"Summoning Technique: A space –time ninjutsu that allows the summoner to transport animals or people across long distances instantly via blood."

The old, tattered book in Sakura's hand shook with her fingers. She held it firmly and continued.

"Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. We all know what's next, right?"

Sasuke nodded. "Perform the necessary hand seals, donate blood."

"Interestingly, look at this," Sakura turned the book towards Naruto and Sasuke, pointing at the words as she spoke. "The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be."

"So if ever, only someone powerful enough can do the summoning," Sasuke contemplated, rubbing his chin.

"Powerful like the Kage, right?"

"Exactly my point, Sakura."

Naruto tossed his head in between them with a confused look. "What?"

"Though we can't set aside the possibility that there could be others more powerful than the Kage—"

"That's where the scroll comes into play."

At Sasuke's words, Sakura's green orbs lit up in understanding. With each exchange it became increasingly obvious who was not following the conversation.

"Wait—"

"So hypothetically speaking, the Five Kage should be the only ones who can have access to that scroll," Sakura was writing up a storm, the page quickly filling up with ink. Despite his better judgment, Naruto was unable to hold back a pang of jealousy at the two who were suddenly seeing eye to eye.

"I don't think it should be hypothetical at all. It can only make sense if only the Five Kage have access to the scroll. It's kind of a compromise; the summoning scroll will replace the need to seek Jinchuriki from the villages." Sasuke leaned forward.

"What is a hypathetic—"

"That makes perfect sense! We are just theorizing here but," Sakura beamed, hardly containing her excitement. "I think we just need to figure out how to do it!"

"How to do what?" Naruto snapped, both hands reaching up to mess his hair. "If you two haven't noticed, I'm not following here!"

His voice was steadily rose with every word, his cheeks flushed and was clearly frustrated. "Sorry I'm not smart okay? But yeah I would really appreciate if you could slow down a little!"

Sasuke smirked, "What do you mean you don't get it? The idea came straight from your mouth, you idiot!"

"You think I'd be reacting this way if I understood what's going on?" his fists slammed on the table, knocking off a couple of books.

"Naruto, calm down!" she reached for his hand and he withdrew, defiant.

"It would be great if you let me in on it, since you know, I'm the one who's supposed to be doing it all."

"Then what the hell are Sakura and I both doing here, dobe?"

"That's enough, you two!" Sakura hissed. "I'm— no, we're sorry. We just got carried away," she shot Sasuke a warning look. "Right, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha grunted, staring at the blond from the corner of his eyes. He picked up one of Karin's scrolls and started reading as if nothing had happened.

"Anyway, what we were getting at is, and really, you're actually the one who came up with it, Naruto…" she hesitated, waiting for his eyes to soften. They did not, but at least she had his attention. "What if the Bijuu could be summoned? Rather than living inside a host, they would live outside, like the Toads in Myobokuzan, or the Snakes, or the Slugs, or any summoned animal?"

His brows furrowed, locking in her green orbs as she spoke.

"Summoned animals can choose to fight for the person who summoned them, but they're not required to. In fact, they won't always be summoned, and in that time they could do whatever they want and live a normal life!" she smiled seeing the understanding in his eyes. "And like what Sasuke mentioned earlier, if we succeed this means eliminating the need for Jinchuriki, so no innocent person needs to sacrifice his body as a vessel anymore! Remember the things you wanted to do for the Bijuu, and that you don't want to see another suffer the fate of a Jinchuriki? This could be the answer we're looking for, Naruto!"

He suddenly became aware that he had been staring speechless for a full minute, absorbing every word. They were right. Summoned animals could aid a ninja during battle, but only if they chose to. Even Gamabunta did not fight for him in a whim back then. The power of choice was something indispensable for the benefit of the Bijuu, and considering they were the most powerful beings on earth, anyone who could summon them would have a great advantage indeed. The best part is that it goes both ways; the welfare of the Kage and the villages included.

"Sakura-chan, since it's a space-time ninjutsu… that means the Bijuu will have to come from some place, right?"

She nodded, writing down his point. "Yes, and I think that's something we'll have to ask the animals we have contracts with." She gazed back and smiled, glad to know they're finally on the same page and somewhat amused he still didn't take credit for his own idea.

"Like who created their contract? How did they choose the places they live in? Or how come no one can reach the place they live?" Naruto suggested, eagerness returning to his voice.

