Author's Note: I've finally posted another chapter. I'm sorry it took so long. But I've been busy with school work and other things. I made this chapter really long in an attempt of apology. I Hope you like it!!!!!
Thank you so very much: Shadow-binder, ROMYCLIFAN, My-chemical-ROMANCE-rOck, Usagi no Hana, 9tailedemonfoxonbu, Jackie-chan1230, uchiha-miyo, blossomheartxoxo, Shadow Quil, Miss Chocolat, NightGal, SB01, ArticEmbers, and NaruXSaku4eva.
Your reviews mean a lot to me and I appreciate you guys taking the time to submit one! I hope you like this chapter and continue to read my story. Again Doomo Arigatou Gozaimasu!
Sakura dodged the swords but not fast enough as she was pierced through in her other thigh and in her left side. Getting fed up with being a human pin cushion Sakura ignored the pain and the swords imbedded in her flesh and pulled out more kunai from her cloak, making sure to attach chakra strings to them she threw them in various directions.
"Spider web no jutsu!" Sakura yelled as she formed a few fast hand signs.
"Funny you didn't form hand signs last time you used your little spider web no jutsu to interrupt the flow of the stairs… someone is being inventive." The woman teased in a placating voice.
"Bitch" Sakura growled out as she waited for the sound that her kunai had hit the floor in various spots then she held her palms out and closed her eyes in concentration, and then let a smirk grace her lips as the sound of metal hitting metal filled the air.
Sakura decided if she could create an unlimited amount of dark mattered chakra clone kunai then why not pair it with her chakra string spider web technique to make kunai grow from out of the spider web of chakra strings she formed, and then tug at the strings to fling then through the air, preferably at her teasing opponent. If she was going to be a katana pin cushion then the bitch across from her was going to be a kunai pin cushion.
"You're a smart girl but your tactics are possibly the most ignorant that I've had the misfortune of coming across."
Sakura's eyes flew open as she felt the chakra strings attached to her fingers go slack and the sound of metal clashing stop and what she saw caused her to go tense.
All the Katanas had stopped 1 inch from her body surrounding her on all sides and the cloaked woman was behind them with her hands held together rested in front of her on her thighs.
"Hm. Substitution? Is that what you're thinking if so then think again, I have your very being bound by the pulse coming from the swords surrounding your body." The woman said smoothly, to which Sakura ignored and tried substation just to find out that it didn't work.
"Your really are unworthy of being a Shigakure shinobi, having you set foot in our village is an outrage, fortunately I can and will, purge you from this land, though I'm very sure you are even unworthy of dying here and having your blood taint our soil."
"Shut up!" Sakura screamed becoming even more wrapped in dark matter chakra as the condensed chakra ball above her head rattle even more.
"I agree enough chit chat. Shall we?" The woman said as the Katanas all began to glow blue leaving Sakura to scream out in pain as they all impaled into her body, and to add to the pain the giant sword that Chibasa impaled into the staircase flew up to it's mistress who effortlessly grabbed the gigantic swords hilt.
As blood pooled in Sakura's lungs, and poured from the various holes in her body her screams became coughs due to her choking on her own blood. Just as her body became limp she watched helplessly as the condensed chakra ball fell from her head, and from there it was like everything went in slow motion, and her brain became bombarded with flashbacks or memories that didn't seem to be hers.
She saw a woman who looked to be twenty years old, with long thigh length flowing pink hair, and green eyes. Sakura became confused at how the woman just looked to be an older version of her but with really long hair. The woman sat in a beautiful field of full bloom cherry blossom trees sitting down on dew laden green grass, which was decorated with fallen cherry blossom leaves. The woman's red cloaked seemed to be wrapped around her in a protective manner against the chilly breeze. The woman wore a happy smile on her face as she stared at the beauty around her.
"Muramashi Fudo I know you're here you can come out now." The women chuckled to herself.
Sakura looked around in her ghost like transparent state for the person who the pink haired older version of her was addressing.
"Ah man! You caught me, and here I was thinking that I could spend my day basking in your beauty." Sakura heard a familiar voice say.
