Chapter Seven
Illness
Sakura stared up at the boy-no, man that was on the edge of the crater far above her head. The sun was at his back, casting him into a blanket of shadow that hid even his ebony pale skin. And yet she knew, she KNEW, this was Sasuke. Hearing two pairs of footsteps behind her, the rosette glanced to her side without turning her head and saw Sai approaching her quickly, eyes worried as he stared at her. The boy, the replacement for Sasuke on Team 7, had quickly surprised Sakura in his ability, or lack thereof, to express his emotions and opinions.
The boy had very little knowledge in the outside world and interactions with people, since his childhood had consisted of utter isolation and constant, to-the-death training in Danzo's Root association, and as such he was very...dense. Sakura did, however, appreciate his dry sense of humor in some instances, except for when he called her "Ugly" or "Bitch". One could expect a crater in the ground next to where Sai had been standing if that were the case.
Tearing her attention away from Sai, and her leader Yamato, Sakura turned her eyes back up to Sasuke. There were two people on either side of him now, one with extremely long hair and a purple rope tied in a bow behind his back at his waist. The other wore large, round glasses that reflected the light of the sun behind them, and a spiky ponytail was tied on his head. Sakura recognized them as Orochimaru and Kabuto instantly, and despite herself she felt a surge of hatred at the sight of them for taken Sasuke away from Konoha.
But then she remembered.
It was like an old, vintage tape. There was no sound, and the quality was grainy at best, but Sakura remembered what had happened the night of Sasuke's departure. His promise...and his thanks. -It's...really been three years,- the rosette thought and clenched her fists. It was time. Her eyes trailed back to Sasuke, and she noticed the boy was staring at her. His eyes were different, she noticed. Angular, more sharp. Still as dark as the midnight sky, but there was an ache in them that she couldn't place.
He wore a long-sleeved white shirt, open in the chest all the way down to his waist, which had a similar purple rope to Orochimaru tied around it, and what appeared to be a second shirt draping down his legs, sheathed in black slacks. There was no sign of recognition as Sasuke looked at Sakura, and a small twinge of fear hit her that maybe Sasuke had changed so much, that he had forgotten about Naruto...
No words could get past the kunochi's lips as she watched her former teammate, her mouth dry and her eyes frozen wide as his figure flickered and vanished. Then he reappeared in front of her, taller than she remembered and looking at her with an apathy that the rosette couldn't remember. Then his head dipped slightly. "Sakura."
Her name coming from those lips was like the rumble of a jaguar, low and menacing, yet calming at the same time. Sakura found herself frozen in fear and relieved that Sasuke acknowledged her presence. Then his onyx eyes flicked over to Sai and Yamato, and Sakura saw that the two had their weapons drawn and ready to strike if the need arose. "Three years," Sasuke whispered, so quietly Sakura barely heard it, and her attention was back on the Uchiha immediately.
In that moment, it seemed like Sakura and Sasuke were separate from the world. The conversation they had had three years ago was at the forefront of the rosette's mind, and her hands clenched slightly inside their black leather gloves. Sasuke's eyes watched her fingers briefly before he looked over his shoulder at Orochimaru, who was watching the display patiently and with slightly eager eyes. "...Are you ready," Sasuke asked simply without taking his eyes off of his mentor.
Sakura nodded slightly, and somehow Sasuke saw it.
The raven brought his palms up slowly, clasping his fingers in an unfamiliar seal as Sakura saw Orochimaru's glee turn slowly to shock and fury. The snake's lips curled into a small snarl and his eyes narrowed, and a low hissing sound filled the crater. A curiously warm feeling enveloped Sakura's legs, and she looked down to see fire wrapping around her calves and licking their way up to her hips and her torso. Looking at Sasuke in surprise, she saw the same spectacle happen to him as well.
"I must thank you Orochimaru," the raven called. "For I finally have to power to kill my brother. However, I do not feel like giving up my soul in order to accomplish that..." A strangled shout of fury broke from Orochimaru's lips as a kunai buzzed by Sakura's ear, and her head turned to her right to see Sai running at Sasuke, two daggers in his palms, eyes narrowed. "Sai, no!" Sakura exclaimed when she noticed Sasuke staring at the other boy. The Uchiha's hand slowly raised, and the sound of chirping birds filled the air.
A blade of lightning extended straight from Sasuke's fingers and hit Sai square over his heart.
Sakura held back a scream as Sai's assault was halted, blood dripping from the gaping hole in his chest. The Root member coughed, eyes wide with shock, as he fell to his knees with his blood pooling around his legs. Sakura felt the fire inch towards her neck as she stared at the dying Sai. "Sasuke!" Orochimaru shouted as the wind picked up due to Sasuke's unusual jutsu. "Why are you doing this?!"
