Chapter 74: Naruto's Plea and Sai's Epiphany

A/N - Hey everyone! I'm trying my best to get these chapters out so I really hope you're still reading and enjoying them! I'm sorry that it usually takes me long time to make them but I'm trying 😭

Anyway, please remember to comment and vote and enjoy ❤️

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Chapter 74: Naruto's Plea and Sai's Epiphany

Fluffy clusters of snow pattered against the ice covered floor. Naruto, Nia, Yamato, and Kakashi were in the Land of Iron. Snowflakes stuck to their hair. The frosty substance nipped at their cheeks, nose, and hands.

"Atchoo!" Naruto sneezed before shivering as he walked hand in hand with Nia. "Man, it's freezing here, ya know!"

Although one eye of his was healed, the other eye remained bandaged.

"Oh honeybun, are you okay?" Nia worried for him. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

Naruto only blushed when she used her free hand to feel his forehead.

"Sweetheart, your hero will be fine. You don't gotta worry about him."

"You guys, be quiet," Yamato hushed them. "We can't let Samui and her team know that we're tracking them to their Raikage."

"But my hero could be sick," Nia argued.

"Sweetie, I just said I would be fi-"

"Nia, there's no need for you to be worried for Naruto," Kakashi cut Naruto off. "He'll be just fine. Let's just all be quiet from now on until we're led to the Raikage."

"But-" Nia said, before stopping when Naruto kissed her cheek.

"No talking... okay?" The genin told her. "I'm fine, beautiful..."

Nia blushed and apologized. She then remained quiet along with everyone else.

Soon, they would hide behind a boulder as team Samui made it to their kage.

"My Lord, we've returned from the Hidden Leaf Village," Samui spoke.

"And how did it go there?" The Raikage asked before Cee, who was his aid, felt several presences near them.

"Samui... you've been tailed," He said.

"What?" The blonde woman looked in the direction he was staring.

"Show yourselves, you Hidden Leaf dogs!" Cee yelled out.

Immediately, the Leaf shinobi all came out of hiding and landed behind everyone else.

"We need to talk right now!" Naruto yelled.

"You actually tailed Samui... You guys are pretty impressive," Cee admitted.

"B-But you-" Omoi was going to speak until Karui interrupted him.

"How dare you, Naruto!" She yelled, filled with anger. "You tailed us here?! What's the big idea?!"

Naruto noticed the bandaging around her head and her cheek.

"You... How'd you get hurt?" He questioned.

Karui's glare pierced through Nia's soul and she pointed at her former teammate, "That ugly whore right there attacked me from behind! Honestly, if she weren't pregnant, I'd kill her!"

"What?! Nia hurt you?!" Naruto gasped as he looked to his left.

"I... I only gave her a good jab to the face," Nia confessed.

However, Naruto was disappointed.

"Nia, why would you go and do that?"

"Because she hurt you, Naruto! I can't just let her get away with beating the living hell out of you!"

"But that was my decision to have her do that!"

"I don't care! You're my boyfriend, honeybun! I love you and I won't tolerate anyone, especially not another woman, hurting you!"

While they were arguing, Darui whispered to the Raikage, "Hey boss, the guy standing there on the far right... is Kakashi Hatake."

"C'mon... I know that much. I've spoken with him a couple times now," The very muscular man then gave an intense stare to the copycat ninja. "You the hokage's errand boy... Kakashi Hatake?"

"No, sir," Kakashi answered as Naruto and Nia stopped bickering. "Today, i've come to ask a favor."

He then turned to his student.

"Naruto Uzumaki of the Leaf would like to petition you..."

"Naruto Uzumaki, huh?" Ay, the Raikage, then glanced over at Nia, noting her presence, before looking back at Naruto. "Yes, I remember you. You were the one that requested for me to allow Nia to prove herself with her ninjutsu so that she may live in the Leaf. Then you were there when Kakashi had explained to me that she had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki and placed under genjutsu..."

"Yeah, that's him..." Kakashi replied. "I was hoping you could hear his supplication."

Ay eyed the young genin.

"Don't you think this is a bit rude?" Cee spoke. "To interrupt us on the way to the summit without any prior notice at all."

"Yes... We're... quite aware of that," Kakashi once more answered.

"Enough of this," Ay wanted to get to the point, his gaze still remained on Naruto. "All right. You there, boy... start talking."

All eyes went on the blond ninja. Nia gulped as she felt nervous about how the Raikage would react to Naruto's plea. She hoped everything would work out just fine.

