❀• Chapter4: health's weight •
Sakura had woken up early to do her training again, once she was dressed with "appropriate for rain" clothes as mentioned by Konan once, she made her way out the door prepared `for strenuous exercise in the rain, when something under her feet caught her attention. She bent down to see what it was and lifted the strange and heavy object carefully, there were four of them and two of those were smaller than the rest, she didn't know what were those things even though she desperately wanted to know, playing with her fate headed Konan door and knocked softly, hoping not to wake her if she continued sleeping. Sakura was determined to retrace her steps and satisfy her curiosity later when the door opened, revealing a kunoichi dressed and smiling.
"Hello Sakura-chan is there anything I can do for you?" She asked gently.
"Sorry if bother you Konan-sama, but I just found these things" she said pointing the objects in her hands "outside my door so I wondered what these things were." She said embarrassed by the intrusion.
"Do not worry about it, I was just writing my mission report, but I see it is interesting item you have in your hands." She said coming to study closely "these are weights Sakura-chan." Said Konan once satisfied with consideration.
"Weights?" She asked confused.
"Yes, it is used for ninja training." She answered satisfying her curiosity successfully. Noticing as the face of the little girl was lit only with those words. "Do you want to try them?" She asked, breaking her spell temporarily.
"Of course." she said excitedly.
"Great." Konan smiled at her simplicity to be happy "come here." she said making a gesture for her to come over, Konan bent and first took her right leg carefully to not to lose her balance, she took the object extended in front of her and put it carefully around her lower leg, the weight was small and thin, but it was special because it had severed deeds in a kind of vertical bars, which she recognized as seal labels, and indeed the weights were heavier than appeared, as they were just thinner and like ordinary fabric. Then she proceeded to do the same with her other leg identically repeating the process "now give me your hands." She said taking the shorter but equally heavy weights.
"They feel strange." Sakura admitted trying to move her limbs.
"Usually are." She answered, "But you surely will get used four pounds half at each limb, isn't so much weight." Conciliatory Konan said.
"I guess you're right Konan-sama." She said despite that sum was more than half of her body weight.
"You must take the training easy, the weight may not feel so bad now as it will after a few minutes." She advised.
"How long must get these things?" Asked Sakura when her doubts hardly assailed her.
"Generally work best at long periods of time, I've heard of ninjas that never removed them and modify the weight once they get used to it, I can see you're dying to ask their usefulness and I tell you that are useful to reinforce the strength and up the speed, if there are more advantages you have to discover for yourself because I have never used things like that before. But is only up to you how long you want to use them. "She said touching the tip of the nose of the little girl when she finished saying that.
"I guess that I go to prove them, thanks Konan-sama." She said turning to follow her original path.
"Don't stay long in the rain, the weather is particularly cold today and you could get sick." Konan said as she walked away.
"I will consider Konan-sama." She replied.
"of course you'll do, good luck." She said before she disappeared from her field of vision.
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Sakura thought walking was strange, but when she started running it felt terrible. She could usually take a long time running, but now with the weights in addition to being much slower, tired faster, couldn't maintain speed or rhythm and the rain was heavy so did nothing more than give poor visibility to her. Needless to say she couldn't complete the course as she had done previously at a much slower pace for the rest; her muscles hurt a lot after just run. Giving up very reluctantly began doing flexibility exercises that Kisame had prepared for her, but now thanks to the weights were much more complex, which cost a lot to the young girl, particularly the exercise designed for the column flexibility, the exercise was designed to work in the flexibility of the human support, inflections were what preceded achieve that particular exercise because if she did successfully she could stand in her own arms in that way she would have to give a forward somersault landing with her feet without her arms took off the ground, then bring her feet as close to hand as possible. As expected, she didn't succeed. The ground was very dump, wet and muddy and the weights added more discomfort to her legs doing to fell on her back into the mud. The feeling wasn't entirely pleasant even less.
She resigned to be all muddy, decided to try to do it until she could, which she did after many attempts, the weights were something to be aware of and felt that the worst would come in the practice of the katas. She was right.
