It's four years after Naruto's return from his training trip with Jiraiya, and all of the Konoha Eleven are of Jounin status. Orochimaru had, for reasons unknown to Konoha intelligence, yet to take over Uchiha Sasuke's body and planned one more attempt to bring Konoha to it's knees with Kabuto as his right hand man, Sasuke leading a whole battalion of Sound Ninja against the opposite front. On one front, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune face off against Orochimaru and Kabuto. Haruno Sakura is fighting amongst the troops in the thick of it, too busy to offer her aid to her fellow medic ninja. On the other front, it only takes a few decisive moves for the collision of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke to commence. The entire time, Naruto pleads for Sasuke to leave Orochimaru and return to Team Kakashi as Sasuke proceeds to slowly grind him down. Right at the critical point though, the tables turn and Naruto begins to literally beat the sense back in to Sasuke. Eventually, he relents and the two head toward the battle between the Sannin.
Upon arriving, they find that Jiraiya has been exhausted and is on the sidelines. In between Kabuto and Shizune, though there is no huge margin, it appears that Kabuto has the edge. Orochimaru and Tsunade are in an epic fight that would stand in history forever as the two dueled on top of giant summons. Sakura and some of the elite Jounin have managed to push back the Sound forces back pasts the walls, so she begins to head toward the battle. Orochimaru, upon seeing that Sasuke has betrayed him, brings out the Sword of Kusanagi and goes in for the kill at an unprecedented speed. Right before the killing blow hits though, Tsunade performs one last act and uses her body as a human shield, grinning as she dies. She says only one thing to Sasuke. "Make him pay." Sasuke understands, but upon seeing his master at a decisive disadvantage and running out of chakra, Kabuto grabs Orochimaru and runs off. The Sound forces back off, and the battle is won.
However, Konoha soon spirals down in to chaos. Though many are glad for Sasuke's return, the feeling is not mutual all around. The formally subversive Danzou and ANBU division known as ROOT completely over take Konoha and take Sasuke captive and plan to execute him after giving him a 'fair' trial. ROOT has closed off all traveling in and out of Konoha by requiring red passes that are nigh-impossible to obtain, and all of the truly loyal shinobi have scattered and are in hiding, not sure of what to do next or even who survived the battle. To make matters worse, foreign nations refuse to recognize the new government, Suna included, and political tensions are highly tense at best. What is to happen next? Only time will tell…
The winds howled through the dark forest of Huni no Kuni, raging with what could be described as unfathomable sorrow, hurt, regret, but most of all, fury. But since wind is not a being of itself and just an ethereal entity, it's only significance was that it caused the almost sentient trees to sway in a deadly dance and further pushed in the oncoming storm of vengeance. In of the denser part of the lonesome wood, an pale cherry blossom was sitting on an overhang of stone over a rapid grey river, the rushing water pounding on her ears as if in an attempt to push all of the past events out of her mind, her arms wrapped around her knees where her chin was resting, her profile unclear due to the fact that her hair was obscuring it, the black band beginning to grow lax in its duty of holding back the pink tresses.
The dark stone was a comfort to the kunoichi, whose eyes of emerald were fixed upon it, trying to brand it into her mind to erase the other events and their implications. Unfortunately, this was utterly futile. The orbs squeezed shut in frustration and in a similar mood as the winds that were blowing her hair into her face. Once again, I couldn't do anything!! Even after all this time, all I could do was just watch their backs... A lone tear tried to escape from the corner of the shut eye, but it was forcibly denied exit. If one fell, others would follow.
As Sakura's mind shifted through the turmoil, a familiar face painfully surfaced, causing a wracking pain through her heart. Tsunade-shishou...I...I couldn't do anything for you. After the killing blow had struck, Sakura had rushed in as quickly as possible and had begun pouring all of her abilities into trying to heal her master. However, the Sword of Kusanagi was unforgiving and now laid claim to the lives of two Hokages. Sakura's fists clenched, her fingerless gloves threatening to tear from the force of the self-directed anger. Sakura had closed up the wound despite the fact that she already knew that her master was dead, but the fact that she was smiling wasn't lost at the time. Realizing what would happen afterwards as the ROOT members were going to take Sasuke away, Sakura had shot him one lone, sad glace that she was sure he didn't notice before rushing to the Hokage's office with only minutes before ROOT arrived. Apparently Tsunade's other trusted person had thought the same thing and had already been securing secret and important items, the loyal Tonton by her side as always. Between Sakura and Shizune, the appropriate scrolls, pictures, and important research materials had been hidden away safely. After all, as her master's apprentice, it had been her duty.