"Riyou-sama?" Sakura asked herself as she saw a man with long loose red hair wearing a white cloak materialize in a swirl of wind and water causing the cherry blossoms around him to float in the air. When the cherry blossoms, air and water swirl disappeared Sakura could see the man's face more clearly, he did indeed look like her sensei except his eyes were different they held warmth, kindness, curiosity, and…love?
"Ha ha very funny Fudo-chan." The woman said dryly rolling her eyes, causing the man to pout.
"Chan! I'm not a girl and I'm older than you!" The man protested.
"That may be true but as long as you keep calling me little this and little that and saying how much wiser you are than I then I'm going to keep calling you Fudo-chan. If you would…" The woman trailed off when she noticed the man was no longer standing above her but sitting extremely close to her with his palm pressed softly against her cheek as he stared at her longingly.
The woman's breath seemed to hitch.
"Fudo-chan!?" The woman gasped out blushing and trying to back away, but that proved futile, when the man wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him locking their lips in a kiss.
As the man pulled away the woman was blushing madly and stung into silence.
"Be with me, and promise to never leave me… I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." The man said almost in desperation.
The woman snapped out of her speechless state, and pulled out of the man's embrace and stood up as her long pink hair fell in her face hiding her emotions. But Sakura who watched like a ghost could tell by the tensing and shaking of the woman's body all too well what she was feeling, because she herself felt it before.
"You kiss stealing bastard!!!!" The woman yelled pouncing on the wide eyed man, attempting to beat him within an inch of his life.
Sakura sweat dropped at the scene, but then her face took on a confused expression as she wondered where she was, why was she there? The last thing she could remember was being in a fight but what happened during it she didn't know. It was as if part of her mind was covered in a dense fog. Did she win and fall asleep due to exertion? No. The forbidden jutsu she performed would allow her to go without sleep while she was in Shigakure… so did she die and was this some form of the afterlife? No. She couldn't have died because she still felt incomplete, and she vowed that before she met her due any day now demise (since shinobi lives were so uncertain) that feeling would be gone. So where was she? Stuck in a genjutsu?
Sakura focused back on the scene before her just to realize that it had changed. She was in the same spot but so much had changed. The cherry blossom trees along with the grass were on fire, and hundreds of screams of horror filled the air. Sakura spun around but all she could see were endless flames beneath a pitch black night sky that not even the stars themselves would grace an appearance. Through all of the blood curdling screams one stood out from above the rest. This scream wasn't out of fear like the rest but of confidence and insane rage.
"Fear me! I am the devil, the very Demon Pied Piper that you were bred to fear! Yes that's it run! Scream! Scream ! Hahahaha!" The voice screamed and laughed a mad psychotic laugh that could make Orochimaru piss his pants.
"Bleed! Make me believe that your creators gave you a purpose! Bleed so that your blood will water the earth and bathe the wicked! Give your worthless souls to me!"
Sakura couldn't tell the gender of the voice because it sounded too inhuman to reference it to anything she's ever heard…but she could swear that underneath the rage and psychotic-ness their was underlying pain.
And then just as easily as the scene had come, it faded away encased in darkness to reveal another scene.
It seemed to be a giant gray stone made room, with Tatami mats covering the floors and long red silk like material falling from four parts of the sand colored ceiling to lie flowing against the four walls. The room seemed to be lit by unseen lanterns to create a soft warm glow.
But then Sakura's eyes landed on the front of the room where a figure sat on a throne like pillow, their features hidden in shadow.
"I want to go!" Sakura heard a familiar voice cry out in frustration, but just before she could turn in the direction she heard the hidden figure began to speak.
" Insolence." The figure hidden in shadow growled out in a deep monstrous voice that also seemed to be familiar. "Will not be tolerated, and will not go unpunished!"
"I know those voices, but from where?" Sakura asked herself.
Sakura watched as the figure hidden in shadow, stood up covered in a red cloak hiding their form.
The figure pulled out a kunai, and walked up to Sakura who got in a fighting stance just to have the figure walk right through her like she wasn't even there, Sakura spun around to see the figure standing over…over herself. The figure was standing over a twelve year old version of Sakura, she looked exactly how Sakura looked as a genin, but she had a crazed look in her eyes like she was experiencing a panic attack as her eyes looked around the room wildly for a way out.
