The child was beautiful, the woman remembered, recognizing the figure hunched a few yards in front of her. Her eyes were a shining emerald green, illuminated mysteriously by the light. Her figure was thin and pale, her hands, tiny. She was six, but she looked only four.
As she shifted, the moonlight fell on her face. The elderly woman started, realizing strands of rich, red hair were falling over the little girl's face as she hunched over something.
It was strange, the woman thought. She could have sworn that this girl had had pink hair just a few days before. Yes, she was sure, because it was the exact same shade as the cherry blossoms.
The elderly woman came closer to the little girl and reached out a hand to touch her on the shoulder, only for her hand to stutter to a stop in midair.
As the girl looked up, she stared with blank empty eyes, the usual shining emerald, dulled. Streaks of red covered her face. Her tiny hand clasped another, larger and paler.
Her mother's, the woman realized. She had seen them just a few days before, in the park, under the gentle sheet of falling cherry blossoms.
With an increasing sense of horror, the woman's eyes fell to the dagger embedded in the body of the young girl's mother.
Her mouth opened in a choked cry as she realized it was blood that dyed the child's beautiful sakura hair red.
.
.
.
My life is a whirlwind of dreams, dreams, dreams. I wonder if they're even real.
Maybe.
Maybe.
Maybe...
.
.
.
Maybe, it's better to never have existed.
.
.
. Part 1: We are Legend
Sakura woke up with a start, sitting up suddenly, her mouth open in a soundless scream that quickly turned into gasps. Her heart beating painfully fast, she willed her breaths to even out and her fists to unclench from their tight grip on her blankets. One of her hands came up to run harshly through her hair as her lips pulled down into an irritated frown.
"Damn nightmares."
Her hand started to pull roughly through her hair, untangling the scrawl of silky pink strands. Brilliant emerald eyes closed as she brought her hands down on her lap. Slowly, hesitantly, she opened her eyes.
Her small, petite hands were pale and white, the skin smooth and unblemished. Sakura sighed softly and flopped back down on her back.
M-Mother.
She closed her eyes and frowned again.
-/static/-
Do it -zzzt-
D-Do it -zzzzt- for m-me.
-/static/-
MOTHER!
Still, she couldn't shake off the feeling that blood was staining her hands.
.
.
Chapter 1: The Legend
Sasuke scowled down at the picture of a smiling pink haired girl.
"She's the Legend?"
Something pricked at him at the back of his consciousness.
"You love your mother."
"Yes."
"So you would do anything for her?"
-/static/-
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively before taking a large drink of sake. "After two long years of searching, we finally have a location of her whereabouts. Go on now. You have a mission to complete."
Sasuke's scowl deepened and Naruto beside him jumped forward.
"Baa-chan, are you sure you gave us the right file? This chick's a child! She can't be the Legend. She probably hasn't even hit puberty yet!" the blond protested.
Tsunade glowered fiercely at Naruto but the man did not shrink back.
"Baa-chan, you can't make us kill a kid!"
The Hokage shot one last glare at Naruto before taking another long drink from her sake bottle. She wiped her mouth sloppily, then slammed her hand down.
"Firstly, you're not going to kill her unless necessary, idiot. Chances are, she might be willing to join Konoha. Secondly, our research has shown she is around your age and she is the Legend."
Sasuke scoffed. "She looks nothing of it."
I like your smile.
Will you-
-/static/-
Pinky swear.
Two small hands interloped at the pinky and two tiny thumbs pressed together.
Naruto nodded in agreement. "I thought it was going to be a big, buff man...not this little scrawny chick."
The Hokage scowled. "Either way, do not underestimate her. She has felled elite without earning so much as a scratch. No blood has ever stained her hands; no one has even gotten close to her. She is quick and deadly. I repeat, do not underestimate her or it is you and Konoha that will fall," the Hokage warned.
Naruto quieted and Sasuke stayed silent, both recognizing the serious and urgent tone of the Hokage.
