In almost every aspect, the world of Sekai is just like the Earth. The sky is blue, the sun is yellow, and the moon is silvery. In that world, the water, the air, the plants and the animals are the same as ours. Yes, Sekai has human beings… but there's way more than that.
Sekai is also a world of ninjas – shinobis and kunoichis. They are everywhere, in countries, cities and villages. For each ten or twelve humans, there is at least one with special fighting abilities and/or mystical powers – the chakra. Being a shinobi is a common job in Sekai – both for minor missions, like finding lost cats, and for major deeds, such as fighting against ultimate villains. There are lesser shinobis, who protect their own villages, and shinobis whose fame and powers grant them the title of living legends, for they are able to change the world's destiny.
The greater of these shinobis is a champion who was born in the recent time. He is known as Uchiha Sasuke, and no power seemed to be able to beat him. A sacred warrior, built with the power of the Nine Tailed Beasts, who is the ultimate defender of truth, honor and justice.
Uchiha Sasuke is missing…
Chapter 1. The elemental kunoichi and the Konoha jounin
It was a bright morning in Suna. Just like every morning in the village, the citizens were walking casually, chatting, buying groceries and scolding kids for not behaving themselves. Men courted women; women gossiped with each other; children ran away from their teachers; guards patrolled the streets. It would be a normal morning if it wasn't for the arrival of a stranger – a young woman with a wolf.
"So... This is what a shinobi village is like?"
Wide jade eyes looked in awe and fear at all those people and buildings and… sand. 'No wonder it's called the Village Hidden in the Sand' the woman thought, unaware of all the eyes cast upon her. She didn't notice, for she had never been among so many people before, but her rather unusual appearance was quickly becoming the center of all attentions. After all, it wasn't every day that the citizens of Suna saw a pink-haired woman dressed in ragged pieces of what one day must have been clothes. Her bare feet seemed to be unaffected by the scalding sand beneath them as she walked down the streets, still unsure of what to do and where to go to find-
"Hey, you!" a male voice shouted. She turned around and saw four men running towards her. "Otome, you can't walk through the city with a… What in the world is that thing, anyway?" the man asked, pointing to the wolf.
"I've seen one of them in the woods of Hi no Kuni. It's a forest wolf, and it killed one of our chuunins!" other man said, looking suspiciously at the woman and the animal.
"I bet it was in self defense" she muttered. The woman wasn't sure if she could trust those men, but since she had no clue of how she would find the person she was looking for, she had no choice but ask for help. "We don't want to go against your laws. We're looking for a man called Hyuuga Neji! If you tell us where to-"
"Hyuuga Neji, the Konoha jounin? Otome, everyone is after the reward we offered for his head! He is the most dangerous criminal in our Bingo Book." A third man said as if it was the most obvious thing.
'Criminal? Reward?' she scratched her head in confusion. "But I need Hyuuga Neji's services! Only he can help me to break into the palace of-"
"That's enough, otome. It's one thing to walk around with a dangerous beast beside you, but to openly confess you want to hire a criminal? You should better come with us without causing any more trouble!"
"But I don't…" it was when the man who seemed their leader grabbed her wrist, rather violently. "Don't touch me! LET GO OF ME!" In the next second, the man was on the ground;
the wolf was attacking his throat. Blood splashed everywhere. "No, cousin! Don't attack him, I'm fine!" The wolf let go of the now half-dead man. Only to be slashed with a sharp katana.
"My friend better be cured by our medics, or you'll be in big trouble! Get her to the dungeons!"
"You killed him… YOU KILLED HIM! You heartless monster, you killed my cousin! Stay away from me!" Acting on instinct, she frantically formed some hand seals. "Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu!" Faster than the guard could see, she buried him on the sandy ground, leaving only the head free.
"How dare you? Kill her too!" one of them yelled. At the same time, dozens of guards appeared from everywhere. "She wants to hire that Hyuuga and attacked one of our best jounins! Don't let her scape!"