As a lone raindrop landed on her midnight leather jacket, Sakura began to rant at herself. "Damn you Sakura, why couldn't you do anything? Sasuke had to save Kakashi because you couldn't, and Naruto fought him because you were too emotional to do it yourself. And then Tsunade-shishou had to give her life because you were too slow to do the same with yours or to push them both out of the way." Sakura took several large breaths before looking up to the sky, now dark with furious storm clouds. As the rain soaked her hair, luckily the leather jacket kept her trunk warm, Sakura yelled out to the sky in fury, not caring right now if any ROOT were nearby to hear. "DAMN YOU SAKURA!" Let them hear! If they came anywhere near her, they were dead for desecrating her master's memory so!
Now letting out dry sobs, Sakura looked down into the very tempting river below. "Damn you to hell." Saline began to mix with the fresh water that was now pouring in buckets. What can I do now? Something has to be done, I know that...but what? I have no idea where anyone but Shizune is. With my luck, they're all doing just what I am...hiding from ROOT until the opportune moment. How in the heck am I going to find anyone? With that train of though going through her mind, Haruno Sakura rested her chin on her arms once more, lost in thought.
The pummeling torrents of rain could be seen pouring down on the forests of Huni no Kuni, the wind blowing it nearly horizontal as the trees swayed dangerously. As the wind howled, it blew the rain mercilessly into the windows of an old cabin that was hunkered against the side of a small cliff, cleverly hidden by well-placed brush that had been planted years ago and allowed to grow as it pleased. The rain ran down the windows in rivers, obscuring what could be seen within save a dull orange glow.
Inside the cabin, the source of said glow could be seen, burning low but steadily in the brick fireplace. It was a simple one-room cabin with wood floors and a low roof to accommodate a second floor that was tall enough for a older child to stand upright, just enough to put some sleeping bags in. However, what was happening in front of the fire was much more interesting. There was a old, wooden round table, and around it were four chairs. In each was seated an adult male, albeit of different ages. One was well into his fifties and looked it at the moment, the low light flickering across his saddened face. Another was gray as well, but noticeably younger in his appearance as he was in the early years of his thirties. Another was raven-haired and stoic, not betraying any of his thoughts. Though all were holding steaming cups of tea, the fourth one was about to break his due to the amount of strength that he was applying to the grip, his fist barely shaking, showing ill-concealed rage. The flickering light did nothing to remove the mood from his whiskered face and blonde hair, the pupils in his cerulean eyes beginning to form slits. Suddenly he just couldn't take it any more and slammed his cup onto the table, shattering it with the force and stood up, knocking his chair over.
"We have to do something! We're wasting our time here!" Naruto yelled. His canines were just slightly more visible than usual. Kakashi's lone coal eye lazily slid up, unworried. "Control yourself Naruto. We were separated from Yamato-san, so if you start going Kyuubi he can't help." Naruto growled in response. "So we're just going to sit in this cabin and do nothing after Granny Tsunade died?!" Suddenly he stopped, seeing the look in Jiraiya's eyes. He stared Naruto down, menacing. "You think we plan on doing nothing, Naruto? Use your head for a moment. Konoha's been taken over completely, and as such we can't just run in and do as we please. We have to come up with a plan. She wouldn't want us to charge in mindlessly and die without a purpose." Sensing the truth in the last Sannin's words, Naruto sat down. Sai took one more sip of his tea and spoke. "And as if a guy that doesn't even have a pe-" Naruto immediately punched Sai out of his chair, causing the young man to fall back, if not really hurt him. "Shut up Sai. You're not helping." With that, the four men sat, each in their own thoughts, each trying to come up with a plan…
Elsewhere in the woods, multiple figures huddled down in a cavern, the screaming of the wind filling the room from outside the exit, causing more than just cold to raise goose bumps on the flesh of those enclosed within. The fur of a large, white guard who was standing ever-vigilant at the entrance of the deep, hidden cavern ruffled in the wind, oblivious to weather. Several small insects took cover on the underside of the large canine, ready to carry a message or provide their assistance whenever necessary.