Naruto closed his eyes briefly before saying, "It's Sasuke! I want you to cancel the elimination of Sasuke Uchiha!"

The Cloud ninja were baffled.

"Hey, Naruto..." Omoi said. "This isn't really the time or pl-"

"Are you still going on about that?!" Karui raised a fist.

"You're pretty brave," Darui, who was standing to Ay's left, commented. He was also an aid.

"What're you talking about?" Cee questioned.

"I know what I'm asking may sound ridiculous to you!" Naruto responded before squeezing his eyes shut and shouting, "But this is the only way that I really know how to say it! Sasuke is MY friend! I can't just stand around and watch my friend get killed!"

He then paused for a moment.

"And besides... I don't want Cloud and Leaf ninja killing eachother cause of Sasuke!" He continued. "I don't want my friends or yours to get lost in their need for revenge!"

"Oh honeybun..." Nia mumbled to herself as she placed a closed fist on her heart.

She felt for her boyfriend. She really did. She knew how much Sasuke meant to him and how their bond was just as strong as his bond with her. However, the sound of snow crunching caught her attention as she watched the Raikage simply walk passed Naruto.

Immediately, Naruto followed and got in front of him. Ay only moved passed him again, but Naruto rushed over to him once more and crashed to his knees.

"Look, I'm BEGGING YOU!" He cried out. "I DON'T WANT US TAKING EACHOTHER DOWN FOR VENGEANCE ANYMORE!"

Ay looked down at Naruto briefly before stepping forward, heading for the summit.

"Sasuke... HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT VENGEANCE!" Naruto thought about his old teammate. "He's obsessed with it! Changed him... Vengeance... drives you mad. It turns you into someone you don't even recognize!"

His thoughts then went to all his friends in Konoha.

"I don't want anyone else to become like Sasuke... I don't want the Leaf and Cloud to kill eachother!" Naruto then whimpered as tears surfaced in his eye. "And that's why..."

Nia's heart broke as she listened to the sobs of her boyfriend.

"Please, Lord Raikage!" Nia then ran until she was in front of her former teacher. "Y-You can't do this! Don't you see what Naruto is trying to say?!"

"Nia," Ay remained nonchalant. "Move out of the way."

"No!" The girl stood her ground. "I can't... I can't watch or listen to my boyfriend crying about you trying to kill Sasuke. It... It makes me so angry! So upset!"

"Sasuke is a criminal!"

"We all know, but even so... Please! Please don't execute him! There's other ways to deal with that guy!"

"Oh yeah? Like what?!" The Raikage growled.

"Like maybe.. you can let... the Leaf deal with him? I mean, he is from my village!"

"Nia, I allowed you to move over to the Leaf because of the boy's words and because you proved you had improved with your ninjutsu a long time ago. However! This time's different. You nor him or anyone else can convince me to not kill Sasuke. No matter what, we will dispose of Sasuke! You all oughta hold your ground afterwards!"

Naruto's face was buried in the snow as he continued to weep.

"That's right. You and Nia are fools," Karui told the genin.

"We're in a rush, so sorry," Cee apologized. "Your time is up."

"No, it's not!" Nia yelled and locked eyes with the kage. "Please... just think about how this whole thing will end. If you kill Sasuke, then people from the Leaf will seek revenge then if your people get killed by them, others from the Cloud will seek revenge also and then a whole cycle of killing and getting revenge will happen and all of this will eventually lead to a war possibly breaking out between the Leaf and Cloud villages!"

"Lord Raikage, please," Yamato stepped in. "The incident in which you tried to obtain the Hyuga byakugan is still unresolved on our side. The Hidden Leaf swallowed our tears of blood to avoid war... A war who seeths you as the Cloud have settled. Because of those noble sacrifices, your people still exists. Do not forget that."

Kakashi also added some words in.

"Right here and now... This young shinobi, no matter how awkward, is bowing his head with respect and affection for the Cloud and Leaf - village and nation. So... Lord Raikage, as one of the five kage... Tell me... What do you think of this?"

Ay glanced over his shoulders at the bowed Naruto as the genin still cried.

"Shinobi shouldn't lower their heads so easily!" He flipped around to face everyone else. "Action and power are the things that a shinobi should respect! Concessions are forbidden in agreements between shinobi! The history of mankind is a history of war. Since the three great ninja wars, every nation has tried to obtain powerful ninjutsu. Those who are weak are trapped. THAT is the truth of the shinobi world."

