Chapter 4: Patrols?
Hello guys…and girls, welcome to the oncoming two to three chapters of fillers, Muahahahahahha! No it's not for torture purposes; it's for the sake of having character development. Yes, the one thing that I have neglected… character development… So yeah. Enjoy! And there is a little Valentine's gift for you lovely readers…at the end of this chapter in the form of an Omake! So you guys, and enjoy! And yes there is a new poll up for wave arc, Go vote!
'Somebody, shoot me.' was Sasuke's stray thought when Tazuna began his lecture on the people of Wave Country and their habits. What had been a ten minute walk seemed to stretch out for a lifetime. The man just wouldn't stop talking! This was part of the reason why he loathed his fan club so much. The girls (and a few guys, he was surprised to admit) talked endlessly, as if they would stumble upon a topic that he'd find interesting, thus drawing his attention to them for a few seconds longer than another fan member.
It was sickening. Mostly because they could be so cutthroat to one another.
He glanced to his left, where Sakura was silently carrying Ammy. Now, she wasn't too bad. After the novelty of having the 'Great Uchiha' on her team wore off, she treated him less and less like a godlike creature and more like an actual person. Sure, Sasuke had seen trace amounts of what he had overheard Kiba name 'the fan girl disease', especially around that blond girl that liked to cling on him. Whatever her name was.
And Ammy, she treated him as a normal person since the day they'd met. She understood him, and didn't annoy him. Well…unless she was mad. He suddenly realized. He cared for her. A lot. A lot more than his pride and common sense would allow. Seeing her in pain angered him. Problem was she didn't share the same sentiments. She treated him as a friend, sure, but otherwise she only seemed to care for him as she would a book. A long boring one. By Charles Dickens. He glared over at his blonde teammate. But Naruto, she worried and fretted over. It was always 'Naruto don't do this.' or 'Naruto be careful.' or 'Naruto, stop being stupid and let me help.' It infuriated him, why wasn't it him that she worried ov-
"Oy, teme. Stop glaring at me already, jeez. You would think I killed a puppy or something with that look you've been giving me, dattebayo."
"Hn. Dobe."
Naruto rolled his eyes.
Sasuke turned his attention back forward. Sakura had seen him looking earlier, and instead of a blush like he'd expect from one of his fan girls, she said more practically, "Do you want to switch? Ammy's pretty light despite all the chocolate she pigs out on." Sasuke arched his eyebrow in an unmistakable questioning look. She nodded toward Kakashi. "His arm's dragging."
Sasuke looked down. Huh, so it was. He declined her offer. "Kind of impossible for him not to." he said in defense. "He's twice as tall as I am." She nodded, knowing it was the truth. "And three times taller than Naruto." Sakura giggled.
"What's with the short insults? I swear by the log if I hear another one today, someone is going to get pummeled," Naruto growled.
Tazuna never noticed their private conversation, too caught up in his lecture. "..Living in poverty and squalor has changed some decent men into absolute animals. The need for food, for shelter, for money has taken up their entire lives, leaving no room for little things we know as morals." Sasuke and Sakura were only half listening. Naruto wasn't listening at all, too bored. And maybe a bit worried for his best friend's sake.
"So, as a result, many gangs and groups of a similar nature thrive in our humble countryside... such as the Black Dragons, the Water Beasts, The OFH, which was supposed to be an acronym for their code- Obey, Fight, Honor. Got some old samurai guy as a leader, so that's where the honor was supposed to come in, but they became known to us common folks as the Ogres From Hell. Catchy isn't it?"
Before they could make an attempt to pretend that they were listening, Tazuna called out happily, "We're here!" Past a bend in the trees and there was a village. Suddenly acting like he was ten years younger, Tazuna bounded the rest of the way to his house, waving cheerfully to the other people as he passed. Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke lagged behind.
"Father!" a woman cried out. Tazuna grinned and ran up to her, scooping her up in a hug. The conscious members of Team Seven stopped. Sakura elbowed Sasuke as best as she could while carrying Ammy. She and Naruto shared a grin.
"Now doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?" Sasuke rolled his eyes, but had to smile.
They were ushered in, Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami fussing over them all, Kakashi and Ammy especially.
Tazuna ambled out of the room to go find a futon for Ammy, at his daughter's order, while Sasuke and Naruto put Kakashi on the one that they had managed to scrounge up. Kakashi flinched, a sure sign that he was in pain, and then fell into a deeper sleep. Naruto rushed to Sakura's side as soon as Kakashi was on the futon.
Sakura shifted from foot to foot, still hadn't put Ammy down. After what the girl had went through, she thought it would be cruel to just drop her on the ground and retreat. But her arms were really starting to ache.
The door slid back open, Tazuna bounding in with a futon rolled underneath his arm. He quickly set it down and gestured for her to release Ammy.
She had taken only one step towards him when a voice ran out, freezing her knees. "What's the point? She's just going to die." Sakura turned around while Sasuke slowly stood, both keeping careful eyes on the boy standing in the doorway. Naruto looked at the incomer glaring daggers at the offender. He was small, had the dark hair and pretty features that resembled Tsunami, meaning they must have somehow been related. Dark and empty eyes stared back at them from underneath a white and blue hat. Had the boy smiled, Sakura would have found him adorable. Yet the corners of his mouth stayed pointing downward, giving her the chills instead.
"Inari!" Tazuna scolded. A small flame erupted in Inari's eyes.
"You're all going to die!" the boy shouted, making the mistake of looking at his grandfather and leaving his back wide open to Sakura and Naruto and any advances they might have decided to take. Inari found himself flat on his face when someone bopped him on the head. Hard.
The duo hadn't made a move.
"Stupid… bratty... bitchy… brat.." Ammy mumbled sleepily, fist still raised. She allowed a foxy smile to appear on her face.