She was in front of the marked tree by her previous practices and then started doing the exercises methodically, clearly her blows were no longer as hard as others from her previous training, she was experiencing pain in her knuckles and instep, the most affected areas by her exercises, so whenever that part of her anatomy clashed to meet the tree, commanded a kind of unpleasant sensation down her dorsal spine. Looking more closely, she noticed that the skin of her knuckles was in tatters and in a powerful red, while for her instep things didn't look much better, or so she imagined as standard boots didn't allow her to exanimate them clearly, but the pain was unpleasant and similar to the knuckles. Yet she continued to training trying to go faster and more agile as she reviewed the katas methodically because Kisame had told her that if she never tried, wouldn't be a good ninja and she would die without honor, of course he said it as a joke, but she took it really seriously and approached the point where she could no longer stand, much earlier than had been two days ago, she did not know why, but she suspected that were because the weights and she was right, but also by other things.
She fell heavily to the ground forgetting about the extra weight on her body until she touched the hard ground this time splashing around everywhere and then she just concentrate on the sky, had not stopped raining all morning and it was late in the afternoon or so it seemed, because she was exhausted and felt like she had been out all day. The girl started to get up but found she couldn't, her muscles protested loudly, so exhausted dropped into the soil moist and cold hoping to recover herself, but suddenly cringed inwardly to feel a firm of chakra close to her, she was in trouble at least while trying to stand, it had stopped raining.
"I think it's not very responsible of you to skip breakfast and lunch, young lady." rebuked Konan appearing in her field of vision when looking from above her lying on the floor position. "Besides you're all dirty and wet." She said with a sigh, "maybe they are not at home but you're still behaving like them." added amused as she held a hand to help her stand. She did it successfully, but soon noticed that she was not able to walk without complaining atrociously, so she just lifted her as she had done about six months ago.
"Konan-sama I'm sorry, I just ..." she started to babble trying to apologize for soaking her clothes, sully, for making irresponsible things and everything but nothing was understood.
"Okay, just don't ever do that, it is very irresponsible if no one is around." She rebuked her gentle but firm leaving more than clear the message. As they walked, or rather, while Konan walked, Sakura again raised her eyes to the sky watching as the sun's rays through the clouds forming a cute show, until something very cute and bright caught her eye.
"What's that, what's that?" She asked looking at the sky shocked and amazed at the same time to see something so amazing and sweet created.
"That is a rainbow Sakura-chan." said Konan
"A rainbow." She repeated, "What kind of jutsu is that and why is it so large?" She asked with enthusiasm and absolute curiosity. Konan laughed gently without intention of offending the girl, but the truth is that she had found the question very tender and innocent besides was a funny question "What's so funny?" Asked Sakura curiously imposing other attitude, no doubt Kisame was spoiling her sweet nature.
"A rainbow is a light band-shaped arc presents the colors of the solar spectrum and sometimes appears in the sky, due to refraction and reflection of sunlight in raindrops, not a jutsu" said Konan with simplicity "are sometimes seen in Amegakure, although not as frequent because it always rains or is too cloudy for sunlight to pass through the thick clouds covering the sky." She also admired the natural beauty, she gave many things for granted and now realized as she enjoyed something as simple as a rainbow.
"It's beautiful." Sakura said "I wish I could reach the other extreme of it, but I can't see it." She said with disappointment.
"Luck with that, it is difficult to find where it will end the arc of light" she replied fun.
"Achoo."
"I told you that you did not stay too long in the rain or there would be consequences. You have to take a bath and then go to bed." Kunoichi said with authority.
"Aw." Sakura protested.
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Once Sakura was clean and dry, Konan had taken her to the kitchen to eat something and help her immune system to expel more quickly the cold. Once this was done she carried her to her room to keep her under surveillance and laid her down without allowing to escape, she also put a mask to her for prevent new infections. She wasn't sure she would do, but better safe than sorry, when it was about children, keep Childs in bed was complex due to its increased energy, but apparently was not the case of Sakura, she obeyed and stayed in bed making paper figures with Konan, who now had told her she was free to continue with their task of making a thousand paper cranes, while both of them were doing this Konan noticed that Sakura had trembling hands so she decided to investigate letting aside the papers.
"Sakura-chan, you need to stop neglecting your health." Chided, she was a child that was true, but at some point would have to stop her irresponsible behavior.
"Konan-sama." Sakura started slowly as the older woman bandaged her knuckles, which when examined grimaced, the skin was scraped and traces of blood were still there.
