Disclaimer : All characters and places belong to Masashi Kishimoto, ©1999-2008.

A/N: Not a happy story, folks, but sacrifices cannot be made in vain. The title comes from an attack of the same name used in Tales of Symphonia, but the effects are that of the 'Sacrifice' technique. However, in this story, it is called Hiden: Seika Kai (Secret Technique: Sacred Song Release).

As for Sparda, it'll be on hiatus until further notice. I want to finish a couple multi-chaptered stories before I can go back to working on this, though I will be revising chapters three, four and five. And once my goals are met, only then will we return to the kick-ass action that is Sparda in Colossal.

Holy Song

"This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
-- John 15:12-13

Konohagakure burns.

Around him, the air is thick with the stench of blood, smoke and death. Bodies, cooling corpses of meat, lay everywhere in countless sprawling positions. Dying, painful moans stretch the silence into an eternity.

To Kakashi Hatake, Legendary Copy-Nin and Son of Sakumo the Disgraced, time has stopped.

To Pein, Nagato's God Realm and Lord of Amegakure, it's all but fifteen seconds.

Fifteen seconds of meaningless, pitiful death.

All for a lost cause. All for the sake of defying him.

Kakashi's eyes drop down to the hole punched through his chest. Nothing's there. No heart. No rib cage. No cartilage. Just a round, gory crater hiding what's behind him. Broken buildings, dancing fire, screams of the damned.

His irises -- his right a jet stone, his left the ruby Sharingan jewel -- adopt a dull, glassy film. They roll to the back of their sockets and he falls forward, a hard thump to the ground. Tiny dust clouds jump at his surprise landing.

Pein blandly regards the dead man whose life fluid is seeping across the earth.

Pathetic, this fool was. Time was not his ally. And even if it had been, Rai Kage Bunshin and the Mangekyou Sharingan wouldn't stop him.

Not him. Not God.

He turns the Rin'negan to the still functioning Realm as it rises shakily to its feet. They exchange glances, nod and leave the scene.

There is no rest for the wicked.

It hurts, she says, doubled over in numbing agony, It hurts so much. I . . . I can feel it moving.

It's a sign of things to come, her father tells her. When the time draws near, you will feel everything that's ever known. All the suffering. All the anger. All the evil and good and in-betweens.

The stream trudges through her veins and her heart palpitates an erratic beat.

She clutches her chest. Sweat beads the plain of her brow.

"Sakura?"

It's a success.

Danzou watches the chakra expand tenfold across her skin, tightening in immaculate bunches and sagging pouches dragging her perfect figure to gravity's whims. The crinkling of crow's feet narrow amber portals and liver spots dot the once smooth hills that were high cheekbones. Flesh pales to a ghostly complexion and shining blond hair drains to reveal a silvery mane riddled with split ends and knotted ropes.

No more life.

The Ifuuin Kai, the seal to Tsunade Senju's eternal youth, is broken by the kunai lodged in her forehead.

No more false hope. No more insecurity.

The Godaime Hokage slides down the wall, red plasma worming a tearful cataract from the edge of nowhere. She utters not a sound. No threats. No final, lasting words. No curses.

She didn't see it coming.

Danzou drops his one arm to his side. He stares at the First's granddaughter (a memory, a myth, a name clouded yellow by time and ignorance) for a timeless interval.

Sad, really. She couldn't defend herself. Couldn't dare strike fast enough to attack a disabled old man.

But he doesn't care.

I'll make sure you're forgotten.

At his periphery, he sees the white and red coat of office hanging on a hook. How pure, clean, free it looks, untouched by sinful hands.

He approaches it.

Not anymore.

That, my child, is the world's end.

"Sakura!"

Arms embrace her, holding her aloft.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Concern. Worry. Ever since they failed to track him, the signs have been getting worse. The pains more frequent.

It shouldn't be like this.

"Sakura, please answer me!"

She looks to her, face drawn and languid. She struggles to control her breath.

It pulses.

"Shi-Shizune . . . ."

Today is a nice day to kill.

The ANBU rush at him, their ninjatou unsheathed.

Sasuke closes his eyes, listens to their footsteps bring them closer to the enemy. Not a traitor. Not the Last Uchiha. He's the S-Class nukenin thirsting for revenge.

What fools they are.

He pulls apart Death's curtains.

"AMATERASU!"

