Thank you for everybody who reviewed! It really means a lot to me to see what you guys think about my story, considering I haven't written fanfiction in years. In this chapter, more of the world and characters are being set up, but I promise it'll get more exciting soon! Also, "Kitsune" makes an appearance, if you know what I mean ;).
"It takes hundreds of rebirths to bring two persons to ride in the same boat, and it takes a thousand eons to bring two persons to share the same pillow." — Chinese Proverb on "Yuanfen"
Chapter Two: Fate without Destiny
From where the pink-haired kunoichi stood, she could see the fourth and third Hokage's faces. The afternoon sun shone on the rock monument as well as the glass window. There was a strong glare that prevented Sakura from getting a better view of the entire village. Her eyes glanced at Tsunade, who was still rummaging through the paperwork that would grant time off for Sakura. That is, if the vacation plans were approved. Ever since the Sound invasion, the amount of work increased. Sakura had rarely sought out time for herself until recently, when Ino insisted the two of them head to one of the local shrines outside of Konoha.
"There's a spot for hot springs. We need to go," Ino declared, when she found out about it from one of her clients. Sakura, though she was reluctant at first, soon found herself entertaining the idea. It had been too long since she stepped out of Konoha for leisure, which was why she was starting to get nervous when Tsunade remained quiet for the past ten minutes.
Sakura had never gotten approval for a vacation before, so she didn't have a lot of knowledge on how to apply for one. As she looked at the Hokage with apprehension, she wondered if she filled out one of the forms incorrectly. She watched as Tsunade paused to look at one form for a few seconds longer than the other forms before scribbling a few indiscernible words on it.
It was no wonder why so little people took vacations, considering the hassle it took to even get one approved. Her hospital shifts had to be rearranged such that other medics could take over. When planning out ninjas for missions, Tsunade would have to account for the fact that she'd be one pink-haired apprentice short.
Sakura stared particularly hard at a corner on the ceiling. It was the same corner she looked at whenever she had to stand for long periods of time at the Hokage's office. While the particularly spot was never truly interesting, it served as a good distraction.
"Oi, the Godaime is meeting with someone right now!"
She blinked, looking in the direction of Tsunade. However, the older woman didn't seem to notice the outburst from outside. Her eyes were trained on the documents her disciple had brought.
"Did you listen to a thing I heard?" The voice sounded indignant and Sakura could hear a pair of resounding footsteps in the hallway outside. Someone was coming, and it didn't seem like they cared about being subtle in the slightest.
"Kitsune, you idiot, someone's—
The door slammed open, revealing an individual wearing a white porcelain mask and an ANBU-uniform. "Kitsune" or at least what the guard called the person, stood at the entrance of the doorway. Kitsune's eyes were covered, so it wasn't like Sakura could see the person's face, but she swore she could feel an inquisitive stare behind the mask. She looked at the ANBU member with her own questioning stare. If he wanted to interrupt her meeting with the Tsunade, she wasn't going to back down so easily.
To her surprise, the ANBU member strolled up to the Hokage's desk and bowed.
"Brat, did you finally learn some manners?" Tsunade's nonchalant voice rolled off from behind the desk. The woman hadn't even bothered to look up at the ANBU member. Sakura supposed this was Tsunade attempt at more authoritative; the council members always seemed to be finding faults in her somehow. However, it only caused the ANBU member to direct all of his attention to Sakura in return. She didn't know why. It wasn't her fault Kitsune was getting the cold treatment from Tsunade. People who showed up at the Hokage's office without an appointment were generally not well-received.
Almost as if Kitsune could read Sakura's thoughts, the ANBU member's attention drifted over to her. Though Sakura could not read expressions through masked faces, the traditionally painted porcelain face was enough to unsettle her. She forced herself to look back, though the exchange only happened for a few seconds. Kitsune turned away from her without saying a single word and walked back outside.
"He's an idiot. Ignore him, Sakura," advised Tsunade, whose voice brought the pink-haired kunoichi's attention back over to the Hokage's desk. Her tone was not disapproving, causing Sakura to wonder just how well the older women knew the ANBU member.
"That ANBU member?" Sakura tried to keep the interest out of her tone, but she was curious why he was able to waltz into Tsunade's office like he owned the tower without being thrown out. The last time Danzo tried this, the Hokage threatened to have him limping back to "wherever the hell he came from."
Tsunade simply sighed and shook her head, "So, where are you planning to go?"
"Ino wanted to to visit Kunlun. I heard the village is a sacred ground that houses the Inari shrine and is nestled deep within the mountains, just like Konoha," said Sakura, who thought back on her conversation with the other kunoichi. There were many things Ino told her, probably to entice Sakura into going, but she remembered one line that seemed to do the opposite. "In addition, she said 'When you're in the forest, make sure to be extra attentive to all the living creatures. I heard even stepping on a spider can get you into a lot of trouble-so watch out.'"
