Chapter 3
This chapter is dedicated to Lynto
The last day in track to Konoha was hurried. Both guests were carried through the remaining forest and the small group only stopped to rest when absolutely necessary. The high lord, Chyoyi, did not come about till the middle of the day. "Wha- what happened?" he stuttered, surprised by the tree's that were blurring past him. "Father!" shrieked Karine in happiness from the kunoichi's back "You're alive!" Said kunoichi growled and muttered that she had already told the brat her father would be fine.
"Kankurou" said (f/n). The puppet master turned his sight to the brown haired girl that had stopped on the branch before his. "Let's take a break" he gave a happy nod and quickly jumped down. "Finally" he said while stretching his sore muscles. The chakra seer rolled her eyes at his behavior while letting down the blonde brat. "Father! You're alright" Karine ran straight to her father's side and threw her arms around his neck.
Maybe, just maybe, she's not so bad… thought (f/n) as she watched the girl. "I don't know what I would have done!" continued the girl "If you hadn't been there to pay for everything! How would I have survived with your money?!" Kankurou put a restraining hand on (f/n)'s shoulder as the happiness in the old man's eyes faded away. "Stupid brat" she hissed and Kankurou gave a nod of acknowledgment.
"We'll eat and then continue. We don't want to get in that ninja's way again" said Kankurou to the high lord "Or him in ours" finished (f/n). The lord nodded and took a piece of bread from Kankurou as Karine mimicked. "How much longer?" her voice sounding strained and tired. (f/n) looked over at the blond girl and smirked inwardly "Since the last time you asked five minutes ago?" her voice dripped with sarcasm as fake smile adorned her face. Karine could do nothing but pout as her face flushed with embarrassment and Kankurou choked back a laugh.
They finished lunch quickly and the old man boarded Kankurou's back again. It wasn't long till they saw the gate's of Konoha ahead. (F/n) stopped in front and let the girl she'd been carrying fall to the group with a 'thud' "Ow" hissed Karine and glared up at the seventeen year-old as Kankurou and her father landed next to them. "(f/n); you're not supposed to hurt the mission…" started the kitty cat "Yeah, yeah. Oi Izumo, Kotetsu!" said guards looked up from their table.
"Yo (l/n)-chan, Kankurou-kun. What brings you to Konoha?" (f/n) smiled at the porcupine head man and at his silent partner before venturing up to the table. "Escorts; we need to go to the Hokage right away." Izumo looked through his one visible eye at Chyoyi-sama and at Karine before giving the shinobi a nod, telling them it was fine to enter the great village. With another smile, (f/n) led the group through Konoha's busy streets all the way to the red tower in the middle.
"Come in" yelled Tsunade as a hard knock was heard upon her wooden doors. In come a group of four; two ninja's and two of what seemed to be high class. "Hokage-sama" said both ninja's and the elderly man with a bow, the earlier a deeper one. Tsunade looked at the platinum blonde that stood in the doorway fiddling with the inexistence dirt under her manicured nails and send a condolence glance to the three bowing figures.
"I'm gonna take a guess and say that you are Chyoyi-sama and that is your daughter Karine?" the high lord nodded and stood up right. "I see, you where to be here yesterday." Kankurou cut in and explained of the rouge ninja "Dressed completely in black with a plain silver mask?" All four nodded "One of them wouldn't be a water user for any reason?" (f/n) stepped forward "Yes, and the other one was an earth user." Tsunade turned her icy gaze to the chakra seer "Was?" this time Kankurou was the one to reply "I killed him!"
Tsunade's face turned into shock and both shinobi's exchanged a nervous glance. "You killed him?" her fingers intertwined with her blonde hair "Please tell me you didn't bury him" she looked up at them with pleading eyes. "Well… if you're asking if we gave him a proper funeral, then no. He burned with the explosion; we buried what was left in some shallow sand." "Damn it!" Chyoyi-sama looked shocked as the elder woman turned her back to them. Tsunade asked for Chyoyi and Karine to leave the room before continuing the conversation with the two startled ninja.
"Those ninja's have been killing many high lords around here. No matter how many times we killed the three they would always return." "Three?" asked (f/n). The Hokage glanced at the girl briefly before returning her gaze to the rooftops of the nearby buildings. "We did a test. We caught the third one and buried him, always with guards. On the third day… he revived."
Both ninja's froze in shock as did Chyoyi and Karine who heard the whole conversation form the other side of the door. "It's been two days" started a frozen cat "and tomorrow he'll return" finished (f/n). "How?" Said Chyoyi as he stepped back into the room he had tried to get out off earlier. "How did you kill the third one?" The Hokage looked at him, deciding if she should involve the civilian. "We burned him Left nothing to bury. Not even a hair."