"Sakura-san..." she cooed, realizing who was carrying her."You smell good." She promptly dropped her on her rear. Naruto looked on rubbing the back of his head. Ammy rubbed her bruised bottom in mock pain. "Sakura-saaannnnnn...You're so mean," she whined.
Tsunami grabbed her attention with the skill of a single parent, ushering her into the futon. She never noticed her son's sullen exit, too worried about all of the dried blood on Ammy's shirt. Ammy, in turn, distracted her with the skill of a fox, making her fuss over Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi instead. They were quite a pair.
Sasuke thought, to himself in the deepest part of his mind where he allowed himself to be weak, that it was nice to have such a motherly character around. Such a person had been gone from his life for so long. He waved off her hands after she bandaged his cheek.
"I'm fine," the boy said gruffly. She patted his head and went to go change Kakashi's cold compress. Sasuke turned accusing eyes toward Ammy, only to find the crafty kunoichi was already asleep. A small sigh escaped his lips, hinting at his annoyance. The brat was never up when Sasuke needed to vent.
He walked outside, only slightly mindful of the fact that the remainders of team 7 were following him. Sasuke was exhausted, yet was too alert to allow himself to fall asleep like Ammy did. He had been, for lack of better terms, through an emotional roller coaster, not to mention was suffering from the after effects of his adrenaline boost. As well as a curious drop in his chakra levels. Hm. He'd have to ask Kakashi about that when the jōnin was awake.
The next morning, Sakura was gently prodded awake. She looked into dark eyes blearily. The owner of those eyes quirked a smile at the expression on her face.
"Ten minutes. Meeting. Outside." Sasuke said simply. Sakura nodded, still not awake yet. The Uchiha walked out of the room, about to go wake Tazuna for his impromptu meeting.
She ran a brush through her hair, tripped over Naruto's backpack in search for her shoes, and barely managed to get out of the room because the sheets on her futon started to cling to her legs in a desperate attempt to make her go back to sleep.
'Slave driver.' The harsher version of her hissed. A girl needs her beauty sleep! Sakura absently nodded at Inner Sakura's words. She went through the kitchen, grabbed a couple of rice balls, then went outside with four minutes to spare.
Sasuke was already there, burning a trail into the ground with his endless pacing. Naruto was finishing off his last rice ball. Sasuke looked up.
"Finally." he said, a bit of annoyance trickling in. Sakura scowled.
"Hey! I'll have you know that six minutes is a record time for a girl to get ready!" she snapped. When Sasuke looked mildly surprised by her outburst, she clamped a hand over her mouth. 'Gah! I just yelled at Sasuke-kun!'
"Sorry." her apology was muffled by her hand. "I'm not a morning person." Sasuke smirked in that way of his, making Sakura feel like she had not annoyed or angered him, rather, she had amused him. Sasuke was a strange guy.
"I noticed." he said. Tazuna came out then, a cup of coffee in one hand, a large rolled up piece of paper in the other. He smiled, having pulled himself out of the morning haze five cups of coffee ago. He took another sip of the coffee, and then crouched down, unrolling the paper. Sasuke kneeled down to look at it. After a moment of hesitation, Sakura joined him.
"Here's the map you asked for." the bridge builder said, looking at Sasuke. "S'not a topography map, but it'll do, right?" Sasuke nodded, then turned his gaze to Sakura and Naruto.
"Both Kakashi and Ammy are.. well.. not of the best health right now and need rest. We-" he gestured to them and Tazuna, "are the only ones that can actually do something. Since Kakashi isn't here, I elect myself as temporary leader. Does anyone object? Well, except for Naruto." Sakura and Tazuna shook their heads mutely. Naruto's eye twitched.
"Grrrr… Still better than a short joke, I guess…," Naruto growled to himself.
"Why are you so quiet, well quieter than usual, today?" Sakura asked. Naruto shrugged.
Sasuke nodded slightly to himself, getting up on his feet.
Tazuna felt ridiculous. Here he was, twice the height and size of the boy in front of him, sitting cross legged like some kindergartner. But in these kids' hands, was his survival. So for the time being, he kept his mouth shut and drank his coffee.
"Tazuna has done all he can," Sasuke said, gesturing toward the map Sakura was looking over, "but now it's our turn. What's the first thing a ninja must do when he's in unfamiliar territory?"
"Ninja rule 34: When in enemy territory, familiarize yourself with it so you may use it to your advantage." Sakura rattled off absently, tracing a finger down the path they had taken to get to Tazuna's village. Sasuke nodded, turning to Tazuna.
"We're going to scout around. Is there anything about the land or the animals that you want to tell us to watch out for?" Sasuke asked, bowing down to Tazuna's superior knowledge of their surroundings. The older man nodded, putting his cup down. He pointed to the map.
"As you can see, our village isn't too big. It extends from the bridge out to the beginnings of this mini forest. Past that and even intersecting with, there's some swamps to the west, which was probably where the alligators in Dead Man's Lake came from, some nasty snakes in there, so steer clear.." he cleared his throat, trying to think of anything else. "Uh, there's a huge rift to the north of us, looks like just a little crack, maybe five feet across but hundreds of feet down. We do have poison ivy, but it's less poisonous than the ivy you lot have in Konoha, so I've heard. And watch out for people. Some are not as happy as we are to have you guys here. Other than that... not really."
Sasuke, Sakura, and strangely enough, Naruto, nodded seriously. "Okay, thank you Tazuna-san." Sakura said.
"We'll be back by dinnertime." Sasuke added. "We'll see you then. In the meantime, stay away from the bridge. You can continue working tomorrow." Tazuna slowly got to his feet.
"And what about Ammy?" he asked. Sasuke looked down; remembering the stress Ammy went through. Sakura took one look at his shadowed eyes, and then answered.
"Let her sleep."