Sasuke stared impassively back at his mentor. "Because I have someone to avenge," he said, his tone flat, and Sakura heard Yamato shouting her name before the wind became too strong for her to hear anything other than her own heartbeat...
8-8-8-8-8-8-8
Fire was crackling somewhere.
The first thing that greeted Sakura's senses was the smell of burning wood and ashes as a cool breeze brushed across her cheeks. She shivered slightly and opened her eyes, seeing a canopy of green leaves and, beyond that, the night sky dotted with white stars. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance, and in response there was the cry of a wolf even further beyond that. She parted her lips and licked, the skin feeling dry and her tongue like sandpaper as she sat up and ran her right hand through her hair.
"Here."
Sakura's emerald eyes widened as she heard the voice, and she looked to her right and saw Sasuke sitting in front of a campfire, holding out a canteen to her. He was sitting with his right leg pulled up to his chest, his arm slung loosely over his knee as he stared at Sakura. She rubbed her eyes and blinked before looking back at Sasuke. "This is real?" She asked dumbly. Sasuke snorted, and looked into the flames in front of him. "You passed out as soon as we teleported away. I made camp," he explained.
Then he shook the canteen. "Take it," he commanded, and Sakura tentatively reached out to grasp the tan leather container in her palms, unscrewing the lid and bringing the rim to her lips. Cool water filled her mouth and washed down her throat as she drank eagerly. Once she was done, she attached the lid once more and handed the canteen back to Sasuke. The raven took it without looking at Sakura, putting it by a small, navy-blue traveling pack to his right. "That's all you brought?" The rosette asked and nodded towards the sack.
"I wasn't aware you were coming until a couple of hours before you arrived," Sasuke replied. "I had to be inconspicuous or Orochimaru would have been suspicious." Sakura winced at the mention of the snake-sage. Sasuke seemed to take notice and glanced at her while she stared into the fire. "...Your hitai-ate is missing," the Uchiha noted after a few minutes of silence. Sakura looked at him blankly. "I haven't worn it for three years," she said honestly. Sasuke arched an eyebrow in confusion.
Sakura sighed. "I wasn't ever in trouble for it because as a medic-nin I didn't have to do much field work. And when I did I removed it as soon as I left the village," she explained, then glowered. "I refuse to wear that pathetic symbol." Sasuke nodded. More silence fell over the two, and Sakura felt sleep creeping up on her slowly as time went on. Looking to her left, she saw her tan traveling pack along with her medic pouch. Reaching over, she took her sleeping bag out of the pack and rolled it out on the ground next to her before climbing in.
"I'll take first watch then," Sasuke muttered. Sakura looked up and saw the Uchiha standing with his back facing her before he jumped up, into the trees above her head and out of her sight. The rosette sighed before rolling onto her side, staring at the campfire. It had been three years since she'd seen Sasuke. Three years since Naruto had...she couldn't even think the word without wanting to throw up. Closing her eyes, the kunochi shivered and wrapped the blanket of the sleeping bag tighter around herself.
The journey had only just begun...
Sakura watched impassively as a black blur moved through the undergrowth in front of her towards the campsite she shared with Sasuke. The rosette sat on a large boulder placed at the end of the clearing, her left leg pulled tight against her torso and her right dangling down as she sharpened one of the blades of her scythe with a whetstone in her palm, absentmindedly listening to the silent approach of the figure in the distance. Her cloak lay discarded at the ground under her feet, and a vial containing a small drop of purple liquid had rolled out of one of the inside pockets to rest by the remains of last night's campfire.
The chakra that oozed from the figure was immediately identified as Sasuke's, and Sakura felt herself relax ever so slightly. Until she detected the underlying tone of it...
Sasuke was furious.
Sakura's easy approach to her teammate quickly turned to slight worry and, the more dominant emotion, curiousity. Whatever Sasuke had encountered on the first mission must have struck a chord; and she wanted to know what it was. The rosette continued sharpening the blades of her weapon until Sasuke's cloaked figure stepped into the clearing, the raven unclasping his cloak and flinging it in front of him as he entered, his eyes narrowed and his right hand clenched around his katana.
"How'd it go," Sakura called, trying to keep her itching thirst for answers out of her tone. When she didn't recieve an answer, she looked up and saw Sasuke was glaring at her as he bent over his packs. She surpressed a shiver. This wasn't his normal, ice-cold attitude...the Uchiha looked like he wanted to burn the world and pour acid over the corpses of every living thing.
