Author's Note: Well thanks to the two "Cold Days" I didn't have school Thursday and Friday so I got to type this weekend resulting in this chapter being a little a head of schedule. Yay for Winter in Chicago! Anyway I'll save the rest of my notes for the end. Hope you enjoy the long awaited new chapter. (Yes I delete the two authors note chapters)
I'm sorry for any bad grammar in this chapter
A Second Chance - Chapter 3
Too Close For Comfort
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Sakura sat in her chair motionless, eyes wide open. Why would Orochimaru want her for an S-class mission. She never really worked for him directly. She had always work with Kabuto. She looked over to him. He noticed her and gave her a reassuring look and lightly mouthed 'Don't worry'. She looked over to Suigetsu and Sasuke. Suigetsu had a very menacing smile on his face. A very creepy mix of excitement and blood lust. Sakura shook a little bit in her chair. Then she saw Sasuke's normal expressionless face. He probably already knew he was getting a mission. Hell, he probably what the mission was. Sakura stayed quiet for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for somebody to break the silence. Finally, Orochimaru spoke.
"Now before I give you all the details of the mission. I want to know that your all in this 100%. If you don't feel up to the challenge-" He discretely turned his eyes toward Sakura for just a split second and then returned them to their original position, "You can leave now. I'll have a different mission for you if you do."
Sakura again sat motionless. She wanted to get up and leave. She didn't think she was ready for such a mission. She wasn't that good of a ninja. But she stayed seated. She had to prove herself to Orochimaru. This might be the only chance she got. So she sat there, silent, waiting for Orochimaru to speak again. Nobody else said anything either. They all were gonna do this.
"Wonderful. Now then," He took out a long rod and pointed to a spot on the map on the table. "This I our current position about 7 kilometers outside the borders of the Fire Country." He then moved his pointer to the north. "This is one of the Sound Villages military outpost 25 kilometers north from where we are now." He then moved his pointer to the west stopping it at a point in the middle of the fire country. "This is the Hidden Leaf Village, approximately 400 kilometers away form us now."
Sakura felt her stomach drop. "I think you all now were I'm going with this. We are going to destroy the Leaf village."
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The Forest of the Fire Country seemed endless to the dark cloaked Anbu as he rushed passed the trees. All the different types of trees looked like a green and brown blur at the speeds he was racing at. It almost felt like he wasn't moving, more like the forest it self was rushing past him. He had to stop a couple just to make sure he wasn't crazy. It was an odd feeling.
There was a feeling that he liked out here in the forest. And that was the feeling of solitude. It was nearly silent. The only sounds he could here were the occasional bird's creeping or an insect buzzing around him. Just the natural sounds of the forest. It was wonderful. He was also alone. That was icing on the cake, the cherry on top of the sundae. It was a great feeling and he was throughly enjoying every moment of it. Yep it was like his own little slice of paradise.
"Hey Fox, you there?"
And just like that his beloved silence was taken from him by the voice of his partner, Wolf, on the com-link. He stopped on the nearest branch and against his will he answered his comrade. "What is it Wolf? Is anything wrong?"
"Not really no. I just wanted to ask you something."
Fox sighed. Frankly he was annoyed. So annoyed, he wanted to go though the com-link and punch his partner in the face for taking away his solitude. But he realized it would be easier to just give in rather than to fight. "What is it."
"Why are you out here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well didn't you just come back from a long term mission in the Mist Village like 2 days ago? Shouldn't you take a vacation or something?"
Fox sighed again and took a long pause. This was a subject he defiantly didn't want to talk about right now. "It's nothing to concern your self with. Just drop it."
"Why whats wrong? Did something happen between you and -"
"Kiba! Just drop it"
"Sorry, I just want to help you out man."
"I know but it's not something you can't help me with. I just want to be alone right now."
There was another long pause. "Okay, I'll um... I'll contact you if I anything happens."
With that Fox's silence was returned to him. He stood motionless for a while, sighed again, and returned to jumping across the tree line in silence.
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Sakura was speechless. She had no idea what to do. She couldn't back out now that she know what the mission was. Orochimaru might just kill her if did. That might be an exaggeration but she didn't want to find out. All she could do was stay silent and do what she was told. The snake sannin then spoke.
"The mission I'm assigning you is very critical to the operation. You are the diversion. You will travel to the south east side of the wall around the village. While you are on your way Kabuto and I will make our way to the military outpost and assemble the main forces of the attack and then we will make our way to the north east side of the Leaf's wall. We should be about an hour behind you. At Midnight you will break through the wall . Sasuke, you can summon a snake. It will probably be the easiest and quickest way to do it. Once you begin the destruction of the village the ninja will respond relatively quickly so you'll have to defend the snake until we arrive with the army. Once we do, we will flank the Leaf forces that you will be fighting and then continue the destruction on the village. Any questions?"
Sakura already questioning this plan. How were three people going to fend off the entire Leaf village for an hour? Also how was an army going to travel undetected all the way to the village. But before she can ask Suigestsu asked one of her questions.
"Wait a minute. How the hell can Me, Sasuke, and Sakura fend off the whole village?"
"Don't worry Suigetsu, you'll have help. I'll be sending a small regiment to assist you to fight the the Leaf's forces. Also another big part of your mission is to take out any Leaf nin patrolling the forest. That way the regiment I'm going to sent you can go thought the forest undetected."
"What about the rest of the army? How will you go undetected?" This time Sakura did ask her question .
"Oh you don't have to worry about that. I have my ways." Orochimaru cracked a very creepy smile across his face. Sakura decided to just eave it at that. Both her questions were answered and she had nothing else to do but to just follow orders.
"Well if that settles everything, you have twenty minutes to gather any equipment you need and meat each other at the entrance of th lair. No go."
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10 minutes later Sakura was in her room. She had gathered all her weapons and other equipment like kunai, shuriken, exploding tags, and soldier pills. Just normal equipment that any ninja should carry. She was currently staring at her self in the mirror, deep in thought. 'Oh god, can I do this? How can I attack the place that I was born. The place that I was raised. How can I fight all my old friends? What if I saw Ino or Kakashi? What if I saw my parents? What could I possibly say to them? What if I saw Naruto? Oh god he must hate me so much. I wouldn't blame him if he did. What can I say to him?'
She stayed there, staring at her self for what felt like an eternity. "I can't do this." She reached into her kunai pouch and pulled one out. She raised the sharp steel edge to the neck and looked at her self in the mirror again, thinking it could be the last thing she ever saw. She wanted to do it. She wanted to slide the black steel blade across her jugular vein and end her sadness. But she couldn't. Her arm wouldn't move. She sighed and put the kunai back into her pouch. And wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked in the mirror again and saw herself and she was disgusted with her self. She was better than this.
"No. I'm not gonna lay down and take the easy way out. I've made my choices in life and now I have to stick with them. What kind of person would I be if I just gave up. I may not be proud of what I've done but I'm damn proud of what I am now. I'm a ninja of the Sound and I will do my duty."She turned and walked out of her room, head held high and ready to face anyone from her past. She would rather she didn't though.
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AN: Now before you start freaking out, yes I know the mission is a little far fetched but it's the best I can think of for what I want to happen in the next few chapters. If did it any different I'd have to rethink pretty much the next 5 or so chapters. Also I know Orochimaru is pretty OOC but too bad. My story. Anyway that's all I got for you today. Remember to REVIEW!!!!!! please. Oh and Go Bulls and Blackhawks.