"How did they become summoned animals in the first place?" Sasuke interjected. He stood abruptly, eyes locked on the scroll in his hand. He quickly rolled it up and reached for the other next to Naruto.

"I need these," was his form of permission to the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura searched his darkened eyes, certain that he had come up with something but was not ready to tell yet. "Return them in good condition, or else Tsunade-shishou will kill me."

"Sakura-chan…"

At first she thought she imagined it, but when she chanced a peek on the space between the books on the shelf she found his blue eyes staring straight back at her.

A blush crept up her cheeks and she was thankful only her eyes were visible. Not that she was expecting him to notice. "Y-yes?"

"Are you going home after this?"

Avoiding his gaze, she resumed placing the books back on the shelf, aware of his eyes following her. "Uhm, why?"

Her words hung in the air and she waited for his answer. The silence was enough to hear the shuffle of papers on the librarian's desk a few shelves away. She was running out of books to put back and pretended to busy herself with one she decided belonged two shelves above her head.

Sakura went on tiptoes, stretching her arms as she tried lodging the book in between a narrow space when Naruto's voice echoed behind her ear.

"Well I—"

Startled, Sakura lost her footing and fell forward, her face kissing the worn out spines of the books. Immediately her arm went on autopilot; swinging backwards in full force, with the book hitting him square on the face before falling to the floor.

"OW!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing, sneaking up on me like that?" she hissed after seeing the librarian shoot them a stern look from behind the desk. Thankfully she was able to curb her chakra at the right time, or else she was sure Naruto would have flown off and toppled the shelves.

Naruto had fallen on his knees at the impact, ears ringing as he brought a hand to the side of his face. "Oww…"

Almost immediately he felt her hand brush away his, and felt the bright green chakra seeping from her fingers to caress his skin.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."

"Yeah, me too."

He raised his head and met her eyes, brows relaxed the moment the chakra penetrated his skin. She felt it, then, knowing how much to use and controlled it unconsciously, all the while being entranced by the softness in his gaze. His cheek was warm and the skin smooth; from where she stood the neckline of his shirt afforded her a view of his chest, rising and falling with every breath. She began to remember the many times she was this close to him, when she merely needed to extend a hand and he was there and it was easy like always; except it wasn't right now. It was far from easy.

She blinked twice, forcing herself into distraction, and extinguished the chakra from the palm of her hand. "Does it still hurt?"

He caught her hand and used it to press against his cheek. "Not anymore."

An uncomfortable silence followed; her standing bent slightly over him as he kneeled, still holding her hand. There were no smiles, no cheeky grins, no two-worded punch lines. Just a stillness in the air; a suspended reaction where there was no way to tell what the other was thinking. Sakura willed her brain to function, her pulse quickening as the seconds ticked by. Her hand remained enclosed in his and their gazes locked, but the lack of reaction from Naruto was eating away at her thoughts.

Quickly she withdrew her hand and turned to pick up the book from the floor. She felt him stand and face her, holding up another book up with a faint smile.

"I think this is the one that's supposed to be up there," was his remark.

"Oh."

He was right, of course. There was no way the book in her hand could have fit. Naruto volunteered to return what had been the cause of his earlier injury and she handed it over. Mumbling a thank you, Sakura turned and walked back to their table, trying her best not to think about the unease she felt when he had simply let go of her hand.

The gravel beneath Sasuke's feet was smoother, the pathway flattened nice and clear to tread upon as he neared the compound. Despite being illuminated only by the light of the moon, it wasn't hard to see. From the disordered heap of debris that was the contrast to his small home earlier that morning, the rest of the compound now looked orderly and ready to be rebuilt. He stood for a while, taking in the vast piece of land in front of him where his old clan used to live. His eyes glistened when shadow after shadow of his old self ran, back and forth from one end to another during different points of his life; when he was bright and happy, when he could come home to his mother's arms and eat meals with his father; before Itachi was less a hero and more his brother.

He sensed her before turning, knowing full well she had sensed him first. Karin watched him approach, careful to let him take each step towards her. Times like these when she was most careful not to overstep her boundaries; she couldn't allow him to close up again, not after everything she had given up for him. It was easy for her to tell what he was thinking before she made her presence known, and selfish as she may be she wanted to keep knowing when she needed to know, because above all she wanted to be the one for him.

