Chapter Eight: Twilight Sunrises
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!
Sakura slipped over the edge of the bed, rising with the bell to attendance that rang at four in the morning every day. Or at least every day she had been there: three, so far.
And without fail, they would all file out of their rooms, somehow aware despite the few hours of sleep they had scrounged, march to the stadium (now a makeshift war counsel room), fall into perfect lines, have the head counted totaled, be divided into groups, platoons, divisions, or cells and have their orders given to them. Every so often, a particularly strong group would be pulled aside and given their orders in private: A sure sign something was going on beneath the surface of the operation; and that was saying a lot for an operation as massive and detailed as this.
And more often than not, Rin was called aside.
Sakura, already in a precarious state, had to assume they had discovered who she was or were close to it. That meant she might not have much time. And, honestly, the only reason she hadn't attempted to slip away in the middle of the night was because she thought she might have a chance at gathering some intelligence. Intelligence, she hoped, would lead her to her children and maybe even the remainder of Konoha. But if they were catching on to her...
No.
There was simply no way: With her hair dyed, her keirakukei network rearranged, and name falsified, there was simply now way, not after all of Tsunade's training, that she had been detected so soon.
So, what was going on?
Sasuke sat up, looking out into the starry and devoid night that hung oppressively over the small, sheltered, and very confined base.
He knew they wouldn't be able to stay there much longer: Supplies were running low, food was being rationed in ridiculously small portions, and they had to boil water to cleanse it because the reservoir tanks were empty.
But there was nowhere to go...
Vaguely, he wondered if she was looking at the same sky somewhere. But that was sentimental, emotional thought that only served to hinder him and he quickly pushed it back down in his mind.
Absently, he searched through his bag, hoping to retrieve a canteen.
But his hand came down on a scroll...
Faintly surprised, he withdrew his hand, unfurling the fingers to better glimpse the case: It was fairly elaborate, made of ivory of some sort, and obviously very hastily put together...
Just like the one she had found in Konoha's ruins...
Silently, he cursed himself as he flipped the pack over and realized it wasn't his at all: He must have grabbed her's when they had branched away from each other.
But...she had said something about that same scroll...
Against his better judgment, he flipped it open, letting his eyes fall on the seal painted in crimson---obviously drying blood, at this point---hastily scribbled on the cracking parchment. Chakra leeched into his eyes as the genjutsu began to engulf him, blurring his surroundings and drowning the familiar noises out with an irritating buzz that, thankfully, quickly dulled to nothing.
"Again?"
He turned towards the irritated sigh, his eyes narrowed.
"An imitation of Tsunade." He stated easily.
"I was just over this with Sakura." She snorted, massaging her temple familiarly.
He silently fumed, demanding an answer.
The Tsunade-illusion looked up at him, smiled wanly, and began, "You see, Tsunade suspected an attack for a while. Just not quite so soon. So right before she was hauled off by Itachi, she created me. Basically just a messenger containing coordinates to a base called the Sanctum."
"I didn't know Tsunade was a genjutsu user."
The chimera snorted decisively, "Most medic nin are: Great chakra control, intuitive knowledge of the human body and how to distort senses, the ability to..."
"I get it." Sasuke stated, "Now, those coordinates."
"Don't get uppity with me, Uchiha." She replied, narrowing her hazel eyes.
He glared back, silently reminding her what was at stake.
"Fine," She grunted, "42-65-98-14-65-32."
"Thank you." He replied, smirking satisfactorily.
"You're lucky this is an illusion, Uchiha, or I'd kick your ass for your attitude."
"I'll inform the Hokage." He replied, snapping himself back to reality with a burst of chakra to his eyes.
Reality rushed back to him, the fake field melting to reveal the nocturnal forest in all its eerie, quiet glory.
He smirked: He should have known better than to assume Tsunade didn't have a plan for every contingency.
Neji nodded in approval, Hinata agreeing to his deduction quite enthusiastically.
"There's no doubt; this is Hokage-sama's chakra." He stated.
"When do we move?" Shino asked with his usual straightforwardness.
"Tonight." Neji replied.
Sasuke, in his usual position in the background, smirked and moved to begin packing.
Sakura swung herself up onto a nearby branch, hooking her legs over the next one over and hauling herself back onto her feet.
Beside her, Rin snapped into another tree, her chakra-powered feet cracking the bark on the trees behind her.
There orders had been simple: Scout the immediate perimeter for signs of enemy activity and, if any was found, find and eliminate the threat.
Simple.
Until it was taken into account that Sakura might have to 'eliminate' her friends and family if she was unfortunate enough to come about them. And if that happened, she had no choice: She would turn on her supposed comrade, snap her neck, and incinerate the body...perhaps in that order, perhaps not...
Faintly alarmed by her sudden, disturbed thoughts, she continued to look straight ahead, wary of snapping branches that seemed to have an odd attraction to her face. But at the very least, it was a healthy distraction.
