EDITED: AUGUST 8, 2016
::
Once upon a time in the dead of night, a red-cloaked figure slunk through the shadows in uptown Konoha.
All nobility and high ranking soldiers lived there, never daring to step foot downtown where the common people lived. Their children were told stories of how those people were held to a lower standard, therefore wouldn't have the capacity to understand what it mean to be of a higher class.
The figure surveyed the quiet area before leaping onto the roof of the main house in the Hyuuga Compound. Quickly, silently, undetectably.
'Honestly, they need better guards. This is getting ridiculous.'
The Hyuuga were one of the Four Corner families that resided uptown alongside the Nara, the Akimichi, and the Uchiha. The Four Corners had a responsibility to their Emperor, as an ancestor of each family was entrusted with two precious stones bestowed upon them by Grand First Emperor Hashirama. As long as the stones remained under protection in each families homes, power was balanced and peace was shared through Konoha- the largest populated city in the Kingdom of Fire.
The Byakugan Sapphire and the Daikaiten Alexandrite were kept in shrines in the highest floor in the tallest structure of the Hyuuga Compound. A shrine, one might add, that was fairly easy to get through since the guards were so incredibly incompetent.
The figure reached out to the Byakugan, a small smile tugging at their lips.
Nobles really needed to learn to share their riches.
::
A girl eighteen years of age stood in the middle of an arena with cuts and bruises littering her legs and forearms. Blood splattered hands were held up in front of her to block more strikes and it luckily didn't belong to her, but rather her opponent's- The Hunter. The crowd screamed their cheers and all bets were called.
"Kick his ass!"
"Come on, knock her down! Break her bones!"
"Crack his skull in two!"
The underground fighting rings were always brutal and crude and that was just the way the people liked it. Konoha might be perceived as the more peaceful of cities in the Kingdom, but that applied more to the nobles who never stuck their noses in the common people's business. The people were angry with the way they were being treated. They were angry that those with money wouldn't do a single damn thing for them even if the people were the ones working to keep the city on its feet.
So came the outlet of underground fighting. A wonderful stress reliever and rage output.
The girl dodged a blow aimed to her head and whammed a knee into The Hunter's gut. Taking advantage of his stunned state, she crouched on the ground and sent a roundhouse kick to the back of his knees. Her elbow dug into his chest as he fell forward and she pinned him to the ground.
"Winner: The Slugger!"
Haruno Sakura, better known through her alias as The Slugger, undid her ponytail and launched a victorious fist pump amidst the noise of the audience. She helped The Hunter up to his feet.
"Better luck next time, eh, Haku?" she teased. He smirked.
"Luck had nothing to do with it. You will go down next fight and perhaps I'll strangle you unconscious with your hair."
They both laughed and hopped out of the ring. When Haku waved and went on his way, Sakura climbed the stone steps of the stadium and sat on one of the benches next to her best friend, Uzumaki Naruto, who fought under the name Kyuubi. He was infamous for his unending stamina and animalistic vigor- some of his more fearful opponents swearing to the heavens above that his eyes flashed red before he dove in for the kill.
"Awesome fight, Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed. "You totally just tripled my betting money, dattebayo!"
"Oh, so I'm just your source of income now, huh?"
He grinned.
"Aw, you know I love you!"
She punched him in the shoulder, laughing when he pouted and slumped back against the rock seats behind him. In the arena ahead of them, new fighters were warming up for their match. Sakura recognized the man at the north end and shouted.
"You better not lose your shit this time, Jashin!"
Hidan, upon hearing his title, looked up to the stands and flipped up his middle finger before stepping into the ring. He was her mentor's only son and was as vulgar as they came, but he was good to both her and Naruto when they were taken into his mother's care when they were only kids. He was like a big brother to them. An annoying one, but still better than most.
"I'm gonna miss this, ya know," Naruto muttered. "Underground fighting. The city. Pulling pranks on Hidan. Hanging out with you, Sakura-chan. You heard they were shuttin' down the underground next week, right? Until the war's over?"
Sakura looked down.
"Yeah."