Her mentor raised an eyebrow, her expression mirroring Sakura's when she first heard the sentence. "That sounds like an old wives tale. Where did she hear that?"
Sakura remained silent before she finally spoke up. "I think she said a villager who had business in Konoha told her." Truthfully, Sakura thought it just made the place sound rural and superstitious, but Ino wanted to go.
In the older women's hands sat a stapled set of papers. She smiled at the girl. "Your vacation has been approved. Have fun. You deserved it for all the hard work you've done."
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," said Sakura, internally celebrating at her little victory as she found herself smiling widely. With that business done, she turned around, pulled the door handle, and walked out.
The hallway was dimly lit compared to the office, but Sakura was used to this area. She was the Hokage's apprentice, after all. She was about to use the usual route to exit the Hokage tower, but she realized Kitsune was leaning against the wall adjacent to the pathway leading to the exit.
Sakura's face remained neutral. There was no reason to be intimidated by the ANBU member, considering the two of them were in the same village and thus comrades and the fact that prior to this event, she had never even seen Kitsune to offend him enough to pose a threat to her. Yet as she studied the cruel red markings around his mask that seemed to give it a sinister look, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable around his presence. His folded arms, which were casually resting against his chest, and his leaning pose seemed to give the impression he was judging her somehow.
Now Sakura was more than convinced her mind was making this up. She walked past the kitsune-masked ninja, almost believing he was going to stab her with a kunai at any moment. Except he continued to lean against the railing of the wall and didn't even look once in her direction. Perhaps she imagined the ordeal back at the office after all.
"You can meet the Hokage now," said one of the guards. It was only at this prompting did Kitsune stand up straight and walk into the office.
Once she walked past the flight of stairs, she was greeted by the outside light. She was back in the village. As she walked past the ramen stand, she yawned and wiped the tears that formed. Paperwork-aside, she had other worries. Yesterday night had been plagued with nonsensical dreams about blond-haired boys telling her she failed at something. Whatever that meant.
"Sakura, did you get it approved?" Ino's voice cut through the monotone of the market chitchat. The kunoichi approached Sakura after maneuvering through some heavy foot traffic. Sakura guessed it was near lunchtime now.
Sakura nodded, "Yes, Tsunade-sama has granted me permission to leave Konoha to take some time-off."
"I'm sure you'll like the spot." With a grin, Ino formed a fist with her right hand and punched Sakura's shoulder lightly. "Ah...do you mind if Hinata comes with us? She overheard me talking about in the morning, but she'll be a few days late if she comes. I didn't say okay yet because I wasn't sure how you'd feel about having an extra body."
"I don't mind. She's a shy girl so it must have taken her a lot of courage to ask," said Sakura with a smile.
"Great! I'll tell her after I get back from training. Asuma-sensei scheduled a meeting right during lunch," said Ino, whose expression changed appropriately to being resigned. "At least Chouji will be sure to give him a piece of his mind…"
As Sakura waved and watched the fleeting shadow of her friend fade in the distance, she couldn't help but feel slightly jealous. She wished her team was still together, even for a bit. She slapped her cheeks gently. "Those are dangerous thoughts, Sakura. Get a hold of yourself."
Though the marketplace was filled with delicious smells that wafted through her nose, she realized she had no appetite at the moment and made the decision to turn back to her apartment. Her footsteps were nearly silent against the soft snow that had formed nearly overnight. Above her, a pair of snow robins were perched upon a branch that was lightly dusted with frost.
There was no particular reason, but as she stepped past dango shop, she stopped mid step and stared at her surroundings. The white backdrop of the village with the obscured buildings reminded her of the heavy rains from last month. Turning away from the warmth of the main street, she wandered into one of the smaller streets that led to the old apartment complex with peeling paint where Uzumaki Naruto lived.
The staircase was covered in snow. It looked like the landlord had not bothered with shoveling, even though it was against village regulations. Sakura ascended the stairs, her hand lightly grazing the icy handrail as she reached the second floor. It was just as she remembered it. She walked over to Naruto's apartment. The door handle was still as worn out as before and the windows were still covered by old newspaper. She wondered if he was lonely, and if he had gotten teammates, maybe he would be less lonely. Except she had teammates, but was still lonely.
"You a friend of that kid?"
The voice jostled Sakura from her thoughts, causing her to jump as she turned around to face whoever was talking to her. It was an old lady, who wore a blue apron and a pair of yellow kitchen gloves. She was standing next to the door of the apartment next to Naruto's while holding a green washing bowl filled with uncooked grains of rice.
Sakura blinked. "You mean Uzumaki Naruto?"