Kakashi sat in the corner, his visible eye lazily raking the room with a calm that had his cell mates just about ready to strangle him: Konoha was in ruins, her forces captured, and her last Kage likely dead and he was reading his erotic little orange novel.
And yet none of them could honestly say they were surprised: It was Kakashi...
Kurenai sighed irritably to herself, staring him down with her crimson eyes as if silently ordering him back up on his feet and into a fighting position. But Kakashi was never one to follow the regulation chain of command, let alone the word of someone who, although the same rank, had little experience with such situations.
But he had been in situations like this many times over: As an ANBU, he was regularly captured, tortured, escaped, and returned home. It was simply the nature of such scenarios for him.
But this one bore several key differences: The first being that their cells were made of the same material comprising Kisame's sword. The second was the fact he didn't have even the faintest idea where they were: Itachi had been very careful to have everyone either blinded or sedated before they were transported to their cells. Thirdly was the verity that he wasn't working with jonin and ANBU but with genin and chunin as well as civilians.
Then again, Kakashi was always looking, listening, and waiting.
Amaya forced herself on her broken arms, a scream tearing through her throat despite her best efforts to suppress it.
Rolling on to her back, panting furiously with excursion, she realized she was alone...
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes: She was alone and hurt and she had no idea where her siblings were...
Her mom sat up with her, rubbing her back in small, tender circles until the retching finally stopped. She hovered, exhausted, over the porcelain bowl, her throat dry and raw and tears rolling down her eyes---the result of violent heaving.
"Here, drink this. It'll make you feel better."
Her mother pressed the warm cup into her hands and she raised it hesitantly to her lips: It was a vague green color and looked a bit...lumpy...But she was pleased to find that it didn't taste nearly as poor as it looked. A bit like mint, she thought vaguely.
She finished it slowly, downing it in small sips. And for more than an hour her mother sat up with her on the hard tile and rubbed her back and plaited her hair and coaxed more tea into her until she finally fell asleep against her lap.
She woke up in her bed the next morning.
'Kami...I miss her...and Dad...' She thought, tears rolling freely down her bloodied face.
Yasushi coughed fitfully on the ground, a bitter metallic taste washing sickeningly over the back of his throat. A fine spray of crimson dotted the ground beneath him, more scattering with each painful breath as he tried vainly to gulp air down into his damaged lungs.
Sasuke hovered over him from a far, silently appraising his aim.
But, as always, he found something for the young man to improve upon. In this case, his father gently informed him that the follow through swivel of his wrist was weak and actually rather unnatural given the nature of the joint. He needed to simply go with the innate roll of his wrist and his throw would not only be more powerful, but would allow him more time to return to station and thus give him greater opportunity to draw more weaponry.
Then his father ruffled his hair, told him he'd done a good job, and suggested they return home for the day.
He had never felt as alone as he did lying on that floor...
Sasuke laid out the coordinates, carefully typing them into the rather primitive computer that ran the machinery of the long-abandoned base. But thankfully the computer at least had an up-to-date mapping system that easily found the coordinates he punched in and triangulated the shortest route between the two distances.
Unfortunately, it didn't take into account the formation of Oto some years earlier. And the path it predicted led them through the heart of Sound country.
There was no way that even a squad of ninja, given their current conditions, could slip by, let alone a group of frightened civilians led by a small platoon.
They'd have to avoid it, adding at least three days to the five day trip, if not more.
And the longer they were exposed, the worse things were.
Sakura, having returned from the patrol, collapsed on her bed for a few moments before rallying herself back to a kunoichi. It was a small luxury, the extravagance of momentary grief. But she wouldn't allow herself that small measure of relief for some time. It was simply the way she was wired: Tsunade had turned her into a kunoichi capable of survival in almost any situation. And that meant pushing her emotions down when it was necessary.
"You have no idea how lucky you are." Tsunami stated, her kind voice hiding her real reproach.
"Let the boy be, Tsunami. He's obviously been through a lot." Tazuna stated, chewing thoughtfully on the end of his pipe.
"Ah," Naruto protested good-naturedly, "I'll be up and around in no time!"
Tazuna nodded in silent approval, a smile playing on his elderly lips.
But the peaceful calm of the light-hearted moment was shattered when the door to the cabin slammed open, splintering the plaster behind it as Inari scrambled inside, shoving the door closed with his ineffectual shoulder before seeking refuge behind his grandfather.
"It's them." He whispered fearfully.
"Who!?" Naruto demanded, forcing himself into a sitting position.
"Shut up!" Tsunami hissed as she grabbed him and shoved him into a small alcove in the wall before unceremoniously tossing Inari in with him. Sliding the make-shift wall over the recess without a word, she pushed a bookshelf over the opening, a pitiful attempt at hiding it, before sitting down with her grandfather and nonchalantly sipping at her tea.