That's right. Naruto and Hidan had been conscripted into the ANBU Army and would leave for one of the camps tonight. The war between the Kingdom of Fire and the Kingdom of Sound was engulfing the lands far and low and they needed all the soldiers they could get their hands on.
She clenched her fists.
If she wasn't a girl, she'd follow them into ANBU and fight alongside them. She'd wield a sword and cut down the enemies one by one and bring her boys home safe and sound.
Sakura stood and stretched her legs.
"I'm going to head up and get a drink. You want anything?" she asked.
"Uh… something sweet. Thanks, Sakura-chan!"
She climbed the long staircase leading out of the underground and pushed the iron door that acted as one of the many entrances to the world below. But up above, this was a local bar that went by the dear name Samehada. She sat down on one of the wooden stools and sighed.
"What's got you down? Lose a fight?"
She raised her head and stared at the scarred face and sharpened teeth of the owner of the bar.
"No, I won. It's just… you heard about Naruto and Hidan right, Kisame-san?"
Kisame was a veteran of past wars and stayed the close friend and drinking partner of her mentor. When she and Naruto were still street rats, he was kind enough to offer them some food and eventually helped them get to where they were today. She owed a lot to him.
"'Course I have. It's gonna be quiet and who knows how long it's going to be 'til they get back," he said, not mentioning the fact that they might not even get to come back at all. "There's nothing we can do about it. Emperor's called them up and they have no choice but to follow."
She sighed.
"Yeah, I know. Anyway, I just remembered I've got a couple errands to run. Can you send someone down to tell Naruto that I'll be gone for a while? Oh, and to get him something sweet to snack on?"
He waved her out and tossed her black cloak her stored beneath the counter.
"Will do. See you in a bit, kiddo."
She slipped on her cloak as she stepped out into the streets of downtown. There, she passed vendors and merchants and civilians, then took a quick cut down some alleyways until she arrived at Blue and Steel, a weapons shop run by an exceptional blacksmith who was merely frowned upon because the business was run by not a he, but a she.
"Sakura! How've you been?" the blacksmith greeted. Sakura returns it with a smile.
"Hey, Tenten. Do you have the things I requested?" she asked. The shop has weapons of all kinds could been seen to potential customers. Swords and maces hang from the ceiling, blades and fans are on display in glass cases slightly smudged with soot, and armor pieces are lined up on walls and racks. Tenten side steps her anvil on her way to the back and comes out with a katana, a dagger, and an ANBU-class uniform fit in Sakura's size.
"You're lucky the Army picked me as one of the suppliers, so I was able to get my hands on these," Tenten said. She eyed her friend warily. "Are you sure you know what you're doing? If they find out, you'll be killed even if you are on our side."
Sakura handed her a handful of gold pieces she won off some random gambler that thought he could swindle her out of her money.
"Don't worry about it. You and I both know that this kind of thing isn't exactly new."
They shared a grin and Tenten bundled all the items in an inconspicuous sack that could easily pass as a regular old back. And along with the armor and weapons, she slipped in a velvet pouch.
Sakura left the shop with her new things slung across her shoulder and walked a few minutes away to the Aburame Library. It was public and had books that spanned throughout the ages and she found the ones written in different languages more interesting than the others.
She approached the librarian.
"Good morning, Shino. Cooped up as always, I see."
The boy, eighteen years old just like herself, peered up at her through his dark glasses.
"I found a new bug specimen that only comes out at night, so I am waiting until then. Are you here to borrow a book? A new shipment came in last night," he said.
"I would, but I'm a little busy. I do have a book I want to return, though."
She set her bag on the desk and slid over the velvet pouch Tenten sent her off with. Silently, Shino pulled out the item from its cloth confines and saw a stone the size of his palm. White Star Sapphire- rare enough to find but even rarer to hold such a large specimen of it in his hands. It had been the cause of alarm and tightening of security uptown as of late as the Hyuuga sought to recover their missing gem.
"Do the pages have any damages?"
"I don't think so."
"Hm. I'll check it again later."
"Alright. Thanks for telling me about it. It's an exciting read and I hope you can lend it to," she said. As she walked out of the library, his quiet voice echoed after her.
"Sakura, not everything is worth dying for. I hope you remember that."