"I am confident in your abilities to confront her but if you two are cocky, you will fail. Mark my words, it will take the both of you to bring her down so do not let your arrogance kill you. You must deal with her before Orochimaru or Akatsuki reach her first. A lot is at stake here."
The two anbu nodded. The Hokage closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.
"Remember, if she does not come with you, you must kill her."
I like your smile.
"Hn."
"Hai."
Silence, then, solemn yet gentle hazel eyes opened.
"Make sure to come back."
Two respectful bows and they were gone.
-x-
"You sure about this, brat?"
There was an amused chuckle.
"Have faith in them, Hokage. You said so yourself. You have confidence in their abilities."
"Why can't you just bring her here?"
"The Legend tolerates me, but she will bow to no one. She does not like to be near people. I would not be able to bring her back."
"So you're saying she has to be taken by force."
The masked man ran a hand through his hair wearily. "You will not win by force. That is why I recommended you send those two. There's something about them that can change a person."
The blond frowned. "Yes, but from what you have told me of the Legend, I wonder if they are able to bring her back."
"The Legend is not a bad person. I rather liked her myself. I don't know why you're threatening to kill her."
Tsunade sighed. "Only if she doesn't cooperate. Only if she doesn't cooperate, Kakashi!"
Kakashi laughed. "The Legend is a legend. She does not understand herself. I think those two will help her find herself."
"Well, if those three don't find their way back here, it's yourself you should worry about. I'll have your head," Tsunade scolded.
The man smirked. "You'll have to catch me first."
"You think I can't see your arrogant smirk, brat. But I see it. It's in your eyes."
Kakashi bowed and then he too was gone.
-x-
"The Legend, 5'2", 115 pounds."
Naruto stopped. "Damn, she's heavy for her size." There was a short pause as he examined the picture. "That's strange, she looks so skinny."
Sasuke slapped the back of the blonde's head as he walked past. "Idiot. Muscle is heavier than fat."
Naruto whistled. "She has a killer body. Look, I never noticed before! She has pretty curves."
Sasuke slapped him again.
Naruto glared at him then put a finger to his chin. "Then baa-chan was probably right. She does look around 19, judging by the size of her chest."
He dodged another one of Sasuke's irritated swats.
"Shut up, dobe, and concentrate on the mission."
"Hey, hey, teme, I'm debriefing you. We need to know what she looks like if we want to catch her."
"Dobe. She has pink hair. We'd spot her from a mile away."
"HAH teme, I bet you never thought that she could dye her hair! And you call yourself the Uchiha prodigy. Tch."
"Idiot. Tsunade told us she strays away from people. She doesn't like to come in contact with them; she wouldn't have gone into town to buy dye. She's adept at hiding herself, that's why no one can find her."
Naruto scowled. "Great. Another anti-social teme."
Sasuke resisted the urge to smack the dobe again and instead, ignored the jibe.
"So, why is it so important for us to catch the Legend anyway. She didn't harm anyone of Konoha."
Sasuke grimaced. He did not like explaining this because he never entirely agreed with what the Hokage and the council decided.
"The Legend is a potential threat. Even if she has done nothing now, it is possible for her to do so in the future."
Naruto frowned. "Sasuke, you read about the Legend. She's never done anything to harm civilians. The only time she's ever killed is to protect them."
Sasuke frowned also. "Hn.."
"Then why do we need to kill her?" Naruto insisted. "It's not right."
Sasuke sighed. "If Sound and its alliance get their hands on her, we might lose the war."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "She can't be that strong, can she? So much to change the outcome of a war? I mean, everyone makes her sound so cool and strong. It's just a name, I bet."
That earned him another unexpected swat. "HEY!"
Sasuke continued walking. "Remember what Tsunade said. If you want to keep your head on your shoulders, do not underestimate her. Good or not, she's still a killer."
Naruto sobered. "Still a killer," he murmured, his voice tinged with traces of pain. "Just like us."
Sasuke's expression hardened.
"Hn. Just like us."