About a minute later, the door was forced open again as several Oto nin stepped in, each bearing an official seal from their lord and demanding they be provided their weekly taxes: a few pounds of food, several blankets, and as much money as could be found.
Withholding anything was punishable by death on the spot.
"Over in the corner." She hissed, resisting the urge to chuck the kettle of hot tea at them.
"Insolent bitch." One of them scowled.
"Leave her. She'll serve us yet." The other smirked, letting his eyes fall across her body before gathering their dues and leaving.
It was a full five minutes before Tsunami allowed herself a full breath and another thirty before she pushed aside the bookcase and freed her son and Naruto.
"Sorry about that." She smiled sheepishly as she helped the Uzumaki lay back down on the pallet.
"Sound nin? Here?" He asked.
"Our government was overthrown not long after Fire's." Tazuna replied. "We've been living in fear ever since. Just like when Gato was in power."
"Not for long." Naruto replied, his blue eyes hardening.
"I can't afford to have them die. Send for medics." Orochimaru ordered from behind his façade of Itachi.
Kisame smiled toothily, nodding before exiting down the hall.
Orochimaru sighed to himself: This was getting troublesome. He had been fighting them to the breaking point for days and they showed no sign of developing the Sharingan. And yet it was impossible that not one of them didn't have it. If Itachi was alive, he would be horrified.
Realizing it was almost inspection time, he quickly made himself presentable.
The observation tower door slammed behind him a moment later.
Sakura dutifully took her place beside Rin as the final whistle to inspection was called.
Admittedly, she was horrified that he had this many ninja; let alone this many shinobi and kunoichi conditioned to do his every bidding without free thought of any kind.
One of the self-protective limitations of shinobi came from their abilities: It was dangerous to a nation to have an army capable of such destruction without having to first consider that if one day the army rebelled, and there were many cases of such scenarios, they would be destroyed first. This meant by their nature, a shinobi force could only grow so large before someone attempted, and occasionally succeeded, in usurping it.
But this force exceeded that number by at least three fold, if not more.
At this point, she had to assume that they were either loyal to a fault to their nations, or being manipulated.
And that actually wouldn't be quite as hard as it sounded: The right genjutsu, even at a very low level, could easily do the trick. Or a simple dosage of certain medications in their daily rations. Even the right ninja within the ranks could easily manipulate the entire group through careful psychological procedures.
Deep in thought, she hadn't even realized the inspection had begun until Itachi was standing directly in front of her.
She startled to, bowing deeply to him and waiting until he gave the order to rise.
As he did, he began to scrutinize her: He checked her eyes, ordered her to demonstrate a high kick, and tested her muscle tone with his fingers before nodding, apparently satisfied.
He was turning away when a scuffle within the group caught everyone's attention. Several bodies flew into the air, stunned ninja backing from their carefully orchestrated lines as a shinobi hacked his way towards Itachi.
"DIE, YOU BASTARD!" He screamed, leaping up at the Akatsuki member and bringing his blade down.
Sakura inhaled sharply in surprise.
In an instant, she knew what she had to do: If she was truly loyal to this organization, she would defend its leaders to the death. Admittedly, she never believed that Orochimaru and Itachi would join forces, but it didn't matter anymore. They had and she knew what she had to do.
She stepped to the side, drawing herself up to a better position as she watched him. He cart wheeled left, rebounding off the nearby southern wall as he hacked through the last few lines of resistance. Spinning left, he split one more in half before leaping at the wall, chakra gathering in his feet to give him added momentum.
With a cry, he leapt at Itachi's back.
Mildly surprised the Uchiha hadn't tracked the attack, Sakura shoved him aside roughly as she pushed off in the opposite direction. But the Uchiha caught his balance and turned to face his attacker. But Sakura was already on top of him, slashing at him with a kunai.
He ducked left, her kunai meeting air as he attempted to sink his short sword into her side. But she was faster, spinning left and avoiding it entirely as she landed a kick to his back.
Unfortunately, she couldn't use her full strength; she'd be identified instantly if she did.
So she reverted to the Principle of Opposing Chakra: This basic Academy student teaching stated that when two ninja struck with taijutsu, the blows were naturally devastating because their opposing chakras clashed. That, combined with their increased muscle mass and speed, made for devastating attacks. And that meant she could use a certain fraction of her true strength.
But as the blow landed, she realized her hastily reconfigured chakra system was weak, and the blow was little more than enough to make him stumble. In retaliation he swung back at her, his sword coming dangerously close to her stomach. Instinctively, she flipped back, gathering her balance as she landed and charging him.
Startled by her brazen recklessness, he brought up the sword on impulse rather than skill. Clumsily, Sakura ducked under it, her leg extending behind her to balance the attack as her fist pushed through the weak cross guard of his arms and under his chin, sending him sprawling.
