A/N: I'm sorry I disappeared for a while. School got crazy and ff took the backseat :/. So this is the start of my first college ff story and has actually been on my mind for a while now and I never really had enough muse to write down words. But here I am today, sorta embarrassed ive been gone for as long as I have, but glad to be back nonetheless. Inspiration for this came from research I did for a paper I wrote for a professor on prostitution and sex trafficking. How nerdy of me. Note, this story will get intensely graphic at times. The graphicness will come from actual accounts and research supporting the fictional events. So if you end up reading this and think, "wow, this girl is fucked up, why would she write something as horrific as this" it's not me, it's real life. This is rated for mature audiences ONLY.
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Preface
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There is a certain bond between kunoichi that can't quite be described in words. It is better understood through private meaningful silences, quiet tears, or knowing glances that say "you're not alone, I'm with you". It isn't anything male shinobi quite understand or know how to explain. In fact, some shinobi don't realize it's there. It's an unspoken kind of trust; it is a familial warm feeling that eases guilt, frustration, and bitterness. It is knowing that someone understands you and your pain in the worst of situations. Because sometimes, there are trials you experience that not one of your teammates will be able to relate to or ever quite comprehend.
The face of injustice, inequality, and even oppression are something a kunoichi will become more familiar with than her teammates. Her teammates might go their entire ninja career without truly understanding that because they haven't seen cruelty and discrimination like she has.
It's been said by shinobi alike for generations that kunoichi have a harder time in the field than her male counterparts do. They are naturally weaker being the naturally smaller less muscle bound ninja. To some extent, they are right. Even kunoichi would agree that they sometimes have to work harder training to keep up with their teammates' athleticism. For example, Sakura knew as a genin that she was much farther behind than Sasuke or Naruto. She needed to practice to match their physical strength on the battlefield or else she would become a liability more so than a reliable ally. Years later, she beats them every time in an arm wrestling competition or in taijustu practice, despite being a good six inches shorter than both of them.
Even though they are called weaker than their fellow shinobi, they fight fiercely with an intense grit their teammates don't have. It's as though a quiet, but bright fire that is in each kunoichi's heart. It is their desire to protect the men they love and rely on (their teammates), their home, their village, and if they are mothers, their children as well.
Hell hath no fury like a women's wrath.
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Chapter One: The Hidden Truth
A letter arrived on Tenten's doorstep saying she was required to meet with Tsunade for a mandatory meeting with other jounin kunoichi her age.
She put away her weapon scrolls and tucked her kunai away. Neji and Lee were not done sparring quite yet, but she was forced to leave her team practice early on account for this meeting.
"So Tenten, why exactly do you have to leave sparring early?" Gai asked her loudly with his usual grin and hands on his hips.
"Not sure, some kunoichi and I have to go to this meeting. Its mandatory I guess, they didn't tell me the reason why." She turned to face him, "Well I'd better get going. See you tomorrow Gai sensei."
She waved and smiled, sparing him one last glance before taking off. It was the last glance she noticed something off about her sensei. It was his smile. The usual grin was replaced with a forced smile and there was something about him that looked – maybe, strained? Whatever the look was, she couldn't say it didn't give her a foreboding feeling. A good ninja always has to look underneath the underneath. She could tell that he knew something she didn't.
Sakura didn't share with her sensei the news about her meeting; after all he was late as usual. She left to the bridge her team met at and told her teammates she wouldn't be at practice. Sasuke gave a curt nod, not really caring she supposed, while Naruto exuberantly reminded her to come to ramen tonight after sparring.
"Of course I'll come" She smiled at him.
Sakura's poker face was her smile. She could fake a smile as good as Sai. And to say she wasn't a little worried was an understatement. She certainly was. Tsunade didn't mention anything about this meeting to her, even when she was hammered. The fact that the letter was so formal gave her a bad feeling in her gut that something was wrong. Shinobi never got a formal letter about anything unless expressing the condolences when a shinobi killed in action or a formal resignation of a team member. The last letter she got like this was one saying her teammate Sasuke was formally reinstated into the Konoha database for Shinobi records when he came back to the village.