"You want to know what happened?" He asked quietly, a tiger waiting to strike. Sakura kept her face blank as Sasuke slowly stood erect and sheathed his katana, the sound of metal screeching on metal filling the air for a brief moment. "If you must know, Sakura, Konoha ANBU happened." Sasuke released a pent-up breath. "Anyone we knew?" The rosette asked. She didn't see what the big deal was. Sure, they despised Konoha. But if he had just killed the rats, then what was his issue?
"..." Sasuke looked to his right, off into the forest. Sakura followed his gaze briefly to see if he had noticed anything, but nothing stirred in the distance. "Well?" She prompted when he didn't respond. Sasuke's fists clenched. "...Fucking Kakashi!" He shouted as a chidori formed in his hand. Sakura surpressed a yelp as the Uchiha's hand shot out and struck the boulder she sat on. She barely had time to leap off of the rock and collect her scythe as pebbles shattered under her weight and the pressure of Sasuke's attack.
Birds called out in alarm in the trees above their heads as Sasuke's Susanoo activated.
Sakura, not in the mood for dealing with Sasuke's temper tantrum, focused her chakra into her right hand and approached the Uchiha, who was standing with his fists clenched in front of the shattered remains of the boulder. Reaching out, the rosette placed her palm on Sasuke's forehead and released her chakra into his skin. Her energy drained out of her quickly as Sasuke calmed down, the purple flames of Susanoo fading around him and the whoosh of wind dying down until the area was quiet once more.
Panting, Sakura removed her hand.
"Next time I'll just let you burn the whole forest down," she warned tiredly when Sasuke turned to look at her. The rosette edged around the still fuming Uchiha to where her cloak lay under the rubble in front of them, and she carefully pulled out the remains of the cloth. "Damn, how am I going to find another one," she sighed. This cloak was special in the sense that inside of the flaps there was a special sheath designed just for her scythe that she had managed to make out of a rare, flexible and rubber-like material suitable for battle.
However, the rocks combined with Sasuke's chidori and Susanoo had reduced the cloak to rags. Scowling, the rosette looked over her shoulder at Sasuke; as much as she was angry with the Uchiha, she knew it was unwise to start a fight with him at the current moment. Sighing, she turned back to face the forest in front of her. "You said you saw Kakashi," she whispered after a few tense minutes of quiet. "...Yeah," Sasuke replied.
Sakura closed her eyes. "Did you kill him?" She asked. Sasuke's silence was enough of an answer for her. "You shouldn't have let him live," she muttered, then turned to go through her bags in search of a soldier's pill to sate her hunger. "He asked about Itachi," Sasuke said abruptly. Sakura froze as she pulled out a container from her medical pouch. She knew Itachi was a very touchy subject for Sasuke; how would he react now, even with her chakra keeping his at bay?
"And?" She questioned warily. "...And nothing," Sasuke muttered. "Lost my cool, tried to kill him, then ran away. That's all." Sakura suppressed a sigh. "Did he say anything about why he's in the area," she asked, "I thought we left him and Shikamaru back at the border." "They're on a mission looking for someone," Sasuke muttered, his voice growing farther away from Sakura. He must be looking for firewood, she thought. "Apparently Akatsuki is after that person." "Hm," Sakura grunted as she stood up and swallowed the small red pill she had held in her palm.
"Anything we need to be worried about?" She asked then, turning to see Sasuke on the opposite side of the clearing, hidden in the branches of an oak tree high above her head. "I doubt it," Sasuke muttered back. Sakura rolled her eyes. The Uchiha was sulking, due to whatever had happened with his encounter with Kakashi and the other Konoha ANBU. "Want me to go and say we finished our mission?" She queried. Sasuke shrugged.
8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8
Sakura glowered as she shoved her way through crowded streets on her way to Kagemusha's black market, as well as his estate. Her fingers were balled tightly into fists as men and women alike glared at her as she pushed them aside, the occasional curse and insult reaching her ears while she passed by. She, of course, could care less. But the noise was rather annoying. However, so was the fact that Kakashi, the man who had betrayed her trust and killed Naruto in front of her, was in the same area as her. And from what Sasuke had described, it didn't sound like the damn Konoha shinobi, nor his followers, had plans to leave any time soon. She exhaled sharply at the thought of her former sensei's face, or lack thereof; all the rosette could remember of the man was the damn mask he always wore to cover his mouth and his left Sharnigan eye.
