--The prequel of dragon lady龍女ドラゴンレディー, have you ever wondered what happened before Shizune's death? Well, here's the story behind it. ----Based on a Whole lot of things---
OMG! I finally got the prequel up! Yay! Oh, and the chapter is named after Richard Marx & Donna Lewis's song At The Beginning from Anastasia (the cartoon one), and the mini-story is named after Ayumi Hamasaki's song of the same name. Enjoy!
I guess you can call this my seventh fanfiction, but it's really just a prequel, okay? I probably won't update this often because I have to match this up to dragon lady龍女ドラゴンレディー but hopefully I can update this a few times a month or something. Thank you for supporting me for so long!
alterna
1. At the Beginning
"Kiba! Have you got a lock on him yet?"
"No, not yet, Sakura, but I'll find his scent soon!" Akamaru barked in conformity with this.
"Do not worry, Sakura. Kiba and Akamaru have the best noses in all of Konoha! They will find him."
"Yeah, thanks, Lee. But I only needed an answer, not some confirmation that I already know!"
"Calm down, Ugly. You'll need all your energy if you're going to fight him."
"I already told you! I'm not fighting him! I'm just talking to him! That's all!"
"But then . . . what are you going to do if he won't listen to you and just wants to fight?" And why did you bring the rope, poison, extra kunai, and smoke screen? Seems like you're going to fight him to me…
"Well, Sai, I had a perfectly good plan. If he wanted to fight then I'd just run until I 'accidentally' bump into one of the Kages and pretend to be an innocent villager being hunted down by people I don't even know. But you guys insisted on coming! So you're going to do all the fighting for me. See how that works?"
"Uh . . . no, seriously, Sakura, what do you plan to do?" Kiba asked.
"I was being serious." Sakura muttered.
"For real?" Lee asked, unable to believe his Blossom of Youth would do something so un-youthful.
"NO!! I PLAN ON BEATING THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF THAT COLD, HEARTLESS BASTARD AND DRAG HIS LIFELESS BODY BACK TO KONOHA!!!!!" Sakura's scream could be heard all around the ninja world, striking fear into everyone who heard it. "WHAT DO YOU THINK I WAS GOING TO DO!?! BEG HIM TO COME HOME!?! THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I WOULD DO THAT AGAIN!!" And with that off her chest, she sped away—about fifteen yards away from her group.
"Man! Ugly sure is scary when she's angry…" Sai said, still smiling, but his smile twitched a little at the ends. I actually feel bad for the Uchiha… I hope we don't find him anytime soon, but it would be great if I got that whole fight recorded for everyone to see. I don't actually recall anyone saying that those two ever fought before. Maybe this is their first battle… Ooh, first lover's quarrel! This is gonna be good!
"Well, she is Lady Tsunade's apprentice…" Lee said, trying to defend his "blossom." Yes! She is over him! That means I can ask her out! Yay! He inwardly was dancing a touchdown dance.
"Actually, I think she's scarier than the Hokage… You can practically feel the flames of Hell surrounding Sakura, right now." Kiba said. Man, I hope she doesn't take all that anger out on us if she doesn't find him… But just in case, I should think about what I want to write on my will. "I, Inuzuka Kiba, leave my dog, Akamaru, to my sister, Hana, and I leave all of my savings to--
But as he thought of what he wanted to write on his will, he smelled something burning. "Sakura, get out of the way!" he yelled.
"Huh?" The kunoichi stopped dead in her tracks. "What is it, Kiba?" But the burning smell amplified. She turned around and saw a great, huge glob of lava[1] flying straight at her. "Kyaa!" She jumped back, and beam of ocean water swirled towards the lava glob. And on impact, the two jutsu created a super dense fog, so thick that you couldn't see anything.
"Keep your guard up, you guys!" Sai's voice echoed through the seemingly lonely area.
"Right!" everyone replied, kunai out.
But Sakura knew better. The only ninja who can use lava-based attacks are those with a special kekkei genkai, and the only woman I know that can use it is--
"Oh, my! It's Saki[2]!" the very flirtatious voice.