'What do I do now? I can't die; I have to accomplish my mission!' While her brain was freezing from panic, her body acted by itself. Her hands formed seals without her noticing. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi!" A huge wall of dirt isolated her from the raging Suna-nins. She could hear them trying to shatter her defensive wall. Before she could do anything else, though, she felt dozens of hands and ropes around her. And it was the last thing she felt before someone hit her head and she blacked out.
When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but darkness and a small source of light up high in the sky. Only when her eyes adapted to the darkness, she noticed she was surrounded by cold stones, and the light was actually the moon seen through a small opening. Slowly the memories started to come back to her.
"Baka! Stubborn! I told you I wanted to go by myself! 'I'm going with you to protect you', you said, 'and to avoid you get yourself in trouble'. And now you're dead!" she squeezed her head with her hands. "He liked me! He really did! How could I expect he wouldn't come with me?" A small rat approached her. She reached out her hand and caressed its head; animals had the power to ease her mind. "Maybe the idiot was me. But what could I have done? Refuse a sacred mission? He's going to die if I don't-"
"Ahem." She turned her head towards the male voice, but saw nothing. "When you finish your talk with the rat, can we have a business meeting?" Now she could see a silhouette outside her window. She couldn't see his face, only the outline of his body. "I heard you're in the dungeons because of me. If you're still interested in my services…"
"Are you really Hyuuga Neji, the Konoha jounin?" she asked, not liking the fact that she couldn't see his eyes. How would she know if he was telling the truth?
"Yes, I am. As a proof, I will set you free from here, take you to a safe place and then we can properly talk."
"Hey! There's someone outside the window! Guards, go get them!" someone outside shouted.
"Shimatta!" he cursed under his breath. "I won't have enough time to precisely calculate the right amount of explosive tags. Woman, get as far as possible from this wall. This will most likely be a huge explosion."
She did as he told, and the next thing she saw was an intense light coming from the wall.
"Hyuuga Neji?"She asked, nudging the man lying in front of her. He stirred and slowly his eyelids fluttered. "Oh, thank Kami!" His eyes were now fully opened; she gasped. "Your eyes! You're… blind! And it's my fault! I'm so sorry…"
"I am not blind, woman. My eyes are naturally white." He sat up and blinked a few times. "Good. Now that the walls are down, we only have to avoid the incoming guards and-"
"Ano… Hyuuga Neji, we're far from Suna. We've been travelling; you've been unconscious for two days now. Are you feeling ok?" she asked, her eyes filled with her innate kindness.
"Two days?" he muttered to himself. "Of course I am. It was nothing; I've been through much worse before." He ran his rand through his long coffee-brown hair, smoothing it. "Well, you never told me what you wanted me for. Care to explain?"
The woman smiled. "You're noble and brave, Hyuuga Neji. Unlike the other humans I met lately… First, you risk your life to save me. And now you're looking forward to fight dangers you don't even know…"
"Uh… But what exactly do you want me to do for you? What dangers are you talking about?"
"That" she pointed to a large building not too far from them. Although it was in the middle of the woods, it had the same architecture style as the buildings in Suna. There were some towers, no windows, and the walls were sand colored. "The Palace of Gaara".
"WHAT?!" Neji widened his white eyes.
"I guess you know the legend better than I do. Sabaku no Gaara is a very strong man and the guardian of the Ichibi no Shukaku Sapphire. But it was a burden greater than his strength, so he hid the gem inside this palace until they day it would be needed. And this day has arrived… I need the Sapphire; I need all the Nine Tailed Beasts gems to save someone… To give life to someone…" she lowered her head, her voice almost a whisper. "I don't fear death, Hyuuga Neji, but I fear failure! That's why I need you, an experienced warrior, to fight by my side!"
"I may be experienced, but I'm certainly not immortal. I'm not willing to risk my life for such a nonsense mission." He said stoically, not really caring about the sudden fire in her eyes.
"Fine! I was wrong about you; you're a coward just like everyone else. And my cousin died for nothing!" she turned around. "I'll have to do this by myself, then." She formed some hand seals. "Mokuton: Tsurugi to Yoroi no Jutsu!" Instantly, a wooden rustic armor rose from the ground, enveloping her slim yet strong body, protecting the most important organs. Soon a wooden sword followed the armor; she grabbed it with both hands and stormed towards the palace, leaving a dumbfounded Neji behind.
