Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto. I DO own Youshi Garukin (Yes, he's back! It's the prequel silly.) Ai Mizuri is owned by xEMOtIoNaLLyCOnSTipaTEDx-

Chapter One - The Sound Of Silence

"Focus, Sakura!"

Sakura mentally scolded herself for missing another target.

That was the third one she'd missed. She couldn't help it though, she had been distracted all morning. There was something strange about today. Sakura didn't know what it was or what it could mean but something was definitely different.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura's head snapped round at the sound of Naruto's voice. She turned on her heel and raced towards him. "Naruto!" she squealed as she threw her arms around him. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you for weeks!"

Naruto happily hugged Sakura back before slightly pulling away. "I was on a mission."

Sakura sighed, relieved that he had made it home safely. Naruto pulled away from the hug and looked down at his feet, kicking up some dust as he shuffled his foot back and forth. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I still haven't found him."

Sakura's heart sank at her friends words. Six years. No-one had seen or heard of him in six long years but still Naruto refused to stop looking.

"I promise you, Sakura-chan." said Naruto as he slowly raised his head. "I will find Sasuke! And when I do, I will bring him home!"

"There you are!"

Sakura and Naruto turned to face the all too familiar voice. "Good Morning, Sai." they said as one. Sai shrugged slightly. "That remains to be seen. Lady Hokage sent me to get you. She wants you two in her office, now." stated Sai before turning and slowly walking away.

Naruto and Sakura exchanged a confused glance but quickly shrugged it off and began making their way toward the Hokage Tower.

They barely made it three streets before they hit a problem.

Naruto's stomach started growling as they passed Ichiraku and Sakura had to physically force him to keep moving.

"I'll be really quick!" begged Naruto. "Please?! I'm starving!"

"Lady Hokage waited us to come, NOW!" stated Sakura.

"Fine." grumbled Naruto, still having trouble moving away from his favourite snack shack.

"I'll buy you a bowl after." said Sakura.

***

"You're absolutely sure?"

Naruto and Sakura felt a chill run the length of their spine at the concerned tone coming from within Tsunade-sama's office.

"I'm afraid so, Lady Hokage."

Sakura and Naruto looked at each other in slight shock. That was Kakashi's voice. They nodded to each other and knocked sharply on the door.

"Come in."

As soon as they entered the office, they were almost overwhelmed with the thickness to the air. It was as though the room itself was worried about something.

"Tsunade-sama." greeted Sakura.

"Lady Hokage." added Naruto.

Tsunade turned to face the new arrivals as she finished speaking with Kakashi.

"You know what to do, Kakashi."

Kakashi bowed to Tsunade and vanished from the room. Tsunade sighed heavily and motioned for them to sit as she made her way back to the own chair. Sakura could see the desire for sake building in her eyes. Tsunade took a moment to rest her head on her arms, on the desk top. She sighed heavily again before, very, slowly raising her head and meeting Sakura and Naruto's curious gazes.

"You're probably wondering why I summoned you both here."

She only paused long enough to see them both nod cautiously.

"A few hours ago, I received word from one of our allies. The Sound village has been completely destroyed…"

"WHAT?!" gasped Naruto. "But…"

"Our allies found the Sound Village burning out of control." Tsunade locked eyes with Sakura and sighed heavily. "They found no survivors."

Naruto's eyes flickered over to Sakura. Her face was suddenly winter pale, her lower lip was trapped tightly between her teeth and her eyes were gleaming with, ready to flow, tears.

"Does anyone know who did it?"

Sakura's voice was cracked and broken. Tsunade and Naruto almost didn't hear her. The worry, fear and pain was coming off of Sakura in waves so thick, it threatened to choke the others.

"I'm afraid so." sighed Tsunade. "We've been getting reports of Akatsuki in the area. We have to assume that the sightings, and the attack on the Sound Village are connected. Kakashi believes Itachi is involved. I need…"

"Where do we report?!" demanded Naruto.

Tsunade's head snapped over to lock eyes with Naruto. "You're not going any…"

Naruto shot to his feet. His whole body was shaking with anger and his eyes bore a red tinge.

His voice confirmed his rage as it boomed across the office.

"That son of a bitch wiped out my best friend's entire clan! Twisted him up inside until all he could feel was revenge. He made him convinced he had to leave us to get strong enough! That bastard made him betray the village… made him leave us! Now he's wiped out the Sound Village! He's just murdered my best friend!"

