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VISCOSITY
Word Count: 2806
Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, hints of Kakasaku if you squint
Setting: All over the place
Time: After the end of chapter 699 in the manga, but with a mix of anime elements
Genre: Adventure, Romance, and Suspense
Rating: Pg13 I suppose… for now anyway
Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are copyright of Masashi Kishimoto. The anime is produced by Viz Media and Studio Pierrot / Aniplex. I am merely borrowing the characters for my and your amusement, like everyone else on ffnet.
Summary: Sakura is sent to a foreign land to help the dream of the Kage become a reality; Sasuke seeks redemption in this ninja world. Naruto and Karin comb through rubble on a forgotten island. Tsunade, Hinata and the rest of Konoha seek to rebuild Konoha while Kakashi transitions into being Hokage. Mei seeks desperately to repair what war and the fourth Mizukage have destroyed in the Land of Water. It seems as if the shinobi have been scattered to the winds, just as the Uzumaki were years and years ago. As Karin and Naruto learn more about their ancestry, everyone begins to see just how much the Land of Whirlpools has permeated the waters of the earth. A new kind of war is emerging, and everyone begins to truly understand Hashirama's words: "There is always fighting, no matter what the era." In clan versus village, where do their loyalties lie?
Author's Note: SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES! Don't say I didn't warn you. Also, this is a mix of Aussie, American, and English spelling. I'm a mixed breed myself
Breakwater
Salt and sound and water and earth filled the air, as a soft breeze blew against her face. Amid the chatter of the sea-bound travelers and the calls of the seagulls stood a young woman with emerald eyes and rose-coloured hair. Haruno Sakura waited at the edge of the wooden dock, trying to take in the scene before her. With wide eyes she saw the giant ships enter and exit the port as she listened to sounds of clanging metals, creaks and clicks on the boards beneath her feet, gay whoops and cheers of the sailors who had returned to shore, and wind pushing against sails of the massive junks, the trabaccolos, the schooners. Once in a while a rudder would begin to churn the water, the vibration eventually reaching under her feet… Sometimes a steam ship would let out a blaring sigh to signal its departure or arrival. In the quieter moments, when for one reason or another everything piped down, she could even hear the small waves crash against the sand or the sloshing of ocean against ship.
She found these new arias both exciting and comforting – she had been in ports only a few times before, and never had she taken the time to really let the experience sink in. Perhaps this wasn't the type of beach music people talked about, the kind that relaxed them and calmed them down with sounds of serene tides and the occasional gull, but she liked it all the same. Maybe it was the sense of adventure slowly creeping through her body. Maybe it was just the smell of fresh sea air.
The only thing that disappointed her was that it wasn't a particularly sunny day; rather it was slightly overcast, but not murky. She didn't sense any storms coming and by the talk of the people bustling around her it seemed no one else did either. It was just a dull grey sky, and she didn't like how it echoed her inner qualms about everything. Some days the world was just so sad and lonely. Today the chimes of port life almost drowned her solitude out.
She was standing on the edge of the wooden planks, watching for her vessel to come about. As the wind picked up bits of her hair, she closed her eyes, remembering what had brought her here in the first place.
"War never ends, Sakura. Nations are destroyed. Homes are burnt to the ground. Wounds need rehabilitation for years, decades even. People are left with scars on the inside and out. I'm sure you've started seeing that with your work now."
The Fifth Hokage had said this while straightening a stack of papers with a single thump on her desk, but never taking her eyes from her apprentice. They had been alone in her office, although with the matter being discussed, Sakura had felt as if all eyes were on her at the time.
"I didn't want to give you up, I really didn't. I wanted you here for so many things. But at this point, it's been over a year since the battle ended, and this project is close to failure. There is no one more suited than you to lead these people."
"But why me? I mean, why me, now?"
"Because we need a place other than the Land of Iron for neutrality. We need a refuge for the disabled and the ill. And we've needed to stabilise this area for quite a long time. There were just always other pressing matters."
"Tsunade-sama, you still haven't answered my question. I'm not even a team leader or anything yet. How can I run an entire school by myself? Is that even what I'm doing? And what if-"
"Sakura." Tsunade said her name matter-of-factly and put her papers down. "Do you think I haven't noticed you skulking around here, peering out windows in your forlorn way in between hospital work and running errands for me?"
Sakura looked down, slightly ashamed. "I thought that I… Well…" She trailed off.
"Hid it well? Not from me. You used to daydream, like any other girl. Now you're just distracted. And I don't like the bags under your eyes. They don't go well with your new mark of healing."
"I have no need to look young and beautiful, Tsunade-sama. You're beautiful enough for the both of us."
Tsunade smirked. If her pink-haired pupil was attempting to get out of this assignment through flattery, it wasn't going to work. Knowing Sakura, it probably wasn't. But she acted on the remark as if it were one of evasion anyway. "Are you trying to get out of your duties, my student?"
"No. I'm not. I just…" She trailed off again.
"Listen to yourself. You don't sound like you at all. Where is the confident young kunoichi who helped me save so many shinobi in the fight against Obito? Where is the woman who protected herself against Madara? Lately you've been off. Anyone can tell."