"You can't come out, ever…they all laughed at you they all took you for a joke, you were always getting saved, and you were a ninja for crying out loud! But you never were respected as one. Obedient, weak, a crybaby…"
Sakura clenched her fist in anger as she watched the twelve year old version of herself began to cry and cover her eyes with her hands.
"Stop it!" Sakura screamed running up to the cloaked figure and punching her, just to have her fist go right through her.
"And you!" The cloaked figure looked up directly at the real Sakura.
"Tsunade… why is it that you think she said yes to take you under her wing?"
"You can see me?" Sakura asked uncertain, frowning.
"Of coarse, now answer me why do you believe Tsunade took you as an apprentice? Why didn't she take anyone else why out of all the leaf shinobi did she pick you?"
"Who are you?" Sakura asked in a fighting stance.
The figure ignored her question and continued to speak.
"At the genin exams do you remember when Ino-pig used her mind transfer no jutsu? How everyone was shocked that you managed to free yourself from it? How Ino-pig screamed bloody murder at the beast inside your head… at inner Sakura?"
"How do you know about that?" Sakura asked staring at the figure in shock and partial suspicion.
"What ever happened to the lovely and charming 'inner'? Did you notice that she disappeared once you became stronger? When you wear a genin she'd give you strength, and cheer you on. She was confident, powerful, rude, and short tempered, and annoyed easily, but more importantly she was feared. Tell me does that sound familiar?" The figure asked walking up closer to Sakura.
"What the hell are you getting at? And who are you?" Sakura asked becoming irritated and a bit freaked out about all the things this figure knew.
"Which one was the real Sakura? Inner Sakura? Or that?" the figure said pointing her kunai at the weeping genin Sakura on the ground.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Sakura asked sending chakra to her fist.
"I'm here to help an old friend find herself, to find the black door."
At the mention of a black door Sakura thought of the black door she was suppose to find.
"Is this apart of Riyou-sama's test? What happen to the person who I was fighting?" Sakura asked loosening her fighting stance.
"You lost." The figure said in an angry tone.
"What!" Sakura yelled.
"You're dying right as we speak, and you dropped the dark matter chakra ball, so you won't just die by yourself but you'll take out a good amount of the village with you, and some unfortunate villagers."
"You're lying! It can't be!, I have to get back!" Sakura yelled clenching her fist so hard that her nails stabbed into the skin of her palms and drew blood, as she dropped to her knees in disbelief.
"You're dying, and the feeling…that annoying incomplete feeling is still there. Isn't it?, you've had it for so long, when you were a child you thought it was loneliness or sadness because of how you were teased about your forehead, then as a genin you thought it was because you didn't have the one person…the one person who you loved and admired so much, and you thought if you could have Sasuke-kun that you'd feel complete, and when Sasuke-kun and Naruto fought that day on the roof, when they pushed you aside, you felt yourself breaking…And then the final blow came when Sasuke-kun carelessly left you on that bench alone at night, after knocking you out leaving you vulnerable to who ever would wonder by…and when Naruto couldn't bring him back."
The figure walked closer to Sakura who was staring at it wide eyed.
"When Riyou-sama showed up he offered you a path to help make you complete again. You trained, and trained and trained with two senseis, and yes you became stronger, but the feeling it never went away. And now you want to show the shinobi world just how great you truly are…you want someone to hurt like you do. Kakashi, Sasuke-kun, Naruto you want them to know how it feels…you want everyone to know how it feels…to be a shadow to everyone else's shadow… in a world full of shadows. But now it's too late."
"No! Shut up!" Sakura said as her eyes began to water and she stood up with defiance in her eyes.
"You've failed Sakura, you not only failed Riyou-sama and Shigakure but you have failed yourself." The figure said becoming just as angry as Sakura.
"No!" Sakura shouted and ran to a wall with a chakra enhanced fist and punched it, just to realize it wouldn't break, she ran around the run frantically trying to punch her way out but nothing worked.