"What's on your mind cherry?" Konan asked, looking up to meet her green eyes leaving the band and antiseptic aside.
"I was wondering ... I mean ... I ... well… it…um" Sakura began avoiding her gaze wander as she twisted her sheets between her fingers.
"You can tell me anything." Kunoichi reassured as she returned to her task to finish with the bandages.
"Promise me that you won't get mad with Kakuzu-sama" she tried, Konan nodded though she suspected letting her to continue "So is that ... some time ago… I can feel an additional firm of chakra, I asked Kakuzu-sama who it was, but told me that I would ask directly to you Konan-sama because wasn't his task to tell me, but maybe ... better ... may not want to tell me ... I ... I'm fine with that." She said afraid to have exceeded her self-imposed limits, maybe she touched a chord of Konan and that she had not wanted to tell because she had motives and reasons for failure to do it. Konan was silent a long time just watching her.
"I didn't think that you could feel his chakra, usually keep hidden." Konan said impressed.
"I'm sorry if I asked a question that wasn't able to do Konan-sama." Sakura said apologetically nervously folding and wringing even more the sheets beneath her fingers, feeling totally uncomfortable.
"It's okay, I guess I just didn't see it coming, I think we can talk about that in another time because I need to do something before." the woman with the blue hair and amber eyes said, even without being able to absorb the amount of scope that have the ability of the girl.
"K-Konan-sama." Sakura began willing to resolve her doubts once but with a little scary for transgressing "What is Akatsuki?" She asked with a little fear for saying something wrong.
"Who told you about that?" Asked Konan altered "tell me, was someone in the organization? What else told you?" She asked now completely worried.
"No, it is that when I was with Kakuzu-sama in the village ... was a man who was following us," said Sakura trying to avoid her gaze again, if she had looked up would have seen that Konan wasn't happy at all to hear that and had a face a little low, "he wanted to hurt Kakuzu-sama and ..." she paused. Konan thought she was going to say that Kakuzu had killed the man in front of her eyes and was willing to let him know what she thought about that when Sakura interrupted once again opening her mouth to say something "and before he..." she said looking at Konan to convey the message, she nodded letting her know that she understood and making a gesture to continue. "He said something." She said now very hesitantly "they know you akatsuki." She said feeling as if a great weight was lifted from her shoulders.
"What?" She asked now really worried not only for the organization but for her too, if anyone knew of them and how close and related they were with Ame; things just were not going well.
"That's what he said." Sakura replied feeling weak and dizzy. Konan noticed this and put a hand on her forehead after leaving her initial shock.
"You have a fever." she said "I'm afraid I'll have to leave you here with Kakuzu again, I have something to do." Konan said standing up, she would have to look for Pein, she was almost sure that he was in Amegakure resolving internal issues, she would inform the situation to him as soon as possible. May Kakuzu has not made the effort to report the situation because he didn't know who was behind those actions, but she knew it and it was dangerous ground so without further rose and sent a smile to Sakura before out. "We'll talk later." She promised though she knew she couldn't hear her.
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"Kakuzu." Konan said when she found him counting the money from his latest hunt.
"What is it this time?" He said a little annoyed, he didn't like interruptions or anything, but here it was again, before the girl no one paid attention and left him alone and isolated most of the time, but now things had changed and honestly he didn't know if it was for better.
"Sakura told me of your meeting with the undercover ninja, I know you killed him, but I need the details, it is important." She said without releasing too much information.
"About that," he said looking at her without knowing what to expect from her, how she would react to knowing that he killed someone in front of her protected, although she haven't seen anything could bring problems with her anyway. "I killed him, is true." said as he admitted his actions.
"You know that regular process is to extract information before executing them." Konan said a little upset that was an oversight that wasn't usual for him. He was the most qualified when it was about that.
"You have to consider that the process wasn't entirely regular; first the girl was there, second the so-and-so was an ANBU I knew that when I tear his clothes when he tried to attack me, and it is true, I killed him in front of the girl, but she saw nothing, I made sure of that." He said.
"What do you mean with you make sure of that?" asked the kunoichi with a little scary, it was possible that he had knocked for not see anything or something like that.