Seeing the two brick buildings growing in her sight, Sakura quickened her pace as the crowd thinned out, making it easier for her to duck between gaps and push through to the alleyway that separated the two buildings, serving as an entryway to the black market hidden just under these unsuspecting citizens' feet. The small wooden door set in the wall at the end of the alleyway as open; someone must have forgotten to close it on their way inside. Imbeciles, the kunochi thought snidely as she entered the dark tunnel and closed the wooden door behind her, shutting out the outside world while descended down the winding pathway into the open cavern of the black market. She bypassed all of the shops and the power generators and approached the immense, black wall-like genjutsu that shielded the odd houses as well as Kagemusha's estate on the other side of the barrier.
Sakura was thankful she had managed to concoct a new batch of the gen-jutsu dispeller before she had the need to come back here. She made a mental note to request of Kagemusha that he remove the gen-jutsu for her, and Sasuke, in the future. The rosette brought the vial of purple liquid to her eye-level and removed the cork at the top of the container before she brought the rim to her lips and poured the substance down her throat. Warm and cold chills ran up her arms and spine, while her vision swam and dimmed. Shivering, the kunochi forced herself to take a step forward, through the immense black space, into the smaller cavern that was hidden behind its cover. She scowled as the effects of the potion wore off and were replaced by a pounding headache before continuing on the path downward to the large, Tudor-style home.
She barely had time to knock on the large double doors before they swung inward of their own accord.
In front of her stood Kagemusha himself, ANBU-like wolf mask securely fastened over his face and a black bandana over the top of his head, effectively hiding any hair (or lack thereof) from view. He wore a navy-blue trenchcoat with buckles running up the entire left side, straps crossing over from the right to connect to the left and keeping the jacket closed. The sleeves reached to his elbows, leaving his forearms covered in simple, tight-fitting black sleeves and his fingers sheathed in black, fingerless gloves with the Kanji for "spirit" written on the back of his hands in white string. His legs were covered by black trousers, each with more buckles running down the outside with a weapons pouch tied to his right thigh. Black military boots covered his feet.
Kagemusha bowed as Sakura stared at him. "Sakura. It is a pleasure to see you," he greeted kindly and stood erect after a few moments. The rosette nodded at him in return. "Do you mind if I come in?" She asked, despite the urge to saunter in without permission. Kagemusha stepped backwards into the home, sweeping his arm out to the side. "Be my guest," he replied. Sakura could imagine the smile that would have graced the man's lips, if she could see them. Stepping onto the warm wooden floor, Sakura heard the doors swing shut behind her. "It hasn't even been a day," the man noted. "Have you and Sasuke finished your mission that quickly?" Sakura nodded. "I didn't even accompany him on it, honestly," she confessed. "He completed it while I was visiting you." Kagemusha nodded. "I assume you do not wish to stay long," he stated. She nodded again. "Sasuke came across some...rather unwelcome people on his way back to camp," she said. "If he does something stupid we'll probably have to run for it."
At that statement, Kagemusha laughed. His chuckles filled the entrance hall and left Sakura feeling quite confused at his mirth.
She raised one pink eyebrow as the man doubled over, clenched his stomach with his arms. "I'm afraid I don't understand what is so amusing," she said coldly when the man kept chuckling. Kagemusha sighed and chuckled a few more times before raising himself up. "I apologize," he said breathlessly, "It was amusing that you feel that way. Knowing you and your partner, would you not just kill anyone who stands in your way? That statement...it was rather contradictory to your previous actions." Sakura scowled. "The people he came across...while we are not by any means inclined towards them, or who they stand beside and work with...they have a price to pay. And it is best carried out with their bodies in one piece. They would most likely come after us if Sasuke, or I, slip up."
Kagemusha nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "I see," he noted. Then he turned to face the double staircase that stretched away from the pair and approached the small table set between the two staircases. He arranged the small red vase on the surface for a few minutes, seemingly attempting to perfect its placement while Sakura stared up at the massive chandelier above her head. She wondered if the candles set in the holders were real or electronic. "I assume Sasuke delivered the parcel then?" Kagemusha asked suddenly. Sakura looked down and saw that he was still facing away from her, facing the table and the vase. "Yes..." she said. Kagemusha nodded. Then he chuckled again. Sakura was starting to get worried at how easily amused the man was.
"Well I must say Sakura, placing your blind faith in me was rather...bold," Kagemusha said. Suspicion instantly came to the forefront of the rosette's mind, and she tensed in preparation for Kagemusha to assault her. The man must have sensed her trepidation however, for he turned with his hands held up next to his head. "Calm down," he said calmly. "You have yet to hear my reasoning for delivering those shoes." Sakura's stance loosened slightly, but not by much. Her eyes narrowed. Kagemusha seemed to be staring at her while she stared into the eyeholes of the wolf mask, which were pitch black as if they were covered on the inside with black cloth. Probably another genjutsu, she thought.
"You see, the man I had those shoes delivered to...he is a rather formidable threat to my business here," Kagemusha started and turned back to face the table once more, placing his hands lightly on the round surface. "As an inspections officer, it is his duty to...interrupt any sort of black market trade in the area. And I'm afraid I simply cannot allow even the slightest nuisance affect the way I run things." Sakura could sense the turn this explanation was taking. "So I found myself faced with a rather difficult question: 'How do you remove a pest?'. I'm sure you have the answer, Sakura. You see, Inspections officers are indeed very important in this day and age. Black markets are finding it is more and more challenging to remain hidden and out-of-sight when the wrong kinds of people are looking for them. And there is really only one way to remove a problem permanently..."
Kagemusha turned to look at Sakura once more. "You eliminate it," he said gravely. Sakura nodded. "So, I simply did what any self-respecting man would do. I made someone, in this case you and Sasuke, handle the dirty work. He delivered the shoes...or in other words, the bomb, to the Inspections officer's home. Now, what I failed to mention is his wife, who is five months pregnant, will also be home at the time the bomb detonates...just in case you or your partner suddenly got cold feelings about murdering a woman and a child who has yet to be born." Sakura nearly rolled her eyes at that. "We have no reservations about who dies at our hands," she said flatly. Kagemusha nodded. "And for that I am grateful," he said, seemingly honestly. "Now, the deed is done. The bomb will indeed set off at dusk. What needs to happen now is payment, and your next assignment."
Kagemusha didn't turn and exit the room as Sakura had expected, however. Instead, he reached into a pocket on the right side of his trenchcoat and pulled out a small slip of yellow-like paper. "A small, one story residence is set up just outside of this village," the man explained as he held out the card for the kunochi to take. "It has all of the necessary precautions I have set upon this place. A few genjutsus that I believe Sasuke can work his way around to accommodate you two, physical defenses and traps; I will give you two maps, one each, so you can learn how to avoid them. It is stocked with food, and has working water and electricity. You will also find a safe containing 20,000 yen, which is open, and you may set the combination to whatever you wish."
Sakura stared down at the paper, which she now found to be a map, in her hand. A small circle with a dot in the center was placed in the bottom left of the parchment, along with numerous loops and swirls that were meant to represent forests. An arrow pointed up towards the right corner of the paper, where an "X" was printed in bold red print. "It is roughly a twenty minute journey by foot," Kagemusha explained as Sakura continued to examine the map. "In case I need to send for you quickly, I will either send a messenger on foot, or a ninja-summon." He once more reached into his pocket and brought out two folded pieces of parchment. "Here's the two maps of the physical defenses, and a key to the home.." Sakura took the papers in her left hand before putting all three, as well as the small metal key, into her cloak pocket. "And I will send for you when the need arises," Kagemusha finished.
The kunochi stared at him for a few moments before glancing to her left. "If I may ask however, please try to keep the place in good shape. Good bases are hard to come by these days," the man said lightly, and Sakura forced herself not to scowl. "Is there anything else that you need?" Kagemusha continued. She shook her head. "Thank you for the accommodations," she said honestly. "I appreciate it, and I'm sure Sasuke will as well."
Kagemusha tilted his head to the side. "Hm."
Sakura arched an eyebrow, but did not voice her confusion. "If I may dare to ask, Sakura...is it true that you are seeking revenge for the death of Uzumaki Naruto?" The kunochi's eyes widened by a fraction at the question. "Why do you ask that," she managed to grit past her clenched teeth, her fingers tightened into fists at her sides. "Simply curious," Kagemusha explained. "I apologize...I did not know that is a rather sensitive subject.."
"That's an understatement," Sakura muttered, and then turned. "I will be going now. Sasuke and I will wait for your next instruction." Kagemusha seemed to sigh behind the rosette as she approached the double doors in front of her. "Very well Sakura. Until next time," the man called, as she swung the doors open and stepped outside. There, she waited until they had shut behind her and let out a heavy breath, closing her eyes.
Her eyebrows knit together in anger as her teeth clenched. Simply hearing Naruto's name was enough to anger her. This was getting ridiculous. She opened her eyes and stared at her boots, dusty from the gravel and dirt that made up the floors of this cave system. She needed to find Naruto. She needed to see him, to know that her efforts over the past three years weren't in vain. She needed to beat Sasuke to him.
Oh, she well understood the reasons why Sasuke wanted to find Naruto. And the mere thought of Sasuke holding Naruto instead of her, made her ill to her stomach.
