Author's Note. Hey guys! It's been some time since I've actually worked on something. I've lost motivation many times and just didn't have the will to write anything. With that being said, I will be deleting some of my stories that I've lost complete motivation for or have simply lost interest in, namely We are Fighters, and All I Want Is. If anyone would like to pick up these stories and make it your next project, then please inform me so I can formally (or informally?) give you the go ahead. I'll be deleting this part of the AN within one week from today, so if no one approaches me with the intent of taking over the aforementioned stories, then I'll be deleting them forever and they will no longer be available.
I've decided that I want to start on a fresh page, so this story is going to be my main baby for the year, and hopefully I'll be able to tend to it with the utmost devotion necessary. I've already got a head start by writing out the first four chapters! I'll be deleting this note as well within two weeks in order to minimize these annoying notes that I, myself, find absolutely irritating. Who needs these long, tedious author's notes right?
As usual, Naruto belongs solely to Kishimoto, however, this concept and plot belong to me.
A special thanks to anyone out there who supports me and the simple act of reading.
Chemical Party
One.
"Sakura, wait up," my friend Ino shouts from behind me. We're running towards the city gates. My lungs feel like they're on fire, straining to supply my muscles with enough oxygen to continue running.
"Hurry up Ino! We might miss them come in!" I yell back at her. I'm referring to the soldiers, who're expected to return to the city today.
I live in a place called Konoha. It's a city located deep within a supposedly ancient forest. The older citizens always tell stories about how the city was built by a man named Hashirama, a warrior with strange but awesome powers who founded the city to serve as a beacon of peace for mankind. He created Konoha with the intention of uniting all the surrounding warrior villages that were raging war on each other. Apparently he was successful because Konoha exists and no one's fighting anymore, which wasn't true several centuries ago.
I recall the days I spent in history class. I usually sat in the back of the classroom bored out of my mind, and I would doodle in my notebook rather than listen to what my teacher was lecturing on. However, there were times when something she said caught my attention and spurred me to listen.
"About three centuries ago, Konoha engaged in warfare with its neighboring cities, which at the time were Suna, Kumo, Kiri, and Iwa. However, as we all know," she pauses and stares pointedly at me for several seconds too long, which causes some of the class to erupt in giggles and chuckles. "Iwa no longer exists."
The great city of Iwa used to be a bustling metropolitan built deep into the mountainside. Their pride and greatest source of income were the numerous mineral and metal deposits located deep within the interior of the very same mountains the city was built upon. The mineral deposits supplied the city with precious gemstones such as diamonds and rubies, while the metal deposits provided them with iron and steel. Iwa took advantage of its deposits and excavated the mountainside in order to dig up its natural treasures. The city sold their discoveries at high prices, and the world was willing to pay for them because for some odd reason gemstones could only be found in the mines of Iwa.
"It unfortunately served as the battleground in the war between the five great cities, and as such it was utterly destroyed," my teacher continues. "Nothing remains there except mountains with chunks blown out of them and miles of barren wasteland." She provides slides with pictures of a land devoid of any life whatsoever. Mountains, which once stood tall and grand, are now nothing more than really tall hills, a testament to the destruction caused by the war.
A student raises their hand and says, "What happened to their mineral and metal deposits? Surely they couldn't all have been destroyed." My teacher smiles and says, "Good question."
She walks up to the computer and opens the web browser, then types IWA MINERAL AND METAL DEPOSITS in the search bar. A couple of webpages appear on the search list, but she clicks on the first link. Several seconds later a picture of holes in the sides of mountains with a strange, greenish haze looming just above the ground materializes followed by a brief paragraph underneath it.
"Iwa's only monopolies still exist, but they are inaccessible to everyone including Iwa itself," she says. There's a sad smile on her face.
Another student raises their hand and asks the question that's on everyone's mind, "But why are they inaccessible?" My teacher smiles and says, "You guys are very inquisitive today. Good."
"The deposits are currently inaccessible because if someone were to try and go inside one, let alone go anywhere near it, they would die in a matter of minutes," she says. "Do you see the fog hovering just above the ground?" Everyone nods.
"That's not just ordinary fog. It's poisonous, turned that way as a direct result of the chemical part of the war."
The war wasn't an all out gun war. There were many parts to it including a mental phase and a chemical phase. Between the three, the mental phase was the worst. It involved people being kidnapped, brainwashed, and being reconstituted into the city. Once the brainwashed war captives were completely resettled into their original cities, they were activated to initiate a widespread terrorist assault.
I raise my hand and ask, "How does the poisonous gas kill you?" My teacher smiles probably happy that I'm actually paying attention to her lecture.