"It's not what you think," he said watching her gaze shifted from peaceful to a furious "I put my coat on her head and also I ordered her to close her eyes, once he was dead I carried the body and for she wouldn't see the blood splattered on my clothes I asked her for my coat and put my hitai-tie on her eyes rather not see the body of the ninja as I carried, satisfied?" he asked totally annoyed, he wasn't liking that they always reproach him for things he hadn't done, before he wouldn't have mattered, but now it was different.
"Even so, that doesn't explain why not you left him unconscious to extract information later, it was important for us to know as much as we could." Konan said annoying problems that were supposed to be saved.
"As I said before, the situation wasn't normal, besides you should be happy that I kill him immediately, because he wanted to take your child with him because he will not allow a child to be with criminals." He said tactless and directly leaving Konan speechless for a good time. "I see that the girl didn't inform you that, also it was he who attacked us, the girl noticed before and that is why she didn't see the show." He quipped at the end a little flattered that the girl has not already ratted him.
"I need you to stay with Sakura while I go to talk to Pein." Konan said just now was more important than ever to go with Pein, Sakura didn't want to reveal anything that Kakuzu had done and if wasn't for her question maybe things would be different, now she knew she had to do.
"Why should I do that?" He asked, after all payment was only for the time he had took care of her and that job was done.
"There are problems, if that ninja had contact with the spy network may be too late and they know us, but we will not know unless we take action." said the kunoichi preparing to leave. "Sakura loved the weights you left for her, but now she's sick because she worked very hard during training, it is important that you stay with her until I get back, I'll be here before nightfall." She said approaching the exit.
"Mmm." He muttered.
"I know you like her, you wouldn't have spent money for her if it were not so, besides may be the last day you have to take charge, I knew Tobi arrives tomorrow because for his mission Orochimaru is responsible." She said before leave the base.
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After what seemed like fifteen minutes Kakuzu was in her room with a wet container and cloths hanging from his forearm.
"Sorry to I have bothered you Kakuzu-sama." The girl with green eyes apologized coughing slightly in her mask.
"The situation warrants." He said sitting beside her without knowing exactly how to proceed, the next logical step was to put one of the cloths in warm water, rather a bit cold and squeeze to put it on her forehead to reduce fever.
"Konan-sama didn't bother with you, did she?" She asked worried.
"No, she didn't." He answered and now that he thought about, it was true; she hadn't betrayed him as he had thought even though he had never asked her to keep what happened as a secret
"I'm glad." She said.
Sakura was dizzy and had a headache so she just dropped into the pillows, suddenly there was plenty of light in the room and didn't help that the room was completely white. Kakuzu seemed to realize that and got up to turn off some lights leaving the dimmest. What followed was an awkward silence between the two of them, Sakura was tired but not to the point of sleep and Kakuzu ever had cared for someone before and less than someone so small and young, so he didn't know exactly what would be what would happen if he left her alone in her room, but then Sakura asked something.
"Kakuzu-sama are you sick?" She asked worried.
"What makes you ask that?" Questioned, sometimes he really didn't understand the questions of children.
"That's because you always bring a mask," she said, "Konan-sama said I should wear a mask to prevent someone else became ill, and also would help me heal faster." She said. That left him a little surprised, it was polite to ask things, true, but also her reasoning ability was very good for a child, first had demonstrated it with the bingo book and now with this, she was polite to not directly ask why he wore a mask.
"No special reason, I use the mask while I'm in my missions generally for anonymity, I'm searched in some nations." he answered truthfully, he was not one to hide the truth or downright lie.
"Then why always you bring on?" She asked a little curious.
"That's because usually I have many missions or work to do; besides at this time I wouldn't risk with a ball of germs, it is better if I keep it on so I make sure that I'm not sick." He answered calmly, was possible that Konan was right and that girl didn't bother him at all or she would be dead.
"I see." She said really processing it all. Another awkward silence filled the room as Sakura stared at the ceiling without much to do, she wanted to hear a story, but didn't feel too brave enough to ask him to, but she tried anyway after a while.
"Anno Kakuzu-sama" started her as she groping ground so she would know if it was safe to ask what she had in mind.
"What?" He asked once he had gotten out of his thoughts successfully
"I was wondering ... I was wondering if you could tell me a bedtime story." She asked making a very sweet face, even though she didn't know.
"I don't know any." he answered honestly, it's not as if his life had depended on learning children's stories with unreal and happy endings.