"You should give up. Except death, it's easier that way, in death you'll have no more worries, no need to strive to be better than you are now, no more harsh words from those who don't know the pain you hold inside. Death is freedom…embrace it."
"This has to be a genjustu! I…can't be dead! Not yet!" Sakura formed hand signs "Kai!" she shouted expecting everything to be some type of illusion, expecting to be right back fighting the sword mistress…but it didn't work, she was still there. She dropped to her knees again and held her head down shielding her eyes as her shoulders shook, and she wrapped her arms around herself as if she was feeling some unbearable cold breeze against her flesh.
The figure cloaked in red walked over to her and put a pale feminine hand on her shoulders.
"You're not much different from when you were a genin, you still cry when you feel helpless, you're still weak. It's good, that you're finally embracing how the world views you, you've accepted just how weak you truly are, you've accepted a death chosen for you."
"NO I HAVE NOT!" The figure stumbled back, after having her hand shoved away, and watched as Sakura's body became encased in a large amount of green chakra, that became fully black, and began to develop red spots in it.
"I've died once already and that only made me stronger! I'm not weak anymore! I'm not her!" Sakura yelled standing up, her eyes glowing red, as she pointed at her weeping genin self. "Nothing! Not you, not that sword wielding bitch, not even death itself will stand in my way!" Sakura yelled her face reflecting all her anger, as her body pulsed with chakra.
The genin version of Sakura looked up from behind her hands with shock written all over her face.
"Humph. I think it's time." The cloaked figure said no longer talking in a angry tone but a excited one, as the genin version of Sakura walked up to the cloak figure and looked up at her curiously then back at Sakura, then grabbed the hand of the cloak figure and held it like a child would it's mother hand.
The child pulled the cloaked figure over to an enraged Sakura and grabbed Sakura's hand.
Sakura stared at her genin self in confusion. The genin version of Sakura looked up at her with curiosity and then straight ahead. Forgetting her rage in her confusion Sakura followed the genin version of her self's gaze to see that the room had changed. They were now in a dark room that was illuminated by a green glow coming from up ahead where a large wooden gate stood reinforced with steel, taller than Kohonagakure village's gate. The gate had a large metal lock on it with a seal placed on top of it. It looked like a large prison cell.
Sakura let herself be pulled to the gate by her genin self that held her hand and the hand of the cloaked figure.
Once Sakura got closer to the gate she could see a…Black door! She wasn't sure how she was able to see it. It was against a pitch black background, and surrounded by darkness, yet she could. It was as if her eyes weren't picking it up but some other sense that she wasn't aware she had. It felt like a pulling sensation inside of her very being, like it was apart of her…something you didn't need visible proof to know it existed because you could just feel it…like wind.
"What is this place?" Sakura asked out loud, and then looked down to see that the genin version of her had released her hand and the cloaked figures hand and began changing right before Sakura's eyes. Now the genin version of her was her age…she had aged before her eyes to become fifteen years old, she touched Sakura's cheek and vanished with a sad smile on her face.
"It's the black door you've been searching for."
Sakura looked to her right to see the cloak figure facing her.
"It's always been here, part of you just wasn't ready to find it. Do you really want to go back?" The figure asked calmly.
Sakura gave the figure a determined look, to which the figured turned away from her and touched the gate, instantly being transported on the other side to be the one locked behind the bars. Sakura watched as the cloak figure opened the black door and closed it behind it.
"Hey!" Sakura yelled, but jumped back as she noticed the seal on the gate burst into flames disintegrating instantly making the giant metal lock drop to the ground and shatter, as the gates began to open.
Sakura ran through not wasting anytime to question what just occurred as she made it to the black door, and put her hand on the black door knob.
She felt a strong array of emotions pouring from behind the door, but the one that stood out the most was anger. Sakura took a deep breath and twisted the door knob; she opened the door slowly peeping in to see complete darkness, but rushed inside anyway in her determination to get back to Shigakure.
Sakura couldn't see a thing, not even her hand in front of her face. She jumped when she heard the door behind her slam shut.
"You've finally made it…took you long enough." The voice of the cloaked figure said as a green light filled the room and revealed the figure in the center of the room.
"Now I guess I will have to let you see what the black door has inside.
