A.N.: From now on, there's a chance I will put up a chapter around Wednesday too (aka, two chapters every week, but the days might dance around a bit). It all depends on how fast the plot develops and how much trouble I am having with writing. Same format, quality is still my priority.
Barebones - Arc I: Recovery - Chapter 7: Nowhere to Hide
You can run away forever, but you will never escape yourself.
They told her to stay down in her bed - some of her muscles are damaged and her body is almost fully drained of energy. But Sakura couldn't do that. In the past, whenever she felt overwhelmed by dark thoughts and emotions, she tried to do something that would require her utmost concentration. Which is why becoming a medic-nin helped a lot with her depression.
But now she can't heal anyone, her sad eyes glancing at her powerless fingers. Her hands used to be able to tear down large chunks of the landscape with a single punch… The kunoichi hit the ground earlier, in sheer frustration, but all she achieved was bleeding knuckles.
Now she looks up at the starry sky, knowing she is a bit too cold, but not caring enough. Why should it matter, anyway? It's all over, she should have known it since Naruto's untimely death. Since Sasuke laid his eyes upon her without a single trace of humanity in them.
It wasn't enough with torturing her… violating, breaking her body and mind to the point of near-death. No, he had to make sure she wouldn't be able to fight ever again. Why couldn't he just kill her?
The park is empty and quiet - it's difficult to believe that only a few hours ago, she was here with Misho, relaxing and feeling confident in her strength.
Sakura shuts her eyes tightly and pounds the ground again, trying to… what? Release her inner turmoil? Force the chakra in her to answer command? Her skin already looks red and constricted, almost like it's burning. Her limbs feel stiff, just like they would do if they were inflamed.
"You're lucky I can't smack you, Forehead-Girl, because you're acting really dumb right now."
The voice prompts her to stop, but the pink-haired kunoichi bites her lower lip, refusing to answer her body's need to pant. Of course, on top of her new disability, she has to be crazy. It's so tempting to give in and talk with those illusions of people… They're all that is left of them, even if it's just bunch of hallucinations in her mind.
"In case you haven't noticed, everything just sort of went to hell," she grumbles, not bothering to look at Ino. Looking at the bright side, she can at least let out her frustration in this way.
"In case you haven't noticed, you're acting even worse than when I met you," shoots back the other girl, nonchalantly. Even as a figment of her mind, Ino still has her viperine silver tongue.
Sighing, Sakura sits back against a tree, finally giving the blonde the acknowledgement of a side glance. So be it, why not argue with herself now.
"I remember that cute, little girl… curled up and crying because she thought she was so ugly," continues the Yamanaka, holding her gaze evenly. She looks just like a twelve, maybe thirteen year old, yet her voice sounds very certain. "You'd think that by now you would realise… oh, what am I saying? That giant forehead of yours is like an empty coconut," she teases, rolling her eyes and smirking playfully.
Sakura scowls and hugs her legs tighter. If only she had the ability to use chakra to tear down a few trees… That would surely help to feel relieved. Another topic she has to avoid - thinking about how she can't do it feels horrible.
"Come on! The Sakura I know wouldn't just curl up and mop. You're better than this, and you know it," snaps Ino, scooting closer to her and plopping down on the ground, gracefully. Her image seems to go through the grass, but she looks almost real. She looks like she really wants to grab Sakura's shoulders and shake her like a pink-haired human rattle.
"Shut up already!" growls Sakura, ignoring the pain of her bleeding hands when she attempts to land a hit on Ino.
The girl blinks once, twice, but her eyes don't manage diffuse the image she sees - the blonde blocked her punch. And her hand feels warm. Ino gives her friend and rival a big grin full of white teeth, watching her surprise like it's the most entertaining thing in the world. There's still a trace of a smile in her lips, when Sakura uncurls her fingers and places her palm against the Yamanaka's.
