Love and War

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did Itachi wouldn't be dead T.T

A/N: in this fic they use mobile phone but not on mission since they may ruin the mission.

"I wonder if my heart will ever mend

I just let you slip away" -Lostprophets

Chapter 1: It started with nothing but a missed call

23:53

He was supposed to be back.

She called. He never answered.

She sent countless messages. He never sent her back any.

They were mere ghosts living in this haunted mansion, pretending everything was perfect.

They would eat together, not a single words passing their lips.

The only sound made was the clattering of the utensils.

Her friends would ask her, she would only smile a reassuring smile.

They never saw what laid underneath her smiles, never understood nor will they understand her pain.

Why would they? They didn't need to burden their lives with her sadness.

They loved each others, she still did. But she doubted he did.

She wanted to believe in him, wanted to be loved again, to feel the happiness she once felt with him, to feel protected within his arms.

But she couldn't tell him how she was hurting. She didn't want to burden him further.

She knew that his duties as clan heir and Anbu captain were taking their toll on his body.

Thus, she suffered alone. When the night was at its darkest, and she knew that he wasn't coming, she would lay in the bathtub, crying herself to sleep.

No one knew.

No one saw the signs.

No one saw how her eyes darkened, how they lost their usual liveliness.

No one saw how her hair dulled, how it lost its usual brightness.

No one saw how her skin was paler, how it resembled more to that of a dyeing person than to a lively woman.

So when she left, they all wondered.

When she was classed as a missing-nin, they could do nothing but gasp.

When she reached the S-class rank criminal, they couldn't help but mourn the loss of Konoha's sweetheart.

They couldn't help but ask what drove her away.

They knew that she loved her husband, that he loved her, that they were happily living with each others.

After all, everyone saw how he fought tooth and nail to marry her.

They all knew how he threatened to leave the clan if they didn't let him marry her.

They all knew that the Hokage herself threatened Konoha's council if they ever meddled with her apprentice's life.

They knew that, despite all the odds, they married.

The unthinkable was made. The clan heir married an outsider, for the first time since the Uchiha clan first started.

So why would she leave her beloved husband and village?

Everyone knew that she was as loyal to her village as any Shinobi.

They all knew that.

Yet, they never understood her reasons.

Months after her disappearance, reports told of her voyage with another missing-nin.

Civilians didn't understand, Shinobi did.

It was safer to travel with a companion than to be alone.

However, did she truly trust that Iwa missing-nin so much that she would travel with him?

After all, even if she left, they still cared deeply for her.

They could do nothing but trust her judgement.

But we seem to forget him.

After months of ignoring her, he finally thought of her, not until her disappearance.

But it was so late. He was too late.

How could he not see the signs?

They were so obvious, it hurts.

How could he not see she was hurting?

How could he not see that she couldn't live like that?

How could he not see that his indifference after their marriage, not only hurt her, but it also drove her away from him?

Was he so blind that he couldn't see the pain inflicted upon his one true love?

Was he so foolish that he couldn't even grasp the fact that HE was the cause of her pain?

He couldn't understand why the village pitied him but never before her.

Were they simply blind?

Was she such a good actress that not even him could see the hurt hidden by those green voiles?

Were his ninja capacities deteriorating so much he couldn't even see underneath the underneath?

If he couldn't see her true emotions, how could everyone say that he was the best ninja?

How could they think, even for a split second, that he deserved the title of Anbu captain?

When he told his little brother, he just sneered at his stupidity.

He told him that she was a stupid fan girl, a weak teammate.

The young Anbu captain couldn't help but glare at him, scold him for his spiteful words.

After all, his foolish little brother was even worse than him.

He couldn't see her potential like Shisui and him did.

And for some absurd reason, his little brother despised her.

When asked, his cousin would just laugh it off and tell him about jealousy.

Shisui was his cousin and best friend.

He was the one who helped him realize his feeling for the pinkette.

Shisui was the one who helped him when he was losing his humanity as a child.

He was the one who supported him during his time as a teenager.

He was the one who first suggested to help his future wife.

And so they helped her.

They were here for her when Team 7 thought that she was nothing but a weakling, and left her behind.