"I guess it's okay." She said unsuccessfully to hide her disappointment.
"I can try, but it's a true story, so its history, anyway I've lived long enough to know that." he replied trying to make her feel better to his own surprise.
"Great." She said with a smile as she tried to forget the heaviness she felt in her body and the headache she had.
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Konan was looking Pein for a while until she decided to go look at the highest tower in Amegakure where he usually was when went to the village. She rose quickly and found him sitting in the tongue of the face of one side of the building watching the city.
"Pein." Konan said warning him of her presence although they both knew she was there and then sit next to him to observe the village together.
"It's important if you came to get me," he said.
"Kakuzu has completed his mission successfully." she said.
"That's good, but you could wait we were at the base to tell me, or rather he had given me the report of his mission." He said studying her reactions was quite analytical and knew that that was not the real reason why she was there.
"We can't wait for that to happen because the ninja that was infiltrated was an ANBU who was collecting information about us, and was waiting to introduce ourselves at the time of crisis, apparently the case of the toads and ninja are related or the same." He said Konan.
"How did you know?" asked Pein after an evaluation time.
"I just had to connect the dots." she replied, "but wouldn't have been possible without Sakura." Acknowledged "after all she was the one who informed Kakuzu about the intruder who at first hadn't decided to show, besides the guy was willing to take her and rescue of criminals, or that's how he referred to us, so I suspect he knows more than our name." she said.
"Explain." He demanded.
"Are merely details that we can talk then, what is really important is that they already know who we are." She answered though there wasn't a question.
"I guess we must increase our strength, it is true that we have been able to get rid of most toads and the spy network, but that doesn't mean they will stop suspect, although we couldn't let them go with the information, either we could leave them living and expose us, but they must still believe that it isn't usual that many of them disappear and that will only bring more research." he said processing everything. "How did the girl know?" He asked curiously.
"Is that she is something like a sensor, can detect a wide range of chakra and hide her own with expertise ..." Konan said stopping at that point.
"She seems interesting. And many members have told me so, but I didn't believe it was true." He answered, "But apparently there is something else you want to tell me." He asked indirectly.
"She knows about you." She replied brazenly holding nothing, he gave her a look that asked a lot, "No, I didn't tell her about you or anyone else; she sensed your chakra signature ago and asked me about it." She told him before he could blame her for having done something irresponsible to consider. "You knew it would happen sometime." She told him "my question is: What will you do? I decided to ask you before saying anything to her, I can't lie to her so tell me what you want me to say, she is already asking questions about us as well as the meaning of Akatsuki." she went on with her speech.
"I guess we'll have to know each other at some point, but not now, things are tense, just give me a little time, I still think it's a bad idea that she is at the base." He said with complete sincerity, "but you have to understand "continued when he saw her pained look "I do not think it's safe for her and this event has shown, but apparently isn't a normal girl so I guess I'll have to talk to her, you can tell me roughly to satisfy her curiosity and don't worry to tell about akatsuki, I request that, for the moment is better leave it at that and when I introduce myself conducive to her." He said reassuringly.
"Thanks Nagato, that means a lot to me." She said, rising from his side.
"Where are you going?" He asked, already missing her company.
"Sakura is sick, she has trained very hard during the morning and afternoon and Kakuzu is taking care of her right now." She replied, he seemed a little upset about that, they didn't always have time to be together because of the number of missions and work involved in maintaining a organization and a village. "After all Kakuzu still have to manage the economy of the village while you're solving all here." She said with a smile before leaving.
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When Konan came to Sakura's room found Kakuzu sitting in a chair next to her watching over her sleep, when he had recognized her presence left without saying anything, Konan went to the kitchen to prepare a chicken soup to take something hot to help her system, before she were to do that, found that the cloths were fresh and her clothes weren't sweaty, she knew how unpleasant it was the fever and sometimes makes you feel warm even if your environment is cold.
She made her way to the kitchen to prepare the soup when she noticed that Tobi had recently arrived and was wet due the rain outside.
"Hello Konan-senpai." Tobi said as he removed his coat.
"Hello Tobi." She said, returning the salute.
"Why blossom-chan isn't with you?" He asked knowing that the girl never left the kunoichi while she wasn't with Kisame or him in the base.
"She's in her room, she got sick this morning." she replied.