Sakura is speechless. Something feels off about Ino, but whatever her mind is doing to cause this, she can feel her heat. It still doesn't feel like she's really there, because she can't feel her skin… but the warmth is definitely there. Something in Ino feels real, so much that the kunoichi is briefly shocked. The other girl gets a hold of Sakura's hand and pulls her closer, opening her arms to hug her. Yet before their bodies come into contact, Ino disappears. There's no flash or poof of smoke - she's just gone.
The pink-haired girl stumbles forward, landing on her hands and knees, right where Ino was a moment ago. There are many questions in her mind, though one of them manages to sound louder in the cacophony of confusion.
"What the…" she mutters, looking around. Genjutsu? It has to be a genjutsu. Sakura feels positively murderous, super-strength or not, to think that someone would trick her like this. She looks quite lethal, jumping up to her feet and scanning the nearby bushes.
"Cherry blossom… you still have to bloom."
Ino's voice doesn't seem to be coming from anywhere in particular, and though Sakura grumbles many 'kai', nothing in the atmosphere seems to change.
"Get the hell out of where you are hiding, bastard!" she shouts, eyes darting from place to place in search for someone to pound into the ground. The only response is a lonely chorus of crickets and an owl. Well, that and…
"Sakura! What the fuck are you doing?"
Kiri is definitely not one of the smartest men out there. The pink-haired girl could probably have killed him in her paranoid state, had she not been injured, weakened and stripped off of weapons. She still manages to nearly punch his nose in.
"Nutso…" he grumbles, rubbing his nose, once both of them manage to calm down. "For a medic-nin, you're a bit too aggressive," the Kiri-nin complains. Sakura can't help but smirk.
"I didn't know it was you," she explains, sheepishly.
A moment ago she was holding freaking Ino's hand, whose body is probably buried by now. The sourness of that thought ruins her momentary amusement, and Kiri notices immediately. He places a hand on her shoulder, as per usual, though this time she doesn't flinch away. Barely.
"Just don't run off like that next time, alright?" he requests, and Sakura nods, guilty. Truth be told, she hadn't thought about anyone's reactions when she decided she couldn't stay in her room anymore. It was all too overwhelming for her already clouded mind.
They head back to the hospital, walking calmly through the empty streets of Yugakure. Internally, the kunoichi realises it really is cold… she had just been too busy having a breakdown, to notice or care. Meanwhile, Kiri keeps explaining the situation to her, making her feel even more ashamed.
"After we found out what happened… we spent the entire afternoon looking for good umeboshi. Riko and I, and even the little brat, were ready to throw you a party, but turns out you decided to go out for a midnight stroll."
Sakura visibly cringes, muttering something that sounds like an apology, but Kiri just waves it away with an amused expression.
"The entire hospital is panicking because one of their most dangerous patients disappeared. You better hope Riko agrees with covering your ass on this one, or you're going to end up in the First for a long time."
Of course… Yu started being a place specialised in psychology. Overtime, they applied their skills and knowledge for other fields of medicine, like healing and investigation, but their first hospital is still used as a mental asylum (and in the past, she suspects it was used for torture and interrogation).
The second one is dedicated to investigation and is even shadier than the former. The third and last is the one for patients who aren't overly crazy - that's where her room is.
Considering how much trouble she's been giving to Yu's medics, it wouldn't be surprising if she ended up locked up in a cell of the First. Gulping, Sakura figures it wouldn't be very unlikely if they were seriously considering it. Third aggression, almost within a single week. Huzzah.
"Don't worry, I'll use my seductive skills… no one can resist those," bluffs Kiri, probably trying to get that bitter expression out of her face. It's successful, she ends up snickering. This might be a man who is harsh and serious when needed be, but he definitely has a way with sarcasm and helping those in need.
When they get to the hospital, Riko is waiting near one of the side entrances, where there aren't that many people. Her left eye is twitching slightly at the sight of Kiri's face and Sakura's hands.
