Series: Naruto
Disclaimer: "Naruto" belongs to Masashi Kishimoto except this spin off idea.
A/N: Yoopa, short chapter but only because it fits to end it this way. Trying a more Tsunade/Sakura point(s) of view in this chapter.
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Sakura and Tsunade didn't say a word until they were gently placed onto the ground by the clones. A little light came through from the trapdoor above and softly illuminated the various things (more like clutter really) around them. Boxes and boxes placed above each other, some rising to the ceiling, and random bits here and there. It was dusty but it wasn't too bad a place to stake out.
Only weird thing was that this was really the basement to a person's house (in the middle of the woods). On top of that, the house was actually well-kept on the upper level meaning that there was an actual person living here.
Feeling uneasy, Sakura voiced what both she and Tsunade were thinking, "Naruto, you sure, as in one hundred percent sure, that we can stay here? I mean, what about the person that lives upstairs? They're bound to notice that someone else is in their house..."
Even in the dim lighting Naruto's smirk was hard to miss. "Notice? Oh please Sakura, we're all shinobi. We don't leave any tracks behind, besides, I know the guy anyway. We'll be fine, trust me."
With that worry put aside, Tsunade's thoughts turned to another large issue. Ino. "Naruto, you took us from the cave but... what of Ino? She was at the front, did you find her? Is she alright? Is she-"
"She's fine, tired, but fine," cut in one of the clones.
"Where is she?"
"She's on her way here, no worries heh."
Even after hearing that Tsunade's worry did not disappear. Sakura couldn't help but feel worried for her sister, having been cooped up together for three years and then being ripped apart was hard, even if Naruto had assured her that Ino would be back. The clones looked at each other and one nodded, disappearing with a small puff of smoke lingering. The remaining clone began collecting loose bits of wood, paper, etc, and bunched them together. He used it as the base for some sort of light jutsu, similar to a fire, but not the same. The clone explained to Sakura (when she asked how it worked) that it used more chakra than the fire jutsu since it burned on its own. He also added a while later that he wasn't sure how long it'd last or even how long he would last.
Seconds turned to minutes to hours as the three waited for Ino and the real Naruto to return. The two girls started roaming the basement while the clone stayed by the nin-light. The trapdoor above had been shut so the girls stuck relatively near the light so as to see where they were stepping (Tsunade already had an encounter with a rat which spooked her slightly). In an instant, both the light and the clone disappeared leaving darkness and a dead silence after it.
"Sakura?"
"H-hai... Tsuna-nee-AIYA!"
A thud resounded in the dark room and Tsunade stopped moving. She didn't want to risk the chance of stepping on her little sister and instead started calling out to her, using her answer as a locator and to check up on her.
"You alright?"
"Yeah..." Sakura moaned, "I tripped on something but I'm okay." She slowly got up and hairs stood on end when she felt something scurry across her hand. "Tsuna... neechan..."
"Hai?"
"Do you like rats?"
"Not particularly."
"Okay, 'cause we have a resident rat around here and there's a possibility of it being a part of a large family."
"Super."
------Three Hours Later------
Tsunade and Sakura squinted as light poured through the opening from the trapdoor. It was a harsh light compared to the pure darkness they had for a few hours. Naruto came down the steps with a sleeping Ino in his arms. Sakura was surprised when she felt her heart skip a beat. He laid the sleeping girl down and with the previous bunch of scraps, he lit another light. He left the room for a moment, the lights upstairs turned off, and then the remaining two saw him come back down the steps after closing the trapdoor.
Naruto plopped himself down on the ground and sighed. Tsunade looked at him and couldn't help but feel terrible, he was dead tired. The bags around his eyes were starting to take on the same look as Gaara of the Sand, now Kazekage. 'Least last time I heard of him he was still Kazekage. Hope that hasn't changed.'
"Naruto, why don't you just sleep. You don't have to keep the light going, Sakura and I'll be fine. We can take charge for a short while and we know, we'll only wake you if there's an emergency." Naruto looked at her with nothing but gratitude in his eyes. He didn't speak but he extinguished the light and he too, was soon out like a light.
"So..." started Sakura, "what are we up to now?"
"To be honest Sakura, I just want to sleep too heh."
"I hear ya."
Time passed and Tsunade smiled in the dark when she heard a light snoring coming from her right. Sakura had fallen asleep. To her left Naruto snored too, just a level higher than Sakura's in terms of loudness. Across from her she could hear Ino's rhythmic breathing. It soothed her to hear all three breathing. 'But, I still think going through remedies and pain killers is just as relaxing. Heh.' She slowed her breathing and began concentrating on different medications, their compounds, and the effects they have on people.
She was startled out of her concentration a long while later when she heard movement across from where she sat. It seemed like Ino was waking up but then the movements stopped. 'Probably just switching sides to sleep on,' she figured. She nearly jumped up in surprise when Ino began speaking.
"What? Where am I? Hello? Anybody?" Tsunade wasn't sure whether or not she should answer. She was hesitant because though it was Ino's voice, it didn't sound like her in the least. She'd never heard her sound so afraid, perhaps she was just sleep-talking? "U-Uzumaki...?" She could still be sleep talking but Tsunade wasn't convinced of that anymore. "Tsu-neechan? Sakura?" Ino's voice had become clearer, the grogginess of her sleep had left her as adrenaline rushed in waking her up. She never really did like pitch black places much when she was younger.
Tsunade decided to answer, "It's all right Ino-imouto, you're safe now. But!" she hastily added when she assumed (correctly) that Ino was about to talk, "the others are sleeping so try to keep your voice low, 'k?"
"Un." A break, "So, where are we?"
"You're in a basement right now of someone's house. Naruto's assured us that it's okay to stay down here. To your left is Sakura, to your right is Naruto. Wake him only if there's an emergency and yeah."
"Why're you telling me this?"
Tsunade couldn't help but smile somewhat evilly, "'Cause I'm tired and I want to sleep. Yay for you, you get to hold fort! Nights!" She promptly lay herself down on the ground and soon her snores joined the chorus with the other snores. Ino yawned while shaking her head, laughing to herself of Tsu-neechan's ways of delegating responsibility.
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A/N: Teehee, I love the AIYA part from Sakura heh, so Asian (lol). :)
Yeah, I'm getting slower (muuuuch slower) at posting chapters up (and even slower at writing them... ) so sorry! Just... I guess, don't expect a chapter per week...? (sweat) ehehe. I guess I'm losing the interest, but I'd like to finish this one or the other fic. Anyway, that's all for now. See ya then :D