"It's a brilliant but lethal gas. It's capable of entering a person through the pores in their skin. Once inside the body, the chemicals in the gas spread rapidly via blood cells and cause the blood cells to proliferate. Untreated, the overabundance of blood cells causes a blockade in the passageways or veins and causes a stroke," she says a little too enthusiastically, as if the idea of a poisonous gas capable of inducing stroke is something to rejoice.
"It's sad but brilliant really. A gas that essentially has no weaknesses when it comes to infection is absolutely lethal."
"Can't people just wear suits and gas masks?" One student asks.
The teacher smiles sadly. "They can, but they don't get very far."
Ino and I reach Konoha's northern entrance sputtering and gasping for air. A large crowd of people have already gathered to greet the soldiers, and they give us strange looks but their judgmental stares don't affect me, and neither do they affect Ino. We've learned that it doesn't matter what people think. Nowadays, all that matters is living life.
I watch with barely contained excitement as the first horse marches its way across the threshold of the city's northern entrance, its chocolate brown mane billowing in the wind. The man riding the beast isn't someone I'm familiar with, but he leads the way with his back straight and a tired but determined expression on his face.
Behind him are several other warriors on horses whom I don't recognize, until a blond head riding a similarly blond horse struts over the threshold.
"It's Naruto!" I say excitedly to Ino, who's staring at the passing soldiers with the same awestruck expression as me.
At the sound of his name the blond man whips his head in my direction and searches the crowd. Our eyes instantly connect and all at once I feel as if I'm floating in a sea of gentle cerulean water.
Naruto's eyes light up and he smiles broadly at Ino and me, and he waves his hand enthusiastically in the air so that people in the crowd glance in our general direction in order to try and see who he's waving at. He jumps off his horse, which whinnies its approval, probably happy now that a heavy weight has been lifted off its back, and he heads towards us in long strides. He doesn't hesitate to engulf me in a huge bear hug, crushing my smaller frame against his larger one.
His arms wrap around my shoulders and pull me closer, and I wrap mine around his chest and clutch his back. I've missed him so much. I can feel the tautness of his chest muscles against my face as I bury my nose between his pectorals and inhale deeply. He smells of sweat, the sun, the woods, and a distinct smell that only belongs to him, like a cool breeze that blows from the ocean. It's nice to have my brother back.
We're not actual blood siblings, but we grew up together and over time our bond has grown stronger and stronger until we've finally reached the level of actual siblings.
"I've missed you Naruto," I say.
"I've missed you too Sakura." He holds me tighter against him and rests his chin atop my head. His eyes are closed and there's a small smile on his face.
"What am I? Chopped liver?" Ino says indignantly besides us. Naruto laughs loudly and releases me only to encase Ino in a bone-crushing hug.
Ino makes sputtering noises as if the air is being squeezed out of her lungs, which it probably is, but otherwise doesn't complain and returns the embrace.
"I hate to admit this, but I've missed you, you obnoxious, loud-mouthed idiot," Ino says teasingly.
"Yeah well I didn't miss you pig," Naruto replies smirking. Ino huffs and pulls away from Naruto and smacks him on the arm. Naruto laughs.
"How've you been Naruto?" I say.
"Good," he replies casually, as if it hasn't been months since I've last seen him.
Naruto is part of a military group that surveys the surrounding area beyond the city gates. It's a dangerous job that requires a lot of mental and physical strength. No one knows exactly what lays outside of the city walls, so a person has to be prepared for anything.
The government also requires all persons seeking a position as part of the survey group to be at least eighteen years old. Naruto's nineteen and I'm seventeen, but in a couple of weeks I'll be old enough to join the survey group, which is something I've aspired to become since I was a little kid.
Some people think it's strange that a girl like me who comes from a non-combatant family would even think about chasing after such a perilous and dangerous job, and I totally understand where they're coming from. There's something about the survey group that seems thrilling and adventurous, and it excites me just thinking about what could be lying, undiscovered out there.
"How about you Sakura? How're you these days?" Naruto asks.
"I'm just bubbling with excitement and anticipation. I can't wait until I turn eighteen and I can join the military." I say. Naruto frowns.
"Sakura," he starts, but I hear what he's going to say next in my mind before he even says the words, "it's a dangerous job and—"
"I could get hurt, or worse, killed." I finish his sentence with a wry smile.
"Exactly, so I think you should really reconsider what you want to do in your life." He says.
I glare at him and place my hands on my hips in the same fashion that a mother would stand while scolding her child.
"I can't believe you could say that Naruto." I say.
"You and I have been dreaming of becoming soldiers since the day we first met as toddlers." It sounds twisted to say that two children have always dreamt of becoming soldiers, but it's the truth.