The old lady rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. Drops of rice water fell from her gloves and hit the pavement. Past the door, Sakura could hear the sound of running water inside. "Like there is anyone else in this complex who's a kid."
"Right," said Sakura, except she didn't know if that statement held any truth. She hadn't bothered to learn about any of the other occupants.
"Can you tell your friend to be more quiet when he returns home late? I hear him opening the door at 4 in the morning," said the lady.
"That might be a bit—"
"It wakes my husband up, and he needs to wake up early for his work," said the old lady.
Sakura smiled and hesitantly said, "S-Sure…"
"I wouldn't be pushy normally, but you're the only one who visits him. Great, now that that's done, I need to get back to cooking lunch," said the old lady, as she slammed the door shut.
Sakura sighed. Since she was technically not Naruto's friend, how was she supposed to tell him that? Taking out a small scrap of paper, she hastily scribbled the words "Your neighbor complained you open the door too loudly when you come home during odd hours of the night." She was able to slip the note through the bars of the door before she stopped. She looked at the messy writing before she grabbed her pen again and wrote underneath her original message. "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope you spend it happily."
This time, she left the note feeling a bit more satisfied.
The next two weeks passed by in a haste and before Sakura knew it, she was packing her bags for the trip of the Hot Springs. Unfortunately, on the day she was supposed to meet up with Ino, she was met by the blonde in front of her apartment.
"Ino? I thought we were going to meet by the gates at 7," said Sakura as she wiped the remaining drops of water on her recently washed hair.
Ino wasn't smiling. "ANBU captured a prime suspect related to the Sound attack on our village."
"What? The Sound attack was three years ago…"
"My dad is still at the hospital," said Ino, not meeting Sakura's eyes. "Besides me, there's no one else with the mind control technique."
Sakura glanced at the packed bags sitting in her living room and turned back to Ino. "I understand. I'll tell Tsunade to cancel the vacation."
"You should go still. I'll be there as soon as I can, and Hinata will be there in three days."
"But…"
"You need a vacation. Relax and enjoy yourself," said Ino, patting Sakura's shoulder.
The pink haired kunoichi sighed. "Alright. I already packed, divided my hospital duties with the other trainees, and told my neighbors to get my mail...it'll be troublesome to change my mind last minute."
Ino smiled. "Exactly! Now, go and enjoy yourself."
"Good luck with the interrogation," Sakura managed to say before Ino rushed back to work. Sakura sighed, pulling her packed bag over her shoulder and leaving the apartment. She was already done with all her chores, so she decided to depart earlier. It didn't take her too long for her to get on the main trail.
Snow was sprinkled lightly over the branches and tops of the trees. It covered the dirt road and everything around the road. Everywhere was affected by the frost. It was a bizarre time to choose for vacationing, but it was also one of the few times in the year where there was less work.
Around noontime, when the sun's light hit against the snow in a blinding manner, Sakura decided to take a break and eat her packed lunch. She shook the snow off a boulder off a frozen creek and made a makeshift seat. Her lunch box consisted of a modest meal made out of rice and veggies.
As she brought a mouthful of rice to her lips, she wondered if the interrogation was going well. Sakura remembered the attack like it was yesterday, but she wondered what interrogating the suspect would yield. The dead were not going to come back and the culprit was obviously Orochimaru.
Above her, a flock of birds flew across the cloud-covered sky. Sakura tried to push away her depressing thoughts, but it was no use. Images of a chaotic Konoha appeared in her mind. It was also when she lost her team and became a solo ninja.
The pink-haired kunoichi sighed as she closed her lunchbox with a quiet click and packed away the plastic box back into her pack.
The rest of the trip was filled with random thoughts that generally involved the hospital and her patients. Once, she stumbled upon a family of snow bunnies, which made the girl smile.
During the late afternoon, it began to snow again. She thought of Naruto as the first snowflake landed on her nose. It was right before New Years. The letter on his door must have been read by now, unless he was sick and tired of her notes and tossed it away.
She wondered if he really did throw away her note. Along the way, she made a little a game. If she saw an uneven number of trees, then it meant Naruto ripped her note and thought she was weird for sending him notes even after he had asked her not to. If it was an even number of trees, then it meant he kept her note.
She wasn't sure how long she had travelled, but by the time the sun was setting, she could see the silhouette of a small village ahead of her. It was a modest village hidden amongst the trees, just like Konoha. As she entered the village gates, she was welcomed by a row of red lanterns strung along the main pathway.
There wasn't any snow on the lanterns, so she surmised someone had taken great care. The poor kunoichi took no more than two steps when a group of laughing children ran her way, all wearing fox masks. One of them managed to trip and fall flat on their face. The mask fell away, revealing a small boy.
"Are you okay?" asked Sakura, dusting the snow off his clothes as he got up. "It's dangerous to be wearing a mask so late at night." She picked up the fox mask. "You should wear this in the morning."