[Unknown part of the forest...]
The hunter-nin was leaning over Zabuza's body, tools laid out beside him. He took a scissor-like tool and moved it close to Zabuza's mouth. "First I'll cut the mouth cloth and drain some blood, and then I can..." He came very close, but Zabuza seized his hand and said, "That's alright, I can do it myself. He pulled the wrappings off his mouth and smiled with a slightly crazed look on his face.
"So you already came back.." the boy said.
"Damn, that hurt," Zabuza groaned as he yanked a needle from his neck.
"You shouldn't do that. You may really kill yourself if you pull them out like that," the hunter-nin warned with concern.
"How long are you going to wear that ridiculous mask?" Zabuza asked.
The boy grabbed the mask and started removing it. "It reminds me of the old days...and it really helped for this act," he said as he revealed a feminine face. "If I hadn't saved you then, you would be dead for real," he continued.
"Next time you put me into a momentary death, don't use my neck. There are safer places to put those things" Zabuza said as he weakly replaced the bandages on his mouth, "you are annoying...as usual."
"You're right," the boy said happily. Zabuza just stared at him. "I didn't want to scar your body...and the neck doesn't have much muscle so it is easier to put the needles there. You should be immobile for a week, though you might be able to move a little before that." Zabuza kept his eyes on the boy, "you are pure and clever, and that is what I like about you." The boy chuckled, "that's cause I'm still a kid," he then stood up, "the mist has cleared. Next time we meet them...will you be alright?"
"The Sharingan will be destroyed next time," Zabuza declared.
Ammy stumbled into the kitchen several hours later, scaring Tsunami for a moment. She smiled at her reassuringly, sitting herself down at the table.
Now calm, Tsunami said, "Would you like anything to eat?" She looked around at their meager home, and then shook her head. She caught her look over.
"No, really." she sat in front of Ammy, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. They shook. "You and your team... you're all doing something very kind. We didn't even pay you, yet you are here, trying to help us to fight against Gatou." Inari paused just outside of the kitchen, listening to his mother's tearful voice.
Ammy watched, panicking when she bowed and started to cry. She was never good with crying women… even if she herself was a girl. "Please! Anything you want to eat, I'll make it." When Tsunami started to sob, Ammy finally relented.
"Alright! Alright!" she said, jumping out of her chair to pat her back. "Just stop crying. You're too pretty to cry." Tsunami smiled and hiccupped. Ammy frowned, appearing to think hard about what she wanted for breakfast.
"I want..." she said quietly. Tsunami wiped away her tears.
"You want..?" she echoed. Ammy gave her a completely serious look.
"I want ramen." Ammy said in a flat tone. Tsunami choked, completely surprised. Out of all the things she'd expect a kid to want, she wanted ramen? Ramen! Ammy saw the disbelieving look on her face and rushed to explain, stealing Naruto's words.
"Ramen's the awesome! My favorite ramen is chicken ramen cause it has a kind of interesting flavor. Beef ramen tastes stale most of the time, but that's 'cause the ramen people don't make it right. But in Konoha, there's this stand, you see, called Ichiraku Ramen. They make the best ramen there! I know the owners pretty well, there's an old man and his daughter, sometimes an older woman too. If you ever go there, you have to eat at the old man's place. And if you do-" her rant was cut off by Tsunami's low melodious laughter. She rubbed the back of her head. 'That was harder to do than I expected… How does Naruto get so worked up over ramen?' Inari rolled his eyes and went back up to his room.
"I'll make you your ramen..." she said softly, patting Ammy's head.
Sakura would realize later, tied to a chair and gagged, that maybe reading while one was supposed to be on the lookout for enemies wasn't the smartest thing to do. But the woods were peaceful, nothing had happened so far, and she was bored. She decided to multitask, and pulled out a scroll.
Several weeks ago, back in Konoha, she had borrowed a large scroll from the library. It was a rather complicated scroll on medical jutsu, a subject that Naruto had gotten her interested in when he had mentioned how her chakra control seemed to be made for healing, on one of their training sessions. It contained simple jutsu, only genin and chūnin level, from diagnostic jutsu to simple ones for healing cuts. However, it was hard to read, so when everyone else was asleep, she took out the scroll and started writing notes.
She looked over them then, deeply involved in the rather complicated aspects of a diagnostic jutsu for detecting poisons. Sakura didn't notice the wire she stepped on, but several people noticed her.
They followed her, less agile than a ninja and not as silent, but very familiar with the land.
Sakura paused, her attention drifting away from her notes; a sixth sense urgently whispering to her that she wasn't alone. She looked back, sure that she'd see someone following her. Then that someone surprised her by jumping out of the bushes and clamping her arms at her sides. She immediately dropped her scroll when she was hoisted into the air.
Panic filled her mind when she realized her stalker was larger and stronger than her, but quickly retreated when she realized that it wasn't Zabuza. It was some burly man with more scars on his face than most ninjas had on his entire body. There wasn't an absence of fear, just calmer than she'd feel if it had been Zabuza instead.
Sakura kept twisted and struggling in his grip, even more so when she saw more men come from out of nowhere. She got one arm free and immediately slammed her elbow into her captor's face. The result was instantaneous. He grunted and dropped her, covering his nose with his hands, trying to stem the flow of blood. Sakura landed in a slight crouch, turned and swept his feet out from under him with her leg.
His comrades formed a circle around her, some shouting "You're gonna get it now brat!" Realizing her need for a quick retreat, she darted at the smallest man, her foot colliding with his chest. He fell back, leaving a gap in the circle that she took advantage of. She disappeared into the brush, much to the men's annoyance.
Ninja Rule 84: One of two things must happen if a ninja suspects he or she is going to be captured. she thought, a good distance away from the men who ambushed her. The woods were alive, it seemed, no doubt with other members of the mob she had seen. One must either kill themselves to keep the secrets of their village secret, or one must hide the fact that they are a ninja.