Further in, past several stony turns and dangerous falls, several oil lamps lit a small portion of the cave, just large enough to house the eight shinobi within. The majority of the group of shinobi were sitting down, each with different expressions upon their faces, one seemingly concentrating as he had his thin eyebrows furrowed over his eyes, thinking. A kunoichi was relieving worry by sharpening various weapons on a whetting stone while the meeker of the other two was sitting down, the more boisterous pacing back and forth, restless. After a few minutes, this obviously bothered the thinking shinobi.
"Knock it off, will you Ino?! It's not helping the rest of us." The blonde whirled at the speaker, annoyed. "What do you want me to do, Shikamaru? We're not all accounted for. I saw Naruto go off with Jiraiya, Sai, and Kakashi-sensei, but what about Sakura? For all we know, ROOT might have gone after her and Shizune first since they were the closest to Tsunade-sama…" Ino looked sad as she continued on. "…for all we know, they're both already dead…" At this, a shinobi clad in green stood up. "There's no need to worry, Ino-san. After all, Sakura-san is very strong. Tsunade-sama taught her everything she knew, and she added more on top of that. I'm sure she felt duty-bound to her sensei to take care of some things before ROOT did." Lee looked a bit worried then. "I hope she's not out in this rain…she might catch a cold! My poor blossom!"
Ino smacked Lee upside the head. "Shut up Lee! She's not frail enough to get sick out there. Knocking Forehead Girl though, she probably is out there somewhere. She and Tsunade were really close, so I can't imagine how much it hurts for her. She's most likely blaming herself right now, venting somewhere before she tries to think up of a plan. That's how Sakura deals with things…she may have to blow off some steam, but then she'll put that large forehead of hers to work to think of a solution." Lee looked hurt, but suddenly there wasn't time to argue any further as they heard footsteps rapidly approaching before Kiba came into the room, followed by Akamaru. "I hate to break up this love fest, but we've got company." As the group was suddenly on their feet, grim-faced as Neji spoke up. "ROOT will have to learn the hard way what happens when they mess with Konoha's strongest teams." This brought a grin to each face as ANBU level ROOT began to storm through the cavern. They would be in their cavern at any moment, and there one side or the other would meet their crimson deaths.
It only took a grand total of five minutes for the skirmish to take place. In the small confines of the cavern, it was obvious that the defensive side had the advantage, especially since several members of the team specialized in taking out multiple enemies at a time, leaving most of the others just standing to the side enjoying the show and perhaps blocking a few shots taken by ROOT. Tenten could be seen frowning in disappointment as she rolled up her large weapon scroll, the blood from some enemies that had come too close staining the scroll and possibly ruining it. It would take some time to re-ink another scroll, worse than any injury in her opinion, though she had none. Neji just leaned up against a rock wall, wiping some blood off of his cheek. Save for one small graze, the user of the Gentle-Fist had no injuries. Of all the broken bodies that were on the ground, none were of those loyal to the Hokage, but to Danzou. The small amount that had not been taken out by a plethora of weapons or by the smallest of taps were covered in bugs, who were now returning to their master who was calmly observing the scene.
Ino looked somewhat disturbed. "No matter how many times I see it, I'll never like seeing this much blood…especially when they're from our own village." Shino pushed his sunglasses up his nose. "It couldn't be helped…they had full intention of killing us, despite lacking the ability to follow through. They deemed the late Godaime-sama a disgrace and betrayed what our village holds dear. Their end was inevitable." Shikamaru chose that time to speak up. "As it is, they'll know where we are. This was likely just a scouting party, and their absence will be noticed soon. We need to get moving." The party suddenly looked grim once more as they walked across the sticky floor, back into the grey outside. Fortunately the rain would wash off any blood as well as cover their tracks.