"Holy hell; she's an elemental kunoichi!"
Of course, she expected the palace to be infested with dangers, but she didn't expect them to be so many. She had already destroyed at least twenty sand clones and was fighting against what seemed to be the last one. But as soon as she cut the clone's head off, she felt something flying too close to her face. She heard a thud and turned around to see a clone on the ground, pierced with two kunais.
"I'm always in need of some good fights, you know. And now that we're partners, will you tell me your name?" she didn't see Neji, but recognized his voice.
"It's… Sakura." She scratched her head, her cheeks slightly flushed. "It's the first time I tell my name to another human being." She started to walk, getting deeper inside the palace.
"So, you're an elemental kunoichi… Then why didn't you summon your weapon in Suna?" he asked, following her.
"When I was in the dungeon, you arrived when I had just woken up, so I didn't have time to think about anything. And that city is sterile. I can't create elements, only control them. I need both earth and water in order to use wood, and there was no water in the city. But I could control the earth as well as use some healing jutsus on you after the explosion."
"Healing jutsus?" he looked at hear with a glint of disbelief in his eyes.
"Of course! How would I be able to mend your body if not using healing jutsus?" she said as if it was the most obvious thing, missing his pure horror face. "Hmmm, I wonder if the Sapphire is behind this door." Sakura reached out her hand to the doorknob, but Neji's hand caught her wrist first.
"Wait. We don't know what's inside that chamber. Let me take care of this. Byakugan!"
His veins popped up around his eyes, catching her attention. She looked at him, trying to figure out why his eyes were like that. It was weird, yet it seemed powerful. He seemed to notice her thoughts, because he could see her curious face with his kekkei genkai.
"It's a special ability that runs into my family. It gives me the power to see through physical obstacles, such as skin, walls and distance."
"Really? That's amazing! Anyway, what did you see inside the chamber?"
"I saw the Ichibi no Shukaku Sapphire and a man with a dangerous chakra. He knows we're here and it seems like... he's waiting."
The pink-haired woman smiled. "Then we can't make him wait." She opened the door before Neji could stop her or say anything else.
"Greetings, Sabaku no Gaara-sama." Sakura bowed; Gaara nodded, acknowledging her. "I'm sorry I'm late."
"Welcome, Kouya no Sakura." She widened her eyes. How did he know her name? He noticed her confusion. "You're not the only one who has dreams… Anyway, I'm pleased to see you were able to get to this chamber. Since you made it so far, I have no doubt you should have the Ichibi no Shukaku Sapphire." The jade-eyed man took the deep blue spherical gem and, in large strides, approached the woman. "Good luck with the other eight." Gaara carefully put the Sapphire in her hands, purposely ignoring the suspicious glares Neji was giving him.
"Thank you, Sabaku no Gaara-sama. You don't know what it means to me." She bowed again.
"Sakura… We should go now. I don't trust this guy." Neji said, not caring if Gaara would hear it or not. The redhead smirked.
"And you shouldn't trust me, Konoha jounin. There's only one reason why I won't kill you right now, but you don't need to know it. Not now." He said coolly, without any trace of anger or hate in his voice or face.
"Sakura?" he spoke as soon as they left the palace. "May I ask you two things?"
"Of course, Hyuuga Neji. What is it you want to know?"
"First of all… How did you and Sabaku no Gaara know each other? And why do you need the Nine Tailed Beasts gems to save someone's life? Can't you just use your healing jutsus?"
Sakura looked deeply into his white eyes. "Well… It may sound strange, but I'm having lots of dreams lately. They started as soon as he…" She looked away, unsure if she should talk about him or not. "Well, in these dreams I see a lot of things, and in a particular one I saw the Ichibi no Shukaku Sapphire. The dream told me how to get it; I should go to Suna, find Hyuuga Neji the Konoha Jounin, go to the Palace of Gaara and talk to Sabaku no Gaara to get the Sapphire."