She spied a small crater in the earth, probably from a moved rock. Sakura moved toward it, digging into the soft dirt. She pulled off all of her ninja accessories, dumping them into the hole. She took off her head protector last, her bangs falling over her forehead. Putting the last accessory down slowly and gently on the pile of items, she stared at her reflection in the metal surface.
'I'll get free.' she promised herself. Hearing the shouts of her soon to be captors, she quickly shifted the dirt back over it, stood, and ran toward the voices, wanting them to keep away from her things.
Twenty men stood around, trying to find a trail in the ground that would hint at her route. They wouldn't find it. She had gone from tree branch to tree branch. She dropped to the ground and hid herself behind a tree trunk. Frowning when she realized that she had lost her way, she saw the value of the grungy looking men. They could help her find her way back to Tazuna's village. Unwittingly, of course.
Sakura knew she could probably keep them running around for a few hours, but she was lost and knew whose territory she was on. Now or later, she'd get caught. She'd prefer to get caught now with them in a good mood, than later with them in a bad mood. It wouldn't do if she got them so riled up that they'd kill her right off the bat.
She was guessing (more like hoping and praying with the zeal of a devote religious person) that they would prefer to sell her for profit instead of their own... uses. 'Oh please don't let me be wrong…' Sakura wanted to stay a virgin until she was married. How do I get myself in to these types of situations! She shuddered.
'I find out where I am, then I'll go back.' she took a deep shuddering breath. 'Here we go.'
Sakura walked from out behind the trunk, pretending that she hadn't seen them. Turning, she let out a feminine shriek, grabbing their attention. They ran towards her, and she fought them off, just not as hard as she had before. A blow to the back of her head made her crumble and lose consciousness.
"But.. I coulda sworn-"
"She ain't a ninja, you were just seeing things. She's normal.. and kinda pretty. She'd make good money if we sell her as a slave. Feisty though.."
Several minutes later, a masked ninja walked by and saw a half opened scroll lying on the ground. He paused, picking it up. Guessing that the writing was female, with all of its loops and curves, he slid it into his robes and began walking again.
When Sakura came to, she was tied up tight to a chair and pissed off. They only gagged her when she tried to take a bite out of one of them. For once letting go off her darker side, she cursed at them fiercely through the thick cloth.
The room that she was in was empty and smelly. Her back was to the door. Mold and moss grew in the corners while water damage made the walls look like a strange mix of light gray and dark. She immediately sneezed.
'Dust and pollen, oh my.' she thought sarcastically. 'I'm either gonna die here or catch a cold.'
They left her alone for awhile, time she used untying the knots of the rope that kept her to the chair. A rusty nail on the hard wooden chair was delaying her escape though, grabbing on to the rope as if it was its last lifeline.
When Sakura heard the door open behind her, she craned her head back as far as it would go, glaring at the man who entered. They all looked the same to her, raggedy clothes, thin and sickly looking. She very faintly remembered Tazuna saying that poverty made monsters out of men.
This one held himself differently. Sakura knew just by reading his body language that he held more power than the lackeys that she had fought. But not any smarter. She very nearly started to laugh at his incompetence when he failed to notice the loosened rope.
"If I take off your gag, will you promise not to bite?" he asked in a slightly scratchy voice.
Sakura cocked her head, a wry grin forming underneath her gag. 'Sick, are you? Serves you right.' She nodded, thinking she might get a disease if she bit the one in front of her.
He took it out of her mouth. "So you bit one of the men, broke another's nose, and kicked the crap out of the rest. Are you a ninja?"
Sakura scowled at him. "There's no ninja in Wave Country." she said sourly. He nodded, chuckling a little.
"That's right. Who taught you how to fight?" She took a breath, knowing that she now had to lie straight out. She was horrible at lying.
"My brother and his friends."
"What's their names?"
"Naruto, Amaterasu, and Sasuke." Naruto was more of a sibling like person to her than Sasuke was. It wasn't a total lie. Ammy was just a friend, and she felt it would only be friends for a long time after how she acted before they were a team. That's the only thing that kept her from turning red and letting him know he was being lied to.
"You're not a Wave Country native. I can tell from your accent. Where are you from?" he asked. Sakura blinked. 'I have an accent?' She then mentally smacked herself in the head. 'Of course! The Wave Country men and women have a bit of a drawl and I don't. It must sound really different to him.'
"Fire Country." He scowled. Again with the lack of specifics. She was really irritating him.
"Why are you here?"
"Visiting an uncle."
"His name?"
"Tazuna."
"Why aren't you telling me everything?" Sakura's eyes darkened.
"Maybe you're not asking the right questions." she said in a cool tone.
"Maybe you're being evasive." he countered.
"Maybe you're being overbearing."
"Maybe you're the captive and I'm the captor." he said proudly. Ha! Beat that!
She leaned forward. "Maybe the reason why you're asking so many damn questions is 'cause you're afraid of me." Sakura pretended to lunge forward, snapping her teeth together. The man jumped back and she started to snicker.
"Why you.." he said, advancing on her, a fist raised. The door opened. Another man peered in awkwardly.
"Uh.. that business agreement that the boss wanted to handle... It's here." the man tried to be as vague as possible, seeing an outsider in the room. The man interrogating Sakura waved a hand impatiently.
"Let 'em in here. Let 'em see how we run things around here." he chuckled. The second man shrugged and stepped out of the doorway.
A familiar masked boy walked in. Sakura stiffened, her head turned toward him. Haku paused for a brief moment, recognizing her too.
"You're from Gatou?" the man rasped. Haku nodded. Sakura felt his gaze on her even though his face was pointed toward the man. She wondered if he was going to say anything, but was vaguely disappointed when he continued his conversation with the man as if she wasn't even there. Haku had just turned to leave when Sakura realized that something had hit the chair she was sitting on.