A surprisingly short distance away, another group was hidden, up in the thick boughs of the trees of Huni no Kuni, tense and alert. Several pairs of eyes were scanning the surrounding area, looking for any sign of patrolling ROOT members. Two lavender eyes narrowed as a group of ROOT ANBU came into sight, the face becoming less tense as the group headed away. Another set of eyes, these two crimson, looked over the rest of the group. "That was close." A few others breathed a sigh of relief. A figure with multiple scars over his face, as well as a black forehead protector that was folded in such a way as to cover the top of his skull, then spoke up. "Well, though we're fine for now, it seems that some more are going to show up. That was just the size of a scouting party…they're looking for us, or anyone that has a chance of causing them any trouble." It seemed that the bearer of the lavender eyes wasn't bothered in the least though, grinning, her keen sense of smell picking the scent of flowing blood and crumbling ceramic masks, a sure sign that the ROOT were being taken care of swiftly and without mercy. "Pfft, serves them right." The bearer of the crimson eyes spoke up, trying to prevent a fit of rage that could potentially come from the other kunoichi, even if she didn't completely disagree with what she was saying. "That's a bit cold, Anko. They are Konoha shinobi after all, even if they're ideals are completely wrong and messed up." Anko looked back at the speaker, showing obvious disdain. "This isn't about idealistic thoughts Kurenai. They've decided to side with Danzou, and so they've done the same thing he's done…take the memory of the past Hokages and desecrate them, lowering them to the point of scum." Two faces swam into Anko's mind as her countenance hardened with vengeance, her voice dripping with venom. "That's something I can't forgive." Another figure spoke up, the senbon needle in his mouth moving with each word. "We all know that Anko. That's how we all feel to some degree or another." Genma grinned lecherously before continuing. "You're just a bit more fiery than Kurenai Anko, in more ways than one…" Morino Ibiki saw what direction the other Jounin's mind was going. "Now isn't the time Genma. We can't afford distractions right now." Genma shrugged it off. "I know that Ibiki. It's just a part of my better, gentlemanly nature." Kurenai rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath. "Gentleman my a-" Anko looked over, surprised. "Hmm? It appears that my better nature is rubbing off too much on you Kurenai." Anko then looked a little intrigued, as if just noticing something, though she already had but had waited until now to ask. "Say, Kurenai, where's the kid? Surely you didn't just leave him in town." Kurenai then looked a bit more concerned, one arm crossed over her flat stomach to grab the other. "You mean little Asuma? I left him with Kotetsu and Izumo. They promised not to do anything stupid and watch over him. They also said they're going to try to find Shizune, but that they wouldn't take any risks that they can avoid. If there's any way for him to be safe, it's with those two." Genma nodded. "Got that right. Those two might be a couple of goofballs at time, but they do have heads on those shoulders, and they'd give everything they have to protect that kid." Suddenly the group tensed up, sensing a larger group approaching as Ibiki prepared to give instructions. "That must be the main group. They got here a lot quicker than expected, but here's how we'll take them out. Kurenai, you-" Ibiki was suddenly cut off by Anko, who looked quite eager, hands one hand on her hip and the other scratching behind her head, ruffling the damp ponytail that somehow avoided being tamed even by the rain. "Nope. You three rest up for now…I'm itching to deal out some hurt." Ibiki sounded indignant. "Anko! There's too many of them, and most of them are ANBU level! There's no way you can-" Anko spoke up angrily. "That doesn't matter! I'm not just a Tokubetsu Jounin any more Ibiki…I reached ANBU status over a year ago." With that the entire group seemed a bit shocked, seeing as they didn't know until that moment. Kurenai decided to say what everyone was thinking. "Anko…why didn't you say anything?" Anko just shrugged. "I wasn't in the mood to celebrate. Besides, I did tell Kakashi…I just assumed the normal grapevine of gossip would spread it around." With that, she grinned. "Besides, Danzou caused the Sandaime a lot of trouble too…I owe him still, so this is a way I can pay them all back." With that, Anko jumped a few branches ahead before looking back, grinning cheekily with a small wave. "Well, later!" With that, she leapt ahead, disappearing into the night. Kurenai looked on. "You better come back…" Genma grinned before trying to reassure Kurenai. "Don't worry Kurenai. There's more than one reason that most of the men in Konoha are scared shitless of Anko. She's one of the people we have to worry the least about." This managed to bring Kurenai to a small smile. "I guess you're right."
Not too far away, the group of ROOT followers was suddenly brought to a surprised stop as someone leapt right into their midst. Anko looked around calmly at the group. "So, about fifteen of you?" With that, she pulled out a kunai and licked it, grinning maliciously. "This is going to be fun!" She quickly pricked her thumb and formed some hand seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" With that, the melee began.
Author's Notes: Long time no update! It's a long story…believe me, I do have a little bit more of 'Rhapsody' written, and I'll likely post it by the end of December. I've also modified the first chapter a bit, if ffnet registered the changes , because I used a dramatic line waaay too soon in the story and fixed a couple akward parts, or at least I hope I did. I have finals coming up though. As for why November, and perhaps longer, were completely updateless, I'll just say I was in significant pain and not in the best of health. Thank you for remaining loyal, and I hope you like this story too!