She glares at both of them, like a teacher would do to unruly kids, but doesn't say anything, gesturing for the pair to get inside the building before someone sees them.
"You two are going to be the end of my career," Riko grumbles, rubbing her temples, probably having a brewing headache. It's nearly dawn and the small room Sakura occupies is still considerably full of people.
Misho is half-snoring in a corner, using not one, but two dogs as pillows. Kiri comes and goes, snatching umeboshi from Riko's plate every time, doing his night rounds to check on other patients. The woman, herself, just got back from arguing for a good two hours with her superior, about Sakura's mental state. And the kunoichi has spent the last thirty minutes poking her food distractedly.
"Sorry," Sakura mutters, for the umpteenth time. "I feel really bad that you guys have been helping me a lot in the last days… and I just keep messing it up," she confesses, sincerely.
Riko gives her a glance between her fingers, sighing. And then her usual half-smile is etched into her face, her expression reassuring once more.
"Don't worry about that," the woman comments, nodding. It's like she doesn't care about her headache anymore, slipping into her calm medic personality.
Sakura gives her a grateful smile, and they stay silent for what feels like ages. Riko is supposed to be guarding the kunoichi and Misho seems to have all the time in the world, so they're keeping her company. And yet… something in the air seems to feel wrong.
The pink-haired girl tried to pry information out of her take-carers, because from time to time it feels like they're hiding something. It's difficult to notice if she doesn't focus on her surroundings (which she doesn't do often, in case her mental state starts slipping), but there is an ambient of tension covering the hospital, like a bad omen. Tonight, it's stronger than ever.
The revelation starts with a few loud voices and quick steps, which snap her into awareness. Riko seems to be coiled, ready to spring into action if needed be. Something is happening, but no one will tell Sakura what. It doesn't matter, because by the time it's impossible to ignore the noise anymore, Kiri bursts back into the room, apparently in a hurry.
The shinobi's movements are as quiet as ever, but he is out of breath. His eyes are focused solely on Sakura for a split second, his gaze so intense that it freezes her in place. The visual contact only lasts an instant, and then the man turns to Riko, who heard him pant and is now looking at him quizzically.
"We need you in the lower floor. I'll explain on the way." He glances at the kunoichi for a second. "You stay here," he orders, his playful demeanor completely gone.
Sakura scowls, because they should know that she won't just let herself be led around like this, when it's obvious that something serious is happening. Riko nods and stands up, trailing after Kiri when he exits the room. The pink-haired girl jumps up to her feet and follows suit.
"What is going on?" she asks, refusing to be left behind. The medics stop on their tracks, exchange a glance and look back at her.
"Don't tell her!" Riko cuts in, grabbing his forearm warningly.
He ignores her. There is a steely glint in his eyes - one that promises his words are going to be painful.
"You have to stay in your room. Konoha's new Hokage is attacking the Land of Sound. If we don't get our shit together, we might be next in line. You should know better than anyone how much harm that damned Uchiha can do."
When they turn around to leave, Sakura doesn't stop them.
At some point, one of the dogs that are still in her room notices that the pink-haired girl is gone. Sakura can hear the clattering sound of its claws against the ground, and feel the animal's nuzzling of her hand. When she doesn't react, the canine grabs her wrist gently with its jaws and tugs at her to go back to the room. She lets herself be dragged into it once more, her eyes unfocused and her mind in a daze.
The girl can hear Misho's voice, but the words don't seem to reach her brain. She looks down at him, confused.
'He looks very worried...'
The kid even tentatively hugs her waist, a gesture that she returns awkwardly. Why is her brain like this? What happened? She can't remember. All she is conscious of are the murmurs going on in the background, in crescendo, and she could've sworn she recognises the voices.
'Cha! Because you're looking as lively as a rotting fish,' notes Inner-Sakura, snapping her fingers. 'Earth to Sakura, do something or the kid is gonna have a panic attack.'