"No! It's the Fox Parade. All my friends are going to laugh at me if I don't wear my mask," declared the boy. He made an attempt to grab the mask by jumping and grabbing with his fingers, but Sakura only held it higher.
"Fox Parade? What's that and stay still," commanded Sakura, healing the small scratches on his face that were most likely going to bruise in a few hours.
The boy scrunched up his face. "Are you really an adult? The Fox Parade-the Kitsune no gyoretsu-is to celebrate the New Year!"
"I see," said Sakura, except Konoha never held a fox parade to celebrate the New Year. Given the association of foxes with the Kyuubi, Sakura figured celebrating with foxes was the last thing most people in her village would do. Once she was sure the boy was fine, she handed him back his mask. "Be careful, promise?"
"Yes, miss," said the boy as he held the mask carefully in his hands. He wore it back, once again concealing his boyish face. Then he ran and as he scampered off, he shouted loudly, "Yes, old hag!"
"...old hag," repeated Sakura with a sigh. She had half a mind to chase after the kid, except she decided against it because he was only a kid. Still, she couldn't help but walk in his direction. The boy's shocked features gave away his fear, and she laughed to herself as he darted into the crowd.
It was then she noticed the amount of people gathered for the parade. While most of the participants were children, she noticed a significant number of older aged people wearing masks. They were all heading towards the shrine, no doubt for celebrations. Sakura found a branch to sit upon as she watched them all walk.
The younger children often held hands with their parents. There were couples as well. Even though Sakura couldn't see their faces, she could sense it with the way they held each other's hands. She lost track of the time as she sat against the trunk of the tree and watched the people below.
At some point, her eyes fluttered shut but she could hear the soft shuffling of footsteps and the occasional laughter. There was a low murmur in the crowd that consisted of soft words exchanged between individuals. It was all lulling her to sleep.
She wondered if it would be okay to sleep here, even though her back would complain in the morning. Right now, it seemed like an impossible task to relocate to the inn. Even if there was a comfy bed waiting for her there.
She managed to drift off at some point in the night and was in the midst of dreaming about her old team when she heard a loud crash. Green eyes snapped open in shock. The kunoichi fought for balance on the slender branch.
A figure leapt from rooftop to rooftop, unbeknownst to the villagers who were still enjoying their fox parade. There was a second individual, who was much quicker and chasing after the first shadow. When the two individuals paused, the clouds parted and moonlight hit the first figure. She saw red clouds against a black backdrop, which immediately put her on alert. Akatsuki? Here? Then just as she saw it, the two individuals were gone. Maybe she was dreaming?
Below her, no one seemed to have noticed there were two people jumping around their rooftops. It was also at that moment that Sakura finally lost her balance and fell against the snow-covered ground.
So much for telling the boy to be careful. She couldn't even keep herself out of trouble. Sakura sighed, deciding she definitely must have been half asleep to have been able to fall off of a tree. She stayed for half an hour longer before turning away. Her brain was in pain. She needed to sleep, no matter how much she wanted to enjoy the celebrations.
After asking a villager for directions, she made way for the inn. She cursed her luck when she realized it was a ten minute walk.
Sakura estimated it must have been around two in the morning. The red lanterns strung along the poles illuminated a pale light as she walked past them. She was able to see her surroundings.
The kunoichi covered her mouth as she yawned. Sleep was alluring and something she looked forward to after a long day of traveling. She walked quietly along the snow-covered path. Her boots disappeared into the snow every time she made a step.
She jumped a few times, to see what would happen. Nothing interesting occurred, except she managed to get snow in her boots. Sighing, she resumed a more normal pace when she spotted a few drops of red-colored dye. Sakura froze. As she gave the red blemish in the snow a second glance, she realized it was no dye. It was fresh blood.
Judging from the brightness of red, she estimated the blood to have been less than an hour old. She looked around her surroundings. Besides the inn, all the other stores were closed.
But where did the blood come from?
She studied the blood and saw that it formed a trail towards the alleyway behind the inn. Her best guess was someone got injured, but it was hard to tell if that person was good or evil.
Frowning, she took a few steps forward all the while grabbing a kunai from the pouch strapped around her thigh. As quietly as the kunoichi could manage, she walked closer to the alleyway. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a dark silhouette positioned against the wall.
She swallowed and counted to three.
"Who are you?" she demanded, walking directly into the alleyway. A gasp escaped her lips at the sight of the pooling blood surrounding the individual. The left side of his chest was pierced by a katana. Despite having fingers pressed against the wound area, blood spilled freely.
Perhaps the most surprising element in the entire scene was the kitsune mask covering the ninja's face. She recognized it as the same one "Kitsune" wore.
It was the ANBU member from two weeks ago, the one who flippantly walked into Tsunade's office.