The man exited, probably to go boast about his negotiation skills (although, in her opinion, Haku totally worked him.) and she was once again left alone, too terrified to look down, fearing there'd be a kunai or something of the sort sticking out of her leg.
The curiosity was too much. Sakura looked down to see a senbon sticking in one of the front legs of the chair. It had cut through the last of the rope. She was free.
Sakura stared at the senbon, in shock. Then in a flash, she stood up quickly, pulling the senbon out of the wood absently, and used it to pick the lock. It clicked and the door popped open, music to her ears.
The lot of them were incredibly lazy and lax about security. She found a score of men lounging out in the hallway, all deep in a drunken slumber. She pilfered a map off of one of them, then jumped out the open window.
Glancing only once over her shoulder, she saw her temporary prison had been a simple hut. 'Damn.. I'm gonna be the laughingstock of Konoha.' she thought miserably. 'Caught by a bunch of normal people! Gah.. I'll never hear the end of it. What if Sasuke finds out! I was supposed to return half an hour ago!'
When Sakura was far enough away, she opened the map. It was much like Tazuna's, only difference was that some sections of the maps were colored differently. Territories maybe? It was simple for her to figure out where she was and the quickest way to get back to her team.
Then she felt Haku's chakra. She looked at the senbon that still rested in her curled hand, then at the direction she'd have to take to get back. Then towards Haku. She bit her lip.
"Damn.." she whispered, going after Haku. "I have a reason. I have to." She glanced back down at weapon in her hand.
Sakura wondered if what she was doing was another of her not so smart ideas, but the need to hand Haku back his senbon was overwhelming. It was of course aided by the fact that she was very much interested in the boy. He had spared Kakashi and the team, albeit he did kick Ammy really hard, and saved her. Yet he was a bad guy. Wasn't he?
She slowed, seeing a stationary Haku through the trees. He sensed her probably even before she had caught up to him, being the genius ninja he was. Probably even waited for her, but kept up the illusion that he was looking out toward the horizon, which was reddening as the day went on.
"Hey," Sakura said, silently letting him know that he could acknowledge her presence. He didn't turn, and for a moment, she thought he was going to ignore her when he spoke.
"You should be gone." Haku said quietly, so quietly that his voice was almost carried away by the wind. Sakura wondered how someone who seemed so fragile could be a ninja.
"I know." she said, biting her lip.
"We are not allies."
"I know." she said again. Haku frowned behind his mask, cocking his head slightly.
"Why are you here?"
"To thank you... and to give this back." She offered the senbon and bowed at the same time. Haku turned, a little amused at strange position that Sakura was in. He grasped her wrist instead of the senbon, reaching into the folds of his robes. His hands were cold.
She stopped bowing and started to panic. Did she violate some sort of bubble law and she was going to lose her hand because of it? Haku waved away those nonsense notions when he revealed what he was searching for was not a knife, rather, a scroll that looked familiar.
"I believe you dropped this?" Haku asked, flipping the thin scroll between his fingers. Sakura nodded mutely and reached for it with her other hand.
Haku released his grip on her wrist and retrieved his senbon as Sakura retrieved her scroll.
"An eye for an eye.." the boy murmured, walking away.
Sakura hugged the scroll to her chest, staring at his retreating from. "W-wait!" she called, running after him. He stopped and turned around.
"Why?" realizing she was being vague when Haku cocked his head to the side, she rushed to add, "Why did you save me?"
Haku shifted from one foot to the other, an oddly nervous gesture. His hand came up in front of his mask. Griping the edges, he pulled it off.
Sakura stared into warm brown eyes. A faint smile appeared on Haku's face, making him appear younger than he actually was.
'How can someone work with a guy like Zabuza.. yet have such innocent and kind eyes?' Sakura asked herself.
"Because.. I was not ordered to kill you." With that, he slipped back on the mask and walked away.
Sakura stared after him. "Because.. he wasn't ordered to kill me." she echoed quietly.
'Ninjas are tools.' she thought. 'Mere playthings in the wrong hands. I'm a tool. That boy is a tool. But he's in the wrong hands. He must know that.. but what keeps him in those hands? What thing, what emotion allows him to be used by Zabuza without any regrets?'
Sakura came into a risky situation with many questions and had emerged with them answered, but had formed more questions. 'Some things cannot be rushed.' she thought, turning around and walking back to the area where she had buried her stuff. 'I will find out later why he is the way he is. But for now, I want to be with my precious people.'
Sasuke frowned, his arms crossed over his chest. 'There's probably a logical reason why she's late.' he reasoned to himself. She isn't Kakashi! He withheld the urge to go after her, his eyes silently following the trail he told her to take on the map.
"I should have given this to her…" he mused out loud. But he had felt... Well... more important, as silly as it sounded, with a map in hand. And now she was probably lost because he was being childish.
He paced the clearing they had stopped at before parting each other's company, the place they were supposed to have met at forty-five minutes ago. Thinking back to what he had faced on his small journey in the northern most areas, he was regretting and kicking himself again for suggesting that they split up.
The men had been nothing compared to him, but Sakura wasn't a physical, or even a Ninjutsu type. She was best at genjutsu and didn't have the stamina or the amount of chakra and experience that Sasuke or even Naruto had.
'If she got caught... it'll be my entire fault. Just another screw up. First Itachi (how could I not see he was turning dark?), and now her?'
Guilt made him turn to the rustling in the bushes, hoping to see Sakura immerge, but the more realistic side of him made him pull out a kunai. It was most likely another gang member trying to get the better of him.
It turned out to be neither.
Yawning, Naruto gave him a cranky look, making Sasuke feel a little better. As long as he wasn't the only one in a bad mood...
