Chapter 7

A blond ran through the village, cackling loudly. He had just dumped buckets of multi-colored paint over the most pristine, white compound in the village, staining at a myriad of neon hues. He was proud of his handy work. The blond boy somehow managed to avoid detection in his bright orange jumpsuit, which stood out no matter where he was; it was a wonder that no one had seen him set up his prank, especially since it had taken him two days to set up all the buckets. He had rigged them to a wire so that once a particular door opened, paint would come raining down on the compound. He stayed to watch his project in action, but was now dashing through the village, lest someone catch him near the scene of the crime. He slowed down to a walk, his hands automatically seeking pockets to steal from. The boy didn't know why his hands mindlessly took things from people, but he assumed that it had something to do with his missing memories.

"Child, wake up!" A hand was shaking him. The blond boy opened his bright blue eyes, taking in the white hospital room around him. His eyes blearily focused on the man sitting across from him. He didn't recognize the man. The man had his hand on a cane, and was wrapped in bandages. A few moments later, he realized that he didn't remember anything. "Child, do you know what happened?" The blond focused on the words the man was saying. He slowly shook his head, being careful not to aggravate his injuries. He winced as he felt the bandages around his cheeks scrape against the wounds as he turned his head.

"No, what happened?" he asked, clutching his head, desperately searching for something, for anything. He didn't notice the man's smirk.

"I found you lying on the floor. You were positioned next to a few alcohol bottles. I think that some drunk people beat you up. I brought you here to be healed. Do you remember your name?" the man asked. The boy squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to remember. He couldn't. He shook his head, defeated, and looked up at the man before answering. His blue eyes reflected his anguish.

"I can't," he nearly whimpered. "Who am I? Who are you?" he asked, almost to himself.

"My name is Shimura Danzo," the man introduced himself. "Since you don't have a name, would you like me to give you one?" The boy nodded eagerly; he wanted to have a name; he wanted to feel like he belonged. The man was suddenly reminded of a young redheaded genin. He smiled a bit in her memory. "I'll name you Naruto," he said, thinking of the redhead's favorite food. "Uzumaki Naruto." The blond jumped up in happiness.

"Thank you," he shouted in delight, giving the man a hug. He noticed how the man froze, before returning the gesture. The blond pushed the thought out of his mind, deeming it unimportant. He was focused on his new name.

Naruto came to a stop in front of a building. Danzo had taken him to a man called the Hokage. The Hokage had given him a small apartment to live in, as well as a monthly stipend. The boy was grateful to both men, but hadn't wanted to bother them, so he refused to contact either of them for help. He entered the sparsely furnished, one room apartment. He sat down on his bed. It had been weeks and none of his memories have returned. He sighed.

"I wonder what I was like," he muttered out loud. He winced at the way his voice reverberated around the room. He hated the silence in his empty apartment. He didn't want to stay there anymore. He decided that walking around in the park was better than staying inside the barren apartment. With that thought in mind, he headed outside.

The pink haired girl had grown used to the life that her new parents provided. Her closets were filled with quality clothing, she had a place to sleep comfortably every night, and she could even take a shower whenever she wanted. It was a far cry from what life in the cave was like, yet she felt empty.

She would see the black haired boy and feel the urge to run up to him. She wanted to tell him about her new life, but one look into his cold, black eyes left her frozen and shaking in fear. The eyes were filled with hatred. The girl observed the way that he moved around the village. She didn't like what she saw. The long, smooth gait radiated arrogance and confidence. The small smirk present on his face gave him the appearance of a conceited brat. His once warm eyes had hardened into glittering black diamonds that she could no longer read. She hated it. She hated that she was powerless. She hated how she couldn't prevent him from leaving. She hated how Haru had left them. She hated how weak she was without him, without either of the boys that meant so much to her. And she hated the feeling of weakness.

The girl sat down on a bench and clenched her fists. She decided that she didn't want to feel powerless anymore. Her green eyes hardened as she remembered the promise that the three of them had made.

"Don't you ever wonder what it's like to be more than this?" Haru asked, gazing up at the stars. The view from the forest was incredible. There were no lights that obscured the stars. Sakura tore her gaze away from the twinkling stars and turned her head towards him.

"What do you mean?" she asked. The blond opened his mouth and was about to speak, but Sasuke was the one who answered.

"More than unfortunate orphans? We could become ninja, we would be able to make a living taking missions and such. We could have better lives," the black-haired boy mused. The blond nodded, his blue eyes glowing eerily in the moonlight.

"Yes. We could protect ourselves. Remember the day when we first met?" he asked Sasuke. Sasuke nodded mutely. Sakura did too as Haru turned to her. "Remember what I said?" Sakura nodded.

"You wanted to be a ninja to protect others. So that we wouldn't have to steal." Haru smiled.

"How about it?" he asked, looking at the others.

"Let's do it!" the other two agreed easily. Haru had a charisma that made them believe that it was a good idea. She wanted to follow him, not just because the idea was good, but also because Haru was a genuinely good person. She wanted to protect the blond, like he had protected her.