That voice! "Go-Godaime Mizukage-san?" Sakura asked through the fog that had begun to lift, and she was met with a life-crushing hug.
"Oh, Saki! It's so good to see you again! I thought you had died during the Akatsuki's invasion of Konoha! I'm so glad you're alive!" the female Kage exclaimed, practically jumping up and down.
"It's . . . good to . . . see you, too, Mizukage-san…" Sakura almost choked. "But . . . you're . . . crushing me…"
"Oh, right." the Mizukage dropped the pink-haired kunoichi. "Sorry, forgot my own strength. Hee-hee…"—she cleared her throat—"But I've told you countless of times before: call me Mei-chan or Terumi-san, never Mizukage-san. It's just a title, and it ain't my name!"
"H-Hai, Mizu--I mean, Terumi-san…"
By that point, both females' groups had appeared by their sides.
"Ugly, who is this lady?" Sai asked, a little baffled by the whole scene in front of him. Weren't they just trying to defend themselves against an unknown enemy? "And why is she calling you 'Saki'?"
"Oh, that… Well…" Sakura scratched her head, a little timorous to answer.
"It's a combination of her namesake and her master's favorite drink, sake." Ao explained, a smile tugged on his lips. "It's written with the kanji[3] for 'cherry blossom' and 'sake.' But there are other ways of writing it: blossom, cherry blossom princess, blooming happiness, blooming hope, blooming strength, blooming radiance, bloom cherry blossom, blooming skill, etc." But all that technical talk only earned him a whack on the head.
"Oh, be quiet, ya big show-off!" Mei said. "I've already got a big headache because of that Uchiha brat and that rude medical-nin! Don't make it any worse!"
"Wait… Are you talking about Sasuke?" Sakura asked. "What did he do this time?"
"Well . . . I know he used to be your teammate, Saki," Mei said, a little sorry for the pink-haired kunoichi. "But--"
"He has committed acts so unforgivable that he must be put to death!" Chojuro finished the Mizukage's sentence but not in the way she wanted to say it. He also received a whack to his head.
"Baka! I wasn't going to say it like that!" Mei scolded. "Try to be a little more considerate next time!"
"No, it's fine." The firmness in Sakura's voice surprised not only the Konoha nin but also the Kirigakure nin. "Sasuke is a rogue ninja who deflected from his village, so it's only natural that he should be executed. I'm sorry that we've been unable to do so for these past few years, Terumi-san, but I promise you that he will be put to death soon."
"Sakura-san…" Lee couldn't believe how tough Sakura sounded. Why, she almost didn't sound like herself, let alone the fan-girl she once was.
"Saki, I'm glad that you came to that decision, but…" Mei looked at the girl straight in the eye, looking for any signs of sadness. "You don't have to be the one to do it. You're a strong kunoichi, all of us know that. You don't have to prove yourself."
"I'm not proving myself, Terumi-san." Sakura replied, still keeping her poker face on. "This is Konoha's responsibility, but it was mostly my fault that we've not sentenced him to death yet. In turn, this is more my responsibility than anyone else's. I need to see to it that he's disposed of."
✿｡.:**:.｡✿
(Meanwhile, Sasuke fights Danzo. Blah, blah, blah… I'm sorry, but I really don't want to write this part out. If any of you would, please tell me and I'll put your fight in this fanfiction and replace this part. I'm sorry, but I really, really, really don't want to write this part. I just don't like Danzo at all, so I'll leave it to you guys to imagine this or read manga. Sorry, again. But I will tell you this: there's a huge explosion at the end, and I don't mean fireworks. And Danzo is probably still alive, maybe near death—very, very close to death.)
✿｡.:**:.｡✿
Boom!
"What was that!?" Chojuro asked.
"Sakura! I smell blood!" Kiba exclaimed.
"Then let's go!" But before they left, Sakura bowed her head to the Mizukage. "Sorry to cut our conversation short, Terumi-san, but, as a medical-nin, I must aid the injured!"
"It's quite alright. I understand, just hurry." Mei said. "Whoever's injured needs your help if your friend can smell the blood from here."
"Arigato, Terumi-san!" And with that, the Konoha nin left the area.