"You dreamed about me?" he asked, not being able to hide his surprise.
"Yes, I did. And apparently Sabaku no Gaara dreamed about us, too. I don't know; sometimes I feel that a greater force is guiding me in my journey."
"And what about the one you need to save?"
"I… Well, I don't know very much about it myself, but one day I had a dream about someone needing my help. I followed the dream's instructions and found the body of a man in the middle of what seemed to be the remnants of a huge battle. I took him with me, even he being dead, because the dream said he could be resurrected. This is what I need the gems for."
"Who is this man?"
"I honestly don't know. But the dreams told me he's some kind of a hero, and that resurrecting him would be my sacred mission." Sakura pursed her lips; she had a feeling that she shouldn't have told him that much, but she wasn't going to see Neji again anyway… "Oh, the people in Suna told me you're a criminal. Is it true? I mean, it's hard to believe, because you helped me…"
"I see you don't know much about this world. The thing is, I'm a shinobi, and as a shinobi sometimes I have to kill people. It's not personal; it's my job, and I'm not the only one doing it. But I happened to have killed lots of shinobis from Suna, so this is one reason why they want my head. Other reason is the secret behind my eyes."
"Uh… Thanks for not killing me, I guess?"
"Hn." He rolled his eyes. He was not a murderer; he was a shinobi fighting for his country. Until he was commanded to, he wouldn't kill a person.
"Well, Hyuuga Neji, here's your payment." She handed him a small bag with some golden pieces inside. 'And I thought I would never use those yellow metal seeds…' "Thanks for everything. If you ever need help, look for me in Kouya!" She smiled kindly. "I wish you a long happy life."
"Thanks." He saw no reason for such a warm farewell, since they were nothing more than temporary working partners. As a matter of fact, he saw no reason for warm farewells whatsoever.
"Good bye, Hyuuga Neji." And she disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
"Wait a second… Did she say Kouya? That island inhabited by beasts of all sort? There are no people there! Who is this woman?" he asked to no one in particular, while disappearing in a poof of smoke.
Two days after that, Kouya's only human inhabitant got back home. Soon she would have to tell her family – the forest wolves' pack – about her cousin's death, but first she had something more urgent to do. The pink-haired woman took the Sapphire in her hands and examined it carefully. It was deep blue, translucent, perfectly spherical, and had a raccoon inside it – the Ichibi no Shukaku soul. She stopped in front of a cave and took a deep breath before entering it. Deep inside a cave, on a leafy makeshift bed, laid the body of a man. Sakura looked at his fair complexion, his black hair, his high cheekbones, before kneeling down beside him. She put the Sapphire on his chest, and it was instantly absorbed by the man's body.
"This gem is in its place now… But I still need the others. I'll bring all of them, my hero! I'll bring you back to life! Because this world needs you so much… And so do I."
She got up and left the cave. Because of that, she didn't see the onyx eyes that opened for a second before closing again.
A/N: Hiiii there! This time I decided to write an AU story; it's based on a very cool Brazilian manga! I hope you guys like it :-) In this story, Sakura is around 21-22 years old; other characters' ages are compatible with this time skip. I already wrote the entire plot (not the chapters, only the main ideas), and I hope you guys like it! My other stories will be updated as soon as inspiration comes back.
I'd like to dedicate this story to my dear friend Aloha.Laney; I know it's not the story I promised you, but...
I guess you deserve some translations… Here you are:
Fukushuu no Seiken – Holy Sword of Revenge;
Sekai – literally means "world" :-P Couldn't think of a better name, heh;
Otome – in this case, it means young lady;
Hi no Kuni – Fire Country (I like to stick to Japanese names);
Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu – Element Earth: Inner Decapitation Skill;
Doton: Doroku Gaeshi – Element Earth: Upside Down Mud Wall;
Mokuton: Tsurugi to Yoroi no Jutsu – Element Wood: Sword and Armor Jutsu (created by me);
Kouya – Wilderness, deserted land
Disclaimer: Do I really need to say that I don't own Naruto?