Holding out her hand, she took his and pulled him close till their noses touched. A single tear fell from his eyes and she kissed it, tasting the salt of his silent mourning. Sasuke took a deep breath, closed his eyes and let the heat of her breath fan his skin as he wrapped both arms around her, one hand still holding the scrolls. He became aware, suddenly, about why he had returned in haste.

Naruto had offered to use his technique to take Sakura home but she declined, suggesting instead that they walk home together. After what had just happened, she didn't think it was going to be comfortable, for her at least, to repeat any form of physical contact.

Rather than the usual route home, she noticed he took the longer one, but did so in silence. His pace was slightly fast and she fought to keep up, worried that he would take a turn and leave her alone. He had his arms above his head and looked to be in deep thought when she finally caught a glimpse of his profile.

"You seem bothered, Naruto." Sakura thought out loud, quickly looking forward. If it was because of the incident at the library, there was no way to tell. She felt him turn ever so slightly and heard the change in his steps, slower this time, much to her relief.

A low chuckle escaped his lips. "It's nothing, Sakura-chan! Say, wanna go grab some ramen before you go home? I'll pay."

Turning to face him for the first time since they had walked together, Sakura gazed into his eyes and watched it take a shade darker, contrasting the smile on his face and the cheerfulness of his invitation. Those empty, deep blue orbs had her questioning what he wasn't saying rather than what he had said.

"Do you really want to go?"

It was a stupid question; the kind that would steer the conversation further from getting to the bottom of this, but was the only question she could manage at the moment. It had never been this hard with him. Sure, he probably didn't tell her everything before, but she didn't have to pry either.

He paused in his tracks and shrugged, bringing his arms down to put his hands inside his pockets. "I guess so." He wasn't hungry, not even for ramen. He wanted a reason to be with her and even though ramen was far from her favorite food, it was the first thing that came to mind. Knowing this made him feel guilty, considering his own selfish reasons.

"I'm not hungry," she replied, looking down she propelled her feet forward. "I could come with you if you want."

I'm not hungry. I just want to be with you. "Actually, me either," he confessed, laughing out loud.

The short reply was enough to tell her their conversation wasn't going anywhere. Hurt, Sakura pretended to ignore his fake laughter and watched the street lamps dim above their heads. It was getting late. What's the matter? Why won't you talk to me?

"Maybe we should go home, then."

He froze for a couple of seconds, dismayed. Ramen was probably a bad idea in the first place. He never should've brought up ramen. He forced a grin instead. "I'll take you—"

"It's okay, Naruto. I'll just take a right on the next street and I'm a few steps away from my house." This time it was her turn to fake a smile. "If you think of anything at all about the mission, just tell me, okay? Or if you have things to say, you can tell me too."

It was a last shot at getting him to speak up, but his own fake smile was wiped off his face faster than she flashed hers, and she knew there was nothing to be done.

"I'll just go home," he declared, staring at the ground.

Sakura walked away; slowly at first, wishing he would say something, anything, to stop her. He did not, and she bit back a tear before turning right, her steps picking up pace till she was sprinting towards the direction of her house, jumping up a post to reach the floor of her balcony. She entered her room and felt heavy, quickly going through her usual routine before going to bed. The covers did nothing to quell the evening chill, and her eyelids dropped quickly, yearning for sleep that will help her push aside the sadness that had already begun to take root in her heart.

Sasuke declined to eat dinner and had gone straight to his room. He expected Karin to follow him inside, but she remained standing on the doorway where he felt her staring at the back of his neck while he went on his ritual of lighting up the lamps.

"What do you want?"

She had spoken before him, just as he expected. The strength of her intuition was one of the things he had admired. He lit up the lamp on his nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed, placing the scrolls on his lap.

"I think you know," was his reply. Her expression changed from curious to calm, as was her usual reaction whenever her suspicions were confirmed. Karin was an excellent keeper of information and he knew that to successfully pry anything from her was an achievement in itself.

"On the contrary, I don't."

Also as was her usual, she wasn't going to give up information if she wasn't getting some in return. He had witnessed this tactic of hers used among Orochimaru's subjects between experiments. Never had he imagined being the one to experience it first-hand.

"Karin, sit."

"I'd rather stand."

Indeed. So much for being Sasuke Uchiha. He was at her mercy and she knew it.

"I already told you why I didn't want to," she glared through rimmed glasses, arms crossed and on the defensive.

