Grey Lines of Combat
Red, It was the color of war. You could see it in the setting sun, ornate streaks of orangey pink fading into the purples and blues of a starless night. The warriors' faces were colored red, bodies hot, as adrenaline from the rush of combat flooded through their veins. The ground was the darkest red, a burgundy crimson, drying to a flaky brown. Blood soaked the once grassy plain, dying it with the colors of war. Bodies of the fallen littered the field. A build up of several days; the stench was unbearable...but who had time to collect the dead when they could be killing more? More of the enemy, more of the evil ones. But who was really in the wrong?
The ninja struggling to defend their borders as they sent farmers to the outskirts, due to the skirmishes, running to the cities for protection as they fight off the invaders? Or the foreign ninja, needing more land for their ever growing population, needing the food that such land would yield.
Who was more deserving?
All of this passed through a young kunoichi's mind as she kneeled in the shadow of a knoll created by a blast of energy earlier. Her hands were deep in the chest of a comrade using chakra to carefully pluck shrapnel from exploded senbon needles out of his organs. It was her third major operation of the day and it was barely noon.
She needed a break. The smog of dust, kicked up from so many jutsu and the running and falling bodies, created a good cover for her, but as soon as the man could move again, which would be around 7 minutes and 46 seconds if her calculations were correct, they needed to get out of there.
He would need time to rest and get someone to fully heal the extensive blast marks. She needed a soldier pill, and a power nap before she could safely operate again. Her Shishou always stressed the importance of being as rested as possible before healing anyone. Tsunade was the greatest medic that her country had ever seen, and Sakura felt honored to train under her. She had prepared her for the battles that her country was facing as well as possible. That didn't meant that the horror of war didn't shock Sakura.
In war, there were no room for mistakes. There weren't enough ninjas to take the place of those who had fallen. Each life was precious but so was the cause. Too much had been lost for either side to give up now. It would all have been for nothing.
At least, that's what the leaders said. Sakura didn't need to think about such things here. She healed, did her job, and kept people alive. There wasn't time for much else, so she tried not to worry about the killing. She didn't hurt anyone that she didn't have too. Hell, she would have healed their "enemies" too, if such a thing wouldn't have gotten her killed. Her team would have been pissed if she betrayed them like that. Naruto was kind, a blonde ramen-y mess of a boy, but he knew the line between enemy and comrade. Kakashi, silver haired pervert, had seen too many battles. He had too many scars to change his way of thinking now, which was to follow orders. Sakura never spoke of differences between them, but she often felt that the world was made of many more hues of grey than just black and white.
The man underneath her spluttered as the ground trembled, sending waves of unease through her. She needed to hurry. Quickly withdrawing her blood soaked hands, Sakura stitched the man up with chakra enhanced thread. He was gasping for breath, having just now woken up from the trance she had placed him in to safely operate.
"Wh-where?" His eyes were wide and glassy, rolling around everywhere, attempting vainly to make sense of the chaos around them.
"Back at base camp," her voice was stern but low and calming. She knew the man probably wasn't asking about their destination, but usually they freaked out if she said that they were in the middle of a battlefield. She hauled the man up to his feet easily, and swung his arm over her shoulder. Bracing herself, Sakura started to walk into the wall of smoke and dust, her senses searching for the concentration of their forces. They hospital tents were there. So was safety.
Just as she decided on a good path, the smog was blown aside by a particularly strong Fuuiton.
"Shit." She cursed lightly, crouching lower on the ground, the man groaning as he went with her. She lifted a hand, glowing with green chakra, to his side. Healing his internal wounds would help them, even if it was only marginally.
Her eyes widened as a man dropped down from the sky, landing right in front of them. He had long blond hair, drawn up in a pigtail, but a thick chunk hung over one eye. The other shockingly blue orb was fixed on her triumphantly, or, more specifically, on her hand that was glowing with healing chakra. His clothes were smeared with blood, but she could easily see the black coat that hung off of his form, red clouds littering the fabric.
Sakura's face paled as all of the blood drained out of it. The enemy country, they weren't organized into squads like her side was. They had battalions and each was led by a fearsome ninja clothed in a black coat with red clouds. Those warriors were markers of death and destruction. They killed and they relished in the thrill of battle. A trail of bodies littered the ground they walked upon, and most everyone was told to flee on sight. Her green eyes flickered around widely, vainly searching for an escape path.
"Don't even think about running, yeah. You won't get far in this mess. Unless you want to become one of my art projects, yeah." His voice was surprisingly feminine though the words had a dark, serious edge to them. This man was used to being obeyed.
But Sakura was not weak. She looked him straight in the eye, concealing her fear as the man next to her trembled.
"What do you want with me?" The blonde man face split into a grin, his blue eye alight with manic humor.
"You think you're tough, yeah? Think I'll answer to you, yeah? Think again, kunoichi." Sakura growled low in her throat, anger at his words, but before she could fire back a retort, he sprang forward, knocking her out with a speed she had thought unknown to man.
Her last thoughts were ones of panic before the darkness slipped over her eyes.
~GLOC~
Itachi was tired.
He was sick of this war, of the feeble ninja that he had to kill everyday, and sick of the blood staining his hands that he could still see, no matter how many times he washed them.
But it didn't matter.