Suddenly, the voices closing in around her disappear and she can hear Misho's panicked whispers, as he tries to shake her. Sakura blinks a few times, looking at him like it's the first time she sees him. The boy freezes, noticing the change in her demeanor, but not letting go.
Most people seem scared of her… or at least, wary. Misho never does. He's so innocent, so believing. The kunoichi doesn't know how to feel about that. In his eyes, the worry she sees is for her, not himself.
Sakura looks at his irises intently - they aren't fully black, but almost. His face is round with the lines of childhood, framed by similarly dark hair. His face isn't exactly unique, but she makes a point to examine it thoroughly, as a focusing exercise.
"...Miss-nin?" he asks, tentatively. The silence has grown to be awkward, and Sakura snaps out of it with a slight wince. Right. Tell him something so he won't worry.
The pink-haired girl raises a finger, pointedly dramatic, and releases the boy, who looks at her in the most absolute confusion.
"Get some scrolls and ink," she bursts out, trying to draw a smile on her face. Sakura has the feeling that it isn't working too well. "I'm going to teach you some… cool ninja stuff," she adds, giving her two thumbs up, grinning even more.
Immediately, his face lights up with excitement, all troubles forgotten. Such a bliss… He darts out of the room, having the two dogs follow suit after him and leaving Sakura alone.
She sighs, trying to look around for the feather. It's still on her bedside table, and as soon as Sakura gets it, she starts twirling it between her fingers idly.
The skin of her knuckles is still a bit sensitive, but her fingers seem to be working just fine. No broken bones from her outburst earlier, thankfully. Her whole attention is placed on the small, black item she holds, but she can still hear them.
The voices. They are back and now she is certain they aren't from the heightened activity in the hospital. No… they seem to come from everywhere at once, as if they were circling around her.
She remembers something like this… when she was at the battlefield. She was delirious, hearing and feeling presences around her, hidden in the darkness and fog. It's happening again.
Sakura may not be able to understand the words, but the girl is certain that this is definitely a sign of mental issues. And on top of that, He…
'Call him by name! You are no coward!' growls Inner-Sakura.
"Sasuke Uchiha," she mutters.
Is he the new Hokage? Kiri's words implied that much. That might explain what has kept him busy the last month… but it also means a whole hell of trouble. Mainly - there is no home. She can't go back to Konoha.
Shit… how many more people did he kill to get to be the leader? The thought of him close to so many civilians, so many children and defenseless people… it makes her sick. There is no one who can defend them, either.
And something even worse… what if he killed all of those who refused to fight for him? Or held their families hostage? For all she knows, Konoha could be an enemy to her, just because they have no choice but to obey him.
Sakura remembers his words - Sasuke wanted to become an enemy of the world, to keep them all united… against him. Is that why he chose to rule over Konoha, which is pretty much in the middle of every other nation? What will happen now, to all those people? She already feels nauseous with worry and, admittedly, fear.
'You are not a coward,' repeats Inner-Sakura, motioning in her mind as if she wanted to slap her. 'Brave people aren't those who aren't scared! They're the ones who fight, no matter what! Tsunade-shishou would pound you into the ground if she saw you like this!'
The girl winces at the thought. There is way too much stuff going on right now, one thing after the other. At this rate, she will have a nervous breakdown. The intensity of all those things, happening so quickly, is high enough that sometimes she forgets important topics for hours on end.
"I got it!" exclaims Misho, causing her to nearly bump her head against the wall, in surprise. He came back to the room, all glee and enthusiasm. Sakura curses, mentally - another side-effect of this overload of emotions and thoughts, is that annoying loss of alertness.
This should be a good distraction. If the boy notices her troubled demeanor, he doesn't say anything, instead rushing over to the bedside table and clearing space for a large scroll. It's clearly a discarded one from a medic, because half of it is filled with a rigmarole of tiny notes.
