Disclaimer: This story is a work of fanfiction and in no way is affiliated to “Naruto” or any products pertaining to “Naruto”.

Note: This project has definitely taken me far too long to get rolling. I have sat at the computer with this first chapter barely forty percent finished for about four months now and thank god I suddenly found a surge of creativity to finally get it out of my head! “Darker than Ebony” is my first Naruto creation. Ever. If it seems slow from time to time, I apologize profusely for it and ask that you simply keep reading. It feels like a good start after wiping the slate completely clean and hopefully you all will enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Chapter 1

He had been in deep thought for some time. It was rare when the Rokudaime fell to anxiety. His breezy and light hearted complexion had been so familiar to hundreds of eyes over the years that to see any other emotion that defied relaxation was mentally unnerving. Stomach knotted at the sight of his childhood friend, overcome with grief. His body hunched gravely, hues hidden by shocking blonde tresses that had long since called for a trim. Right hand rose to delve deeply into the shaggy strands, a grave sigh expelling past dried and cracked lips. When he spoke, it was with deep regret.

“I wouldn’t ask you under normal circumstances but…” He trailed off expectantly, praying for the right words to explain himself. They didn’t come. “I can’t trust anyone else with this…mission.” He used the term lightly. It should have been categorized under the ANBU Suicide Squad mission scrolls. A maverick blonde strand swayed menacingly at his brows, to which he pawed at halfheartedly. Hesitant blue hues flickered to the kunoichi across the room. What ailed him most now was her lack of reply. He sucked in a rattling breath.

“If you don’t want to take it,” He began. “Of course I won’t force you into-”

“I’ll do it.”

The elbow which had been perched atop the chair’s arm slipped suddenly from its spot, sending the Rokudaime reeling halfway off his roost. “Y-You will?” He stuttered, disbelief clouding otherwise bright cerulean oculars.

Slender pink lips curved at their corners. “It wouldn’t be proper to deny a request of my Hokage, would it?” She stated rather cynically. The man frowned and cupped his face in his hands.

“Ah, but, if you didn’t want to do something, I wouldn’t put you up to it Sakura-chan…”

“A mission is a mission. Even if it’s dangerous, it’s my duty to complete it.”

“Well, this isn’t exactly a dangerous mission; his chakra network has been blocked so…”

“But everyone else thinks it’ll be dangerous for me.” She stated, finality wavering in her voice. There was no sense arguing over the truth. The blonde grumbled an incoherent remark to which Sakura sighed, head tilting just an inch to the side. “Look, if you’re having second thoughts-”

“No, that’s not it at all!” Naruto cut in, holding his hand out. Digits stretched into the distance that separated them, searching desperately for some sort of hold. The pinkette couldn’t help but smile. The bond they shared transpired that of a normal friendship. Love was a constant in their gazes, a longing touch of uncertainty glimmering so softly in their depths that most would overlook the true meaning behind their staggered gazes.

“I trust you with my life Sakura, I do…Believe it…” He added meekly with a sheepish grin. “I’m asking this of you because he needs to be properly cared for, and you’re the top medic back home. You can oversee his recovery, and er…protect yourself should anything pop up…I’d go with you, but with things so hectic over here…” He trailed off,

“No, they need you here right now, Naruto…” Sakura spoke lightly, cerulean depths glancing vaguely to the single window in the room. It opened to a rather majestic balcony that overlooked the sun kissed streets below, dust and sand swirling gracefully together in an ancient dance, tendrils skipping wildly into the air. Silence filled the room for the briefest time before she spoke again. “Despite what everyone else in the village thinks, I can do this.” Her voice grew in authority, business like and stiff.

A somber smile stretched onto the blonde’s face, a playful gaze glimmering brightly in his eyes. “Yeah.”

Chin dipped to nod in acknowledgement, sandals clicking loudly in the direction of the balcony. She had barely grasped at the scalding black metal railing before he called to her once more. Pink tresses swayed as a small glance was cast over her shoulder to greet his gaze. He stood now from his desk, robes wrinkled and disproportioned with his form. Sakura clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Listen,” He began, an even five strides taken to reach her. “If you have any problems, just send me a letter. I’ll be over in three days tops.” Naruto nodded firmly, fists clenching uncertainly at his sides.

Sakura cast a genuine smile to her childhood friend and companion, edging hesitantly from the wrought iron railing. “Home sick, Hokage-sama?” She teased as a pink brow rose in mock accusation.

The blonde laughed heartily. “Of course I am. And c’mon, Sakura, don’t call me that. It sounds weird coming from you.” He stuck his tongue out to accentuate the distaste for the formal title. Emerald hues rolled at the childish display, and before long, Sakura had strayed completely away from the railing, arms crossed as she stepped lightly over to her friend.

For a moment or so, she simply gazed at him. The contagious grin that never seemed to leave his face, his bright blue eyes that had seen so much pain and destruction but had witnessed love and joy as well, the wrinkles between his brows from years of laughter. Sakura smiled warmly at him. “We all miss you back home.”