"It's a promise," the three laughed as they stacked their fists on top of each others.

Sakura sighed, glancing down at her hands. She fisted her right hand and mimicked the motion that they had used while making promises. A tear slowly rolled down her cheek as she realized that no one was there to stack hands with her. They spent months studying for the entrance exams, none of the eight year olds went. After Haru disappeared, Sakura didn't have the motivation to go. She didn't know where Sasuke went, but she often saw him in the village during academy hours, so she was sure that he didn't attend.

Thinking back to the promise they made, she decided that she wanted to fulfill it. She wanted to become a ninja, if only to protect Haru's memory. Bouncing to her feet, she ran to tell her new parents her decision. Hopefully, they would support her on her endeavor.

And they did. She was all set to take the entrance exams the next year. She would be nine years old, just the right age. With that thought, she threw herself into studying with a vigor that she had not had since Haru disappeared. A faint smile could be seen as she poured over her books. Her eyes reflected the determination she felt, and the confidence she had in her decision.

Haru, just you wait. I'll fulfill our promise.

Haru hated the box he was trapped in. It didn't allow him to go further than the glass like barriers that surrounded him. But that's where things got interesting. On the back wall, there was a small reflection. On that reflection, he could catch glimpses of the outside world from his dark box. He assumed that he was catching glimpses of the outside world. The world that his body was seeing while he was trapped in this box. From his observations, he surmised that he was trapped inside his mind. His body didn't seem to get tired, and he could stay awake for hours. He knew that it was the man who had captured him that had sealed him inside his mind. The seal prevented him from changing his mindscape, which meant that he was stuck in the sewer until the seal was broken. Which prompted the question: How was the seal supposed to be broken?

From his basic studies, Haru knew of three ways to break a seal. One would be to destroy the seal matrix. It was impossible from inside the box. The seal prevented him from changing his mindscape, and the sewer water didn't have any effect on the seal. Two was to overload the seal with chakra, which might make it explode. Haru didn't want anything to explode. He also didn't have enough chakra to overload the seal, and he had tried. Multiple times. From the complexity of the seal, it would take at least 10 times as much chakra than he had, and at eight years old, he had the chakra reserves of a jonin. Three would be to drain all of the chakra out of the seal, deactivating it. The problem with that was the fact that the seal would reactivate as soon as he let chakra back into the system. Although he wasn't comfortable with the fact, he had resigned himself to being sealed into a corner of his mind.

He watched and grimaced as the person inhabiting his body destroyed it. He saw how much the boy, whom Haru thought was named Naruto, ate. He winced as he watched the boy consume vast amounts of ramen, barely breathing. The boy didn't train, and he observed as his built up muscles disappeared. The only consolation was the fact that the body moved as he had wanted it to. Naruto's steps, guided by eight years of muscle memory, was still fluid and treaded softly. He took note of how his hands seemed to automatically rifle through the pockets of people, taking anything that he unconsciously deemed useful. Haru bowed his head as he sat in the sewer, wondering how long it would take for him to find a way out.

"Haru," Sakura tugged his sleeve. Haru put aside the wood he had gathered and turned his attention to the still-pink haired girl. He didn't say anything, but Sakura knew that he was focused on her. "What would you do if we separated?" The boy narrowed his eyes.

"Why would you think that we would be separated?" he questioned softly. There was no hint of anger in his voice, but a bit of sadness was present in his eyes. The girl fidgeted with her dress under his heavy gaze.

"I-I-I just thought that since you do so much for me, what would happen to me if you, or Sasuke weren't there? I don't want you two to leave. I know that I'm not strong enough to survive on my own."

"Neither are Sasuke and I," the blond added. He held up a hand to stall interruptions. "None of us are strong individually. We all have problems, but together, we make up for them. I wouldn't survive on my own, something would have eaten me by now. You contribute much more than you give yourself credit for." Sakura smiled happily. With renewed vigour, she darted out of the cave to go gather more pine cones. Haru smiled as he returned to his task. He was still wearing the smile when Sasuke came back. He gained a few strange glances, but didn't pay attention to them. He was glad that the girl knew how much she meant to both of them.

Sitting in his mindscape, Haru couldn't help but think back to the question Sakura had asked him that day. At that point, Sasuke had just joined their duo, and he hadn't completely opened up to either of them. So he had done what he did best. He had expertly avoided answering the inquiry. He ran away from the question. If he was completely honest, at that point in time, he didn't know what he would do if they were separated. He didn't know what they would do either. The only thing he could do, sitting in his mind, was hope. Hope that they remembered the bonds that they had with each other. Hope that they didn't abandon one another. Hope that each of them remained alive.

Haru snorted. He knew what he wanted to say as an answer, but that wasn't a possibility at that point. Sakura, he thought, trying to project his thoughts into her mind, but knowing that it was futile. I now know my answer, Sakura. I apologize for not telling you when you asked. I would find a way to get us all together again. No matter what I have to do.