They are reduced to ashes, screams cut short by the searing black flames. What's left of the skeletons are eaten away and return to the earth.

(Inoichi and the two Shinobi with him don't feel a thing. Too engrossed with their actions, their souls forever linger in the metaphysical sewers of Konoha's Jinchuuriki, tormented by the frothing nightmare that is Kyuubi no Kitsune.)

Sasuke steps up to the unconscious Naruto, his head the only visible part that is not dwelling with the odd chamber. Here and now, two choices are presented to him. He could either slay his brother and rival while at his most vulnerable, or deliver him to Madara and the Akatsuki.

Either way, he'll die, one way or the other.

A single slash with his chokuto breaks the contraption in half. The Last Uchiha grabs Uzumaki in a fireman's carry and stalks out the office where Team Eagle is dispatching the scientists and coroners further down the hall.

You can't banish darkness, but you can shed light. Only you can do it, Sakura. You can prevent the end from happening.

She nods numbly. I know. I just wish . . . it didn't have to happen in my lifetime.

Sakura . . . .

But I'll do it. She lifts her head and confronts his gaze. For the village, for the people and the world . . . I'll do it.

An ominous chuckle shakes his being as he laughs. Madara's Sharingan beholds the wide, demonic visage of the great Bijuu statue.

"Dance, puppets, dance!" he cries. Behind his spiraling orange mask, a manic grin bares its teeth. "Bathe in the blood of sinners! Taste the tears of the fallen! Consume their despair and dance under the light of the unholy moon!

"With these eyes I shall be Lord of the Lands once more!"

The Devil's laughter is music to his ears.

I'll perform my duty.

"I'm sorry . . . Shizune. . . . I have to go." She pulls herself from the embrace.

"Go where?" her mentor calls to her. The medic reaches a hand out to the departing Kunoichi. "Sakura, where are you----!?"

"Tell them there was no other way," she gives Shizune a sad smile. "Don't let my sacrifice be in vain."

And then she's gone, disappearing in a whirl of leaves.

'The Shunshin?!' The woman discovers in shock. She shakes from her stupor, suddenly realizing the depth of her student's words. 'Sacrifice . . . ?'

No time. She charges out of the hospital, into raging hellfire and impending doom.

They meet outside the village gates, Uchiha and Haruno. Two former allies whose clans nullified their peace after an event none can recall ever started. The Prince of Fire and the Princess of Nature.

Obsidian orbs and viridian portals meet.

The male in Sasuke's grip doesn't stir.

He draws his blade and says in a calm, cool tone, "I'll only say this once: Step aside or die. Make your choice."

Sakura grabs the hitai-ate tied to her neck and dons it on her forehead. "I won't move," is her answer, their gazes matching in steel.

Sasuke grunts and adopts a fighting stance. "Then join your comrades in hell."

"Don't you see, Sasuke? Look around. We already are." There is a flicker of remorse in her voice. "Evil will never die, but that's why we're here. To fix the balance in the Grand Scheme of All Things, that is why goodness exists. It's also the reason no one can ever learn it."

"Just shut up and stay still," barks the Uchiha. "It is you who never learns."

Haruno bows her chin, her countenance blank. "Is that so? Well then . . . I'll make you understand."

Her hands blur through the seals -- Dog, Ox, Bird, Dragon, Horse, Tiger, Dog -- and suddenly, a brilliant light engulfs her body. Spiraling designs curl along her form, up her legs, around her midriff and across her arms. Petal-shaped marks cover her cheeks. Through the material of her shirt, the outline of a lily flower decorates her bosom.

Sasuke shouts and drops the chokuto, clutching his bleeding right eye.

He fails to notice Naruto is no longer in his arms.

Sakura folds her fists over the fleur-de-lis. "Remember me when you look upon Konoha! Remember me when you committ your evil deeds! I won't allow this village to Fall!"

The light increases with intensity. Holy chakra flares around her in transparent ribbons.

(It beckons.)

(It whispers.)

(It calls.)

(It pulses.)

(It yearns.)

(It sings.)

(She remembers the good times and the bad.)

She throws her arms out behind her. "HIDEN: SEIKA KAI!"

The lily flower erupts and all she sees is white white white.

As Chouji hurries to the administrative building, he feels tired muscles and burning lungs rejuvenate. A warm glow caused to look upon his hands.

