuke squeezes my hand once again. I look at him and I only spot fear in his eyes. Fear that he might lose me. "I can't promise you that I won't rush to my death if it will kill Madara as well." I state calmly, ignoring worried glances and expressions in the room. "But I can promise that you don't have to worry about my mental state, Inoichi-san, because I already know what I am fighting for. And I have already come in terms with the fact that all the people I care about might die in this war."

"Did you like my presents?" Madara chuckles as he stands in front of me. I know that he is going to explode soon and I know from Obito that Kaguya will take his place. But even now, he is wasting his last breath to taunt me.

"I can't call the piles of dead bodies a pleasant surprise." I shake my head. I smirk at the dying man in front of him. "I might not have managed to kill you, Madara, but knowing that I have harmed you more than enough is already a good gift for me." I add with a sneer. He chuckles, painfully shaking his head.

"I might be dying, but what comes after if far worse than I have ever been." He whispers, before his whole body explodes.

The whole room is quiet. Or what can they say to a girl, who declared that if she sees a chance, she is going to bring Madara Uchiha down, even if it kills her in the process. Madara has been one of the vital parts of the war. Without him, we would have managed to win long before. Without him, war would have been over in two years top. And not so many lives would have been lost.

"Sakura..." Sasuke whispers my name and I turn towards him, offering him one of my best smiles. I know that it is not convincing, but I try to do my best. Because even though, I want to spend rest of the eternity with him, I have a mission to fulfill and I have to die if it is needed in order to alter the future. "I love you." He whispers in my ear, so no one can hear him. "Promise me that you will live." I nod my head and smile as he plants a soft kiss on my forehead.

This is second time, I promise Uchiha to stay alive. Second time, I make a promise, I am not sure how to fulfill.

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Author's Note :

Hello 😄 I just wanted to tell you that there are only several chapters left till I finish the book (I don't know exactly how many are there left but I think 10, or 12 more will be there) and it kinda makes me feel uncomfortable and I don't know how satisfied I am with what I am doing to this book 🤣 but yeah, I hope you will like it 😌