"Are you sure that was a wise decision, Mizukage-san?" Chojuro asked once he knew that the Konoha nin were out of earshot.
"Meaning?"
"Lady Mizukage, I see them heading towards Uchiha Sasuke." Ao said, his Byakugan activated.
"So?"
"Mizukage! Shouldn't we stop them?" Ao asked.
"We can afford to turn a blind eye on this, just this once, can't we?" Mei asked. "Saki has gone through a lot, and we should give her the chance to correct things and make things right."
"But, Mizukage-san, Saki is only a girl and only a teenager." Ao argued. "We cannot allow her to go through with this."
But finding some hidden meaning in the middle-aged man's words about something offensive towards Sakura's love life, Mei grabbed him by the neck and hoisted him in the air. "NOW LOOK HERE!" she said ever-so-menacingly. "SHE ALREADY SAID SHE'D TAKE CARE OF IT, SO LET HER DO WHATEVER SHE WANTS TO DO!! I HAVE TRUST IN HER, SO YOU SHOULD TOO! AND IF YOU EVEN TRY TO STOP HER, I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD! GOT IT!?"
"H-H-Hai . . . Mi-Mi-Mizukage-san…" Ao said, bit shaken up.
"THAT GOES FOR YOU, TOO, CHOJURO!!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Chojuro said, a bit frightened. Man, she sure is feisty. . . . I like that!
"Oy!" Mei dropped Ao and turned away from her two companions to the trees. "You guys can come down from there now!"
And there shadows came down from the trees. "Turning a blind eye like that and trusting a teenage girl to do a hunter-nin's job, that's very unlike you, Terumi."
"Well, it's very unlike you to just sit in a tree and not spring into action when you see or hear something you don't like." Terumi smiled as she added, "Onoki."
"Hey! You can't speak to the Tsuchikage like that!" Onoki's large bodyguard said.
"Enough, Akatsuchi! Don't forget you're talking to the Mizukage." Onoki's female bodyguard said.
"But, Kurotsuchi--"
"Enough, Akatsuki." the old man said. He faced Terumi. "Do you really believe it's wise to send that girl to fight the Uchiha? Have you forgotten her connection to him!?"
"Well . . . for your first question, my answer is: Yes, I do believe it's wise to send Sakura off to fight the Uchiha. After all, you saw how determined she was. If I had said no, she still would have gone anyway." the Mizukage answered. "And for your second question, do you mean her connection to Sasuke or her connection to Madara of which—may I remind you—she hasn't any idea of?"
"Both, of course." the Third Tsuchikage answered. "There is a reason why Shizuka wanted her daughter away from Madara."
"You're actually using my cousin's name." Terumi teased with a giggle or two. "My, I never thought the day would come."
"I meant no insult to you or your cousin."
"Of course, I know that, but..?" Terumi paused, knowing that Onoki had more to say.
"But Shizuka was a demon! The surviving Chiropteran Queen! If she didn't want her daughter near Madara, it must mean something! Don't you think it's weird she wouldn't want Karai and Madara to meet when they're father-and-daughter?"
"Well, first of all, my niece's name is Sakura now, not Karai—at least, not anymore." Terumi snapped. "And secondly, Sakura's hidden powers are far more dangerous than any Chiropterans'—why, she's even stronger than Shizuka ever was! Why would my dear cousin allow such a powerful weapon to fall into that bastard's hands!?"
"But you're letting all of your cousin's hard work go in vain!" Onoki argued. "If Karai"—the Mizukage opened her mouth to protest, so the Tsuchikage corrected himself—"I mean, Sakura were to go fight Sasuke, she's bound to meet her father!"
"Yes, but there's no possible way Madara would recognize her!" Ao said, jumping into the conversation; his voice a little raised. "Why, even Mizukage-san couldn't recognize her own niece until the Godaime Hokage told her who Sakura actually was!"
"But that doesn't mean Madara will be as blind!" Kurotsuchi yelled back. "Have you forgotten the fact that he wields the Sharingan? If he even activates it and looks at the girl, he will know or, at least, grow suspicious! And once he does grow suspicious, he will go to investigate or, at least, send his followers! And I'm sure you don't want your niece to know anything about her true origins and background!"
