Sometime Around Midnight –Installment II: Over My Head
When Kakashi had said that the new organization was worse than Akatsuki, his heart raced. He had enough trouble defeating the original, he knew that it would be even more difficult defeating this new group. Hesitant, Naruto asked, "What's the name of the group?"
Kakashi put his hands behind his back, and started to pace, "Miakegata. From recent reports, it seems that they rely on natural chakra." As this was said, Naruto was really scared now. "So," Naruto asked, "they use Sage chakra pretty much?" Kakashi nodded.
Sakura clenched her fists nervously, "What do you want us to do?" Shikamaru closed his eyes, in deep thought, "If they are anything like Akatsuki were, but stronger, this could be a challenge. The whole village is at jeopardy." Kakashi shook his head, "Not just yet…we don't know their full intentions, so we must wait," he paused, "that's why I called you here. I need you guys to spy on this organization." He finished, and Kiba scoffed, "How are we supposed to find them? Don't you think they'll be hidden?" He asked, and Kakashi held up a hand. "Yes, but fortunately, we have coordinates." He said, a scroll appearing in his hand. The silver haired ninja tossed to Shikamaru, and the shinobi gathered around him, reading.
"Where'd you get his, Kakashi-sama?" Ino asked, looking at his back. Kakashi turned to face them, "During one of the ANBU's missions, to Iwagakure, a beaten, and bruised man crawled up to them and handed them this," he continued, "the ANBU think he was a member of this so called Miakegata, and was trying to escape."
Sakura glanced at Naruto worried; who knew what Miakegata's intentions were? What if they were after the Bijuu like Akatsuki were? This meant trouble, and she was definitely gonna try and protect Naruto the best she could. Naruto could feel someone was watching him, and with his peripheral vision, he could see that Sakura was indeed looking at him. Inside, he knew what she was thinking. As he was about to speak, Shikamaru spoke.
"These coordinates are deep in the Iwagakure forest," he looked from the scroll to Kakashi, "does this infer that the Miakegata leader or any of them are from Iwa?" Kakashi nodded, and rubbed his masked chin, "That's what I thought…so I want you guys to check this out. Do you accept? This will be classified as double S rank, due to spywork on a criminal organization of unknown power." He explained, and all of them nodded. "Great. You are all dismissed." He said, and they all left. As Sakura exited, Naruto pulled her to the side. He had to talk to her.
"Sakura…this mission," he said, but Sakura interrupted him.
"I'm worried about you…what if they are for the same cause as Akatsuki? They could take you." She said, shaking a bit at the thought. Naruto gave one of his trademark smiles, and shook his head, "Don't worry! I took down Akatsuki right?"
Sakura nodded, "But you heard Kakashi-sensei! These guys are stronger than Akatsuki. And you barely made it alive against Pein, so what makes you think you can defeat them so easy like Akatsuki?" Naruto looked down a bit, but returned her gaze.
"Sakura, I know…I may have broken some promises, but I promise you, I won't let Miakegata get me." He said, and Sakura's eyes widened. She put her hands on his shoulders, and shook him slightly, "Naruto…no more promises. I already hurt you enough for more than ten years because of a promise you made to me. I won't let that happen again." Naruto looked away, "I-I…have to go. See you at the mission." He said, ignoring her plea. As Naruto left, Sakura stood there for a minute or two.
'He still doesn't forgive himself…even after I forgave him. I even told him I didn't care about Sasuke anymore…Now I've hurt him even more than when he made the promise…' She thought, holding herself as she brought back tears. Meanwhile, in Kakashi's office, the silver haired ninja kicked his feet on the table and pulled out the last issue he had of Ichi Ichi Paradise; the last one before Jiraiya died. He began to read, but he suddenly got a shiver down his spine. Kakashi looked out the window behind him, and noticed that the sky had went from baby blue to dark, thunderstorm clouds.
'A storm…not good. Be careful Naruto.' He thought, then continued reading.