Sakura shifted her feet. At times like this she felt like she was 12 years old again. "Well which is it? Are you sending me away to make me better or to save the nation?" She didn't know whether Tsunade was purposefully jumping around subjects or whether she just wasn't listening. Recently, with her thoughts always somewhere else, she'd acquired the annoying habit.
Tsunade sighed. "Both. The other Kage and I have wanted to create a Land of Healing, if you will, for a while. And it's not really a nation, which is the problem. This archipelago has never been allied with Water, Lighting, or Fire, though it sits between all of us. You probably passed it on your way to get herbs with Ino before the 4th war began, although it wouldn't have been on your agenda to go looking there. The ninja here are somewhat cantankerous and didn't participate in the war. I believe you met some of them – the red ninja?"
She back-tracked her thoughts until she recalled Bando, the chestnut-haired Jonin and the giant abacus he strapped to his back. "The Benisu? Those merchants from Benisu Island?"
"Yes. They insist on calling themselves a nation, however they won't ally with a larger home country. Even though they have an amazing trade system in place at Benisu Island, so much of their little country is either kept secret or fought over that we're not even sure what their resources are. We know they're the closest to Nanakusa, which makes them an ideal location for a neutral hospital and rehabilitation centre. But we've had to send a team there just to try and learn about their government and history before starting any negotiations. And once negotiations began, so did the trouble."
"Is this what those skirmishes in the East were all about?"
"Yes. There's something else though, Sakura." Tsunade folded her fingers together on the table. "The Benisu warmed up to the idea of building a hospital once we made it clear that they wouldn't have to become part of a larger nation. However, the hospital can't be built when they're in their current state. Besides the skirmishes, the Benisu are also under attack by something more sinister."
Sakura waited for her to continue, but Tsunade gave great pause before finishing. "I haven't read about anyone invading neutral islands. Who's attacking them?" She queried.
"…A virus. It's not who, but what. Though a few cases have been reported in the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning, we've been able to contain it. Benisu Island has not been so lucky. Nor have a few trade ships which passed through their port. One in particular, from the Land of Lightning, was never heard from again. We think its sailors became infected and none survived."
Her statement hung in the air like a heavy cloud. "What of the people sent from the 5 nations? Are they alive?" Sakura asked.
"We know at least two are, although there hasn't been much correspondence from them as of late. The Benisu are threatening to close their major ports, since they don't know where the virus came from or will spread to. We think some of them believe one of the five nations brought it there, which has made the situation quite tense. Extra teams have been dispatched to ease the pressure and protect the harbours. We won't know if they're successful for some time."
"I've done so much more work with poisons than viruses, Tsunade-sama…"
"I'm confident that won't be an issue. You're the smartest and the bravest medic ninja I know, besides myself of course." Tsunade threw her a bone with an arrogant smile.
Sakura didn't feel quite so brave now. What if she got this horrible virus? What if she couldn't figure anything out at all? But arguing with Tsunade would probably get her nowhere, and the Hokage was probably going to lose her patience soon. Realising that the conversation had already scattered with all of her other thoughts throughout her mind, she swallowed hard and asked:
"Where am I going again?"
Tsunade crossed her arms in impatience, having already reviewed this. "Hayase no Kuni, Sakura! Haven't you been listening? You leave tomorrow."
Sakura knew better than to refuse an order.
She went home after Tsunade's lecture on where she was to go, when and with whom in order to get to Benisu Island. Fortunately she had written everything down hurriedly so as not to have to ask any more questions revealing just how scatterbrained she had become as of late. She had crawled into bed later that night, making sure to imprint the feeling in her mind since she knew she wouldn't be home for months.
Then she had dreamt of him. She had seen his raven hair and tense muscles. She had smelled his scent of smoke and forest and spices. She had felt his fingers on her forehead, and had heard him telling her, "I'll see you when I get back." And then he had come back to her, smiling, at the gates of Konoha. He had wrapped his arms around her like she had always wanted him to.
Then the sun had shown through her window and she had awoken alone as always and she had sighed. If only it were real.
She had packed the night before and as such had no trouble getting ready to go. The trip to the port at the edge of the Land of Fire was a long one, and even after that she had to travel by sea to reach her final destination, (if she even got there on time.) She was supposed to have been escorted with some fellow ninja, but having been up so early, she had left on her own knowing she'd have to hear about it later. Hopefully would be too far away from Tsunade by the time that happened to be afraid of her monstrous temper. It had been almost soothing after that to be unaccompanied by anything but her thoughts as she flew through the trees. When she had reached the port a few days later, it was a welcome sight.
The whistle from a cruise junk snapped her out of her thoughts. That must be the one. It had giant crimson sails and a mermaid covered in flowers carved into the bow. She rushed over to the dock it was anchoring next to, much farther down the line than she had predicted. Good thing I packed light... she thought. All the people milling about had gotten her excited. She started to feel like her old self again.
