i. intro
She entered the tavern, hood drawn and weapons concealed beneath the dark fabric. Her curious presence did not draw much attention from the revellers as they sat with glasses full of amber liquid, laughing in groups or watching the small screen above the bar with disinterested eyes. This was a regular stop before she took on a new job. She liked the humane feeling it gave her before she was about to commit something quite the opposite.
As she made her way across the dim, cramped space to a vacant barstool, she needed only to lift a finger to alert the barkeeper of her order. Waiting with her chin rested on her palm, Sakura's eyes drifted upwards to the screen to see what the guzzlers next to her were making such a commotion about.
A faint, unbelievable smile played at her lips as she watched the news anchor report on a recent assassination. This one wasn't her doing, no, that was not the reason why amusement transcended her features. This assassin – this stupid, idiotic assassin – had the audacity to reveal his identity. In fact, he was even made out to take pride in the killing.
What was he thinking? His name, Sasuke Uchiha, was repeated over and over again as a bloodied crime scene displayed the remains of his unfortunate victim.
She shook her head, trying not to laugh. He should know better. In a town like this, in a business as such, it was crucial you remain a secret. People feared the unknown. They could not retaliate against the unknown. There was no conceivable reason to let yourself be exposed like this.
Her drink arrived, and she swirled it around in the glass, pretending to be interested in the intoxicating fluid. She took a few sips, but cringed at the bitter taste. She had no care for alcohol. But still she sat for a long while, her eyes unfocused on the stained wood, running through her assignment in her head.
The news changed, and Sakura's grip tightened on the glass. It now relayed that the infamous Akatsuki were yet again up to their scheming antics.
But she didn't need the reminder. They would all be dead by the time she was finished.
...
Leaping across the rooftops, Sakura paused before the one that held her interest. Dawn was fast approaching, and the cold air bit through her clothes to her skin. She didn't let it deter her, but she was surprised to see another silhouette crouched beside the high rooftop window leading to her targets.
"So you're the idiot everyone's been talking about," she said as she approached. "The whole point of being an assassin is that no one's supposed to know who you are."
The black haired man glared back at her. "No, the whole point of being an assassin is to kill."
"Sasuke Uchiha," she said, an incredulous laugh puffing the air before her lips. "Just as charming as they make you out to be."
"Tch. Why are you here?"
She knelt down at the other end of the window, and looked down into the building. "Same reason as you, I suspect. Someone hired me to take out the Akatsuki."
His jaw locked. "I don't need any help."
"Who said I was going to help you? I'm here on my own job. I guess the people who hired us must've been pretty desperate to get rid of them." She looked inside and made a face of disgust. "I can't imagine why."
Through the blurry surface, a wash of warm colour filtered out. More than two dozen or so suited men were celebrating their winnings beneath a golden chandelier, hands full of expensive rings and wine. From the documents Kakashi had given to her prior, Sakura knew exactly how they made their substantial wealth.
Sasuke nodded in agreement, though he still had no idea who she was. He supposed that was the feat of being an assassin, after all.
"You see that one over there? Over by the piano?" He waited a moment to see acknowledgement in her eyes before he continued. "He's the one who initiates the shipments. Take him out and these bastards have no way to carry out their ordeals."
"Are you telling me how to do my job?"
"No, I'm telling you the best way to go about this. There's no point going in all guns-blazing until we can be sure to knock them all out individually. Too many of them for that."
"I don't use guns. Knives are more preferable. Never bust out on you, always reliable," she said thoughtfully.
She watched as his eyebrows shot up. "Really? You seem like a guns kind of person."
"What's that supposed to mean? Don't think I can handle getting my hands dirty?"
He shook his head. "Not that. Just something about you."
Now it was her turn to raise her brows. "What, am I too reckless, too impulsive? Believe me when I tell you I get enough of that from everybody else."
It didn't take much for Sasuke to believe her. "Look, all I'm saying is: get out of my way. I don't need you messing up this strategy."
"Who says I don't have my own strategy?"
"And what would that be?" he indulged her.
She stood, opening the window to the building before whipping out her knives and giving them an impressive whirl. "To gut each and every one of them. Knives-blazing." She added with a grin before rushing down into the impending chaos.
Sasuke cursed before drawing his own sword, jumping in after her.
...
"That was pretty easy," she stated, wiping blood off her face unsuccessfully.
Sasuke's breathing was hard beside her. "More so than expected."
As soon as they had arrived, the pair had begun cutting down the members as efficiently as they could. They had stood almost back-to-back amidst the fight, and had managed the job in record time.
"Now," she said, looking over the heaps of bodies around them. "Look who's the one helping me?"
"I wasn't. This was supposed to be strategised, not some impulsive endeavour to slaughter them all where they stand."
"But you have to admit," she said matter-of-factly, "it worked."
"Yes," he conceded, "but we nearly lost our wits because of it."
"And there's plenty more where that came from." She sighed. "Still, no one told you that you had to interfere."
"You forced my hand."
She clucked her tongue. "You just wanted to steal all my glory."
"There's no glory in murder."
"Don't tell me you honestly believe that."
"No," he admitted. "I don't."
Sakura glanced around, surveying the piles of carcasses they had created. Her mind registered each and every one of them while Sasuke cleaned off his bloodied sword. "They didn't put up much of a fight."
"They're business men. They have no combat skills." His voice came out exasperated, almost regretful.
"I thought you were supposed to be all pro-death," Sakura muttered distractedly, eyes wandering over the littered bodies.
Shit. She'd only counted fifteen. She must've miscalculated their numbers when they were up on the roof. Or Sasuke's information had been incorrect. Either way, some of the Akatsuki were still out there.
"What? What is it?" Sasuke said, noticing the expression on her face.
"You'd said they were all here."
"They were," he said grimly, his own eyes now wandering, considering.
"Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, but that's not the case."
He frowned. He remembered looking into the building before she had arrived, listing off the targets and planning the best way to get rid of them each. He had even pointed out the initiator to her.
"Twenty-four," Sakura said. "There were supposed to be twenty-four in total. Only fifteen of them lie at our feet. How could I be so foolish? I should've checked the numbers when I–"
"It doesn't matter."
She supposed he was right. The deed was done. Regardless, she couldn't help the tinge of annoyance she felt at herself for being so insufficient earlier. The presence of another assassin had thrown her off. That's no excuse, Kakashi would say.
They were finished here, not much else they could do. It was doubtful the rest of the Akatsuki would return at such earlier hours. Perhaps they had never been there in the first place.
No matter. She would find them all eventually.
"So are you going to tell me your name?"
"Anonymity," Sakura said with a wink, not disclosing a thing. "Something you ought to learn."
Then she was gone.
This was sort-of like an introduction. I hope Sakura is not too ooc, I tried to make her as close to her original character while still incorporating her new backstory, and that required exaggerating some points of her personality. Expect some of the Akatsuki members to appear in the next chapters - and a lot of violence, if you're not okay with that. Thanks so much for reading!