Stripping Life Down to the Bones
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Prologue
The Discovery of the Bones
"What do you want?"
"You can't do this to us! We'll–we'll pay you money!"
He continues to approach, not speaking a word.
"Spare us, please…our five year old little daughter is waiting for us at home. She needs us!"
"L-Listen. When your Hokage finds out about this – "
He drew a kunai, making the victims gasp and cry in desperation.
"No, please!"
Too late. The man was struck. Not dead, but wounded.
The women screamed, her high-pitched voice resonated throughout the entire forest. She looked up at his face, hidden by an ANBU mask. Looking up at the innocent clear sky, she prayed that her daughter will be safe. But before she could finish her final prayer, she felt sudden searing pain pierce her flesh, numbing her.
Whoever this killer was, he made sure his victims feel extensive pain, before meeting an equally gruesome death.
A pink haired kunoichi was ambling through the forest after finishing a mission in the Village Hidden in the Fire. It was a very stressful assigned to her from her mentor, Tsunade. No, she thought, Tsunade has made it clear that our mentor and student bond no longer existed. We are both highly respected and well-trained kunoichis. Tsunade as the Hokage, and I am now a faithful ANBU of Konoha.
She sighed. Becoming an ANBU has given her tons more problems and new responsibilities. As one of the best medics in all the lands of shinobi, her duty was not only to carry out necessary, high-level missions as a trusted ANBU, but also to heal and perform difficult operations at risky situations.
People in Konoha are putting too much hope in me, she thought, sighing inwardly. It's sad how even though my friends respect me more after my promotion, they seem to be forgetting about the old me, their friend Sakura.
Sakura paused for a moment and looked up at the brilliantly lit sky. Though night would be approaching soon, the sky still remains bright and warm, a light breeze blowing against her skin. Today was the kind of day she couldn't feel any frustration or anger. Nothing but tranquility and assurance. Prancing onto a thicker branch of a towering branch with great ease and grace, she laid her head against the strong tree, releasing her mind from her all her tiresome missions she was expected to complete non-stop. Her well-toned legs finally got a chance to relax and her joints also needed a break from the excessive missions. The ANBU chest armor and metal arm guards were also quite heavy to wear compared to her Jonin shinobi vest.
Just when she closed her eyes, she felt her sweat begin to get sticky and itch in the heat, forcing her to try and fight off the temptation of tearing off her heavy porcelain mask to wipe off all the sweat. It was against the rules, though, for an ANBU to show their identity in public or anytime during a mission. However, glancing around, Sakura couldn't see any humans nearby, so she decided that it should be alright to just let in some fresh air and take a refreshing, long drink of water.
Just when she was placed her thumb at the base of her mask, preparing to remove it, she suddenly heard a rustling sound behind her. Her ninja reflects kicked back in, as she spun around, focusing a large amount of chakra into her right leg. As she spun in mid-air, she smashed her heel into the trunk of the tree, splitting it in half.
Sakura laughed at herself for being over sensitive. Well, that is what happens when you're fighting life or death just to survive and complete a mission, Sakura thought to herself. I should really chill and take a vacation sometime– Ugh. I'm being so pathetic. I can't believe I'm thinking about getting a vacation when I had just started my new carrier for only a few months after I turned 21. Just think about how the senior ANBUs carry out their mission like it's nothing.
Putting her thoughts aside, Sakura decided she should probably report the result of her mission immediately to the Hokage, instead of slacking off. Jumping to a spruce tree, she held on to the tip, while peering towards the direction of Konoha. That's the main gate, I think, She thought, squinting her eyes to get a better view. There's the road that leads out from Konoha. There are the flags that the shinobis on a morning duty patrol use to mark an area as 'safe'. There's the abandoned warehouse that Team 7 once used as a hideout. There's a small tree or something planted beside it. I don't remember it being there. Maybe it is–
Sakura squinted her eyes harder, then her eyes widened in absolute shock. No way, she thought, the thought of what that thing looked like caused her to feel suddenly nauseous, as her stomach tightened with disgust.
Leaping down the tree and as fast as she could, she made her way to the site near the warehouse. She didn't want to see what she thought it was. Just the thought of that made a clump of bitter bile rise up her throat, so she forced herself to abandon the thought. Slashing the branches jutting out at her with her ANBU katana, she finally arrived there. The warehouse wasn't any different from how she remembered it. The foundation was still leaning to one side and the shackles of the roof were still covered with layers of moss and fungi. However, before Sakura could have time to even notice the details of the similarities and changes of her childhood hideout, the branch-like thing sticking out from a man-made cut caught her full attention. Gasping at the horrible sight, she covered her mouth, blood draining from her face in disgust. What she feared was true.
That was no tree.
It was a bloody, flesh-stripped hand.
Note: This is my first attempt writing a suspense/mystery/angst/horror story, so I have no idea how it would turn out. Please review if you hated it, liked it, or anything.