"Can Tobi go to see her?" He asked innocently.
"Of course." She said being returned to her soup mission.
Tobi then made his way to the room of the small cherry blossom or Sakura, but he liked it more that way, had missed her during the period of his mission, he was generally ignored in the base or hit at worst of cases and the child listened as if he really had something to say or teach and made him feel important, he secretly was falling off of certain ties that could keep him tied for life, but found that those ties were no longer needed . He arrived soon after and found the sleeping child until he entered the room, as apparently sensed his chakra and woke up very happy although with some difficulties due to motion sickness.
"Welcome back Tobi-sama." She said happily as she had missed him too.
"Flower-chan, Konan-senpai told Tobi that the little flower was sick." He said.
"I think so." She answered with her teary eyes due to cold.
"That's mean that we can't play for a while." He said disappointed.
"I'm afraid not, but still can spend time together ... if ... if you want of corse." She said shyly, didn't like the feeling of someone to tie to her by obligation.
"Tobi would like that, Tobi is a good boy." He said.
"I'm glad to hear that." She replied. Tobi look in the room that was almost dark and realized that in the nightstand that was next to her bed was the storybook and Japanese legends.
"Blossom-chan has been reading the book?" Asked Tobi a little hurt because it is assumed that they moved together through stories.
"Kakuzu-sama tried to read it, but said it wasn't realistic and decided to tell me another story or history." She replied.
"Tobi can read it for the pretty flower if she wants." He offered.
"I'd like that, but I want to see the pictures too." She said as Tobi took the book, since he was in the chair next to her bed she could just see the front of the book.
"But the flower can't leave her bed, Konan-senpai said she was sick and if so she can't leave her bed." Tobi replied as an obvious fact.
"Then sit beside me, my mask and your also kind of mask will protect you from germs so you will not catch a cold too." She said making space for him as she moved a little to the right. Tobi sat in the free space and opened the book in the history of a dog. Sakura looked to his side to see the image and the strange symbols.
"Chūjitsuna inu" he read the title.
"Faithful dog?" Asked Sakura excited, she had leafed through the book and the story was particularly caught her attention but didn't know what the symbols were saying, she figured it was the story of a brave and divine dog. Tobi had insisted he read the book in order so she was excited to know what this story contained.
"Yes, exactly," said the ninja.
"Continue, continue." She said very excited.
"Once upon a time an expert in the ninja arts adopted a male dog, snow as white as his pet. He was traveling in another country when he found the animal alone and weak and decided to take it home, the journey was long and the dog was a puppy, but after what seemed like hours, the shinobi achievement arrived home exhausted from the cold night and the long road, carefully took the little dog between his hands and was so still and quiet that he thought he was dead. But not being willing to take that resolution the master in ninja arts approached the dog with a glass of milk, and he revived. The master picked him up in his lap and noted that the forelegs were diverted, prompting a call Hachi (eight in Japanese) from the resemblance of the legs with the Kanji, used to represent the number eight.
Actually the dog was destined to the daughter of the ninja to serve as ninken, but she soon left the family home to go on a long-term mission before she could start training the dog. But the professor had greatly fond of the dog, who really loved, so finally it was but never trained him to be a ninken not wanting to risk his life.
Hachi was leaving daily from the main gate of the village when the master went on missions, and was going to wait until the end of the day or find along the way to accompany him to home. This fact wasn't lost even by people passing through the area or by the owners of nearby shops, and all came to appreciate the link was established between the dog and his owner. Every day Hachi was waiting at the door of his village to welcome the master to the end of each day. The wait continued uninterrupted until a particularly dangerous mission was presented.
That day the master didn't return, he was a master of ninja arts based in sound and other elements, but faced too many enemies at once, so that neither his talent nor experience could help that fateful day. Reinforcements found the body of the formidable shinobi and took him back to his people. But Hachi remained in his place, waiting for him. Were first days, then months and finally years, in which Hachi was faithfully going at the same time to wait for the master. It didn't matter the cold, rain, heat or snow, still hoping to meet his friend.
This touched all the villagers, who began to call him the faithful dog. As the history of the master and his loyal dog was known by everyone, they worried about the fate of such beautiful and faithful animal, and tried to dissuade him from not continuing with waiting. Of course Hachi didn't understand and waited, waiting for him to return to be together again. These same people took to care of him and feed Hachi during those years.