"Sakura!" Tenten caught up with her on the way to the Hokage tower. A folded white paper with the hokage's seal caught Sakura's eye.
"So you got one too, huh?"
"You did too?"
"Uh huh."
"What do you think it's about?"
"Not sure, guess we'll find out, huh?" They shared a small laugh, and Sakura wondered if Tenten was as nervous as she was. The way she twirled her kunai in her hand gave away that she probably was, Sakura noted silently.
The hokage's office seemed quieter than usual. The atmosphere felt uncharacteristically somber. Just in front of the Hokage's desk sat Ino and Hinata talking quietly with several other kunoichi their age.
Tenten felt her stomach twist. Something was wrong, she just knew it.
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The future was supposed to be simple. You were told as a young genin that the higher rank you were the better. More perks were available. What they should have been told that that was a fucking lie. At least Ino felt that way.
With a higher rank came respect. What was fucking respectful about this – this fucking assignment! It could hardly be called a mission. Missions entailed some amount of dignity.
"What?" The blonde spoke through gritted teeth, utterly livid.
"Watch your tone Yamanaka. You think I want to send you all away? I don't have a god damn choice!" Tsunade bristled in anger. There was a light in her eyes that spoke in volumes of anguish however, Sakura noticed. But she used the word send. She couldn't help but feel her mentor was sugar coating the truth.
"The political situation between us, Water Country and Lightening Country is in the shit, and it's about to get a lot worse now too. Lord Hideyoshi has complete control of the exports from half of Mist and all of Lightening Country, including eighty percent of the primary sector of Grass." She paused to pour another cup of sake. "He owns more than anyone else and is dominating our economy, every other village in Fire, and Wind Country's economy. That means Suna is just as fucked as we all are." She signed.
"To put it simply, Konoha's economy and its allies are at the mercy of one man who is from a country that we are not in the good graces of right now. He is threatening to stop all imports to our country and our allies. With him in the picture, we and Wind are powerless. Something needs to be done."
"Why all of us? Why are you sending us? We are Konoha's respected shinobi, not their property they can just dish out to the highest bidder!" Ino spoke again.
"It's a complicated situation. We have two options. Go to war with Water and Lightening Country and have thousands of causalities, sacrificing my Leaf shinobi for a cause that's purely political, just to regain control of our economy and political authority. Or option two; covertly destroy his empire from the inside."
Ino was quiet now, as were the rest of the kunoichi in the room.
"So this mission - is a cover up for the real goal?" Sakura said.
"Yes, my giving you all away to that bastard was his price for staying in his good graces. In other words, blackmail. In reality though, this is a game of chess. Hopefully he won't know that, or there really will be another war."
"Why choose us?" Hinata finally spoke up.
"I didn't. He did. He requested the files of all kunoichi under eighteen and picked the few he would request from me." Tsunade looked somber, her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. She sighed again and leaned forward on her desk. "He picked Konoha out of the other villages in Fire because we are the strongest village. This is his way of sending a message to other villages he controls, that he has the power to do whatever he wants." She downed the cup in her hand. "That is my guess at least."
A few moments of silence passed by, making the air feeling heavy. The busty blonde spoke again, "My question for you all: are you willing to complete this mission? Are you willing to do whatever he or any man asks you to do? You will be treated like dirt, I'm sure. Be aware these men are from a country where women are not equal to men, and you must learn how to adapt in such an environment.
"I can't guarantee you all will come back safe. Once you are outside Fire country borders, there is nothing I can do for any of you.
There was a pained expression on Tsunade's face. Sakura felt her heart tug a little. Even in this situation, she couldn't help but feel bad for her mentor. She was just doing her job. After all, was there any other choice? Leave the village on the worst kind of mission to save her village and country? Or risk Sasuke, Naruto, Sai, or Kakashi's lives in a war? Or any of her friends for that matter. No, no way in hell. She took a moment to look around the room. She knew she wasn't the only one who thought that. Even as angry as Ino was, even she looked like she was starting to accept their fate.
"And one more thing" Tsunade stood up, and Sakura heard the sound of the chair scraping the floor. "Your teammates cannot find out about this. Keep this quiet, and once you all have left and are out of the country, they will be informed.