"Then I'll tell you why you should. Are you sure you don't want to sit?" He offered the space next to him and she stubbornly turned her head; instead she took a step inside and closed the door behind her. The action had blocked the air from flowing inside the room, and the lack of light had cast a shadow across her face.

"It would be great if you could tell us about the contents of these scrolls, and perhaps teach—."

Incredulous, Karin took a step forward and watched him crane his neck to look up as the words tumbled from her mouth. "Wait a minute. Those aren't petty seals that I can just pass on a whim! They're powerful weapons that I probably won't even use not just because I've never come across a situation where I needed to, thank god, but also because they're kind of not easy, okay? To teach them would require a great amount of effort for me too, you know? And how the heck would I know it won't be used for the wrong reasons anyway?"

"Relax!" he sighed, rubbing his temple. I say one sentence and I get a paragraph in return. "I will only be interested in one, Karin, if my assumptions are correct."

She remained silent, merely staring back with a begrudged look.

"I won't be using it, but if it will make you feel better, a member of your own clan will."

The surprise on Karin's face appeared too quickly to mask her supposed reluctance to the idea. It had always been obvious to Sasuke that Karin was incapable of seeing Naruto in a bad light. Perhaps because Naruto was an Uzumaki too; for sure he could understand what she might have felt knowing there was someone else in the world who shared her name – those reasons on top of the loser-slash-hero's heart that always seemed to be in the right place.

Sasuke assumed that it was Sakura that had Karin on the edge, though he found that strange and equally amusing considering they had interacted just after the war and it all seemed to be fine back then. Either way, it wasn't his business to know what went on in women's minds anyway. What concerns him now is her cooperation.

"I'm only going by name here, and I think we need to know how this works." Sasuke unfurled one scroll and pointed at the seal that interested him. Her eyes held no sort of emotion as he held her gaze. "I don't think I need to explain Naruto, but I should tell you that one, you can trust that he won't use you…"

Karin took a deep breath and sat next to him before falling on her back to lie down on the mattress.

"And two, he needs all the help he can get."

It was dark and cold and Naruto was certain it was a bed he had slept on that evening, not a puddle that sent water soaking through his clothes, wetting his skin. He extended an arm in uncertainty, sitting up and testing his surroundings before slowly opening his eyes.

Kurama hovered over him, wearing his slyest smile. The blond almost fell over if not for the pointed claws that caught his shirt and swiftly pulled him up.

"Kurama!" he gulped, finding it hard to absorb the fact that he was, indeed, standing in front of the nine-tailed fox.

"Funny. Did you think you were having a nightmare again?" The fox lay sideways, propping up on his elbow. His tails were fanned out on the wet floor, splashing water with each movement.

The blond scratched the back of his head, closing his eyes and willing his mind to change the scene in his subconscious. He wasn't so fond of his wet clothes and he'd like to do away with them.

"I did," he replied, feeling better when he opened his eyes to see the lighter sky and fluffy clouds; the wet feeling disappeared almost immediately. "How did you know I was dreaming?"

"Having a nightmare?"

"Dreaming," the blond insisted with a pout.

"Having a nightmare. I could feel it like someone creeping up at me while I sleep, like a dark shadow passing over and it's annoying, really. I noticed it takes you a while to wake up too, so it seems to me that you're feeling a little messed up, Naruto."

"I'm feeling a bit better, actually! Sasuke and Sakura-chan are helping me out and I think we're finally going to have a solution soon!" Naruto's reply was overenthusiastic, even to himself.

The fox gazed at him with narrowed eyes, convinced that the blond was very much in denial. "So that also means you're getting closer to your impending death?"

Naruto laughed, long and hard till he was lying on the floor and his sides ached. "Right!" he managed in between snickers. Teary-eyed, he sat up again and let out a shaky breath and smiled. "At least by then you'll be free from me and the other Bijuu will be free as well."

"Well you're a bit of an idiot, aren't you?"

"Maybe," Naruto stood up this time, mentally berating himself for having his confidence drop only to regain it again. It used to be that his mind was a one-way street. Never give up. Never back down on your word. This part, this reaction, is something new to him and he began to understand that it's because he still wanted something else to happen; for the fates to turn in his favor and supersede something that to him right now, seemed impossible. Perhaps that's really where his nindo came in.

"So what's the deal now?" Kurama inquired, only half interested while he openly yawned at Naruto's face.