"Well, why not?" Terumi shot an angered tone back at the Iwa nin. "She is my niece, and I've grown tired of keeping this secret from her. I want her to know that I'm her aunt, her mother's cousin, and I want her to know that she was loved by her mother and her whole family. The only thing holding me back is that shocked look on her face when her whole life is turned upside-down. I don't want her to go through that. I don't want her to think she was abandoned and only loved out of pity. I don't want her to think she was the only one kept in the dark, and I don't want her to feel like she has no one in the world to trust. And if I let her go through something like that, what kind of aunt would I be? Right now, the only thing I can do is letting her go and do what she thinks is correct. I can only support her—and if she chooses to go to that Uchiha boy, I'll support her through thick and thin. I won't let her be hurt, and I won't allow Madara to even know she's still alive."
"You know…"
Terumi's eyes widened at the familiarity of that voice and so did the other ninja.
"I'm right here."
Their eyes rummaged around the area.
"And I already knew…"
Finally, their eyes narrowed in on a high tree branch where the man stood.
"That my daughter was indeed alive, but I didn't feel like ruining her happy little playground just yet."
"Uchiha Madara!" the bodyguards exclaimed.
"BASTARD, WERE YOU THERE THE WHOLE TIME!?!" Terumi snarled through clenched teeth.
The Uchiha faced down at the Mizukage and, behind his mask, he smirked. "Now, now, Teru-chan, that's no way to talk to your cousin-in-law." And in a swift movement, he dodged a kunai.
"BASTARD, DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT!" Terumi screamed, reaching for another kunai. "YOU FORSAKEN SHIZUKA AND DROVE HER TO DEATH!! DO YOU THINK I'D ACTUALLY FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT!?!"
"There, there, we separated right after she became pregnant." he explained. "But if I had known that the child was mine from the beginning and not her ex's, as she had told me, I would've stayed with her. She was stubborn, and she got what she deserved."
"BASTARD!!" Terumi aimed for Madara's head.
✿｡.:**:.｡✿
"Naruto, what will you do?" Kakashi asked his now completely heartbroken former student.
"I don't know," the now not-so-hyperactive ninja said. "Give me some time to actually . . . figure things out… I really don't know what to do…"
"Naruto, it's fine." Yamato spoke. "Whatever your decision is and however late it comes, Kakashi and I'll support it."
"Really?" the kyuubi-container's ears perked up.
No, not really. Yamato thought, and he was actually very close to saying that. But being the good person he was, he restrained himself and said, "Why, of course. Have I ever lied to you before?" But in actuality, he was crossing his fingers behind his back.
Arigato = thank you (everyone should know this)
Baka = idiot
Godaime = fifth (as in Godaime Hokage for "Fifth Hokage")
Iwa = Rock (as in Hidden Stone Village [Iwagakure])
Kyaa = eek
[1] = an unnamed jutsu that the Fifth Mizukage (Terumi Mei) uses
[2] = a common nickname for Sakura in many different fanfictions. And ironically, "Saki" can be written as 咲 (blossom), 桜姫 (cherry blossom princess), 咲喜 (blooming happiness), 咲希 (blooming hope), 咲毅 (blooming strength), 咲輝 (blooming radiance), 咲桜 (blooming cherry blossom) or 咲伎 (blooming skill), but the way I'm using it is written as 桜酒, meaning "Cherry blossom sake." There are more meanings to this name.
[3] = the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (ひらがな, 平仮名), katakana (カタカナ, 片仮名), Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet (also known as Romaji). The Japanese term kanji (漢字) literally means "Han characters."
Oh, and yes, I know you might not be familiar with some of the characters in this chapter, but the only crossover here is Shizuka. (Yeah, I changed Sakura's mother. Sorry about that, but I had a better idea, so yeah...) The rest are all original Naruto characters made by Kishimoto. Read the manga to learn more about them or, if you really don't want to do that, please tell me in your review, and I'll type up a character list. (Please don't make me type up a character list.)