Sakura watched in fascination as the figure began removing the hood of the cloak off of their head.
"Kami…"
Sakura stared eyes wide in shock at who she saw in front of her. It was 'inner' inner Sakura, she had the same symbol on her forehead, she looked exactly like Sakura, the same age the same height, except her hair was longer, it was actually thigh length and floating around her to an invisible wind. Chains ran from her ankles and arms into the darkness surrounding her. Her face held a smirk.
Sakura's eyes met Inner's eyes.
"It's time." Inner said as Sakura's breath caught in her throat as the chains holding inner broke and vanished and both Sakura's body and Inner's body were being propelled towards each other at a fast speed by some invisible force, Sakura didn't even have time to scream as they impacted and her mind faded into a dark abyss.
Anger. Extreme anger, and aggravation that's what Sakura felt as she opened her eyes, to find herself back in Shigakure's kage tower. She wanted to move but her body felt as if it was pinned down to something. She felt numb everywhere…and around her and on her was blood. Her blood she was bleeding…there were katanas protruding from her legs, arms, pinning her in place, but she didn't feel any pain…but she wanted something really bad, so bad she craved it so much that she couldn't stay still, and before she knew it her body began to wiggle and jerk wildly until she was no longer pinned to the wall or ground, which at the moment she didn't care what it was, she just knew she had to satisfy this odd urge she had. She made it to her feet head bowed low, swords still sticking out of her like a pin cushion. She wondered how she could even move at all, she should be dead from all the organs she knew the swords were most likely pierced through, but her thoughts of why she was alive were short lived when she heard a gasp and a voice that made her anger and her aggravation increased ten fold alone with the odd craving for something she couldn't place.
"H-How are you alive?"
And that's when everything clicked in place, Sakura began to chuckle and shake her head as if full of mirth.
"Alive?" Sakura asked with a wicked glint in her now red eyes forming hand signs creating a clone that took off in the direction that the dark matter chakra ball went falling down.
Sakura face became an angry scowl, as she began pulling the swords for out of her body ignoring the pain.
"Now I wonder who in the hell ever said I was dead?" Sakura asked in an amused yet angry tone as she continued to pull swords out of her body.
"B-but."
"Speak louder! I can't here what you're saying!" Sakura yelled out smiling.
"You were dead! Your pulse… this is unfathomable!" The mistress said holding the hilt of her sword tightly.
"Now that's it Mistress bitch, for a minute there I thought my hearing was going out." Sakura said summoning clones to pull the rest of the swords out of her body as her smile widened to reveal sharp pointy fangs.
"Maybe, you are worthy of dying in Shigakure after all." The woman said all forms of panic and confusion gone from her voice as she held the sword over her head, causing a slight wind to pick up around her.
After the last sword was pulled out by one of her clones, Sakura closed her eyes and began concentrating on all of the wounds in her body, healing them instantly.
"When this forbidden jutsu wears off I'm going to be out for awhile." Sakura said doing quick stretches, and looking up just to see the woman had already lunged at her with her gigantic sword.
Sakura just stood there with excitement written all over her faced mixed in with anger, not even fazed about the life ending weapon and it's mistress coming straight for her, as she balled her hands up into fist and cracked her knuckles, which were covered in black matter chakra with red specks in it.
Sakura smiled when the sharp part of the sword came inches from her torso, as she jumped up with amazing speed and landed a hand on the sword to propel herself upward, just above the sword mistress.
Sakura fist enhanced with dark matter chakra aimed for the sword mistress's head, but at the last minute the sword mistress managed to turn around and block Sakura hit with the sword; however that didn't detour Sakura she continued to throw wild punches, covered in chakra which the sword mistress just blocked with her sword.
To the naked eye it would seem as if Sakura was getting nowhere, but upon closer inspection of the sword mistresses sword one could begin to see little crack forming running from the hilt to the tip of it.
"Die already cha!" Sakura yelled punching faster and harder using speeds that could rival Lee's fast Taijitsu.
The sword mistress was using equal speed but her movements were getting sluggish displaying her tiredness.
The sword mistress managed to pull away from Sakura to get a little space before speaking.