Naruto grinned, wagging his eyebrows suggestively at her. “Don’t you mean you miss me back home, Sakura-chan?” He grinned arrogantly; a hand planted against the wall adjacent them as the other found root on his hip. One leg crossed behind the other and he smirked. The pinkette’s lips curved up dangerously as the corner of her eyes twitched in annoyance.

“Watch it, Uzumaki. You may be the Hokage, but I can still beat you to a pulp any day of the week.” She replied morosely. Naruto buckled under her gaze, a loud guffaw echoing against the walls of the dimly lit office. The pinkette grumbled an incoherent threat under her breath, retreating once more to the open balcony where the sun waited anxiously for her return.

“Travel safely, Sakura.” The Rokudaime’s voice called from the cool shadows, trepidation staining his voice. He chose to be serious at the most inopportune times. Sakura simply raised a hand as she stepped her way, each stride as graceful as a dancers, out the darkened room and into the blazing sun, catapulting her lithe form into the air until eventually disappearing in the blinding light that colored the endless sky.

It was near midnight when she finally reached the main road. She stepped lightly through the thickets of brush and weeds, hands treading lightly against the plant life and inhaled the familiar scent of the forest. It was relaxing to find herself on familiar ground but the knowledge that her life would soon be compromised over the care of someone whom she’d promised herself never to come in contact with shook the pinkette in her resolve. In the three days it took to travel between Suna and Konoha there was plenty of time to sift through ones thoughts. The pinkette found herself irritable as the tall, looming gates of her home village appeared in the black distance. In a matter of time, she would be face to face with her mission and patient.

Naruto’s request had come as somewhat as a shock to her, and Sakura had surprised herself even more by readily accepting the mission. Without a second thought she had agreed to it and with the time in which she had been given to think over her reply, the pinkette couldn’t fathom just what it was she had been thinking. She cared not what the village would think of her being in charge of something so unpredictable, but as the faint sound of gravel crunching lightly beneath her sandals filled her ears, Sakura felt her chest tighten. The judgment would be far heavier on the Rokudaime.

Naruto had come to claim the hearts and trust of nearly every last inhabitant of Konoha, but his time as Hokage had barely reached that of a year. If any course of action conducted directly from him were to go awry, it would not take much for the village to turn and question his ability of ruling their home. Sakura swallowed hard. He wouldn’t be able to bail her out anyways. The time span in which he would remain firmly in Sunagakure had yet to see an estimated end.

Clearing her throat to interrupt her own thoughts, Sakura straightened.

“Well, well. Did we take any detours along the way? You were expected back three hours ago.”

Sakura stiffened at the grinning voice, a sarcastic smile curving the corners of her own mouth. Her pace had been swifter than she had expected. The monstrous gates of Konohagakure now loomed a stones throw away from where she stood, her mentor and former Hokage standing proudly at the threshold.

“No, I just decided to take things slow. I had a lot on my mind to think about.” Sakura replied, a respectful bow issued in greeting.

The Godaime smirked at her pupil’s cynical tone. “Since when have you ever been so respectful that you bow to greet me? The heat in Suna must have fried your brain.” Tsunade laughed jovially, arms spreading wide to embrace the kunoichi. “Welcome home. You were missed at the hospital.”

Sakura scoffed, embracing the woman just as warmly. “Why, because everyone else actually had to do something? The nurses are going to have to get used to the extra responsibility…” She trailed off, a heavy sigh slipping past pouty lips.

“Ah yes. Naruto had informed me of your…mission.” Tsunade spoke the word as if she had bitten into something bitter tasting. It seemed she disapproved of the term as much as Naruto had.

“Wha- he did? Already?” Sakura pulled back, doubt pouring into each furrowed wrinkle of her face. The sannin nodded morosely, her hand resting gently upon the pinkette’s back, urging her forward. “Well, I am standing in as leader of the village until things are sorted in Suna, aren’t I?” She trudged forward, sandals kicking up dust in the night. “He told me he wanted you in charge of everything for this. Naruto doesn’t trust anyone else but you to be…fair in your treatment.” The woman chewed at the inside of her cheek.

Sakura frowned, arms crossed languidly across her chest. “So I assume things haven’t been that pleasant over here then.”

Tsunade rolled her eyes, a silent plea offered to the heavens. “It’s been hell. Word got out that he’s been kept hidden here for the past few days and the entire village wants nothing more than a good old fashioned lynching.”

“And what about you, sensei?” The pinkette asked suddenly. “What do you think about all of this? About Naruto’s decision?” Her voice trembled with uncertainty. She did not doubt Naruto, although his sanity was in question with her more often then not. The sannin eyed her pupil carefully, cerulean hues appraising the pinkette’s porcelain features.

“I think it is a wise decision. It’s beneficial for both sides, and if the village has a problem with it, they can answer to me.” Tsunade smirked, patting the kunoichi gently on the back. “Now…would you like to see him?” The woman asked softly.

Sakura bristled, back ridged and lips pursed. The hand on her back now moved to her shoulder, a coaxing squeeze issued. “He is probably the last person on earth I would like to see right now, Tsunade-sensei…”

“Sakura, no one’s making you…”

“I’m fine.”