"We just need to figure out the summoning," Naruto scratched his chin, trying to recall what they had talked about in the library.

"Summoning? Doesn't that mean anyone can do it?"

The blond grinned, sitting down comfortably this time. "Nah, we'll make it so it's not easy for anyone. I'm glad you don't seem to be against it!"

"I feel like we're getting demoted, somehow." The fox huffed, blowing out a hot, steamy breath.

"Don't say that, Kurama. No offense but it's not like Bijuus make jinchurikis' lives all bright and sunny."

"Hey!" Kurama lowered his head to flash sharp fangs at the blond. "I gave you chakra! I kept you alive!"

"And I'm forever grateful for that," he reassured. "I just think that it's about time you don't depend on a host and likewise a host won't depend on you and consequently there won't be people putting both you and your hosts in danger of being used for the wrong purposes. Feel me?"

The large fox drew his head back and resumed lying on his side, rolling his eyes at the blond. "Yeah, whatever. You should thank me for visiting you or else you'll be waking up from another nightmare."

"Thank you," he smiled, noticing immediately how his eyes felt heavy. The image of Kurama lying down with his tails curling over him became the last memory before he drifted out of his subconscious.

"Did you get anything?"

Sakura glanced expectantly, to which Naruto could only reply with a turn of his head. He had woken up earlier than usual and had Gamakichi reverse-summon him to Myobokuzan for a little interview with the toads. The Great Toad Sage did not have much answers, other than admitting how old he was and that summoning had begun far earlier than his old age.

"I didn't try, by the way. I was too busy last night. Still, I'm beginning to think that none of them know how they began," was Sasuke's reply. "I did get you a little something, don't look at me like that, Sakura. I can summon Aoda right now if you want."

"That's not necessary!" she snapped before getting a hold of herself and turning a new page in her notebook. "Why don't we… think about the requirements for summoning?"

"Blood, seals, scroll!"

"I know that, Naruto. I mean, in detail."

"How about, blood of the Kage who will sign the scroll?" Sasuke suggested. "The blood binds the summoner to the summoned, it's basically the initial requirement anyway."

"I was talking to Kurama last night, and he said something along the lines of anyone being able to do it," Naruto contemplated, rubbing his chin. "It got me thinking… Don't you think we should make it a bit harder?"

"We could add another seal, for starters." Sakura replied, writing down as she spoke. "That could be an add-on, actually; calling forth a large animal already requires a large amount of chakra. I think summoning a Bijuu is a completely different level altogether."

"That's true," Sasuke agreed. " I'm not going to even rule out the possibility that there might be a Kage who can't do it."

"But isn't the whole point of putting the Kage in charge is to keep the powers balanced? They can't not be able to do it, or else it would be unfair."

"Maybe it should be a requirement for anyone nominated as Kage in the future? I'm pretty sure the current Kage are capable of doing it." Naruto started forming the seals in his hands, following with other seals that popped in his mind. "Boar, dog, bird, monkey, ram… what about horse? Seems difficult enough. Or Ox."

Sasuke crossed his arms after trying out Naruto's suggested seals. "Perhaps we should worry about the seals when we actually have successfully turned them into summoned beings?"

"Ok but since we're discussing requirements let's assume for a moment that we are going to succeed there, what else do we need to consider? Who gets to call which Bijuu?" Sakura asked, dropping the pen and giving the seals a try.

"It should stay the same, I think," Naruto replied. "Shukaku to Suna, Matatabi and Gyuki to Kumo, Isobu and Saiken to Kiri, Son Goku and Kokuo to Iwa, Kurama to Konoha! Wait—" he had been using his fingers to count and realized he had only mentioned eight. "Chomei…"

"To which village does that Bijuu belong?"

"Takigakure, if my research is correct," answered Sakura.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "But Takigakure isn't part of the Five Nations… I'm not sure how they managed to get a Bijuu."

Sasuke leaned forward, hands clasped in front of his face. "I don't think it should matter in this case, they're not going to be part of the agreement anyway."

"Chomei was originally intended for Iwa, based on historical reports. The rumor is that the person chosen as Jinchuriki defected to Takigakure, originally planning to rule the village on his own. He didn't succeed, I believe, but since then several Jinchuriki had been host to Chomei before it was captured by the Akatsuki."

"Wow, Sakura-chan…" Blue eyes locked with green, and Naruto suddenly became aware that his mouth had been opened for the past minute that she had been talking.