"Where's Sakura." Just a flat statement, formed like a question, Sasuke observed. He didn't add -chan to the end of her name like he always does.
"I don't know." Sasuke said in the same flat tone. Naruto stared at him.
"You let a pretty girl like Sakura-chan go out all alone without the map? You send me off first just to do that behind my back?" Naruto said incredulously, some of the life returning back to his voice. "Man, you really are a heartless bastard." Sasuke flinched. Naruto pretended he didn't notice. He continued to ream him.
"Don't you know any better? Do you even have a clue what is going on that does not directly involve you?" Sasuke's eyes flashed.
"You have no right in saying I'm clueless. Because I'm not. If anyone is clueless, it would be you." Sasuke smirked. "Chibi."
Naruto actually took several steps back, mouth flapping but no words coming out, a hand on his chest as if Sasuke had mortally wounded him. Sasuke couldn't help but smile. Naruto was such a fool sometimes.
"Go ahead!" Naruto finally sputtered. "Make fun of the short guy, why don't you! You damn racist, uh no... sizist person!"
"Sizist?" Someone else tried out the strange word. Sasuke and Naruto turned to the bushes, watching as Sakura calmly smoothed her dress down. "Sizist?" she said again. "Is that really even a word?" Naruto had the courtesy to blush.
"Yeah.. uh well.. when we fight.. I really don't think." he said, slightly embarrassed. Sasuke started to insult him again but stopped, not when he realized it was too easy, but when he saw dark red marks on Sakura's wrists.
Naruto and Sakura started to argue over whether or not sizist was a word. Sasuke didn't pay any attention, eyes dark in guilt and rage. 'Those are rope burns. She must have been caught. Who tried to hurt her?'
"Ugh! Sizist is not a word!" Sakura said. "You can't just make up words because you're vertically challenged!" She turned on her heel, leaving for the house. Naruto stayed back, a faint smile hidden by a pout. As soon as she was gone, the faint smile on his face dropped.
"You noticed it." Naruto said. Sasuke looked over, seeing the feeling of guilt that he himself was feeling, so clearly displayed in Naruto's eyes. He nodded. Naruto looked grim. "I never want to see her hurt. I never want to see anyone on this team hurt."
Sasuke nodded again. Naruto started to follow Sakura, stiffness in his shoulders and stride loosening with every step. "Ya know, Sakura is like a tightly closed box about her weaknesses and things like that… but... if I find out who did that to her, I'm gonna kick his ass." Naruto glanced back, a half smile on his face. "You game?"
His answer was a smirk and a determined nod.
In a building not too far away, a man was in bed, unconscious from a tough battle. He was a powerful man, with much chakra and very good chakra control, but his stamina wasn't as powerful. Especially after being sick for two weeks before hand with a rare and more deadly version of the common cold that was frequent in Wave Country.
He was a man that had many enemies and even allies who wouldn't mind killing him. He only had one that he would trust his life with. That single person, his precious friend and partner, sat next to his bed, keeping a watchful vigilance.
"Zabuza-san.." Haku whispered, abandoning his mask for a while. "Gatou and two men with great fighting auras are coming." It was slight, but Haku could tell that Zabuza was awake. He had always been a light sleeper.
The double doors were flung open, the loud bang of the wood hitting the walls would have woke up Zabuza even if Haku didn't. The mist devil opened his eyes, briefly exchanging a look with Haku. The boy nodded.
"So even you have come back defeated. It looks like the mist nins are pretty pathetic." Gatou strolled in, two tall samurai guards at his sides. "And you call yourself a devil? Don't make me laugh."
Zabuza said nothing, entertaining a mental picture of slicing Gatou's head right off, the pompous asshole. The guards loosened the ties on their swords and brought the hilts in front of them.
An attack? Haku questioned, prepared to defend. Gatou held out a hand, a smirk on his face.
"Hold on for a second." he walked toward Zabuza. "Hey." He reached out a hand. "There's not need to stay silent." The businessman reached for Zabuza's mask.
Haku caught his arm in a firm grip. "Don't touch Zabuza-san with your dirty hands." the boy hissed. Gatou cried out in pain when he felt his ulna and radius being crunched together. The samurai reached for their swords. Their hands had barely begun reaching for their swords when they felt cold steel against their throats. Zabuza finally reacted, a slight turn of his head to look at the guards, cold amusement in his eyes and a fearsome grin under his bandages. Gatou lost feeling in his legs and fell to the ground, staring open mouthed at Haku and his guards.
They sweated nervously, recognizing their own blades. He moved so quickly!
"You shouldn't do that." Haku hissed. "I'm not in the best of moods now." Gatou remembered that he was supposed to be the one giving orders and quickly stood. Holding his arm gingerly, he hastily walked out, his guards following.
"One more time!" He shouted. "If you fail one more time you won't be welcome here anymore. Remember that!" The doors slammed shut behind them. Zabuza looked at Haku, who was a little flushed from his anger.
"Haku, you didn't have to.." he lifted his blankets, revealing his hidden kunai. Haku smiled.
"I know..but it's too early to kill Gatou. If we cause a commotion here, they will be after us again." Haku didn't need to explain who they were. It was understood by the both of them that it was the hunter nins, coming after Zabuza and his head. "We must be patient."
"Yeah.. you're right." He sat up, rolling his stiff shoulders. Haku looked out the window, a frown drawing his face inward.
The team of four facing down Zabuza.
'Such emotional, yet innocent people. Why? Why indeed. I like to know that myself, girl.' The faces of those children flashed over and over in his mind's eye.
Zabuza looked up, not recognizing the look on his subordinate's face.