"Right," she mutters, propping herself up and leaving the feather aside. Sakura tries to put her best smile up, and trying to arrange a proper explanation. "I'm going to teach you something very basic, but very important for ninja to use: fūinjutsu. It isn't very difficult and it can be used for a lot of things."
The kunoichi glances at Misho, not sure about how will he react. This isn't exactly… flashy, but it's indeed very handy. While shooting giant fireballs is probably a lot cooler than using a seal, there is definitely a lot more you can do with this technique.
Much to her relief, the kid nods, looking at the scroll thoughtfully. He seems to have tossed excitement aside, in exchange for concentration.
"Normally, people buy their own scrolls and seals, because it's a lot safer… but we can't do that, and it makes you depend on shops and money," she continues. "My Shishou taught me the basics… it shouldn't be difficult for you to learn how to use them. You have to use the right amount of chakra - too little, and they won't open. Too much, and you'll end up very tired. The more you do it, the better you will get at control," Sakura adds, knowing that this and stamina are probably his weakest points.
As he hears those words, Misho's hyperactive demeanor is back. He looks at her again, beaming. This time, Sakura is able to give him a genuine smile.
They spend the rest of the morning ignoring the ongoing chaos outside. The pink-haired girl has to admit, teaching someone so eager to learn is fun. Misho's calligraphy is barely good enough to make seals that won't explode, so they have to work on the lines for a very long time. It looks like for him, every little success is good, and soon the kunoichi herself is completely absorbed by the the practice.
She mixes history and information lessons with the manual tasks - Uzushiogakure, the village that was known for their sealing arts, feared to the point it was destroyed; about all the seals she has studied. Sakura realises she could've been a good teacher, in a different life.
By the time the sun is nearing its zenith, Misho has fallen asleep on top of his practice scroll and the kunoichi is at the door of slumber. When Kiri and Riko slip into the room, Sakura notices they seem to be utterly exhausted.
Judging by the expressions the two medics exchange when she glares at them, they know she is going to find answers, regardless of what they think about it. Kiri plops down on his seat and glances at the older woman, who sighs and finally starts talking.
"You must understand we were told to withhold this information from you, Sakura," she explains, looking at the pink-haired girl tiredly. Next to her, Kiri closes his eyes, letting himself slide down his chair to get a more comfy position. "Your state of mind was bad enough without knowing about Konoha's current affairs."
Sakura props herself up on her bed, sitting on its edge with an unreadable expression. The medic, however, seems to know exactly what is going on in her mind. As usual.
"You do not have to ask - yes, we prevented you from finding your fellow Konoha-nin and other people you might have recognised," Riko continues, unfazed, looking calm but serious. The pink-haired girl tells herself to hold on just a little bit more... "I will allow you to ask three questions-" There. Kiri fell asleep, his chakra and body too exhausted to keep him awake any longer.
In an instant, Sakura springs from her seat and places both hands on each side of the medic's chair. Their faces are inches apart, though Riko refuses to show any fear. Perhaps she can sense the kunoichi isn't in one of her bouts of insanity.
"You are going to tell me all I want to know," Sakura hisses, mouthing each word carefully, with a dangerous edge to them. "I have no time for your stupid games. You have done enough to stall me."
She is whispering the words, yet she spits them like acidic venom. Sakura can feel the burn of chakra trying to rush through her body, but she restricts it before it can hurt her.
Under her fingers, the plastic of the chair is becoming hot enough to lose its shape. And yet, Riko keeps staring at her with the coldest of expressions, even though she can probably feel the heat radiating from her patient's body.
"Very well," the medic agrees, finally. Riko's expression is strange for a second. She casts a brief glance at Kiri and then returns her attention to Sakura. "I hope you understand I will not tolerate a deliberate aggression from you. I am only doing this for your sake and I always have."
The girl nods - both of them know she isn't going to attack like this. But the consequences can be just as bad if Sakura is determined to get her answers. Riko seems to know that unless someone gives them to her, the kunoichi won't stop until she achieves her goal.