-x-
Sakura flipped awkwardly up from the sleeping bag in response to the high chakra signatures headed her way. She cursed silently, berating herself for not lowering her own signature. As she scrambled to stuff the little things she owned into her pack, she vehemently cursed the day she stumbled across the orphanage just outside of Sound.
Well, it wasn't exactly an orphanage. It was more of a slave registration headquarters where children were being sold off into slavery for the shinobi of Sound. Sakura had unknowingly stepped onto their land when she was 15 and had nearly been taken captive herself. Having trekked for a long day over foreign land, her temper was at its blowing point and she had knocked around the guards there harder than necessary. She had taken the liberty of liberating every child there and burning down the whole operation and its headquarters.
Yes, Sakura knew she brought down a whole earth of trouble on herself but it was worth saving the children.
Swiftly, she counted the chakras approaching. There were ten in the front, all very high. She grimaced. They never sent that much at a time. But what worried her most were the elite chakra signatures behind them. Counting carefully, she arrived at the number six.
The pink-headed girl stilled. That…never happened. Always, always, there were only two to back the other up, three at most.
She was lucky that night, Sakura admitted. There was no one at shinobi level there that night or otherwise she would have failed. But after she botched Sound's slave operation, she was wanted. Sound was pissed.
Sakura sighed in frustration. She knew she was skilled. She had strength, but she didn't pose that much a threat did she? She didn't do anything to piss them off after that, so why were they still after her?
Her pink head popped up from her packing as she sensed the chakras come closer with alarming speed. Frowning, she threw on her cloak and pulled the hood low over her head. If she could avoid confrontation, she would, but they were too close for that to happen. But if she fought…she would probably get injured.
If she could run, she would try. She did not want any blood on her hands.
With one last look around the small home that had served her so well for two years, she stepped out the door.
-x-
"Teme, how much longer do we have to tree-jump? This is so boooooring," Naruto whined while dodging a branch.
"Quiet dobe. We reach her home in one more day."
"But we've been traveling for two already. I'm tired."
Sasuke's expression soured. "I'm tired also but we need to hurry. Someone might have reached her first."
"Fine. Let's make this interesting. I'll race ya!"
"No."
"C'mon, it'll be fun."
"We need to conserve our energy if we want to capture the Legend."
"Awww, teme, do you really believe all that stuff. She looks like one blow would down her." Naruto amended quickly after Sasuke shot him a warning look. "Alright, I won't get arrogant. That's your job."
Sasuke glared. "That's not arrogance. That's confidence in my abilities."
Naruto scoffed. "We'll see. I get a go at her first-EH HEY!"
Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke jumped suddenly at him, the other man's body crashing into his lithe one. They tumbled toward the ground and Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw a shuriken flash past the spot he was just at.
The two landed gracefully on the ground and shifted immediately into defensive positions, Sasuke's eyes bleeding crimson.
A cloaked figure landed heavily in front of them. Sasuke's sharp hearing picked up uneven breathing and he watched cautiously as the assailant shakily stood up. He could see a sword hilt beneath the cloak and a pouch, although it was lacking the usual amount of weaponry. His sharigan eyes assessed the figure's chakra and he was shocked to see that the attacker's chakra strands were waving gently within her, with no pattern and rhyme, unlike his and Naruto's chakras, which were overlapping each other in an organized pattern.
As he looked closer, he saw that the attacker was injured in the way his chakras did not pulse evenly. They were erratic and lopsided. With a start, he realized the person was injured.
"Hey! Why'd you attack us?" Naruto demanded, irritated at being caught off guard.
There was no answer from the cloaked figure.
"Hey! Are you deaf? I asked you a question," Naruto said.
The man's hand came up and the two others tensed. The pale hand pulled down the hood of the cloak lower and a second later, he was gone.
Both men's eyes widened as they felt the attacker pass them at an impossible speed and the wind ruffle through their hair. Their heads turned back and then up as the assailant moved up to the trees. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he sensed another chakra signature approaching.
Sasuke was the first to move. He darted forward after the cloaked figure.
"Hey, wait for me teme! I want to kick his ass!"
The ebony haired man tossed a kunai aimed at Naruto and the man was forced to stop his pursuit to avoid the weapon.
