The night was starting to wrap around her when the kenshi began to close in. It had been a simple plan she would go out and place traps in a good radius around tazuna's home to trip up anyone sneaking up on them. Since Sakura was the best trap maker and most rested she took up the task. She had been so carful going out on her own to scout and set up traps. Kakashi was still in a coma from exhaustion and both sasuke and naruto were not far behind. But as she was finishing up she had noticed a group of sword wielding thugs moving through the forest. While there were only five of them and it was nearing twilight the leader had disgustingly good eyesight and was leading them through the trapped forest. More importantly upon closer inspection she realized they all wore the layered mesh armor of a veteran Kenshi. Now, put in the tight spot of facing five armed men, one of whom was probably experienced against ninja, or running back to base where the only other combatants were exhausted she hesitated. Neither of the options appealed to her but as it stood she only had a few bomb notes left as most of her supplies went into the traps these men were so rudely dodging around. Then again she didn't need to kill them she just need to distract and ward them off. As she contemplated charging in a voice in her head scolded her
' you aren't naruto use your head! work through the problem.' taking a deep breath she began to map out the path the Kenshi were taking, all she needed was a small advatage. Sakura began to compare the Kenshi's path with her trap lay out and realized that if she ran off to their left a heavily trapped area stood between her and them she just needed to draw their ire.
She wrapped one of the last bomb notes around a hefty stick as she moved into position. Breathing deep before throwing it at the Kenshi closest to her timing the explosive note to detonate next to his head before taking of towards the East along a line that held most of her traps. Behind her she heard screams of outrage and surprise as well as a wet squelchy thumping sound she shivered at. As she moderated her pace enough to keep just in sight of the thudding steps behind her she started to map her exit strategy.
BANG
The sound of the trap going off startled Sakura enough that she almost fell into one herself. Thinking quickly she adjusted the chakra through her hand deactivating the note and adding it to her pouch before tearing off again through the woods. As she went she began stripping every third trap off its bomb note and stashing it away. If she kept on her current course she would arrive at the sea and be able to swim away. A scream of pure anguish resounded about the forest causing Sakura to wince. She could guess what the man had run into, after all she didn't have nearly enough bomb notes to trap the whole forest, the result of this fact was the creation of highly sharp spring loaded spikes aimed at the lower body, Disabling the target while they bled to death.
As she neared a barren rocky Beach with a flat out cropping of rock she realized two things; first that there was no more pursuit behind her, and second there were voices up ahead. Apparently Night-eyes and his last follower had realized her plan and were scoping out the beach for her arrival. More importantly they had heard her coming while they still hadn't seen her or been able to pinpoint her exactly they were between the sea and her. she could double back and around but any movement would alert them to her location, what should she do?
'Calm down and think, a well executed plan is just as devastating as a pedigree or flashy jutsu' As reason began to melt the crippling anxiety Sakura took stock of the twelve bomb notes, two kunia, and a small amount of wire.
' wouldn't mind a flashy jutsu' right about now' she thought despondently. The problem before her was one of ability with the tags she could kill the Kenshi through their armor as long as the explosion was close to them this meant she would have to get really close to one of them and somehow stick the bomb note to them. They had learn the basics at the academy of sticking the bomb notes to surfaces it was just an extrapolation of the chakra control training in which students stuck leaves to their forehead and held it there with chakra. The effect was then reapeated with various body parts to help the students control the chakra throughout their bodies. But sakura had excelled to the point where she could not just hold multiple leaves across her body she could move those leaves around her skin. She and Ino had even made up a game where Sakura had to tag Ino with a leaf. she remebered running through the academy training grounds laughing as ino danced away from her,
Pulling herself from memory she gained an idea about what to do. The follower Kenshi was closest to her and she had a clear line of attack to him. Unfortunately Night-eyes was further to the left and had a thicket of pines between him and her. She started to silently tie one bomb note to a kunia saving the other knife in case things went wrong and she had to engage up close. Placing the explosive kunia in her off hand she slipped a primed note on her other palm using her chakra to hold it and tensing the spirals in her hand as preparation. Sakura could now with a thought stick the bomb note to her first enemy.
Tensing and preparing for the confrontation she waited until the follower turned his body diagonal from her before charging at a point just off center of her target. As she came upon him the Kenshi reacted with the only strike he could drawing from the hip aiming to bisect her upper body . just as she planned his strike was unbalanced and wide most likely meant to ward her off it would have ended the fight right then... if she had been charging straight at him as it stood she managed to drop into a tight roll within an inch of clearance between her back and the blade. As gravel bit into her shoulder she thrust her palm out stretching and compressing the chakra spiral thrusting the bomb note into the kenshi's stomach. As she came up from her roll she twisted flinging her eplosive kunia at Night-eyes but continuing with her momentum she felt the muffled thump pass through her as the squelching sound sent her guts twisting again, stumbling to a stop she had to fight the bile rising in her throat
CRAAAKKK! Thump!
The sound of rock shearing followed by an explosion shook her from a very disturbing spiral of thought. Turning quickly she saw a new crevice opened in the rock just behind her looking towards the start and saw Night-eyes sword blade drawn from a strike, a strike that carved an at least two foot deep trench which ranked him well above a veteran thug; He had aromor plates lining his mesh and actual sword techniques, this was a samurai a true samuria.
As he drew his sword back into position Sakura's hand jumped in panic going to her bag for more explosives. Hands and mind in the midst of panic did not for a good handling of explosives make as her still recovering chakra paths let out a burst of uncontrolled energy lighting the fuse on most of the tags. Her eyes widened taking in the now charging samuri, an opponent she couldn't face, and now she held a bag of time delayed death a cold descended on her. There was no way out. her first real mission and she was dead that was what this cold was, acceptance. But did she accept this? thoughts of home passed before her eyes; her mother laying out breakfast, her father rotating home from the capital with gifts for birthdays and celebrations missed, even argueing with Ino who despite everything said was still essentially her best, naruto's fruitles attempts at dating her.
" I want to live. " with this affirmation fire surged through her off hand as it swung her last kunia severing the loops holding her weapons pouch to her as it fell her left leg pushed off the ground hurling backwards to the sea as her right leg kicked the bag into the crevice crossing her arms in front of her face and curling her body.
CCRRUUMMPT!
as the explosion deafened her ears and propelled her she felt fiery shrapnel Lance into her body before the cold water engulfed her. Twisting currents dragged her down as darkness claimed her senses.
So Back from the brink and I bring stories and Ideas hither to unheard. ya know...probably.. anyway thanks for reading typical disclaimer of no over anything except characters and concepts conjured by me, have a good one