"Yeah!" He says exasperatedly. "But that was when we didn't actually know the perils of being a soldier. I know what it's like and I'm telling you it's downright dangerous!" He says. He looks at me and I can see all the frustration he must be feeling. I sigh. I can't contend with him on that matter since I've never actually been anywhere outside.
"Look Naruto, I've had my mind set on this and there's nothing you can do to stop me." I say.
Naruto opens his mouth to say something, but then he stops ands closes it again. He shakes his head and he's smiling at me. It's a sad smile that throws me off and makes my heart ache.
"I know Sakura, but I can always try hoping that you'll miraculously change your mind." He says and rubs the back of his head.
Ino coughs besides us and Naruto and I jump a little. Ino throws her hands up in the air and rolls her eyes, then proceeds to stomp away while grumbling something along the lines of, "Those two idiots actually forgot about me when I was standing less than five feet away from them. Ridiculous."
Naruto and I laugh and he places his hand on my shoulder and smiles at me. His hand is big and warm and his grip is strong. It makes me feel safe. "I really did miss you Sakura."
"I missed you too."
Naruto decides to separate from his platoon and accompanies me as we make our way through the city. All around us people are buzzing with excitement. Ino and I aren't the only ones eager to welcome back our soldiers.
"I've really missed this place." Naruto says and I look at him. He's looking at everything around him with the eyes of someone who's been away from their home for a prolonged period of time, which he has.
"Not that much has changed really. The only thing that's different is that Ichiraku added a new flavor to their menu." I say and giggle when Naruto's eyes bulge and his mouth drops.
He adores Ichiraku, which is a popular restaurant here in the city that specializes in noodles called "ramen." Naruto's been a regular there since the time we were little kids. The restaurant owner, Teichi, knows Naruto so well that he no longer needs to take his order to know what he wants. It's almost spooky how a bowl of piping hot ramen appears before Naruto the moment his butt touches the bar stool, and it's always the flavor that Naruto wants to eat that day.
"What, really?" He says excitedly. "Can we go Sakura?" He asks and I say, "No." I'm not a devoted fan of ramen like Naruto.
"But Sakura," he whines. "It's my homecoming. I deserve to eat wherever I want and as my sister and one of my closest friends, it's your duty to tag along no objections." He stresses the no objections part and I just raise an eyebrow.
"Please Sakura," he pleads and starts pouting. His deep blue eyes become glassy and his lower lip starts to wobble. It's not fair how adorable he can still look despite being nineteen.
I sigh. "Fine, but we're going to Café Akimichi afterwards to get ice cream." I say.
"Deal!" He immediately exclaims without a second thought, and we're off to Ichiraku.
I watch with both disgust and fascination as Naruto practically inhales his ramen.
"Where the hell does it all go?" I say perplexed.
Naruto grins with some noodles dangling between his lips and I grimace. "Easy," he says. "It all goes to my belly!" He slurps the hanging noodles and chuckles.
"You're gross." I say.
"True, but you still love me." He says and winks at me. I blush.
"So what did you guys find outside this time?" I ask him. Whenever the soldiers venture outside the city gates to explore a part of the terrain that they haven't traversed yet, they always come back to report an interesting find.
I remember once Naruto came back with scratch marks all over his body. He said they were suddenly attacked by a pack of wild monkeys. It might seem strange that a troop of well-trained soldiers with weapons return with injuries caused by wild animals, but the monkeys weren't ordinary monkeys. Naruto described them as mutants. They were apparently the size of a cow. He might've been exaggerating at the time, but it just goes to show that there are strange and unfamiliar things out there.
"Nothing much, just your usual pack of wild animals that have somehow quadrupled in size." He says and slurps more noodles into his mouth. I wince as some of the broth flies into the air and lands on the countertop several inches from me.
"We don't know what's causing them to grow so huge, but whatever's causing it is also making them more hostile." He says.
His brows knit together in the middle, as if he's thinking really hard about some difficult problem.
"The strange thing is, they have no sense of self-preservation." This strikes me as odd. Animals are all about survival, so how can they not be about self-preservation?
"What do you mean?" I say.
"I mean, one of them goes down and the rest continue their assault as if their fellow animals aren't dropping like flies. It's like they don't care whether they live or die, like something's controlling them so that they don't even realize they're outmatched and in danger." Naruto says. He has a troubled look on his face.
It's hard to imagine that any living creature would rashly sacrifice their life, but the animals do it without a care in the world. It's strange.
"Do you think maybe it's because of all the destruction?" I ask. "It wouldn't seem all that surprising if the war caused something in the animals to snap." Naruto stares at me, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Then it wouldn't be that the animals are attacking for no reason. Maybe they're just scared." I say and shrug my shoulders.