"Karine! It is so since to finally meet my future wife. And what a beauty she is!" The strawberry haired boy laughed as he held Karine's hands in his. From the look on her face anyone could tell that she already disliked her betroth. "And the ninja's who kept her safe for me this whole journey! Please come in for food and merriment as we celebrate the arrival of my new wife!" said ninja's took a step back and declined the offer "We have stuff to do before we return to the Sand tomorrow. We simply don't have the time."
In truth neither of them wanted to spend more time in the presence of the spoiled brat or her overly eager fiancé. "Some other time? I must thank you!" Lying through their pearly whites the shinobi agreed; with a final farewell to the high lord and his brat, err daughter; they walked away towards the ramen shop.
"Finally! That brat is gone!" Kankurou laughed at (f/n) reaction. "She wasn't that bad…" "Says the man who she wanted to rape…" Kankurou scowled "She didn't want to rape me! It was my charm and good looks that attracted her to me!" (F/n) smirked "Yes that was it my dear Kankurou. Perhaps next time the girl will look past that at your non-existent brain" (f/n) laughed as Kankurou's face turned red with anger.
The wind shifted, and with it came the smell of ink. The sand ninja's turned towards the smell just as a black shuriken flew towards them. With a jump to the side it was safely avoided; but another fleet of shuriken sailed through the air and implanted themselves where the ninjas had been just seconds ago. "What the?" a kunai land next to (f/n) on the branch she currently occupied. An explosive note caught fire and the explosion rang in Kankurou's ears as he watched her body sail through the silent air and hit a nearby building.
With a grunt she slid to the ground, unable to move. Her vision was blurry surrounded by black dots and she could barely feel her body. Hard as she tried her arms and legs wouldn't respond as her brain told her to move from the dangerous area. She was faintly aware of the shouts coming from Kankurou as he defended her weakened body from the unknown attacker.
The sweet smell of strawberry's filled the air as a familiar tuff of pink hair landed in between Kankurou and the ink dogs. "Sakura!" Kankurou shouted; both happy and surprised. Sakura took one look at (f/n) unconscious body and then at the direction of her friend who had caused the damage to her. "Sai!" yelled an angry doctor "What are you doing?!"
Said ninja jumped down from a nearby building and stared at his partner "They are not from here. They may be enemies." Sakura mumbled a string of curses as she raced to the body of the brown haired kunoichi. "Healing jutsu" she muttered in between as a green glow emitted from her pale palms. (F/n) felt the warmth of the chakra on her face were she also felt a wet trail of blood flowing from an open wound.
Kankurou knelt next to the body of the chakra seer and held her limp hand as the medical nin worked on (f/n); he send a glare in the direction of the boy who looked quite like the Uchiha who had abandoned the village three years past. Same black hair, same emotionless face and cold black eyes. "Who are you?" venom dripped from his words "Sai" replied the boy. "Why did you do this?" he was quickly becoming angrier "Because, I did not know if you were a threat or not. I can now see that you are friends of Sakura-chan." He gave the cat his infamous smile and flinched as a growl escaped the throat of the young puppet master.
He must feel deeply for this girl… thought the artist as he stood safely ten feet back. If only Naruto were here. He would explain this unknown emotion to me. Sakura sighed in relief as (f/n) first wounds closed and the kunoichi squinted her eyes against the brightness of the setting sun "You're lucky I was looking for Sai when I was. If not it could have been worse." (F/n) pushed herself off the cold pavement with the help of Kankurou and turned towards her good friend. "Yeah, I guess I am!" she smiled smugly "But that's just me right? (f/n) good luck."
Sakura laughed politely but stopped as she followed (f/n)'s gaze to Sai. "This is Sai" she pointed towards the ink user "He's new. Doesn't know much of the world. Kinda like a new born baby." She joked trying to lighten the ominous feeling in the air. "He's never met anyone form the Sand as far as I know. He didn't mean it; it's the way he was raised…" Sai nodded in confirmation of Sakura's words; and lucky for him (f/n) was too tired to purse and empty fight. Kankurou was not.
"And that gives you the right to almost kill someone?!" (f/n) put a restraining arm on Kankurou's shoulder, much like the one he'd used the last four day's whenever she had become angry at the brat. "Kankurou" he looked down at her reluctantly, not wanting to take his glare from the emotionless boy "I'm tired; let's go to the hotel." He nodded stiffly and scooped her up in his arms against her protests. "I would go to the hospital. It'll be easier to check your wounds that way-" (F/n) cut off the rambling girl with her hand.
"I'm fine. I just need rest, I'll be better tomorrow you'll see." Sakura stepped back defeated and left along with Sai after and awkward good-bye.