"What's wrong?" he asked, straight to the point. Haku glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
"I have a request." the boy said, looking both serious and worried at the same time. "If I can... isolate Hatake's subordinates-"
"You don't want them to die." Zabuza guessed. "Or... you don't want to kill them." Haku nodded, looking shamed. He was in a business where one was needed to kill on command. Emotions were not needed. He bowed his head.
Zabuza looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face. Then he gave Haku his command. "You shall, how did you phrase it... isolate Kakashi's brats." Haku looked relieved. "But if they get free, I fully expect you to kill them." Haku nodded.
"Thank you. And I'm sorry." he bowed his head again. Zabuza hesitated, then put his hand on Haku's head, like how he used to when the boy was merely a child.
"Don't regret the fact that you're more human than me."
End of Chapter 4
~Omake!~
[{{play this as you read. : Valentine- Kina Grannis }}]
It was a seemingly typical day in the village of Konoha; calm, quiet, and relaxing. Well, at least it seemed to be that way. It was Valentines, and if you peeked into Ichiraku's Ramen Shop, you'll see Team 7, albeit only three of them, having a slightly heated discussion for a certain raven's love life.
Soft music was playing from the small ceiling speakers of the small ramen shop.
" Teme, give Sakura-Chan something!" Naruto said to his raven-haired teammate while, somehow nonchalantly slurping of his ramen. Sasuke glared at the blonde boy next to him at the ramen counter, an angry flush adorning his cheeks.
"Yeah broody. Everyone knows how much you just love her!" Ammy grinned poking him with the clean end of her chopsticks. Sasuke spun around to the girl on his left and glared indignantly. He turned and stared at his half finished ramen bowl and prodded at it.
"Hn"
"Sasuke! Come on!"
"Hn"
"Is this really necessary broody? You're making this harder for yourself in the long run."
"Hn!"
"DUCK-ASS-HEAD!" Ammy shouted in unison with Naruto's holler of, "SASUKE!"
"If you care so much, why don't you give her something, Naruto?"
"Because she likes YOU not MEEEE" Naruto chirped.
"You do it Ammy."
"Uhh…How about…No? I'm a girl, and I doubt she'd appreciate a present from a girl, dumbass."
"Hn."
"GRRRR!" the two growled.
By now the trio was getting weird looks from everyone around them, so Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the back on his shirt and Ammy by her jacket's hood, and dragged them into an alley off the main square to continue their argument. Ammy reached her arm back last second to grab her last mango flavored mochi ice cream.
"Sasuke, come on!" the two pouted.
"No"
"Yes!" they returned in unison.
"No"
"Do it!"
"NO!"
"I'll tie you to a tree." Ammy threatened. "I'll dye you hair orange!" Naruto grinned.
They glanced at each other and smirked. Ammy focused back on Sasuke. "And we'll both dye your wardr-"
"Fine!"
"-obe pink and paint your ho- wait WHAT?"
Sasuke blushed and tucked his chin into the collar of his blue shirt, while Naruto gaped in astonishment. Ammy smirked knowingly, finger resting on her chin.
"Ah. I see…Hehehehehe…" she snickered.
"I said fine. I'll give Sakura something, as long as you both shut the fuck up" Sasuke growled. Naruto nearly fell over in joy. Ammy twirled, her hair trailing and falling against her back as she stopped and flashed a victory sign.
Naruto began to yammer on about all the ways Sasuke could woo Sakura with his coolness and the pair began to walk out of the alley, Ammy shadowed behind eating the melting remainder of the ice-cream. Sasuke looked like he wanted to disappear into the ground as Naruto skipped with glee. Sasuke and Naruto veered off to the Yamakana's flower shop.
"Ummm….Not the best of ideas guys. Ino and her parents work there." Ammy warned, her face contorted in a grimace. Their faces shared small 'O's of comprehension as they turned around and walked to the marketplace. As the trio weaved through the crowd of people Sasuke was began to regret his decision...
"Hehehe….Too late for regrets now Broody!" Ammy quipped seeing Sasuke's slight aura of nervousness.
"Get her a flower or two, oh wait. No, get her a bouquet and maybe she'll... I don't know, kiss you or something" Sasuke stopped in his tracks, glaring at Naruto, who looked back at his teammate with an innocent look.
"So it's true! Don't try to tell us you haven't fantasized about her, Teme" Naruto put his hands behind his head and grinned.
"Yeah. We've both seen you drifting off to La-La Land whenever you glance at her! Ahahahahaha! You've got it bad!" Ammy teased, pointing and laughing at him.
Sasuke scowled, shoving his hands into his pockets. It was bad enough that he had gotten into this Valentine's mess, but truth was... He liked Sakura. He shouldn't, but he did. The only thing that stopped him from doing this willingly was his stupid pride. He had shoved Sakura away from him as long as he could remember; it was a bit out of character to change that now...
They arrived at the local flower shop.
Sasuke paused at a flower cart, looking over the bright blossoms. Naruto mysteriously appeared at his shoulder, nearly scaring him half to death as the blonde began to yell in his ear.
"What flowers you going to get? You should get those pink ones, she'd like those" Sasuke spun and punched Naruto with a right hook, sending the blonde sprawling.
"Owww Teme, what was that for?" Naruto whined from the ground.
"Hn"
"Here get her these!" Ammy pointed out.
Sasuke glanced over at the flowers Ammy had pointed out and paled. The flowers were roses and were mostly white, the only red ones being in the center and arranged as a heart. The price was atrocious.
"Too muc-"
He was cut off with a sadistic grin from Ammy as she threw one of her kunai up, flashing through the air, only to land, point first, on her finger. She chuckled darkly. Sasuke quickly spun around and picked up the bouquet of roses shakily and picked out a thick wad of ryo for them, selecting a dark blue ribbon from the vendor and tying it around the stems. 'My wallet…'
"Happy?" Sasuke glowered, holding up the small bouquet for his teammate's approval. Naruto nodded vigorously. Ammy flashed him a thumbs up and a grin in the 'Nice Guy' pose.