At Naruto's house, the blond ninja walked into his kitchen, pulling out instant ramen cups, fruit, and a lemon and a mikan beer from the mahogany cupboard above the oven. With the food supplies, he opened up his pack, and placed the stuff in there along with a change of clothes, a first aid kit, and wrapped up replacement kunai. Zipping up the bag, Naruto placed it on his bag, and then made sure his headband was on tight. With that, he left his apartment and locked the door.
Sakura sat on her bed, shining up her kunai really quick, and placing them in a bag. On her mind while doing this, was Naruto. She had really hurt him, she could see that; and it made her feel not only guilty, but sad. Angry with herself, she looked at one of the kunai she had in her bag. Biting her lip, Sakura began to cry. Why was she feeling like this? Of course guilty and sad, but she had been guilty and sad before! Why was it different with Naruto? Sakura packed up her bag, and slung it on her back and headed out the door towards the east gates.
At the eastern Konoha gates, all the shinobi waited for orders. Shikamaru sighed, "Naruto, you are squad leader, since you are highest rank. What's our orders?" He asked, and Naruto nodded, standing in front of the four ninja.
"Okay guys, listen. We are taking a four day trip to Iwa. Our orders, to spy on Miakegata. So, here's the formation," he paused, thinking.
"I'll take front, Shikamaru you take the left of me, Kiba you take the right. Ino you will be between Kiba and Shikamaru, and Sakura you'll be at the back. Therefore, the two medic ninjas will be at the back incase one of us gets hurt. Then we have defense on both sides, as well as offense, likewise the front." He spoke. Everyone nodded, and Naruto gestured them to move out, "Let's go!" He said, and Sakura smiled to herself.
'He's become so mature…he's like a different person…' With that thought, everyone moved out.
Iwagakure Forest
Sounds of dripping water could be heard; hitting puddles of more water that looked more like green ooze in the candlelight. Spiders crawled on cobwebs that hung from the corners and latched on to the candelabras that molded to the wall as well. The spiders were black widows; one of the most deadly spiders in the world. Down the hall, a giant room was filled with statues that held a different coloured scroll in each of its mouths. They looked like griffins, magical creatures that were half bird half mammal. Suddenly, silent rumbling took place as each of the scrolls dropped to the floor.
Each of them opened up, and eight humans popped out of them. Four women, four men. One with violent green hair, and golden yellow eyes spoke first.
"That cretin of a Miakegata, Jinkou, has been taken care of, Tegome." He spoke, and the one with midnight blue hair and purple eyes laughed, "Perfect. He shall now know that Miakegata is not to be fucked with," he said, closing his eyes, "especially with the consequences."
A female with infra red hair spoke next, her eyes the same colour as her hair, "What are we supposed to do about what Jinkou gave those ANBU from Konoha? I believe those were coordinates to our location, sir." She said, her voice monotonous. Tegome shook his head, "Let the Konoha ninja come. They have no idea what they are getting into."
One scroll that was unopened quickly opened, and a male with yellow hair and red eyes appeared. "Tegome-sama, we have a report that indeed Konoha ninja are on their way. Our spy has confirmed it." Tegome smirked, "Thank you, Mayonaka. Now," he said, moving hair out of his face, "we must prepare ourselves for their arrival. We can't be a rude welcoming committee. Let's show them the true power of Miakegata." And with that, everyone disappeared back into the scrolls, and the scrolls flew back into the griffin statues' mouths.
With the Konoha Ninja
Naruto led the group, with Kiba and Shikamaru at his sides. Kiba sniffed the air, and his eyes widened, "Naruto! Stop!" When he said that, everyone stopped and Naruto looked at his dog loving friend. "What is it Kiba?" Kiba sniffed again, and his eyes narrowed this time.