A door opened and a small wooden walkway rolled out of it, extending from the ship to the dock. Sailors began to disembark from sparingly, in neatly pressed uniforms. Fumbling in her bag, Sakura found her tickets and presented them to the ship attendant the moment he arrived on the bridge. "Not yet, miss," he told her, pointing to the personnel waiting on the right. He closed the walkway with a small rope. "Everyone has to pass inspection."
Of course. She turned to where he had pointed to see the sailors in a line, and she began to understand why their uniforms were so neatly pressed and tidy. A few other passengers arrived after her, only to be told the same thing by the attendant. She walked towards the line with slight trepidation. Next came a succession of personnel who checked her hair for lice, shone lights in her eyes, ears, and mouth, and even pricked her finger. I guess they're not taking any chances… she surmised, only reinforcing her caution towards the entire mission. After passing inspections, the small, green-eyed medic was finally back to the first attendant for him to confirm her passes and identification, which had now been autographed with several, "APPROVED" stamps.
The walkway was not terribly long, but she felt as if centuries passed while she walked up it. What was waiting for her on the other side? Everything was already becoming jumbled in her brain.
"You won't be alone, Sakura."
The words bubbled up inside of her as she climbed.
"I'll be along later on, during my transition out of here."
Sakura looked up then, with a questioning glance. She couldn't picture a life without Tsunade-sama as Hokage. "I know you've seen the stone face on the mountain. By the time you get back, Kakashi may be the only one running the show. This is the last great thing I can do for you as the leader of Konoha. You've already started the path to surpass me. It's time to keep going. And don't look back. When you return, things will be different... And so will you."
She had known it was true. Especially if Tsunade was being so giving in the way she spoke. Sakura knew she probably wouldn't hear Tsunade speak of her apprentice surpassing her again, or at least not anytime soon. She had softened in the strangest ways, since the war.
But what if he returned while she was away? She had waited so long for him. She wanted to be there when he came back. She wanted to see if he took to Hashirama's arm the same way Naruto had. She wanted to hear about where he had been, the things he had seen.
Another attendant at the top of the walkway snapped her out of her thoughts once more. "Well hello, my lovely young lady." He looked at her with wrinkles at the corner of his kind eyes and took her tickets. "Miss Haruno, in 252 B? Right this way." The man pointed her in the direction of the stairs she would walk to get to her cabin. "Might I ask what your final destination will be? Usually the second level is for stop-offs before we reach The Land of Lightning." She looked up at him, determined to seem less anxious than she was as she said it:
"The Land of Rapids, sir."
He raised his eyebrows. "Well, good thing you've come on this trip. We might not be passing through that area come next month. Be safe, miss." He left her with a tip of his cap and walked back to escort other passengers to their rooms.
Sakura turned the handle on her cabin door as Tsunade's words echoed in her head.
When you return, things will be different…
Would he be different too? She wondered.
And so will you.
Her hand stopped mid-turn. Breathing in slowly, she closed her eyes. She tried to seal the moment in her mind, inhaling and exhaling deeply to calm her nerves. She could never understand why she had so much precision and control over her chakra, but not her emotions. Sometimes she wondered if she had used her medical ninjustu as just a breakwater for defense against all the times her heart had fissured and cracked over the years. It had done so much to define her character, and served her well in times of need, but now the loneliness and angst which had lain dormant was creeping in against her shield like sediment on the pier. One day, she feared it would erode away completely and then what would she be left with?
Sakura opened her eyes and scowled. Is this who you want do be? She thought to herself. Is this the person who lets others watch her back? No, it wasn't. This moment was opportunity and she needed to seize it before it slipped away. She smiled. Shannaro! She thought. There was no day like today. She could put her bets on Tsunade being right about her and everything else.
Things will be different… And so will you. Sakura tightened her grip until she heard the latch click.
Then she opened the door.
End of Chapter One
A/N: This is going to be a very long arc in my Naruto World. For the most part, I've switched back and forth between watching the anime and reading the manga over the years, so it's essentially a mix of both. The Benisu are from an anime filler episode titled, "The Ninja of Benisu," number 224 in Shippuden. I'm trying to use as little original characters as possible but of course there will be some. Let me know if you think something that I write conflicts with the anime or manga. I made up the Land of Rapids or at least I think I did - couldn't find anything about it in any of my research. Oh, and I'm not entirely sure which types of ships are in Naruto so for the most part I just put a mix of a lot of them in. We've only seen sailing ships a couple of times but I figure if they have computers than they probably have steam ships and all sorts of other vessels.
This fic is very Sakura-centric, but we'll get to see through Sasuke's eyes and a few others in the gang. I wanted to create something that played off of how bashful she seemed at the end of 699. And I wanted to make something that contrasted what she ended up doing in 700, since so many people seemed angry at how no one was doing anything important in the epilogue except Naruto. I guess The Last movie will fix some of that, but for me and for now I know that neither Sakura nor anyone else would be the kind to sit around. And I wanted to explore what must be MOUNDS of relationship development and SasuSaku that must've happened in order for Sarada to come about.
Reviews are always appreciated and almost always responded to!