"HEY! Stop trying to kill me!"
"Dobe, there's someone behind us, probably Sound. Take care of him."
Naruto stopped following and started in the other direction. "Alright fine! I got my radio, so I'll kick ass and meet you up soon," he hollered.
Sasuke smirked and increased his pace, racing after the fleeing figure in the distance.
"Hurry back, dobe. If the Legend is as good as they say, I'm going to need back up."
-x-
"Where're you goin'?"
The Sound shinobi immediately stopped and glanced up into the trees, spotting a blonde sporting a fox anbu mask. He cursed under his breath. At this rate, he'd lose the Legend.
"I'll kill you quickly because I'm in a hurry," he spoke.
Naruto scowled. "You're chasing that fellow back there?"
"There is no use in informing a dead man."
Suddenly, the Sound shinobi found a kunai held to his throat and the presence of the blonde man holding him hostage behind him.
"What's that again?" asked Naruto.
He flipped back to avoid a swing of the Sound shinobi's leg and landed gracefully a few feet away. "I am in a hurry also, so tell me and I will kill you quickly."
The Sound shinobi laughed. "You don't know who just passed you there?" As Naruto stayed silent, the shinobi laughed again. "You really are ignorant."
With a flick of the wrist, a kunai flashed at the Sound shinobi but he dodged easily. "Alright, I'll tell you, since you really have no idea."
Naruto waited.
"That was the Legend."
Cerulean eyes narrowed. "No that wasn't. Sasuke wouldn't have gone after her on his own if he knew. He's not stupid."
"Yes, he's probably realized that me and my teammates had already injured her. You are not so bright."
Naruto pushed himself into a flip to avoid being hit by the other shinobi's shuriken. "So if you'll die quickly, I need to be on my way to capture the Legend before your friend does. She won't be able to get very far."
"Sasuke's strong. He can take her."
"Underestimating the opponent is fatal."
Naruto quickly took refuge in the trees as the shinobi applied sound waves to the ground, causing the earth to crack and break. The two shinobi exchanged blows and blocks, neither being able to land a hit on the other. Naruto, starting to become frustrated and anxious on wasting too much valuable time, increased the usage of his chakra.
He threw three shuriken in rapid succession, each aiming straight at the opponent's heart, only to see them all deflected.
Annoyed, Naruto increased his speed and seeing an opening by the Sound shinobi's left side, he struck hard, only to find his attack deflected and his body thrown off course, allowing the other shinobi to stab Naruto with a kunai in the shoulder.
The blonde retreated and pulled the kunai out, barely grimacing. "How did you do that?"
The shinobi smirked. "Vibrations. I have the ability to make the air around me vibrate and I use it as a shield."
Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated his chakras. His eyes snapped open in surprise as white-hot pain shot through his arms.
"You're finished now. You've been poisoned. Using your chakra will only hurt you. It's laughable that you thought you could take on the Legend with your strength. You and your partner are doomed."
Naruto glared at him before closing his eyes. "You talk too much," he said before 10 doppelgangers appeared by his side, all constructing a whirlpool of red and orange chakra in their right hand.
The Sound shinobi's eyes widened in shock.
"Rasengan."
.
.
.
"D-Damn. How did you-"
Naruto stared down at the Sound shinobi. "Underestimating the opponent is fatal."
"Yet, you are doing the same."
"I'm not the one drowning in my own blood," Naruto retorted as he put a hand to his healing shoulder.
The Sound shinobi laughed and then coughed, his expression twisted in pain. "It took 15 of us… six were elite…to only injure her. You… you say your partner can take her."
Naruto plucked a kunai out of his pack and thrust it into the shinobi's forehead, killing him quickly and sparing him from bleeding out and pain.
"Idiot. Konoha shinobi are way stronger than Sound. Sasuke could take 15 himself also."
Yet, as Naruto began his way back toward Sasuke, his heart was more anxious than he was comfortable with. He increased his pace and radioed Sasuke, only to have no reply.
"Be careful, Sasuke."