Tsunade sighed tiredly and gestured down a side street, the street lamps caked with oil residue and charred from years of use. “It’s this way.”

Whenever Sakura imagined this scenario crossing the boundaries of improbable to reality, she had envisioned for herself a number of ways in which she would respond. The first had simply been to burrow herself into the deepest hole of denial she could find and stay there until the world collapsed in on itself. The second had been to unleash the years of betrayal and anger unto him as if he were the most gratifying punching bag she had ever come to acquaint herself with. The third she refused to even allow into her train of thought.

The prison was located approximately fifty feet below the Village surface, reinforced by a thick ten foot wall of cement surrounding each cell. It was an extra precautionary measure to ensure the entrapment of each detainee and the safety of those guarding them. Sakura often criticized the penitentiaries build. It was not likely that the convicts would be using any form of jutsu or accomplish a chakra stressing feat. They simply no longer held the ability to.

The caverns were dark and lazily lit through a sparse system of lanterns. Like the alleys lamps, they too were blackened and charred from the many years they’d offered light in the dark abyss. If not for the cool metal railings grounded firmly into the rocky walls, Sakura was sure she would one day fall and break her neck.

She had walked these halls so many times before that the few shinobi who called the cavernous cells their home merely grunted in acknowledgement or ignored her altogether, knowing far too well what would befall them should a cat call mistakenly fall from their lips…

“I don’t think I’ve ever had to go this far in before…” The pinkette mused softly to herself as they passed by an exceptionally old keeping cell, empty for the moment.

“That’s because we’ve never had to bury a secret so deeply before.” Tsunade replied almost instantly, waving a side a pair of ANBU guards before proceeding in her step once more. Sakura willed the churnings in her stomach to cease at once, a clammy perspiration rising about her neck and palms. It annoyed her how abruptly her nerves had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. She knew their journey would soon be coming to an end, and had it not been for the one moment she’d been given of preparation, Sakura would have jumped five feet into the air upon the loud yells and scuffling that echoed suddenly in her ears. She heard Tsunade curse under her breath at the loud disturbance and kicked up her feet into a full sprint. The pinkette stood bewildered for the briefest of moments before following suit, eyes wide and glimmering with confusion.

“Son of a bitch!” A gruff, unfamiliar voice echoed violently off the cavern walls. Sakura braced herself, expecting a flood of mayhem to come barreling down the passageway at any moment. She was surprised, then, when Tsunade burst through the wooden cell door, splinters and chunks of wood flying everywhere, and took down the nearest ANBU member to her.

“Sensei!” She cried, reeling in disbelief. Tsunade paid no heed, a well aimed right hook landing expertly upon yet another shinobi, her eyes wild and lips pulled back aggressively. “Sensei, what are you doing!” The pinkette winced, staring in horror as the former Hokage pummeled every last person until they lay motionless against the ground. She numbly stepped forward, kneeling low enough to check the vitals of the shinobi closest to her.

Tsunade cornered the last remaining man, hands gripped furiously at his collar before slamming his entirety into the cement block wall. “You’re all lucky I don’t throw you in cells of your own this instant!” She declared shrilly, shaking Sakura from her medical reverie. The young kunoichi stared into the thick darkness, brows furrowing in utter confusion.

“Tsunade-sensei, what…?”

“Get your sorry asses off the ground and wait outside. I’ll deal with all of you in a minute.” Tsunade hissed threateningly, piercing cerulean hues tracing each mans departure from the forsaken cave before turning to the middle of the room. It was there that she bent close to the cool earth, her hands placed gingerly on a blackened form as it struggled to push itself from the ground. The former Hokage sighed, regret laced with each possible expression and breath. “I’m sorry, it’s okay now-“

The haggard form jerked roughly away from Tsunade’s touch, slouching defiantly as a sharp hiss of pain echoed past their lips. The woman shook her head forlornly before cerulean her attention settled on Sakura’s frozen form, carefully appraising the confusion and surprise that gleamed brightly in the young kunoichi’s eyes. “Sakura, please come over here.”

The pinkette hesitated, nibbling uncertainly at her bottom lip as suspicion clouded her face. Slowly she advanced on the two remaining individuals as echoes of grunts and murmurs ricocheted gently off the caverns walls. She understood now why Tsunade had reacted so hostile upon entering the cell, why the shinobi now shifting nervously in their boots outside would be lucky if they walked away from this unscathed and without punishment.

Sakura swallowed and dipped low to the ground, the faint resonance of a match scraping against flint swimming in her ears. The pale light shinned anxiously in the blackened cavern before bursting into a thousand tendrils of light and nestling itself cozily into the confines of a vacant oil lamp. Even battered and bruised, Sakura grudgingly found his face as handsome as ever. Even near unconsciousness, his eyes still held a fire of revenge that burned greedily in the new found light. The pinkette stared numbly into thick black oculars, eyes that gleamed darker than ebony. Never again would they spin blood red. She swallowed once more, emerald oculars flickering over the cuts, bruises, and gashes that adorned his porcelain skin.

With a taut voice, the kunoichi nodded in acknowledgement of the man before her, fists clenching uncertainly at her side. “Hello, Sasuke.”

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