But the animal was just a dog and later died closing his tired eyes forever waiting for who would never return. They found his body in front of the gates of the village, where he had been waiting for his owner and friend for nine years. Some people says that ninken live much longer than a normal dog so some claim that he only died of sadness when he realized that the one he loved most, wouldn't be with him anymore. His remains were deposited in a stone house that was built for him at the foot of the tomb of the shinobi, where they remain together ever since. "
"That was very sad." Said the girl trying not to mourn, besides the images in the book did nothing to improve the situation, it was quite depressing.
"Yes it was." Tobi said crying, making Sakura cry too, when Konan entered the room with the soup found the two of them crying nonstop hugging each other.
"I don't want to know." Konan said as she left the tray with soup on the nightstand. "But Sakura need to take her soup if she wants to improve, you both need to say goodbye for today, after you eat your soup go to sleep." ordered Konan. Sakura goodbye to Tobi then ate her soup and go to sleep.
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It was the second day of Sakura being sick and unpleasant sensations were terrible and definitely didn't like being in bed a long time. Konan had said it was possible that members missing reach to home that day except Orochimaru who took the mission of Tobi.
Konan had been a moment with Sakura making paper cranes to complete someday thousand, but Pein had called at a certain time of day to take charge of strengthening relations with people of Ame, they now felt distrust and had done long ago, after all in the village Konan was known as the angel of god and she accepted her duty as such. That's why Tobi soon came to entertain the child, reading another story, which followed to the story of the faithful but, although in the same position as the previous day because Sakura loved to see the book's illustrations.
"I don't know how you can give meaning to those things Tobi-sama." Sakura said while reading another story, the legend of the four divine beasts.
"It is actually very simple, you just have to learn the symbols and how they sound, for example, and this one here reads like ka." Tobi began to show the various symbols as he read them, and then returned in the book to a story Sakura already knew by heart and began teaching as the words she knew were the words that were written, and that was how slowly taught her to read. They were at it for a moment when Sakura felt the familiar presence at the base, spent about seven minutes when Kisame entered through the doorway. Tobi then got up and went, to let her rest as much information and symbols as she called them.
"So the kitten is really sick." Commented Kisame into the room "and I came prepared with new training and launching weapons, I guess that can't be possible, just when I thought you were ready for ninjutsu." He said trying to provoke her, which he did successfully could smell her disappointment and guilt, Kakuzu had informed him that she was ill when he entered the base and asked for her, needless to say he was impressed that Kakuzu was the one to give him the information, but later knew that he took care of her and was even more impressed to know that she was alive. He had also spoken about the weights and the aim of improving her training, but only roughly.
"Sharky-san you are cruel, and I was so happy to see you." She said pouting.
"Don't lie to yourself, you're always happy to see me." He said arrogant. "I thought you'd like to meet my personal invocation on the lake, but I see you can't get out of this bed." He said mockingly, but he really had planned to teach her all that, he believed she had already mastered the most basic and elemental part of training at the time he was working whit her, training is taken very seriously, she had cultivated habits and resistance far superior, plus her flexibility was very good and the katas had improved, or that was what Kakuzu had said, although he didn't think she would be ready for kenjutsu, but for standard weapons such as kunai and shuriken launch, but apparently that would have to wait.
"Personal invocation?" She asked curiously.
"Yes, you know contracts between ninja and creatures, nothing special." He said casually rejoicing when he saw the expressions of Sakura, she was upset, worse at the same time¡, she didn't want her temper get the better of her, so she said nothing, but her expressions said it all.
"You're no fun Sharky-san." she said turning to show that she was upset.
"I am the funniest person you know." He was definitely pushing his luck, he loved to bother her because she had the most beautiful and funny expressions although Konan had told him that step Sakura lost all sweetness and he had left to turn her into something hostile like him. She was silent yet. "I guess we agree on that then." He said without leave her alone.
"..."
"Okay, I'm sorry." He said resigned "but you have to admit it's your fault for training so long in the rain so now you just have to take the consequences."
"It would be nice if everyone would stop reminding me." She said at last shrewish.
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A/N:
I adapted the story of Hachikō to the ninja world, I couldn't resist.
thanks for reading :)