She opened the door and threw a smile over her shoulder.
"Take care of yourself. I know it'll be a while before I'll be seeing you again."
Before entering her mentor's workplace, she stashed her gear under a bale of hay in Katsuyu's- her horse's- stable and went through the back door of the clinic beside the house she lived in. Various herbs were strewn about the tables and stacked on the shelves that lined the walls. Working on what she assumed was a remedy was her mentor, Tsunade. She was one of the top physicians in the nation who'd earned her legendary status through the wars she worked in despite her gender and the no-nonsense attitude she carried no matter who she addressed.
Watching her work was the Grand Marshal of the ANBU Army, Sakura recognized through his highly decorated uniform. He was born a commoner and took years and years to make his way up to where he was now. Often, he'd come to the clinic to ask Tsunade of her opinion on some things or to request medicine for his soldiers. She was undoubtedly the best healer there was and his troops deserved as much.
Kakuzu looked over towards the back door and noted that Sakura, once again, was not wearing a kimono or practicing etiquette like all the other girls her age. Once she girl hung her cloak, he saw the dirt and blood smeared on her skin.
"Our fighting again, eh?" Tsunade hummed. "I remember when I was your age and I kicked everyone's asses who wanted to fight."
"So you admit it was your influence that got me into this?"
"Bah! If it's anyone's influence it's Hidan's and Naruto's! If you hung around more of the girls in the city, maybe I'll be able to make a lady out of you yet!"
"Sorry, shishou. But if I'm not in the underground to defend my reputation, who else is going to live up to my name?" she questioned. Kakuzu's lips quirked upwards.
"If the Army had men who want to fight as much as you do, maybe we'd win the war sooner," he commented.
"Well, I'm one in a million, Grand Marshal. But maybe luck will be on your side and someone like me will be on the front lines," she grinned.
"Hm. I really hope to meet him, then," he mused. Kakuzu remembered when he first met her as a young girl. Her along with the blonde boy were skin and bones and took to the life of pick pocketing to survive and were lucky enough to get hot meals from the bartender down the way. But he really couldn't forget the picture they painted when he saw them stood at the clinic with Tsunade moving about to tend to their wounds.
Naruto was a sad boy, demure and aware that a lot of people hated him. Sakura was the opposite, snapping at those who dared hurt her best friend and fighting whoever got in her way.
"Now that you're here, I need you to gather herbs from the forest," Tsunade said as she reached into the hidden pocket of her haori to pull out a piece of parchment. "Better back by sundown."
"Yes, shishou."
Kakuzu watched her go with a curious eye.
::
As night fell over the city, the normally barren streets were filled with women, children, tears, and men suiting up for a war they might never come back from. Sakura was among them and didn't shed a tear as the two boys she grew up with strapped on their armor and slung their swords at their waists.
"Maybe being soldiers will probably shape up your attitudes," she mentioned. Hidan scoffed and lightly cuffed the back of her head.
"What attitude? I'm fucking amazing," he drawled.
Naruto wrinkled his nose.
"The only thing amazing about you is how you can stuff ten cuss words in a twelve word sentence and still sound threatening."
"Exactly!"
Naruto came up and tackled her into a hug first, hoisting her into the air and spinning her around for a dramatic flair.
"I'm gonna miss you so much, Sakura-chan! I'll write to you all the time I promise, 'ttebayo!"
"Good. Maybe I'll find a way to send ramen through the messenger," she laughed as he set her down. Hidan gagged.
"Don't encourage his gross-ass ramen fixation."
Sakura rolled her eyes and tugged the dirty-mouthed asshole in for a hug.
"Just don't do anything stupid," she whispered. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed.
"Me?" he murmured. "I should be telling you that shit."
When he pulled away, she stepped aside and let Tsunade give her goodbye to the two boys she raised all on her own. Occupied, Sakura reached behind to the waistband of her pants and gripped the paper Hidan snuck there.
The location of where he hid her fake documentation and which camp he and Naruto had been assigned to.