"You shall be the one to die here by my hands in the name of master Kentan I will…" Sakura didn't give the mistress time to finish her little speech before she began a fury of chakra enhanced punches and kicks.
"I!"
KICK
"Will not!"
ROUND HOUSE KICK.
"Die here! By your hands!"
KICK
"And for the record… Fuck master Kentan!"
PUNCH.
A sickening crack filled the air, followed by the sound of something shattering, and then the clinging of whatever it was bouncing off of the stairs and walls, causing Sakura to stop her kicks and punches, just to realize that the sword mistress was no longer before her, landing on the rail of the stairs Sakura looked around to see the sword mistress on her hands and knees not moving with a steel grip on a…Sword hilt?
The gigantic sword had been broken by Sakura's last punch, proof of that were the shards scattered everywhere and the Sword mistress holding the hilt of the once magnificent sword hilt that now held a jagged piece of sword where the sword apparently had broken at.
Sakura watched in mild fascination as the women began holding what was left of the sword close to her heart in an odd kind of embrace, as she now sat back on her legs.
Curious to if this was her way of surrendering Sakura jumped down a few feet away from her, but the woman made no move to acknowledge her she just stayed there still.
The sword mistress began rising to her feet slowly still clutching onto the broken sword hilt, and finally breaking the silence.
"It seems that being around a barbarian, has caused me to act in such an improper manner as displaying an emotional attachment such as this." The sword mistress waved her hand signaling the shards of glass. To which Sakura just tightened her fist at being called barbaric preparing to punch the women's lights out and show her just how barbaric she could be.
"Perhaps your sensei is more capable than I was originally inclined to believe, however this is just a miniscule amount of my true power. It has indeed been awhile since I've come across…" The women trailed off as if trying to find the right words. "A target that is actually deserving of the absolute worst death I can provide." The women finished with venom dripping from every word.
"I'm honored" Sakura Said through clench teeth and an eye roll.
"How can such filth…"
Sakura had had enough, as her chakra enhanced fist connected with the sword mistress's skull.
"Substitution?" Sakura asked smiling wickedly as the women she thought she punched became a loge that shattered into saw dust.
The women appeared right behind Sakura, Sakura spun around to see miniature senbon sized katanas flying at her, with chakra strings attached.
Sakura formed quick hands signs.
"Pulse no jutsu!"
The senbon needles came within a few inches of Sakura before hitting some type of invisible shield and bouncing back in various directions.
"Pulse no jutsu? How do you know one of master Kentan's jutsu's?" The woman asked seemingly surprised, as she danced around the redirected projectiles.
Sakura's attention went to the clone she had sent to retrieve the fallen condensed dark matter chakra ball that had returned. Not noticing her clone's paleness Sakura asked about the condensed chakra ball.
"Well where is it?" Sakura asked her clone completely turning her back on the women behind her, which seemed to tick her off even more. The sword mistress came at the back of Sakura's form with a normal sized Katana that she pulled from out of her cloak.
"Bitch can't you see I'm talking!" Sakura yelled spinning and punching the sword mistress square in the abdomen sending her flying back at such a great force her body impacted with the wall with a sickening crack and then slide down to the stairs, leaving an indent of her form in the wall.
Sakura balanced on the railing of the stairs and turned back around to face her clone after giving the twitching sword mistress a glare.
Sakura noticed for the first time the state her clone was in. The clone stood as if in pain clenching her stomach with her right arm with wobbly knees.
"Something's not right…" The clone said weakly looking at Sakura with wide red eyes.
"Damnit!" The clone fell over and puffed out of existence, immediately flooding Sakura's mind with its short lived memories.
FLASH BACK CLONES POINT OF VIEW
Clone Sakura took off in the direction that the dark matter chakra ball went falling down, after being summoned. Clone Sakura dived off the side of the stairs in a free fall looking around noticing as she got lower how empty the stairs were.
Clenching her fist as she made it to the very first floor of the large pagoda black brick building, she did a back flip and landed perfectly on her feet. There weren't any signs that the chakra ball had made impact not even an out of place stone. But where were all of the stair case travelers?
And Add Cliffy Here=