They were here for her when she was told of her parents' death.

And they were suppose to still be here for her when she needed them after their wedding.

So when Shisui came barreling in their -now his- room, he felt relieved for the punch.

He couldn't be more thankful to have Shisui for cousin.

He came and explained to him everything, told him about every single time he had to take her from the bathtub where, for some strange reason, she would cry herself to sleep.

He told him about how she would act every morning as if the last night was nothing but a genjutsu, a dream, or a nightmare was more preferable word.

He told him about how she wanted nothing more than to stop loving him. She wanted to move on.

And how her heart ached every time she thought about him.

She told him about how her parents weren't her biological parents.

And he told his cousin.

The young husband, for even after her departure, was still married to her.

She was still his wife.

He couldn't stop the sigh of relief that left him when he heard that she didn't demand divorce.

Yet, Shisui couldn't explain her sudden absence.

He could only hypothesize.

Perhaps she was tired of feeling alone.

Or perhaps she wanted to find her family.

Or even perhaps, she just wanted to forget.

Maybe it was for all these three reasons that she left.

Months turned into years, and so it has been three years that she left.

People were becoming more familiar with her absence.

They continued on living without her.

They seemed to even forget about her existence.

But it was because of more pressing matters they have to deal with.

Such as the war looming over Konoha's horizons.

Orochimaru wanted to invade Konoha once again.

It would seem that he formed an alliance with an ex-Akatsuki member.

He called himself Madara Uchiha.

The young Anbu Captain doubted that he was who he said he was.

Rumors had it that he was tricking the Akatsuki leader in believing that by assembling the bijuus, they could bring peace in the world.

Such a foolish dream.

The clan heir was a pacifist first and foremost, but he knew that as long as the five nations didn't work as a whole, there would always be conflict.

So it was quite understandable that he would be surprised when the five nations were assembled in the land of Iron, to discuss a possible agreement and create the joints Ninja army.

Their objective was to defeat Orochimaru's army and Madara Uchiha who was rumored to have a complete control over the bijuus that the Akatsuki assembled.

They prepared for the war. Thoughts of Sakura brought to the back of his mind.

He was Anbu captain but also the clan heir of one of the most prosperous clan to ever be.

He shouldered, since he was a child, a burden much bigger than what his body could.

Now more than ever before.

They would fight together, and win the war.

He could do nothing but stare at the amount of ninja standing before him.

It was a miracle, a dream come true.

For all of the nations to be assemble here, helping each others, forgetting about all of of their differences, forgetting about all of the lost and won past wars.

They weren't here as Sand or Fire Shinobi.

No, here they were here as Shinobi.

Nothing more and nothing less.

For him, to see this day, to see all of the Shinobis from different places, gathered here to save the world, gathered here to save everything everyone fought to protect.

Their loved ones, their heritages and the very morals they want to pass down.

Nut especially, the will of fire left by the Shodai Hokage.

And for the first time since his marriage, he smiled.

All of those who were around him were freaking out.

All of them thought about the upcoming war, yet the youngest Anbu captain to ever be was smiling.

He promised since he started the Academy that he would fight to protect his village.

Apparently, from now on he would fight for not only Konoha, but also for all of the Shinobi villages.

From now on, they would all fight to protect all of the world.

From now on they were here as one.

The war will start and they would win it.

"AAAHHHHHHHH!"

The war started.

A/N: for all those who are reading my other story. Don't worry I started typing the new chapter(surprisingly). And I'm still reading HP 5 so I guess by the end of the week I would have finished it.

This story won't be long, just a few chapters, five at most I think. In fact, at first it was supposed to be an one-shot. But I guess while writing, it kinda deviated from how I first imagined the story. -.-' The wonders of imagination, I guess.

It's a bit angsty, but that's what trying to learn History do to a person. So watch out the night monsters, they would come when you least expect it.

Next chapter I think I might just make Sakura appear with a little surprise ;)
And in case you haven't figured it out it's a non-massacre fic. I just love the non-mass fics xD

Don't forget to review and constructive criticism is appreciated.

SharkswillruledaWORLD is out ;)