"Something isn't right…" He spoke, and suddenly, Sakura could sense it too. They smelled explosive powder…explosive tags! Sakura's eyes widened, "Everyone get out of the way!" She yelled, and everyone jumped backwards as a trail of paper bombs were set off. The ninja kept jumping backwards, until there were no more branches. Sakura tripped and started to fall, and Naruto's eyes widened. "Sakura!" He yelled, as he leaped down to grab her. More tags kept exploding. Naruto could see her heading for a branch below her, and it could break her back if not landed on properly.
Right when she was about to hit the branch, Naruto quickly grabbed her hand and landed on the branch. But unfortunately, he lost his footing and slipped falling to the ground. Good for them, the paper bombs stopped exploding and the fall wasn't that bad. Naruto opened his eyes to see Sakura on top of him, her eyes meeting his. She blushed, as did he, and she quickly pushed herself off. "Thanks…Naruto." Brushing himself off, Naruto smiled, "Are you okay…?" Sakura nodded, and looked at their other teammates.
Kiba jumped next to Naruto, as did Shikamaru and Ino. Ino growled, "What the hell was that!?" Shikamaru made a 'tch' noise, "It's like they knew we were coming. It was obviously a trap." Kiba closed his eyes and sighed, "Let's keep going I'm guessing?" He asked, and Naruto nodded, "We have to. Hopefully, we won't have to fight. But if we do, be ready. We don't know exactly how strong these guys are." He said, and everyone nodded, continuing to travel.
After many hours of traveling, the night had taken its place in the sky, and Naruto halted everyone. "We'll set up camp here. I'll take first night watch, then Shikamaru, and Kiba. Got it?" Everyone nodded, and Ino got out a tent she had packed in her pack. Shikamaru and Kiba went out for firewood, and Naruto went for water. Sakura followed him, and crouched next to him as he was getting water.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" Sakura asked, folding her arms. Naruto nodded, and looked at her, "What's up?"
Sakura hesitated a bit, but mustered up courage, "Sai had told me something a long time ago…and its always been bothering. I've just never gotten to ask you." Naruto stopped getting water, and sat down next to her, "What's that?"
"Well…he told me that you—" Sakura was interrupted by Ino's voice. "Hey Sakura! We need you for a sec!" She said, and Sakura sighed, "I'll tell you later, okay?" Naruto nodded, and Sakura stood and followed Ino back to the campsite. Naruto watched her walk away, and stood himself with the water he had gathered in two empty canteens. Twigs crunched beneath his feet, and the leaves blew as the wind passed. As calming as this was, Naruto could tell he was being followed. He turned around to see no one, but he wasn't convinced. He put down the canteens, and walked back towards the river. The wind grew gradually faster, and Naruto growled. Someone was definitely watching him.
"Come out!" He said, and suddenly, a dark figure appeared out from behind a tree. "Don't hurt me!" the voice said, appearing to belong to a young girl. She had violet hair and green eyes. She was about five two, and her skin was pale. Her clothes were torn, and she looked skiny. Naruto let down his guard, and looked concerned, "What are you doing following me?" He asked, and the girl walked up to him, trying not to make him think that she was an enemy.
"I-I got lost…I've been out here for about two days…" She spoke, and Naruto didn't look quite convinced yet, "Where are you from?"
"A small village that's by Iwagakure."
Naruto motioned her to walk with him, "What are you doing all the way out here?" He asked, and the girl sighed, "I-I was taken," she said, crying a bit, "by these people who are in the Miakegata." By the mentioning of that name, Naruto stopped and crouched down to her level, "The Miakegata? Can you remember what they looked like?" He asked, and the girl nodded. Naruto smiled a bit, and stood up. "Come with me. We have food and shelter. You can travel with us," he spoke, "we are actually heading to Iwa."
The little girl smiled joyfully, "Oh! Thank you so much, sir!" She said, quickly hugging Naruto. Naruto smiled, and started heading back to camp, with the girl at his heels. As he arrived, Kiba and Shikamaru had brought back firewood, and started a fire. Ino looked at him, and rose an eyebrow, "Who is that?" She asked, and Sakura noticed her too, "Yeah…who is that?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Well when I was going to get water, I met her. She's lost, and she says she was taken by the Miakegata." Everyone's eyes widened, and Naruto ushered her to take a seat. "What's your name?" Sakura asked, and the girl cleared her throat a little; it being dry.