"Sure but you're forgetting that they're relentless. They don't stop even as they witness with their very own eyes that their kind is dying. It's strange." Naruto replies.
We finish up our ramen and slap some money on the counter. The old man smiles at us and tells us to come back soon. Naruto laughs and says, "Of course old man! You know I'd come here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could." I laugh and shake my head.
Naruto can be so silly sometimes.
As we're walking down the street in the direction of my home, Naruto scoffed earlier when we were at Café Akimichi and sternly refused to let me walk home alone to which I rolled my eyes at his obvious show of masculine duty, a girl with long, straight dark violet hair turns the corner in front of us. As she comes closer I instantly recognize her smooth ivory skin, her button nose, and her lilac colored eyes.
"Hi—" Naruto slaps his hand over my mouth and cuts me off. I glance at him and raise an eyebrow. He looks nervous and there's a deep blush staining his cheeks. I smirk against his mouth. Naruto likes Hinata. He's liked her ever since we were kids and he still hasn't confessed his feelings to her.
Despite Naruto's attempt to silence me, Hinata looks up from whatever's in her hands and looks left and right before turning her sights on us. Naruto quickly brings down his hand and offers a small smile and a weak wave. Hinata smiles and walks towards us. As she approaches I notice that the thing in her hand is a paper with creases, and upon closer inspection I notice a ripped envelope beneath it. The paper must be a letter.
"Hi Hinata," I greet her cheerfully. Beside me Naruto looks like he's about to feint and I almost burst out laughing. It's ironic how Naruto's a fearless soldier when it comes to wild animals and other life threatening dangers, but place him in front of Hinata and he becomes some little kid about to wet his pants. It's hilarious.
"Hi Sakura, hi Naruto," she greets us.
Hinata is beautiful, dainty with flawless skin, an ovular face, and sculpted eyebrows. Her face is framed by long dark violet hair that reaches to her waist, and her bangs are cut almost straight across forming a fringe that stops just above her eyebrows. It's the beginning of spring so the temperatures have started rising again. She's wearing a dark blue V-neck shirt with short sleeves that hangs loosely around her long, slender frame, and beige shorts that stop mid-thigh. Despite her slimness, her bountiful curves are clearly visible through the fabric of her clothes starting from her large bust to her wide hips. She is easily a porcelain doll and I can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
"Where are you headed?" I ask her. She rests the letter she's holding against the side of her thigh, effectively preventing me from seeing its contents. It must be confidential.
"Home," she says. She smiles at us but it doesn't reach her eyes. It almost seems strained. Whatever's in that letter must be the cause of her distress.
"Um, are you okay?" Naruto asks her. He must notice her obvious distress too. He's still red and his eyes are constantly shifting. He's too shy to look at her for more than five seconds.
"I'm fine," she responds.
"Well, we wouldn't want to keep you so we'll see you around," I say because it looks like she really wants to get home as fast as she can.
"Yeah, I'll see you guys around town."
I offer her another smile, Naruto just smiles shyly and looks down, and we start walking away. "Wait," Hinata's soft voice calls out to us. We turn around but she's looking solely at me.
"What are you going to do after we graduate Sakura?" She asks. I know what she's talking about without needing her to specify.
Hinata and I are the same age, which means we're in the same year at school. Konoha's education system involves four stages. The first stage is for children ages six thru twelve. During these six years children are taught basic skills such as how to read and write and fundamentals in mathematics and science.
Once a child turns thirteen they graduate from the first stage and enter stage two. Stage two develops the skills taught in stage one and introduces new skills such as analyzing and critical thinking.
At age sixteen they graduate from stage two and move on to stage three, which is the stage Hinata and I are currently in. The purpose of the third stage is to refine the skills acquired from the first two stages while also introducing a new skillset that further sets stage three apart from stages one and two. In the third stage all students are trained in combat and are taught various combat strategies.
After stage three is stage four. In this stage the student should have completed developing, at the bare minimum, the basics of the core skills that Konoha requires of all its students, and they are instructed to choose an occupation. Depending on what the student chooses, they'll continue to develop one skill more than their other skills. There's only one thing that all students have in common, and it's the fact that regardless of whatever occupation or profession a person chooses, they're automatically enlisted as a soldier.
Hinata and I are in our last year of stage three, which ends in June. She's wondering what I'm going to choose once we graduate. Although the government requires its students to choose an occupation, a student indirectly has only two choices. They can either choose a non-combatant occupation that lands them a position in the citizenry, or they can choose to be a soldier, which directly places them in the military to be further sorted into a branch of the military.
"Soldier. What about you?" I shoot the question back at her.
"Soldier," she replies and smiles at us before turning around and walking away.
Even in the fading light of the evening sun I can still make out the bitterness in her smile.