Pulling back just enough to pull the sword from his hands, she spun, letting it fall at her feet as she landed a devastating round house to him.
She put enough in it to snap his neck: It was the fastest alternative she could offer him; for his betrayal, he would face torture, experimentation, and interrogation before finally being executed.
She prayed he'd forgive her.
As his limp body fell to the ground, she landed back in a crouch.
She exhaled evenly.
But there was more still for her to do: Slipping back into the crimson-spattered mess that was now the remains of almost a quarter of a row (roughly thirty shinobi), and knelt down beside the most critically injured that still had a prayer of survival. Her hands worked automatically, chakra gathering in a fulsome orb as her mind worked through the processes necessary to saving her.
She didn't know how long she spent on the kunoichi before switching intuitively to the next, then rising from them and returning to those still alive and so on until her chakra was drained and her half-conscious body pulled from the floor by Itachi himself.
Panic rose sickly in her throat: She had responded impulsively...no, instinctually---the way any medic would have. It was simply the way they were trained...it was drilled into them until it was simply first nature...breathing became second nature to healing...
She had just given herself away...
"Impressive." He stated simply, motioning for his personal medic to carry her to the infirmary.
"See nothing disturbs her until she is completely recovered." He ordered.
Relief overtook her so suddenly, she didn't remember closing her eyes and falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Sasuke ushered the people through the base in a single file line as Neji led them from the front and Hinata guarded them from the rear.
It would be nearly a fortnight before they would be even remotely safe again.
A full day passed before Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she rolled onto her back in an attempt to bring herself into the realm of wakefulness. She failed miserably, sighing gently as she fell back on her side and her eyelids slid down and her breathing leveled again.
Several hours later she finally succeeded in rousing herself, pulling herself up and stretching to bring blood back to her limbs. She felt refreshed for the first time in a week.
She knew that she hadn't betrayed her true identity and, more importantly, she had gotten in Itachi's good graces.
"Good to see you among the living."
Her head snapped automatically towards the voice.
It was Itachi; standing not more than five feet from her with his hands tucked into the billowy sleeves of his crimson-cloud-and-black-background robes.
She blushed, her arm crossing her chest as she realized someone had bothered to change her into a rather sheer chemise that barely skimmed the top of her thighs. And, admittedly, though the blanket spread across her lower body covered her to the top of her stomach, she felt suddenly exposed.
"M'Lord." She replied politely, averting her gaze for her sake as much as for her feigned respect.
"You have caught my interest, kunoichi." He stated simply.
"Thank you." She mumbled.
"I wish to utilize your services to a greater extent."
"I'm a tool to be used as you will." She stated, remembering and grasping at the emotion she felt for Tsunade when she had said the same words.
"Good."
Naruto slung a pack over his shoulders, now laden with food and what few weapons Tsunami had managed to scrounge together. Flashing them the peace sign, he turned on his heels into the dark and livid night---a good sign: the creatures of the forest wouldn't be so active if humans were lurking nearby.
He'd have to hurry; the next patrol was in only fifteen minutes. But that was enough time to slip by unnoticed without risking evidence to be found.
His first step was interrupted by a muffled cry as Inari sprinted at him, latching onto his leg.
"Come back." He begged, eyes filling with tears.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Naruto winked.
"And...you'll save us...right?"
Inari, of all people, understood the need to defend yourself and those you loved. But this threat was too big for a small civilian village...to great even for the powerful militaristic nations...
"You better believe it."
Inari smiled, pulling himself from the adolescent's leg as the tears finally spilled over his lids and ran in opaque trails down his face. He smiled despite the tears, holding up his fingers in the same sign as Naruto turned away and faded instantly into a blur that disappeared into the thin trees.
The night fell heavily over the Oto complex and an eerie calm took the place of the usual bustling river of shinobi in their war preparations.
She didn't let it visibly faze her, though. Part of her job was to be the world's best actress and fit the role of her given assignment. In this case, a random ANBU medic who just so happened to be found near Konoha and claimed to be part of the Oto invasion force.
'No fear...' She told herself resolutely as he came to a stop before a key panel, punched in a few strokes, and watched the door slide aside.
The hall was initially dark, flares lighting as they entered---likely motion sensors, she reasoned as she trailed in after him.
She took a moment to take in the scene: The hall was wide, made of concrete but with huge, black, glass-like panels every fifty feet. These were overlaid with steel-like bars and a massive lock held by cement cylinders and chain feeds bolted to the wall with massive metal pins. The mirror-glass-barrier things were glossy and dark but she couldn't see through them.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Itachi's sudden statement, "Here you are. You are to begin work here on them immediately."
The lights came on within the glass panel closest to her as the steel bars pulled away to reveal a young woman laying in a spray of gore...her pink hair trailing messily behind her...
TBC