"M-My name is Merriyah. Merriyah Lyee." She said, and Ino smiled, rubbing her back. "Okay, Merriyah. Don't worry. Do you want some ramen?" She offered, and Merriyah nodded quickly, "I love ramen!"
Naruto smiled, "I second that!" He said, pulling out two instant ramens from his backpack, and opened each of them up. As he did, he took the canteens he had picked up, and poured the water into each of them. With that, he held each in his hands, and closed his eyes. Slowly, the ramen started to boil, and it was cooked. Sakura rose an eyebrow, "How'd you do that?" She asked, and Naruto handed one to Merriyah. "Well, I taught myself how to do that…couldn't wait three minutes to cook ramen." He joked, and Kiba shook his head, "And I thought Shikamaru was lazy."
Everyone laughed, and Naruto handed Merriyah a pair of chopsticks. As he was about to eat his ramen, Naruto looked at Sakura. She looked a little distant.
"Sakura?"
She looked at him, and rose an eyebrow, "Yes?"
"Do you want some ramen?" He offered, and Sakura held up her hands, "No I'm okay. Thank you anyways."
"Are you sure?"
Sakura nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I already ate a big amount of food before we left." Naruto reluctantly started to eat, and Sakura stood, "I'm going to take a walk, okay?"
Shikamaru nodded, "Be on guard." He said, and Sakura nodded, walking away. Naruto watched her leave; something was bothering her, and he needed to find out. Naruto put down his ramen, "Could you guys watch Merriyah? I'm gonna go check on Sakura." He said, and Ino nodded, "Sure."
Naruto walked away from the campsite, and went into the direction of where Sakura went. When he found her, she was sitting on a huge rock, her knees tucked into her chest. The moon made her light up, her pink hair having a tint of moonlight in it, and her skin looked angelic. Naruto blushed at the site.
'She's so beautiful…' He thought, shaking off his blush. Naruto walked up, and he could then hear her crying. Her head was buried into her arms, and she was in a heavy sob. Naruto sat down on the same rock she was on, and leaned forward. "Sakura? What's wrong…You know I don't like seeing you cry." He said, and Sakura jumped a bit.
She quickly wiped her tears, and put on a small smile, "Don't worry…Nothing's wrong…"
Naruto didn't buy it. "Sakura, don't lie to me. I wouldn't lie to you…what's wrong?" He asked again, and Sakura sighed, wiping away more tears.
"Earlier…I almost fell to my death…It reminded me of the last time that happened. Back in Kusagakure…" She said, and Naruto didn't meet her gaze. Now he remembered it.
Flashback
Their chakra was low; after fighting Orochimaru and Kabuto, it was difficult to move. Sakura was getting tired, and was even more tired after healing all of Naruto's burn wounds from transforming. Naruto watched her leap faster and faster, and he felt sorry. He didn't mean to go Kyuubi, and she used all of her chakra to save him. As he was thinking this, Sakura's eyes closed and she missed the next branch.
Her eyes quickly shot open, and she began to tumble towards the ground. This was it; a fall like this would leave her either crippled or dead. Naruto's eyes widened, and he shot forward to save her. "Sakura-chan!" He yelled, holding out his hand for her. Sakura held her towards his, and right as they were gonna grab each other's hands, Sakura missed the grasp. Naruto's speed decreased, and Sakura fell faster.
As she thought she was gonna die, Yamato came out of nowhere and scooped her out of harm's way. Yamato quickly landed on the ground, and leaned her against a tree. "Sakura, are you okay?" He asked, and Sakura nodded, her breathing heavy and sweat rolling down her face.