Tsunade sighed heavily and reached into the top drawer of her desk. Sakura's eyes locked in on the movement and her face turned from shocked to furious. Sakura shot to her feet.

"Now is not the time for that!" she snapped. "We have to do something!"

Tsunade's hand reappeared on the desk. It wasn't empty, but it wasn't holding her usual item of choice. She dropped the manila folder on to the desk and flipped it open.

"Uchiha Sasuke was no traitor." stated Tsunade. "We just had to make it look that way."

Sakura and Naruto stared silently at the information now in front of them.

Tsunade searched through the file and quickly pulled a letter on to the top of the pile.

"He left this for you."

Both Naruto and Sakura slumped down in to their chairs as their minds absorbed the words.

Sakura and Dobe,

I've only been given a few minutes to write this letter so don't expect too much.

I have to leave the village. I don't know when, or if, I'll be coming back. It's a special mission. You will hear some terrible things being said about me but I hope you both know me well enough to know the truth.

I will miss you both, you really did become like family to me, even if we did annoy the hell out of each other at times. Thank you for never giving up on me or letting me quit.

I wish things could have been different. But what if's and maybe's are not what the world is made of and wishful thinking never got anybody anywhere.

That said, I do believe that you'll be Hokage one day Naruto. And Sakura, I wish I could have been what you wanted me to be. I'm sorry that I couldn't.

I hope that one day, I will be able to come back to Konoha. I can't promise that I'll behave differently towards everyone, but, for the two of you, I'll try.

I have to go now, Kakashi is telling me it's time.

Look after each other. I'll never forget you.

Uchiha Sasuke.

Several moments of deafening silence overwhelmed the office and the people within. Naruto's eyes flickered between the letter and the two women. Tsunade's eyes were fixed on Sakura's silently weeping face. Sakura's eyes were locked on to Sasuke's parting words, the memory of the last time she saw Sasuke played over in her mind as the true meaning of his last words to her, 'Thank you', finally became clear.

The deathly silence was shattered when an ANBU burst through the door.

"Lady Hokage! The Akatsuki! They are approaching Konoha!"

The next voice that spoke chilled the air and sent a jolt of ice into the very souls of all who heard it.

"They all die today!"

It was Sakura.

Tsunade merely nodded. She had learned, long ago, what that tone of Sakura's meant. There would be no arguing with her, no bargains to be made. Sakura was determine to fight and, if forced, would even go against direct orders to do so.

Sakura's eyes were cold and firmly set ass she rose to her feet. Naruto, taking his cue from his team-mate, quickly stood, ready to follow Sakura anywhere. Sakura set her icy gaze on Tsunade. It wasn't taken personally by the older woman. She knew that it was meant for the Akatsuki.

"Where do we report for battle?" demanded Sakura, her tone growing sharper with every word.

"Report to Genma and Kakashi at the west wall. They'll put you into position." replied Tsunade.

"The truth better come out about Sasuke!" stated Sakura, her tone so cold now that no argument would be tolerated. "He deserves better than to be branded with a lie!"

Tsunade nodded. She had in fact, already told Kakashi the very same thing. Her heart broke a little though, hearing Sakura continuing to use present tense for their lost team-mate. Sound was gone, taking Sasuke with it, but Sakura was clearly too hurt and angry to deal with that right now. No, right now, Sakura needed something, or someone, to take her anger out on.

A quick glance at Naruto showed that, he too, was beyond enraged. His entire body was trembling with barely repressed rage and his eyes were tainted with red. He had a look of death in his eyes.

Tsunade inwardly chuckled to herself but there was no humour in it. The Akatsuki had just unleashed hell upon themselves and they didn't even realise it.

They were going to find out though.

'Yes.' thought Tsunade. 'The Akatsuki are about to learn, first hand, what Konoha is made of.'

Tsunade was torn from her thoughts by the slamming of her office door. She had no idea if Sakura and Naruto had even bothered saying their goodbyes to her. She wasn't going to hold it against them though, and she had no intentions of bringing it up or reprimanding them over it.

After all, the hope that they had each carefully carried for the last six years, had just been stolen from them. And the monsters who had taken it away from them, were about to attack their home.

Had it been different circumstances, Tsunade might have felt sorry for the Akatsuki. Once the news, and truth, about Sasuke spread, all the emotions he had ever caused people, especially his fan club, where going to erupt. And the Akatsuki…

Tsunade couldn't help but wonder if they would even know what hit them.

To be continued…