"Now that the debriefing has ended, I have some advice for you all. Listen up…"
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"I'm glad I found you, Kakashi"
"Gai? What brings you here…" The silver haired jounin said lazily.
Kakashi turned to face his fellow jounin, his back facing the engraved stone monument where he spent so much of his time in his long career.
"I've heard of something alarming. It's Tenten."Kakashi turned around to face him. Gai almost never took on a serious façade unless they were on a dangerous mission or something dire had happened. Not to mention he didn't use the word youth, which Kakashi did not bring up less his fellow shinobi start on youth rant.
"Is she alright?"
"I…I don't know. She told me she got a letter from the Hokage herself to come to a mandatory meeting." There was a pause, and Kakashi didn't have to guess where Gai was going with this.
"I don't think it's what you think Gai. Konoha doesn't allow its kunoichi to do stuff like that anymore."
"Are you positive?" Gai said urgently.
"I'm sure of it,"
Gai still didn't look convinced. Kakashi could understand though. Of course if Sakura was in Tenten's position he would be worried sick. The thought of…it was just too awful to imagine the girl he saw grow up as his pupil being exploited.
That didn't happen in Konoha. That stuff happened in backwards countries like Water. No, Konoha was not like that.
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She seemed…what was the word? Gah, he couldn't remember it. He examined her more closely. Why was she so quiet? Well she usually was. But she was…different.
"Can you pass me some chopsticks?" She asked softly.
"Sure thing, Hinata," He handed her wooden chopsticks and fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably. "So what's up?"
Hinata looked up at Kiba rather surprised. She had been doing her best to hide her anxiousness all day since the meeting. Kiba and Shino weren't supposed to know after all. But of course they always knew when something was wrong with her. She scoffed at herself mentally; did she really think she could try to hide it from them of all people?
"You appear distressed, Hinata." Shino said quietly next to her, still eating his food without revealing his face to them. No one quite knew how he did that.
"Uhm, it's nothing really. Just a bad headache is all."
For a moment, Hinata wondered if the other girls were having the same kind of trouble she felt. She felt a bit like a pawn. Like someone put a price over her head like she was some fresh looking cabbage at a market. She felt cheated out of her freedom. There were seven kunoichi in all being sent out. She had met the other three before briefly but had never really seen them in the field. Let's see, there's Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and her. Then there was that girl named Chizuru. And Kyoko and Natsume too.
"I have to go talk to Kurenai sensei about something. I'll see you later." To say that leaving abruptly was uncharacteristic of Hinata would be true. Her teammates were left in the booth as confused as ever.
"If she has to go to Kurenai, it's probably a girl thing." Kiba said. He continued to eat his food, dropping the matter.
"Yea, a girl thing." Replied Shino, who remained unconvinced it was simply 'a girl thing'.
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Hinata explained her ordeal, their ordeal more like, and struggled to keep her voice steady.
"So their still doing that, huh? I thought maybe with a woman as Hokage things would be differant, but I guess some things never change." Kurenai said quietly. Her crimson eyes appeared as if looking far off into the distance.
"Let me give you some advice Hinata, not from sensei to student, but from woman to woman. Come here." Kurenai motioned her to another room in her apartment. "You see this?"
"…Yes?" Hinata replied. Her voice had gone dry for a moment and sounded like a hoarse whisper.
Kurenai touched the edge of a wooden mirror that was attached to small table with a cushioned seat underneath it. "As a kunoichi, you will always be victorious over a man if you keep this in mind." Kurenai pulled out a kunai. "This is not your greatest weapon. Your byakugan comes in handy in battle, but it is not your greatest weapon either."
"What do you mean sensei?"
"This is," she pointed to her forehead, "And this is," she opened a drawer or the vanity. Kurenai pulled out a tube of lipstick. Gently, she opened the cap and expertly put the lipstick on her pupil's lips.
"As women, we must be cunning. More cunning than any man could be. And we must be wise," She put the cap on and put it in Hinata's hand.
"You have to dissect a man's weakness and take him apart without him realizing what you've done. You must be deceitful but appear virtuous and innocent when necessary. You will have to disregard everything you stand for as a dignified woman sometimes." Kurenai cupped Hinata's face much like a mother would do to their daughter.
