Monsters are made (Not Born) (Aot x Naruto) by hatredwithpassion

Chapter 32: Protection

Summary:

Sakura undergoes change in mind and body. Naruto has a visitor from his past life. He is given a gift.
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The kunoichi made her way to the cemetery, moving at a slow pace in the early hours of dawn. She stopped in her tracks, eyeing the tombstone. Haruno Sakura bent down and clasped her hands in a silent prayer. Her eyes lingered on the carved epitaph and she spoke softly, narrating her days and training regimen in a low voice.

She sought solace in the quietness of the dead. The sun rose and the teen stood up, pressing a calloused hand against the cold stone. Her lips lifted in a faint smile and she lifted her head, eyes turning to her sensei.

Maito Gai's eyes lingered on the stone, expression hardening as he took in the name of his deceased student. He turned to her with false cheer, urging her to get a move on with her training.

Sakura followed, her scars stung faintly and she pressed down on her uneven skin, rubbing at her arms. She stared down at the scars, mind replaying a memory of two preteens - both cantankerous and solemn, fighting through the Chuunin Exams to keep her alive.

Sakura looked up at the sky and wondered what happened to those long departed.

The kunoichi thought of the barren Uchiha compound - she had begun visiting regularly during the early hours after her runs. The more time she spent among ghosts the more wary she felt about the entirety of the narrative.

It didn't sit right with her.

It had started with her seeking comfort in the departed - in finding remnants of a boy she watched her entire life in the walls and streets of the empty compound. With each visit, the more she saw and the more she saw the more unsettled she became.

Her eyes were opened.

Sasuke had lived with ghosts.

Sakura carried her regret everyday - wishes that held no meaning stayed with her - She hoped to reunite with both her teammates one day and speak with them and apologize.

Sorry for not doing enough, for not being enough, but now I am different. I can protect you both.

The pink-haired teen laid on her back, exerted from the long and strenuous training. Her muscles cramped and she stretched out her sore legs. She had been incorporating her deceased acquaintance's fighting style for the past years. She wanted to honour Rock Lee's memory and it was her sensei's desire to pass on his abilities to her.

Sakura watched her sensei go through his katas. Her gaze fell down to the headband tied on her bicep. The hitae-ate had filled her with pride and hope for the future in her early days as genin. She had a team, partnered up with a quiet blond and her childhood infatuation. Her previous sensei had been a renowned genius - his name striking fear in those outside their village.

It had been years since she had seen Kakashi-sensei. He had left the village, with a sparse explanation and a brief pat to her head. He had exited the village gates and had not returned. She occasionally saw his dog summons run through the gates, straight to the Hokage tower. Pakkun did not share any information with her in regards to her sensei, only that he was alive.