The Return

Chapter 17

Light and Shadow

Sakura dreamt of Sasuke back when they were in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Team 7 was back and fighting again as the neo-sannin. She was determined to prove herself and unleashed her true power with the 100 Healings Mark. She punched her way through the Ten Tail's forces and showed them all what a medical ninja could really do. She couldn't shake the feeling that despite being on their side though, Sasuke could give in to the darkness at any point. It was only a matter of time before he was completely consumed by his rage and hatred. His cold eyes flashed in her mind and she woke up in a cold sweat.

She gasped for air. Was that really just a dream? 

"Sakura, are you alright?"

She looked over and saw Naruto looking at her with concern as Kurama's chakra shone brightly around him. "Naruto?"

"Oh, thank goodness. You had me worried there."

"W-what happened?"

"Kurama and I noticed a disruption in your chakra and found out you'd been poisoned."

"Poison? But if that's the case then my chakra should-"

Naruto shook his head. "It wasn't the chakra-stealing kind. It was more like a hallucinogenic, at least, I think. One moment you were looking around, same as me, and the next you were swinging punches and destroying the town we were investigating."

Sakura thought back. She remembered seeing Sasuke, or rather a false image of him. "Naruto, how did you know it was a poison and not a genjutsu?"

Naruto looked up, thinking hard. "Well, I can't tell you all the specifics, it's kind of hard to explain. All I know is that I saw this purple chakra around you, almost like Sasuke's Susanoo. I tried touching your arm to release it, but the chakra just spread to my hand instead. When I looked up, I saw a vision of Sasuke from before the war. If it wasn't for Kurama, stopping the poisoned chakra's flow, I would've ended up just like you. We extracted it, but you can check yourself just in case."

Sakura made a hand sign and focused her chakra. Everything seemed normal. There were no traces of toxins or strange chakra. She'd have to be more careful from now on though. If they could poison her that easily, she'd have to keep on her toes. She carefully stood up and stretched.

"How long was I out?" she asked, looking up at the sky.

"Just overnight. Still, we'd better get going."

"Right." Sakura gathered her supplies and the two of them headed back up to the treetops.

As they traveled, Sakura thought about her own abilities. It seemed that no matter what she did she was still the weak link in Team 7. She thought she'd gotten stronger. She'd even made jonin rank, but that was meaningless when it came to their team.

"Hey" Naruto's voice broke her out of her reverie. "You're not useless. If it weren't for you, Sasuke and I probably wouldn't be here right now! The same goes for everyone else you helped in the allied forces. Also...Hinata, if you hadn't healed her back when we fought Pain..." He closed his eyes.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Naruto." She took a deep breath and gave him a wink. "So, how's married life treating you?"

Naruto chuckled a bit, grinning madly. "She's the best, dattebayo! I can't believe it took me so long to recognize her feelings though."

"I know, I swear you and Sasuke really are clueless when it comes to women" she smirked.

"Well, Sasuke's definitely not in the dark about you anymore" Naruto winked.

Sakura smiled. He really did care about her, didn't he? She looked ahead. They'd be together again soon enough. She'd show him that he didn't need to be alone anymore.

They stopped by a ravine nearby. Naruto held up his hand cautiously, concern etched across his face.

"What is it?"

"I'm sensing dark chakra nearby."

"Is it the enemy?"

"Yes, and..."

He didn't need to finish his sentence. Sakura already knew that the other dark chakra was Sasuke's.