Sakura averted his gaze, clearing her throat as she continued writing on her small notebook. "It's nothing," she lied. The fact was she didn't get much sleep at all, despite being so tired last night. So she spent the rest of the evening studying some of the books she had taken out of the library since a few days ago. "I had a thought about the words of the prophecy last night, and I came across something interesting that might have a connection with the prophecy."

With both males giving their full attention, Sakura opened her mouth to speak, only to close it the next moment when a curtain of long, black hair appeared from behind the shelves.

"H-Hinata!"

Naruto turned to face Hinata, while Sasuke remained as he was, pursing his lips while pretending to busy himself with the books on the table.

Hinata elegantly bowed, giving Naruto a quick glance before focusing on Sakura. "So this is where you're all hanging out!"

"Y-yeah! We're uh…" Sakura tried her best not to make her own voice shake while she racked her brain for an excuse. "—Studying for the Chuunin Exams! You know, uh… these two haven't passed yet."

"Yeah! Chuunin Exams!" Naruto parroted with a grin. "It's good to see you, Hinata!"

It was hard to keep staring at Hinata's face after Naruto's remark, but even switching her focus to Sasuke, who was getting up from his seat, did not save her from seeing the blush that swept up her cheeks. As opposed to the awkward silence that Sakura was half-expecting, Hinata seemed comfortable, though still a little reserved.

"Hello, Naruto-kun! What are you studying?" She had pulled out a chair and sat next to Sakura, all eyes focused on the blond now.

"Ah…" Naruto scratched his head. "Uh, summoning?"

"Knowing you, I'm sure you'll ace that part, Naruto-kun! Very few people can summon as well as you!"

"Yeah like me and her," Sasuke interjected, glaring at Sakura from the corner of his eyes. "I'm going to check up on the rebuilding," Sasuke declared, not even caring to give Hinata a glance. Clearly someone didn't appreciate the interruption.

"I'll come with you!" Sakura exclaimed. She didn't mean to sound so eager; the words just spilled out of her mouth. In any case, she wasn't going to stay if Hinata was going to be complimenting Naruto every five minutes; that would simply be too weird. "I mean, on your way out. I have some stuff to ask Tsunade-shishou."

"Oh, but I thought that—"

"I'll send a hawk, Naruto. We'll meet again later today."

With that, Sakura gathered another set of books that she thought may be useful, retreated to the shelves and put on a stone face after she cast a glance at the two who remained seated on the table. Sasuke made no move to wait for her, forcing her to move faster than usual. She managed to catch him when he was already a few steps outside; even after she had taken time to check out the books from the librarian. She had to admit she felt touched that he hadn't left just yet.

Unlike before where she would walk on eggshells and fold in front of the Uchiha, thanks to the war things had changed— drastically so. No longer did she see him as some Knight in Shining Armor; a hero, he still was, but even his handsome features proved less appealing as her footsteps neared and he turned to face her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

His voice was stern, almost angry, and her first reaction was an awkward chuckle. "W-what?"

"And I actually thought you're less of an idiot. Are you really just going to give him away?"

Shocked, Sakura opened her mouth to reply but found that the words didn't come as fast as she wanted.

"I'm—"

"A coward? Yeah that makes the two of you."

It became hard all of a sudden not to punch him, but she succeeded by keeping her fists to her side and walking after him. "You think it's that easy? After everything that's happened? After… after you?"

"Don't be stupid, Sakura. You weren't in love with me and you know it. This isn't the way to the Hokage Tower, by the way," he replied.

"It's not about my feelings, Sasuke! It's about what happened between us because of all that—"

"Which has been said and done and there's nothing you can do to change it. Do yourself a favor, Sakura. You're the only ones who don't seem to know how much you mean to each other. The people around you aren't idiots. To everyone else it's crystal clear. And that means anyone who wants Naruto would want to try changing his mind. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

She had stopped walking, and watched the blurred fabric of his lavender shirt.

"I…"

He paused, and it gave her courage. "I want to help him. I want to be useful to him."

"You already are. So what are you waiting for?" he replied before resuming his walk. "I'll send a hawk." He waved his hand without looking back, and his figure disappeared from behind the trees, leaving her with tears in her eyes that never fell.

All information about the Summoning Technique (except for that tidbit about Chomei and the jinchuriki– I made that up) came from Narutopedia (naruto dot wikia dot com).