He would never stop fighting, not as long as he had a family to protect. He was the leader of an entire battalion, and that give him certain privileges. Safety for his brother and parents were guaranteed, for one.
Sighing, Itachi ripped his kunai out of a man's chest. Flicking the blood away, he turned back towards base camp. The ninja around him were terrified and opened up a path for him.
Picking his way through the corpses, he returned quickly. The leader of their faction, Pein-sama, nodded to him in greeting, "Itachi."
"Leader-sama." The red haired man fixed him with a even look before sighing.
"We made good ground today, but it's not enough. They have a healer, or a team of doctors, and for every two we take out, they put one back on the field. It needs to be taken care of."
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. He too had noticed that a lot of the enemy nin came back from near death conditions. He thought that it provided a bit of interest to this tiring war, but if it was becoming an issue...
"Would you like Akatsuki to apprehend any medic-nin we come across?" The leaders of the 7 battalions were referred to as Akatsuki, being composed of the top nin from their home country. Pein was apart of the team, but he was the leader of the military. They all deferred to his orders.
"Yes. Bring them back alive." With a curt nod, Pein directed his attention to the scout next to him, telling the man to deliver the news to the other nin.
Itachi walked back to his quarters, a large red pavilion with crows, and his family crest emblazoned on it. Pulling back the heavy flap of material, he slipped inside. The furnishings were sparse, but he didn't need much. A black futon with perfectly made up black and red covers, an ebony desk, a few piles of papers and spare weapons neatly lying on top, and, centered with a hole in the top of the tent for smoke, was a fire pit, provisions and a barrel of water beside it.
He dropped his bloody cloak on the desk, not caring about the slight mess it made. Rubbing his temples, Itachi slumped into his chair.
There was another reason that they needed the medic on their side. The Uchiha Heir's powers were centered in his eyes but they were suffering. His sight was growing dimmer each day, and his country needed his ocular powers to win this war.
Well, they might be able to win without him, but it would cost them dearly. Unfortunately, none of their medics had been deemed proficient enough for him to let them examine his eyes. Hopefully Hi no Kuni really did have someone exceptional on the front lines.
Shaking his head to clear away his dark thoughts, Itachi's eyes flicked to the stack of papers on his desk. On top was his newest letter for him. His lips twitched up into a smile as the ravenette carefully opened up the scroll, reading its contents eagerly.
'Dearest Itachi, I hope that the battles haven't been too hard on you. I know that your fighting skills are second to none, with the exception of Pein-sama of course, but even you need your sleep. Be careful to eat well. Your brother is getting so big! He's 11 now and almost ready to graduate from the academy. His training is going well, but he asks about you constantly. Do your best to keep safe, my son.
Love, Mikoto.
Itachi smiled fondly at the words from his mother. Ever the overprotective hen, he could almost feel her gentleness. Well, a layer of soft that lay atop hard steel. She was not the matriarch of his clan for nothing, and had been a powerful kunoichi in her day. She was only exempt from fighting to raise Sasuke, his Otouto. His eyes skipped over to the next letter included, after carefully setting Mikoto's aside.
'Dear Nii-San, I miss you a lot! I bet that the front lines are really fun to be on though, with so much fighting! No one can beat you though, you're too good for that. I'll be at your level one day. I've learned three new shuriken techniques since you left, and hopefully I'll learn more once I leave the academy. Say, Nii-San, I really hope that you can make it back for my graduation. It's in six months, but if you're busy fighting, that comes first. Just like Otou-San says, honor and duty come before all.
Good luck fighting, Sasuke.'
Itachi's soft smile slid off of his lips. His brother was young and moldable, and his father had taken notice. Eyes narrowing, he sighed. His father's influence would have to be monitored, to ensure that the boy got the future he deserved, and wasn't pressured into a blood filled life. His eyes dropped down to the final letter within the small pack of scrolls.
'Itachi, I have heard many good things from your commanders. They say you are a storm in battle and very efficient. Keep it up. You must uphold the family name in this war and crush the opposition.
Regards, Fugaku Uchiha.
Itachi scowled as he tossed the letter onto his desk. His father was much too concerned with battle and their family reputation. He didn't share the same ideals as the rest of the family.
Itachi did not revel in battle like his clansmen, but he was the protégé and heir to the clan. As such, there were certain expectations of his prowess. Expectations that he went above and beyond.
Sighing, he was about to recline back in his desk chair, when light footsteps approached his tent. Eyes narrowing as he felt the familiar chakra signature of the bomb lover, he stood up to greet the blonde man.
"Deidara," he said warningly, as the tent flap was pulled aside.
"Uchiha. I've brought your medic, yeah," the grinning man dropped a petite pink haired woman onto the ground. Unconscious, she was covered in a fine layer of grime and blood. He observed her with a calculating eye.
"You are sure? She is rather...small." The blonde man just kept grinning as he turned to walk away.
"She was stitching up an open chest, using only chakra. You have fun with her, yeah." The black material swung for a moment in the breeze as he left, leaving the sleeping pinkette in the watchful eyes of Itachi Uchiha.
/ hey everyone! This is just a little plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone, haha. My new side project! Updates might not be regular, but they will happen!
If anyone is a fan of Sess x Kag, from Inuyasha, I encourage you to check out my story, What Lies in the Shadows, which you can find on my profile.
Thank you for reading, and please review!