"As much as women have gained their rights in this day and age, the moment you step into our profession and are out on the field, you must know that you are living in a man's world. You have got to be cold, shrewd and calculating but mute. A good woman is silent. Her condition is not her own, but for the man to decide. She is property till a man says so, Hinata."
Hinata opened her mouth to protest, "I know, it bothers me too. You and I have the chance to show that we are on par with men in Leaf, but elsewhere in the world, that idea doesn't even exist."
Hinata fell silent.
"Does your clan know?" Kurenai asked softly.
"No. I can't tell them"
"Because you're not allowed to? Or…"
"No, because I can't let them find out. Who knows what could happen? If my father found out that the heir has been sent on a mandatory mission like this, he would disown me!" Hinata wrapped her arms around herself. "That would look bad. They would want to keep it quiet too. No, it is better that they don't know."
"What if ….you don't come back, Hinata. Who will let them know?"
"I don't….can you? Can you do it? Please be gentle when you tell Hanabi - ,"
Kurenai covered her mouth with a finger. "Shut up. You're not gonna die on me because that is not an option for you, do you understand?" She said sternly. Hinata nodded and Kurenai relaxed a little.
Suddenly, she wrapped Hinata in a hug. "You'll be fine. I promise. Just listen to your instincts and be cunning. That's your best strategy. You'll come back safe and sound, I know it." Hinata was taken aback by her words and let them wash over her. She hugged back just as fiercely.
She would come back alive; she was determined to.
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Ino packed her bag with everything Tsunade told them to bring. Over the way to Lord whatever the fuck his name was mansion, she was told to practice some jutsu that would act as a contraceptive and keep them clean from STD's. Her fists curled up. She understood why they were being sent. It made sense why. Their purpose was clear: put an end to what's his face while sucking the dick of every misogynist present.
So what if Tsunade never said that was what they would be doing. It was pretty obvious that was what they were being sent there for. She had the urge to punch a hole through her wall. Furiously, she packed her makeup, senbon and kunai. She would be damned before she let any asshole touch her because it was duty. Any man that did that was gonna pay hell.
Sure, she had to occasionally flutter her eyelashes and pout cutely on missions before to lower men's guards down. But this was different than getting to trap them in a mind justu so he could finish off his fellow ninja. She wouldn't be able to do that. She would probably have to smile sweetly after she was done sucking him off as if it was no big deal.
Ino was livid. She had to get out of her apartment before she broke something. She looked at her clock in her apartment one last time and headed off to the front gates of the village. It was time for their group to head out.
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She regretted not hugging her teammates before she left for the gates. Usually she did, especially if it was a solo mission. But she knew if she did, they would ask where she was going. And they weren't allowed to know a thing about this mission.
Sakura readjusted her medic pack. Ino, Chizuru, Nastume arrived. Hinata and Kyoko were here before she was. Sakura took a moment to look out their group. All female, all just under eighteen, still technically children. She suddenly realized how young she actually was. As a ninja, you face hardship civilians didn't dare dream of facing, so you feel much older than you actually are. Yet they were really all still girls. They were teenagers, not quite children, not quite women. Was it a little fucked up that girls their age were being shipped off to some pervert for his own satisfaction as some sort of political message? Sakura certainly thought it was, but if it was for the benefit of her village and it kept her boys safe and in the village versus fighting war, she would gladly do whatever it took. It was their duty as ninja after all to accept missions even if they were difficult.
The last thing she saw before they took their first few steps out of the gates would haunt her for years to come. She couldn't help but notice the guards looking at their group. It was Genma and Hayate. It was probably extremely unusual to see a group of seven kunoichi about to leave on a mission together, she realized. They looked on wordlessly, as if they knew where they were going. Maybe they guessed what they had been assigned to do? But what bothered her the most was that she couldn't help but feel as if they were observing them with a twisted pity that made her feel a bit worthless. Years later, she would've equated that look to something close to disgust.
The feeling of her stomach dropping and her heart clenching was the last memory of Konoha before turning away from her home.