'What the--? White chakra? But how? I thought it wasn't real, that it was a myth. But I feel stronger, faster . . . .'

Akimichi thinks no more of the matter. His wounds healed, he puts forth a second wind. His destination looms closer with each step.

A howl of pain escapes Pein as the white chakra infiltrates his tenketsu. In his mind, the signatures of his Realms fluctuate upon contact with the wave.

He coughs up a wad of black blood.

'All of you, get away from the village! Now! Before it destroys you!'

The order is carried as soon as he speaks it.

The God Realm scowls murderously. 'Damned chakra . . . !'

At the same time, in two different parts of the Elemental Nations, Danzou and Madara roar in rage; one who is hit hardest by the alien force distorting his sight and crippling his arm, the other expressing his failure in capturing the Nine-Tailed demon jailor.

In fifty seconds Madara unleashes his fury on the hideout, the Bijuu statue barely escaping the rampage.

In fifty seconds ANBU raid the Godaime's office and silence Danzou with a slice across the throat.

Ten minutes later, when Shizune arrives at the gates, she is greeted to a heart-wrenching scene. Naruto, who is awake from his training in Mount Myoubokuzan, sobs as he holds Sakura's body close to him. Gamakichi, to the medic's surprise, sits by his summoner's side, comfortingly rubbing his back with a webbed foot.

Opposite of the pair Sasuke is on his knees, head in his hands and hiccupping. Tears spill unchecked, but he pays them no heed. Lost in his own world, he mumbles "What have I done?" over and over again.

And Sakura . . . Sakura died with a smile.

Shizune wipes away her tears with her sleeve. She wants to say she should have known it would happen, but she can't. She wants to say it was her time, but she can't.

She wants to say it was her choice, but she dared not to utter it.

Sakura's body was returned to the village proper to remove her family secret. Naruto and Gamakichi joined her. Sasuke, however, remained where he was, staring wide-eyed at his trembling hands.

The history of the Seika Kai is such:

It's a forbidden technique given to the Haruno family bloodline by an unnamed deity in the days before the Shinobi. They were a clan that was on good relations with the Uchiha, who were wielders of the Holy Flame, the manifestation of the planet's core. It's unknown how the Haruno obtained the Seika Kai, but legend dictates a man saved the deity's life because He had a severe injury inflicted by a demon during battle. For his selfless act, the god bestowed the man with His essence the white chakra and a contract to utilize this power in times of great darkness when all hope was lost. The man and his clan were sworn to secrecy to never allow the Seika Kai to be known by humankind, for if it should fall into the wrong hands it would produce catastrophic results. Thus, it was signed as a forbidden technique. But soon enough the Uchiha learned of the events and waged war with the Haruno, thirsting to master the Seika Kai to their own devices. To turn the tide of war to their favor, the man performed the seals and sacrificed himself. This warranted a substantial loss in the Uchiha troop, they who drowned in the purity of the white chakra, and retreated. They surrendered immediately. However, these events did not stop the Holy Flame's contractors from fighting the Haruno. The two clans became locked in a blood feud for many millennia, the children of their children entangled in a bitter struggle of jealousy, power and greed. As nations formed and Hidden Villages rose, the god and the Haruno made an agreement that it was only when the world was faced with a dilemma that could not be averted by mortal control that the Seika Kai would be used. A law was signed that only the first child of the main family branch could be indoctrinated and blessed with the god's emblem, the fleur-de-lis or the lily flower. Upon death His power would leave the body and return unto Him, a procedure that would protect the secrets of the forbidden technique from evil and sin. It would forever be forgotten by man save for the annals of old.

That evening, an autopsy was performed. As Shizune had predicted, there was no trace of the white chakra or the fleur-de-lis.

As Konohagakure worked to rebuild their defenses and fallen city, funeral arrangements were made.

Sakura Haruno was buried five days later at the Haruno Estate.

Naruto, Sasuke, Shizune and a man watched the grave until evening had set. No words were exchanged between the quartet. The ninja paid their respects to the deceased and left to help reconstruction. Their people needed them.

But the man had no one to hold. His wife passed in childbirth's throes and daughter who gave her life for the goodness in her heart and the safety of the world and her village. He still had family, both close and distant relatives, but none were more treasured and precious than his own.

In the dying light of day, he shed tears for those who were and will be gone in the name of the Holy Song, the world's shining ray of hope in darkest times.