There was a deadly silence... a intense aura as the Raikage continued speaking his mind.

"We'll brand the akatsuki as criminals. Once we do, not only I, but the whole world will hunt Sasuke down," He felt sick of Naruto's actions. "You bow your head for a criminal and beg for mercy to keep your comrade safe?! In the shinobi world, that is NOT friendship! You Hidden Leaf brat! Think more deeply in what it is you oughta do. A shinobi world is not so indulgent... as to suffer fools."

He then turned back around and walked past Nia.

"Let's go!" He told his people.

"Hmph!" Karui huffed as her and Omoi followed their leader as well as the other Cloud ninja.

"Hold on, Lord Raika-" Nia cried out.

"Nia, that's enough!" Kakashi demanded.

"But-" Nia glanced over her shoulder.

"That's enough..." He once more told her. "There's nothing else you, Naruto, nor Yamato and I, can do. Lord Raikage won't listen to any of us. Just please... stop..."

He then got on his knees and rested his hand on Naruto's back.

"Naruto... stop this too. Raise your head."

Tears continued to drop to the ground as Naruto rammed his fist into the sheets of snow.

"Oh honeybun!" Nia ran over to him and dropped to her knees as Kakashi moved over.

Naruto slowly looked up at her as his eyes were watery. Immediately, Nia sat him up and wrapped him in her arms, his head hugged to her chest as the blond continued to sob and sob.

Meanwhile, in the Hidden Leaf, Sai sat on a large root of a tree near the wooden shack where Naruto was beaten by Karui.

His mind was plagued with thoughts of Naruto and his feelings for his friends, but especially for his pink-haired friend.

FLASHBACK

"All right... I have work to do so i'm going back," Sakura said as her, Naruto, and Sai were hanging around the streets of Konoha. "Would you mind taking the mission report to Kakashi-sensei?"

Naruto gave her a thumbs up with a large smile on his face.

"Yeah! Sure, no problem, Sakura!" He replied happily.

"See ya," Sakura waved as she turned around and walked away.

Sai turned to Naruto and observed just how much he was smiling as the girl left.

"I have a question, Naruto," He spoke.

"Hm?"

"You... still like Sakura, don't you?" Sai said as though it was a fact.

"WHAT?!" Naruto jumped as he was caught off guard by the question.

Sai believed Naruto to have been flustered.

"I saw it in a book... that one tends to smile... when they're with someone they love," The black-haired boy explained. "Around Sakura... you're like that. Have you told her?"

"Gah, what the heck are you saying, Sai? Did you forget?! I'm dating Nia now," Naruto told him.

"Yeah, but-"

"I smile all the time cause i'm in love with my girlfriend, ya know?"

"You say that, but... you've always liked Sakura. For you to suddenly move on is-"

"Geez, would you cut it out already? I'm head over heels for Nia. She's my girlfriend now... not Sakura."

Sai raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Okay..." He decided to go along with what Naruto was saying. "Let's say Nia wasn't your girlfriend... Would you have told Sakura you love her?"

Suddenly, Naruto dropped his smile in place for a more serious expression. His focus went onto Sakura's back as she walked away, heading elsewhere.

"How could I?" He responded almost as if he were sad. "After all... I'm the guy who couldn't even keep a promise to her..."

When Sai gave him a look, Naruto grinned and crossed his arms behind his head.

"But that's all in the past, ya know!" The blond laughed. "I'm totally in love with someone else now! I'm in love with a girl who truly loves and accepts me for who I am. That's all I ever wanted from someone and now that I have it, I'm the most happiest man on the planet!"

"Yeah... Sure..." Sai mumbled.

Something told him Naruto wasn't being true to his feelings.

FLASHBACK ENDS

Sai still sat in thought of his blond friend. His mind thought back to what Naruto had said after taking Karui's abuse and he was left bloody and broken.

"She's right... Just stay out of this, Sai..."

Suddenly, Sai knew what had to be done and with determination, he stood up off the root of the tree.

"No, I won't..." He said to himself. "I can't just sit still either, Naruto..."

He would then walk away from the wooden shack.

Naruto may say he loves Nia, but the truth is...

His eyes narrowed.

HE STILL LOVES SAKURA!

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A/N - Oof! That's the end of this chapter. I know y'all gotta be shook af with that ending lol

I really hope y'all enjoyed this! Please remember to comment and vote and have a great rest of your day ❤️

QOTD:

1. Fave Part?

2. Fave Line?

3. Do y'all think Naruto still loves Sakura? Why or why not?

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