Naruto landed next to their replacement sensei, and crouched down next to Sakura. "I'm sorry Sakura! I didn't catch you!" He said, and Sakura smiled a little, "Don't worry! It wasn't your fault, besides I'm safe right?" She said, and Naruto nodded, "I'm glad for that too." That's when he saw the scratches on her arm. "Sakura…what happened to your arm?"
Sakura's eyes widened, and she had to make up a lie. If she told him that he had done this to her, he'd be miserable. "Orochimaru got me. Don't worry, it'll be fine." She lied. Naruto believed it, and growled, "I'll kill that Snake bastard!"
Flashback End
Naruto looked at her again, and scooted closer, "I'm sorry…I'm sorry for hurting you that day…It'll never happen again. I promised myself that." He spoke, and Sakura looked at him, tears rolling down her face. "Naruto…It wasn't your fault! You couldn't control the Kyuubi, and I'm fine right? I'm here with you right now? I'm alive…there's nothing you should be worried about."
The blond looked up into the sky, the moon glaring on his face. "Sakura…I need to tell you something…something I've been needing to tell you for all of my life." He said, and Sakura's eyes widened.
"Y-Yes?" She stuttered.
"I-I…" Suddenly, a blast from behind them could be heard, which made them both turn around. Sounds of kunai clashing and fire could be heard. Naruto stood, as well did Sakura, and they ran towards the campsite. "What the fuck is going on?!" Naruto yelled, and Shikamaru leaped towards him. "We are under attack! What the hell does it look like!?" He yelled, as another ninja threw a kunai at him, and he easily deflected it. Shikamaru jumped back into the fray, as did Naruto and Sakura. The ninja were from Iwagakure, which was odd, since they were about three days away! How did they get here so fast?
One ninja was fighting Kiba, while Ino protected Merriyah by fending off Iwa ninja. "There are too many!" She yelled, then seeing Sakura and Naruto. "Guys! Help over here!" She said, stabbing one in the neck. Merriyah covered her face, making sure she wasn't getting hit, as she hid behind Ino. Naruto turned to Sakura, "Sakura! Help Ino! I've got an idea!" He said, and Sakura nodded, "Gotcha!" With that, she rushed towards Ino. As a ninja was about to get Ino's blind spot, Sakura socked him right in the temple, which caused his jaw to break as he flew into a tree. The tree broke in half, and fell to the ground.
"Nice shot, Sakura." Ino said, fending off more ninjas.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru backflipped, throwing five kunai at oncoming ninjas. Suddenly, as the kunais were deflected, a gust of wind pushed the ninja away. They flew to the ground, and looked around at what had hit them. Naruto smirked, "Come on!" He said, and one of the Iwa ninja growled, "You look like the Fourth Hokage. Which makes me want to kill you more!" He yelled, as he rushed in, kunai at arm. Naruto rolled his eyes, and disarmed the ninja by twisting his wrist with ease, and he flipped him over his back stabbing him in the chest with his own kunai.
The other Iwa ninja continued to fight, attacking all of the Konoha ninja. As the fight progressed, all the Konoha ninja had their backs against each other. "There are a lot! It's definitely sure that they knew we were coming!" Suddenly, a shriek came from their left, and they could see the Iwa nin grabbing Merriyah. Naruto's eyes widened, and he rushed towards them, "Merriyah!" He yelled, but more Iwa ninja blocked his way. Naruto stabbed both of them, but for some reason, he felt like he was going slower. As all the Iwa ninja had escaped, Naruto fell to the ground.
Everyone rushed over to see what the problem was, and they could see a kunai in his shoulder. Sakura instantly could see that it was tainted with poison, and she gasped, "Ino! Get to my pack and get me my first aid kit. I'll get the poison out." All Naruto said before he knocked out was, "Shit."
A/N: Well, I hope this was good as the first chapter, but hey, that's up to you guys. So far the Miakegata have been revealed partially, and Merriyah has been taken! Naruto has been poisoned, and signs of NaruSaku are already apparent. Next chapter will be up soon, so watch out for that one as well! Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated!