9: A New Leaf

"Heh!?" Sakura sounded panicked at Sasuke's sudden invitation. "What about the hospital, and children's center? I need to make arrangements first!"

"This is an A-Rank mission, Sakura," Sasuke explained firmly. "We won't be traveling for leisure. Kakashi already took care of everything."

Sakura did not expect all of this to happen so suddenly. For all she knew, Sasuke would spend a few weeks or even months in the village, and now they were on a mission together. Most likely Shizune and Ino would take over her work in the hospital and children's clinic. Being in a mission was definitely going to be a different deal than traveling for leisure, and as such, she would be automatically excused from both of her positions. Still, Sakura did not like to offload her work on anyone else, regardless of how long she had to be gone.

Either way, Sakura knew that A-Rank missions did require at least one medical ninja per group or squad. Tsunade had taught her the importance of having a medical-nin on a mission. Oddly though, why would Kakashi assign her to travel with Sasuke? He had proven himself to be a full three-man squad by himself, and he had taken care of the human bombs personally. Whatever he was up against he would most definitely be more than competent dealing with by himself. She knew she wouldn't be required to take care of Sasuke during the trip. He was too strong already.

However, she thought, they were dealing with drugs that they had never seen before. These materials would have to be researched on the go, and possibly even counteracted if necessary. If she could get a hold of them to find out what was being produced that would help the mission to succeed.

She knew for a fact that Sasuke was immune to poison because of Orochimaru's training. However, the way drugs acted on the body was a whole different ballpark. Once metabolized, she'd have to calculate the half life of the drugs in order to understand how long it would take for them to break down. She herself had been a victim of a strong substance administered by the ANBU. What if Sasuke became a victim too?

After deliberating and analyzing the situation, Sakura understood Kakashi's reasoning behind assigning her this mission with Sasuke. There was no other ninja as competent and as available as she was at the moment. Tsunade or Shizune would have been excellent choices for this mission, except that Tsunade was retired and Shizune had never carried out a mission with Sasuke. Sakura was clearly the best choice.

"I'll meet you at the gate at midnight," Sasuke interrupted her chain of thought.

It seemed as if their mission was going to be carried out in secret so the other nations would not find out. Both Sakura and Sasuke were well known in the five great nations, which means that their secrecy only needed to be carried out until they left the Land of Fire, since in the Land of Hot Water they were anonymous, and no one would know who they were and what they were up to - they would be able to move and investigate as they pleased.

The Land of Hot Water never kept tabs on their visitors or criminals for good reason. Sasuke and Sakura planned to use that to their advantage.


Sakura got down to packing as she tried to keep herself from overthinking. In a travel side bag, she could only bring the essentials with her - toiletries, food pills, medical supplies, scrolls, and a spare outfit.

Sakura decided to pay her parents a visit before nightfall- without giving away any details of her next mission. She had been so busy recently that she had no time to spend with them. After a quick lecture about visiting them more often, she announced that she would be gone on a mission the next morning.

Without taking a no for an answer, Mebuki and Kizashi insisted that their daughter had to stay for dinner - without taking a no for an answer. Feeling guilt tripped, Sakura grudgingly accepted the invitation.

"We heard Sasuke is back," Mebuki stated as a matter of fact as Sakura and Kizashi were sat at the dinner table. "You seem to be fairly content," Mebuki looked up with a smirk on her face. Leading her daughter on to spill the beans was too entertaining for her and Kizashi.

"How would you even know that he is back mom?" Sakura inquired, feeling slightly irritated. She had always felt that her parents were too intrusive into her life. Then again, they had seen her through her best and worst.

"The whole village is talking about it, haven't you noticed?" Mebuki continued on. "The gossip began the moment he crossed the gates."

Trying to change the subject, Sakura no longer wanted to hear or participate in her mother's gossip. Not only was it damaging to Sasuke's reputation, but it was also damaging to Sakura. This gossip nonsense could even jeopardize her mission.

After dinner, Sakura was just about ready to leave her parent's home. She reassured her parents that she would be fine, and yes - she would eat properly every day, and yes - she would stay out of danger. Parents will always be parents, she thought. Sakura loved them regardless, but in the end she just needed her space. She was no longer a girl who needed to be constantly watched and taken care of.

Sakura decided to head back home after she bid her parents goodbye and have a nice steamy bath before meeting Sasuke at midnight. She felt glad that she was going to leave the village in the dead of night. The village gate would be deserted by then, which would help to conceal the secrecy of their travel.


Once it got dark, Sakura felt mentally and physically ready to begin her mission. As she headed towards the village gate, she saw a dark shape standing in the distance. Sasuke had always been extremely punctual. From a distance, she could tell that he was traveling light - a backpack or equipment would just hinder his movements. The dark cape covered his dark trousers and shirt, with the kunai pouch fastened to his right thigh. A sword hung behind him, secured with a strap around one of his shoulders. Inside the back waist pocket, he had another pouch containing food pills and basic travel essentials. There was no need to bring along any other gear since he was used to traveling light.

Sakura greeted Sasuke with an awkward wave the moment she saw him. "Ah, good evening," he replied in a subtle voice, "Let's get going."

Passing by the two gate guards who were on duty, Sakura nodded in their direction acknowledging their presence, while Sasuke stared at the road ahead.

There was only one major road that led in and out of the village, and it was and Sakura quietly began to walk side by side. The road itself was not too wide or too narrow, and the thin gravel and sand crushed beneath their feet.

Once the road reached a fork in two opposing directions, Sasuke stopped and pulled out a folded map from his back pocket and placed it on the ground at their feet. "We are going to head north, towards the Valley of the End. Then, we are going to avoid the Sound Village altogether. This path is a bit steep, and the weather is unpredictable, but we will avoid being seen until we are in the Land of Hot Water. This route should take a couple of days," he said while pointing towards an area in the map that she had never been before.

Sakura understood why they were going to go through this path without Sasuke having to explain himself. The direct route between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire was usually busy and well traveled. The Land of Hot Water was also a tourist destination, and both Sasuke and Sakura were well known by the villagers from the Land of Fire. The last thing they'd want was for rumors to start.

"Understood."

A heavily wooded area awaited in front of them as they began walking off the path that connected the Land of Fire and Hot Water. Walking a straight path was next to impossible since the heavy foliage was green and luscious, and they would hardly budge without cutting through it. They were going to have to take to the treetops to save time, and avoid any possible setbacks by taking the ground route. Stopping to stare at the treetops before taking a leap, Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a glance and a nod to each other. With only the moonlight to light their way the path ahead of them was exceptionally clear.

Sasuke led the way at a moderate speed. He had been traveling by himself for years, and he had attained an excellent sense of direction. Sakura couldn't help but steal a few glances when she could of him. It was unbelievable how much he had grown in the past couple of years that he was gone. He was not only taller but had also gotten more muscular. The thought of Sasuke standing in front of her with only a towel draped around his waist almost made Sakura miss a step.

Slowing down in speed, Sasuke glanced backward, "Sakura, let's take a break and set up camp right ahead."

In the first clearing that Sasuke saw, he jumped down from the tree branch with a soft and soundless landing, as Sakura did the same right behind him. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of the forest around them. The moonlight was so strong that Sakura could see her own shadow.

They had been traveling for hours without any rest. Sasuke sliced several branches with his sword for firewood and brought it towards a small natural pit on the forest floor. The pit would allow the fire not to spread while also stopping it from being extinguished from the wind. Meanwhile, Sakura gathered an armful of dry leaves and dropped them in the center of the pit, immediately moving backward before Sasuke used his fire jutsu.

Kneeling down in front of the pit, Sasuke gestured with his right hand the hand sign of the Ram.

Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu

In a small controlled breath, mixed with his own chakra, Sasuke unleashed his jutsu upon the pile that he and Sakura had gathered. The right amount of fire needed to be applied on the pile so that it could be self-sustaining.

Meanwhile, Sakura observed the fire light up from a distance and drown out the shadows created by the moon. Taking off her travel cape and side bag, she set them aside on a tree branch along with her tight waist belt. The kunai holster would remain strapped on her thigh in case she did need to defend herself.

Sitting in front of the fire, Sasuke leaned his back against a rock to rest properly. He remained quiet while he stared at the flames crackling. Pulling out a food pill prepared by Sakura from his back pouch, he inspected it before taking a bite of it. "I can be the first watch, get some rest. We can rotate every two hours" Sasuke flatly proposed.

Finishing her food pill, Sakura felt exhausted and gladly accepted Sasuke's willingness to keep first watch. Setting her cape down on the forest ground, Sakura placed her back pouch to serve as a pillow, and half covered her body to keep herself from getting too cold.

Sakura woke up two hours later to start her watch. Wishing Sasuke a good night, she sat up on her travel cape and tuned out the sound of the fire, and concentrated on anything outside their immediate camp. Sasuke merely closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep, without even bothering to remove his travel cape or other belongings.

Two hours later, Sasuke woke up feeling rested. It was almost morning, and the sun started to come up on the horizon. Sakura and Sasuke extinguished the fire and gathered their belongings to continue on their journey once again.

Picking up the pace, they quickly reached what was once the Valley of the End. The Valley was not too far off from the border with the Sound Village and the Land of Hot Water. The place was still unrecognizable with all the destruction left behind. It used to be a beautiful place, but the Land of Fire had not bothered to restore it to its former glory. Sakura knew well that Sasuke and Naruto had fought there to settle their dispute. However, she had not been able to see the whole area as a whole, since she had been too focused on healing them once the fight was over.

The weather turned for the worse once they passed the Valley of the End and neared the border with the Land of Hot Water. The air was colder, and the clouds were rolling in. Sasuke wanted to avoid the Sound Village altogether, even if they desperately needed shelter. He still hated that place and those involved with it, because it was part of a past that he wanted to forget - the past where prisoners were held, tortured and experimented on.

After half a day of a steep trek upwards, Sasuke and Sakura entered the Land of Hot Water. The wind began blowing in large gusts, and for a moment Sakura felt as if she was going to be lifted off the ground. Most of their journey now had to be done on the ground since the tree tops posed too much of a risk for both of them.

"We should make a stop Sasuke," Sakura exclaimed as the wind became more and more relentless, "We can't continue like this, the rain will come down any second."

"I know of a place we can stop by," Sasuke replied while using his arm to protect his face from the strong gusts of wind. "Bamboo Village is just ahead." The rain had started in small tiny drops and it seemed as if it was going to rain heavily for the rest of the day. Bamboo Village was not far off from the border, and it would provide decent shelter for both of them. Sasuke had been there not too long ago, and he knew that they should have been able to rebuild the damage caused by the human bombs.

"Is this Bamboo Village, Sasuke?" Sakura stopped in her tracks looking at him concerned.

"Wh-what is going on?" Sasuke muttered. The whole village was completely destroyed and empty. The only sound that came from the village was of the dry dead leaves flowing with the gusts of wind. In the center of the village, there was a large structure that seemed to have been burned down. There were scorch marks everywhere - on the ground, on the nearby trees and on the nearby houses. The other houses that had survived were in horrible shape. Many of them had their straw and wood roofs caved in from lack of maintenance. The bamboo grove around the village was still intact, meaning that there was no one living there any longer.

In thicker droplets, the rain decided to come down hard. Running for cover, Sakura and Sasuke decided to pick the house that was the least battered by the elements. The door was almost off its hinges, but the house itself provided some cover from the weather. Trying to catch their breaths, both ninjas decided that this stop was more than necessary. They would be unable to reach their destination being soaking wet and possibly sick.

Sasuke felt a wave of sadness and grief wash over him as he looked around the house. He felt personally responsible for the destruction and death of the village. He had been unable to protect some of the villagers from blowing up. If only he had acted faster, maybe this village wouldn't have reached this level of destruction. Even bandits would have probably steered away from this village since it obviously had no valuables or useful items to steal.

As Sasuke walked around inside the house, his shoes made contact with several shards of broken glass, destroyed picture frames and paper strewn on the floor. The debris was probably caused by the air displacement from the bombs. The inhabitants never stood a chance of rebuilding.

After she caught her breath, Sakura took a good look around the house as she walked in behind Sasuke. They were definitely going to have and wait for the weather to subside. Grabbing an old bamboo broom left in a corner, Sakura gave the small room a quick sweep while the wind still violently shot cold air inside from the broken door. The dirt, glass shards and bamboo pieces were neatly swept into a corner while Sakura also looked for items inside the house that could help them be more comfortable while they waited. In a small closet in the living room, four thin straw mattresses laid neatly folded as if someone had just placed them there not too long ago. Pulling two out of the small closet, Sakura placed them side by side in the farthest corner from the door. In the kitchen, Sasuke noticed that all of the food had been wiped out. Whoever had run away from the village had obviously brought all of their food with them. A large puddle of water was forming inside the kitchen, as Sasuke doubled back into the main room.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" Sakura looked concerned, as she placed her belongings on the edge of the straw mattress. She had noticed his off mood the moment they had walked into the village.

"I have been here before," he began, and Sakura settled on the mattress so she could listen to him intently. "The one responsible for the human bombs attacked this place, and killed most of the villagers."

Sitting on the thin straw mattress that Sakura had placed side by side, Sasuke stared blankly at the wall in front of him with his legs half stretched out, while he rested his right arm on his right knee.

"If I had done something sooner…"

Everything made sense for Sakura. The burnt houses, the broken glass, and the scorch mark left behind. People lived here not too long ago and made a living out of the bamboo grove around the village. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Sakura reached out to him comfortingly. She had seen the human bombs herself, and she had seen several villagers blow up in front of her. Not only the sound but also the horrible smell that came along with it lingered in her memory.

Moving to sit beside him, she placed her head on his right shoulder and closed her eyes; she could tell that Sasuke's breath hitched when she intently listened to his breathing pattern. "None of this is your fault," Sakura hesitated. "You did what you had to do, and the actions you decided upon where the best ones considering your circumstances. There is no point in dreading about what you should have done or not done."

Looking up, Sakura could tell how much Sasuke had changed in the few years he had been traveling. He was more compassionate and empathetic towards the people around him. The Sasuke that was once lost in darkness and had once tried to kill her, was long gone. It was subtle, but Sakura knew he accepted her feelings, and also corresponded in his own way. The forehead poke obviously meant something very important to him, since she had never seen him do it in the past.

In a subtle eye movement, he looked down at her from the corner of his eye. In a comforting way, her presence and words brought him a sense of well-being and calmness. Sakura was right - he should not be dreading on what he should or should not have done.

Wordlessly, Sakura got up and moved back to her bed. She felt so cold, that maybe if she curled up in a ball she would feel warmer. A chill ran up her spine and made her feel uncomfortable, since the thin straw mattress did not help her feel any warmer.

Getting up from his spot, Sasuke grabbed an old tin can with soot marks all over it left in a corner that was probably used for heating the small room. With a few leaves, bamboo pieces, and paper that Sakura had swept into the corner, Sasuke refilled the small heater and placed it in the center of the small room. With his fire jutsu, the contents inside the can immediately ignited and it didn't take long for the heat to warm the room. It would help to keep them both warm while the storm raged on outside.

"Sasuke?"

"Yes?"

"Should we take turns keeping watch tonight?"

After a lingering moment he replied, "No, I think we are going to be just fine."