"Tell me everything."
Riko does. Everything, since the day the war ended.
"We were very confused. All contact with the main forces of the Shinobi Alliance was lost, and we feared the worst… but after the strange illusion that seemed to overcome all of us, we woke up and the world seemed to be as good as ever."
The Infinite Tsukuyomi… One word echoes in her head: revolution. Right when it looked like all of this madness was over, Sasuke revealed his plans. Did he manage to dispel it on his own?
"Then, we started receiving battered survivors with horrifying stories… the news they brought were despairing," continues Riko. "The forces of the Shinobi Alliance were massacred and the ones who made it out had tales of the event that would be enough to give anyone nightmares. Sasuke Uchiha slaughtered them en masse, claiming he would change the world. His voice boomed through the battlefield, and many could hear it from very far away."
Riko gestures towards Kiri, who is currently sliding down his chair a bit more. It makes sense, he was supposed to be away from the main source of danger, with the other medics... but he still heard it.
"Some survivors were within viewing range of the carnage. They tell, that he spared one person. You. Those who were close enough got a brief glimpse of your torture, but all they could do was escape before they were killed, themselves. We thought he killed you. Yet, a week ago, here you were. Traumatised, disorientated, bordering insanity and with severe marks of his acts on your body and mind. No one else managed to make it out of there, anyone he attacked is presumed to be dead. Only you… and no one knows how or why."
Sakura starts running through what she can remember of her forced holiday at the battlefield, in the aftermath of the battle, but it's all hazy. Except one thing: the silence. The feeling of empty, dead space, where life was an anomaly and not the rule. Not something she wants to think about. It made the voices of the fallen feel even more disturbing.
"You were supposed to be almost four days away from Yugakure. How could you be here, in your state? We have almost as many questions as you do, Sakura, but we did know we couldn't let you die. In your condition, we couldn't tell you the truth, either," she adds, looking only slightly apologetic.
The kunoichi understands why they didn't reveal any of this to her, but it doesn't make her any less angry. The girl feels like she can't trust Riko fully anymore, but as of now, she is her only source of answers.
"We received few news of the other nations: Kumo has been destroyed in its entirety, Iwa's remaining forces have blocked themselves in their country… everyone is confused and panicking. Yugakure has been coordinating efforts to help everybody, hence the lack of staff. We are probably the village that knows most about the world's state… and we can't do much. A few days ago we received news that Sasuke Uchiha became the Rokudaime Hokage."
Sakura nods, having her suspicions confirmed. The good thing about other people telling her what has been going on, is that it isn't marred by the eyes of a delusional girl. It might be a lie either way, but it's a better option.
"We have no new information on Konoha since this event, but earlier today the Land of Sound sent a messenger - they were being attacked by the Rokudaime's forces. As of now, it's likely that he is trying to isolate Yugakure and defeat Sound, the only nation close to the Land of Fire that wasn't too affected by the war. We are the village with the most information and best organisation. A lot of our medics and volunteering ninja from other nations are returning heavily injured, if at all. It's also a possibility that the Hokage will be heading straight for us once he makes sure no one can help us."
Riko drinks water to clear her throat, her eyes focused on Sakura intently, but the kunoichi is trying to make sense of all the things she was just told. One thing is certain: the war isn't over. Sasuke has only now started to put his own plans into motion.
The real challenge is about to begin, and the world won't be waiting on her to be ready. In this exact moment, Sakura realises just how screwed she is.
A.N.: All of that exposition was on purpose - so far, everything has been told from Sakura's point of view, so I figured telling the tale through someone else's eyes would perhaps give you a better view of them. We're nearing Arc I's end, by the way :) As usual, feedback of any kind is welcome - I hope you enjoyed the read, though.
Random funfact: I'm quite aware of how messed up the capitalisation of my chapters is.
Cheers!