Sakura waited hours into the night. Long after the men were gone, long after the city fell into a fitful sleep, long after the lights on the streets had been snuffed out. Quiet was her only companion when she slipped out of her bed, dressed in some of Naruto's old clothes, and trailed down to the stables. As she crouched down to reach for her armor and katana, her long pink hair brushed past her shoulders and landed in her field of vision.
Oh.
She'd almost forgotten.
After she slid the sword from its scabbard, she bundled up her hair and sliced it all off within a few swipes.
"Tenten really went all out when sharpening this for me…" she muttered.
"I imagine she would," a voice spoke up from behind her. "No one wants to ruin their reputation as a blacksmith by selling less than perfect blades."
Sakura grit her teeth, steeling her nerves as she turned and forced a smile on her face.
"Grand Marshal. I thought you'd be out to check up on the camps."
"I had a meeting with the Emperor that drew on longer than I expected," he shrugged. Kakuzu's piercing eyes went to the katana in her hands, the ANBU issued armor on the hay stacks, then to the tresses trapped in a white-knuckle grip. "And here I come to see… something I could arrest you for."
Her gaze hardened.
"I'm not just going to sit here and wait, wondering if they're going to come back with smiles or come back a cold body. I was born to fight by their sides!"
"Their duty is to their country."
"Their duty is to their lives!" she refuted. Her eyes flickered to her house before lowering her voice. "No one asked for this war and the people shouldn't be sent off to die just because they're the victims. And you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to go out there and fight and come back only when the war's over with both of them breathing when they step into the city. I don't care how long it takes."
Sakura didn't budge when Kakuzu took his steps forward so that they stood toe to toe. She had a face of determination, he thought idly, who would stand in the Grand Marshal's shadows without fear.
"You're walking into death's hands."
"Then I'll die knowing I did what was right."
He thrust a scroll into her empty hand.
"Earlier, you told me you were one in a million and that I'd be lucky to have someone like you on the front lines," he said. "I told you that I wanted to meet him. And it seems that I have."
He spun on his heel and held his dark-skinned hands behind his back.
"The Akatsuki Camp is a day's ride East," he informed without turning to look back at her. "I'm not a man known to gamble, Sakura. Don't make me regret it the one time I do."
She grinned and let her cut hair spill to the ground.
"Yessir!"
::
General Uchiha Itachi was young, strong, and was infamous for becoming the youngest soldier to have ever reached his position. At the age of twenty-three, his notoriety had spread past forests and mountains to strike fear in the hearts of those who heard his name. With such an unmatched repute, it was only natural for him to be selected to train the noble and hand-picked commoners throughout the Kingdom of Fire.
He requested the most physically able of troops. The smartest. The most skilled.
But at the sound of shouts echoing somewhere in the center of the camp of one hundred soldiers, Itachi found that request horribly denied.
He strode down the grass path towards the source of the uproar, Lieutenant General Akasuna Sasori following with amusement coloring his half-lidded stare, to find the recruits crowded around what looked like a fight. Sasori smirked. Fools, they were. Did they not realize this was a war and that there was a real chance of them having their dog tags they only thing they'd ever be remembered by? But it was good to see them have spirit while it lasted.
Itachi wasn't as entertained.
"At attention!" he snapped. The crowd scrambled to form a straight line as chills went up their spines and a domineering aura fell upon their shoulders. The last two to join the line had their soldier outfits dirtier and rumpled with some drops of blood to stain the material. The first fighter he recognized as his own younger brother.
"Uchiha Sasuke. I am disappointed to see that you've already come to treat this as a game. I expected more from someone who claims to be better than an average soldier."
Sasuke scowled and looked away. Itachi turned to regard the other fighter, eyeing the green diamond on his forehead and finding that he couldn't identify him.
"Name and origin," he demanded smoothly. The recruit looked him straight in the eye without fear, a shameless smile on his face.
"Haruno Seiichi, Konoha. Sir," the recruit introduced. Sasori couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Oh? Not bad.
::
Ranks in this Story (Highest to Lowest)
1) Grand Marshal
2) General
3) Lieutenant General
4) Colonel
5) Lieutenant Colonel
6) Captain
7) First Lieutenant
8) Second Lieutenant
9) Sergeant
10) Corporal
11) Lance Corporal
12) Private First Class
13) Private