"Now to find the lucky lady!" He yelled, standing up in a flash
"Whatever" He growled under his breath, walking away and trying not to blush. He was quickly losing his nerve.
"Hey Naru. She told me she was at the training grounds."
"Oh. Sasuke, go make your move! YOSH!" Naruto yelled, pumping his fist. Sasuke just blinked.
"Or in your case, just go, Ice prick" Ammy smirked. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, then walked to the training grounds, happy to leave the loud blonde behind and condescending brunette behind.
Naruto suddenly became very fidgety. "S-so Ammy…wannagooutwithmeandgoeatatmy placetonightatseven?" he stammered looking everywhere else but at Ammy.
Ammy smiled at him a flush blooming on her cheeks. "A high five would have sufficed you know… Hm…Didn't think you were the cooking type." She nudged his cheek with her fist and grinned. "Yeah. I'll go." She seemed to contemplate something for a moment as she stared at her toes. She looked up with a determined gleam in her eyes and turned to peck him on the cheek with a chaste kiss.
Naruto stood there astounded as Ammy rushed away giggling. '…'
"YES!"
Once at the familiar training grounds, Sasuke froze. He could see Sakura down by the lake, staring at the water. He was clueless. Sasuke walked up quickly, pausing only an arm's length from the pinkette. Gathering all his courage, Sasuke tossed the flowers, putting on his best Uchiha facade as the bouquet arced over Sakura's head, landing perfectly in her lap.
"Huh?" She asked quietly, whipping her head around to look at him.
"Hn" He said, mentally facepalming himself. Sakura stared at him in disbelief.
"Happy Valentine's Day…" Sasuke mumbled trailing off at the end, trying not to blush. Sakura blinked. Inner Sakura leapt in joy.
Great, now he felt like a total idiot. Sakura stood up, clutching the flowers tightly.
"Thanks" She replied with a soft smile, hugging Sasuke. The Uchiha was completely taken aback by his teammate's actions, unsure of what to do. He awkwardly returned the hug, and Sakura giggled.
"Wow. I haven't had this kind of dream in a while," Sakura said, pulling away. Sasuke looked at her quizzically.
"The great Sasuke giving me flowers? Returning my hug?" Sakura shook her head. "A dream. An impossibility. Like from my academy days."
Sasuke felt a flash of irritation. 'Well sure. I go out of my way for this, and you think you imagining it.'
"You're not dreaming" He said, carefully trying to not do glare as he typically would. Sakura had a confused look decorating her face. The reason dawned on her and she laughed.
"Then did Naruto and Ammy put you up to this?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as she sniffed the flowers. Sasuke shrugged.
"Thanks again" Sakura said. "It really made my day, even if this is a dream," Sasuke frowned.
Suddenly two entities appeared on his shoulders. Mini-Naruto on his right looked up at him with his halo and hissed, "Psst! Sasuke! Kiss her! Now!" The mini-Ammy poked his cheek with her pitchfork and grinned. "~Do it or I'll castrate you!~" she sung the threat, looking all too happy.
Sasuke threw caution to the winds, deciding to follow his teammates' advice for once, even if it cost him his life. He grabbed Sakura's waist, pulling her forwards, and then kissed her. On the lips.
Sakura's gasp of utter surprise echoed through the clearing, and cheers emanated from Sasuke's shoulders before they poofed back into nothing. Sasuke pulled away after a few seconds of contact, stepping back and watching Sakura warily.
"What...?" She gasped, eyes wide.
Sasuke smirked, and then did something that shocked Sakura, yet again.
He fainted.
He, the oh-so-great Uchiha Sasuke fainted.
And team seven all woke up. Loudly. Screaming in bloody murder.
"Wha- What the fuck was that?" Ammy gasped, her cheeks tinted with pink. 'N-Naruto… asked me o- NOPE! I am going back to sleep. Not gonna think about it. Nu-uh. Don't think about it.' She plopped back onto her futon and swiftly fell back asleep.
Sakura was blushing furiously, sitting upright in her futon. She groaned. 'I knew it was just a dream…Stupid dream Sasuke, getting my hopes up stupid little mother-'she sunk back onto the futon mumbling angrily to herself.
In the other room, Naruto sat in the dark staring blankly at the wall across from him. 'Ammy… ' His cheeks felt warmer than usual...
Sasuke was…well…asleep. Hm. Did he just pass out? Again? Oh well. Guess we'll never know, now will we?
Ah. Filler chapters. Gotta love them. =3
Hoped you liked the Omake, (plot stolen from The Dark Knight's Revenge, Thanks Man!)
Read and Review!
Thanks to
Guest
colourseeker12
Sayonara Yasashii Akumu
Akashi Ookami
and
Too lazy
For Reviewing!
So yeah. I hope you enjoyed your Valentines gift, you awesome people of the internet. And vote in the new poll! Winner of the pairings poll is pretty apparent, if you ask me, but I wont tell you guys anyways. =3
Ja-Ne!
*~OkamiAmaterasu2015 signing off~*
A.N. (2/18/13) Wow. Tough crowd. Guess you guys don't like the fillers, huh? Jeez. Well. Just so you know, Update dates are on my profile, and expect one or two more chapters of fillers. I'm still waiting on the Zabuza Haku poll so that I could write the fight. So hurry it up guys!
To Guest: Yes i had realized that i may have overpowered Ammy quite a bit, but if you read my original, Ammy was much to overpowered. And as mentioned in chapter one, she had trained to enter the academy late and pass without much prior knowledge. So she had worked herself to the max, not knowing that the genin exams were a lot more passable then she had thought. Well, that's what i had meant before, but now it's a bit late to mention it, am I right? So there is my reason for her being stronger.