Left Behind - Root Chronicles
Age
In Root
Is simple
The more you kill
The longer you live
Age is a measure of success
Not longevity
Though they are connected
They are not the same
For your age is measure by years of life
In Root your age is measure by your years of death
The more you age
The more people die
Until your death then your age stops
~An excerpt from the Roots Manuel page# 100
A new day, the sound of birds chirping as the sunlight made the grass and trees move to greet it. The wind rustle through the greenery as it sway in turn as if in a dance. This was the land that rested in the sun, while in the darkness the grass that rose up quickly had a foot stamp it down. The tree that turned it's leaves towards the sunlight would shiver as metal would pierce its bark, and it swayed not with the wind, but the force of the throw. A lone bird chirp to greet the day would only trill once before a kunai found it's chest. The world was beautiful, but these killers didn't notice it as they went about their day. As the shadows hid their actions, and the creatures of the light in turn hid from them. Once the sound of commands, given one after the other, was allowed in their world nothing else mattered. For this was the world of assassins ...all white and black, and no room for anything in between.
This was the world that Sai had grown up in, and that he knew well.
Sai had survived the night ...as he lay on his front in his cell. He was bound loosely with his hands and feet pin together, but separated enough that he could move either his upper or lower limbs without impacting the other. He probably would have already sat up and went back to his mission if it wasn't for the pain in his back that made him lay still as he tries to assess it. It burn and throb horribly, but, he was sure it wasn't infection that was causing the pain ...for he didn't feel hot or sick with fever as his body tries to burning through the bacteria that would threaten his life. No, it felt as if something was irritating the wound, like something was within it, and that kept him still. For he didn't know what it was, and if it was safe for him to move with it there.
Sai sighed lightly.
He didn't want to end his mission too soon, he had already lived longer than he was suppose to, and he still had more to discover at this point. If he died now, his mission would be a failure even though his village was now aware of their existences.
Why?
Why were these men doing this, and how, how can he stop whatever they were planning? If he could do nothing else, simply passing on that information would be useful indeed, or just his location so someone else might be able to find them.
Sai held out no hope for his actual survival.
A sudden crack on the ceiling caught his attention for a moment as a idea spiral into clarity.
A blood trail came to mind, but, it would be a double edge sword. It would lead them to his captors and his captors...to his village. That wasn't his wish, so until he came up with a better plan ...death wasn't an option. Thus, Sai lay there on his stomach, he train his senses outwards. He listen to their activity, he tried to place each sound to a possible event, and kept that for further references for another time. He closed his eyes again ...for there was no sense in wasting any more energy than necessary. Afterall, his captors would come to see him sooner or later, and he was sure, that it wouldn't be a pleasant affair at all for him.
He would need his strength.
Time passed ...for Sai as it did for Naruto, and for Tsunade.
The woman wasn't happy as another message greeted her on her desk this morning. The familiar red markings seemed to laugh at her. Naruto was right, Sai wasn't dead yet, as she sat at her desk and read it slowly. Every word, every statement was important and precious ...it was all through the suffering of others that she knew now of this little organization as she dubbed it. Though her blood froze at what she was reading below, the little army of assassins, for they weren't ninja, could possibly be growing on the steps of their back door. She curse and bless Danzou all in the same breathe as she read the document.
His sources were strong and still active, but why couldn't he find another way to get his information. Why did everything he do or did come with someone's else sacrifice, and she put a hand between her eyes and press the mark between them on her forehead as she remember the words of the emotionless nin.
Root made decision that Konoha never will.
Sai was right, and with this information she couldn't help but be glad of it. No matter how much she hate what the man had done, and what his will was still doing to this day. He was giving them a fighting chance, because, she much rather not see what would happen if their enemy this time ...didn't give a fig about living or dying themselves. She remembered Pein, Pein was bad ...but this could be worst.
She shook her head ...no nothing could be as bad as Pein.
That gave her just a spark of hope, but it wasn't much as she roll the parchment up.
A knock came at her door.
She cocked a eyebrow at that, because, her shinobi weren't so respectful ...except for Sai and ex-members of Root. Danzou's training required discipline, so some things no matter how much she told them, wouldn't be neglected as the door swung open lightly at her command. The one that stood there though didn't belong to the Danzou at all as she looks at Sasuke in a bit of surprise.
Though he didn't leave her long in suspense.
"WE are planning to break out Naruto tonight."
He said the words quite sharply before he cross his arms and Tsunade smiles at him.
"Thanks, I will make sure ...that Mercy isn't there, and I assign another two shinobi to stop you."
Sasuke would nod, and then turn to walk away. She would thread her fingers together tightly as she close her eyes. She was thankful that no matter how much she mess up as Hokage, they never lost faith in her. Sasuke was telling her about their attempted break in tonight to keep the injuries to a minimal and make sure there wasn't any accidental deaths.
Mercy is Root.
Mercy would be merciless in her job, and if her fiance was accidentally hurt while in her sight.
She wasn't sure how much of her ability she had been displaying and didn't want to find out by her using her prowess against her own clan mates. So, of course, removing her would keep it to a minimal, and since, her fiance was a bit more sympathetic towards Naruto's cause ...she doubt that he would put much effort in stopping them. The other two she picked would have to be of the same mind set. No injuries on their side, no hurt feelings, and a sense of confidences and righteousness. She rather Naruto left her protection feeling that way, and thus, she moves to keep the darkness to a minimal.
She hadn't expected to keep Naruto pin down for so long, and besides, he couldn't do more harm to this situation by trying. From what she got in Sai's report, if he manage to find him ...it would be a boon at this point.
He had no hope for his survival, and she hate to admit it, but neither did she.
The least she could do...was to try and make sure that his last mission wasn't a failure.
The noon sun was high above when they came again.
They had given him time to let his aches dull to throbs, and for him to finally figure out that the reason why his back continue to hurt was that he had bits of crystalize salt in his wounds. He would continue to hurt no matter what he did, but, he was in no danger of dying from that ...thus he work harder to gain more information. There wasn't much, but his wounds had left pools of blood, and that he used to create more bloody mice and snakes. He sent them out through the cracks and small openings in the room to gather more information.
It was risky, but he didn't have anything to lose.
So, he had a prior warning from his information gatherers before they came. Two men this time, came to look him over in a way that would have been intimidating for someone else. They came in smiling, which promise something more than torture. Though Sai had known this time might come, after all, he hadn't spoken a word so far. He knew the longer he didn't ...the better his chance of being killed out right. They might have even begun to think he couldn't and thus he smile back at them, and relieve them of that delusion.
"Its nice to see that shit for brains haven't forgotten about me."
Their mouths drop open.
Sai's assessment had been right. They had been planning on kill him today, and by speaking he had just upset their plans. Good, he wasn't ready to die just yet, but he wasn't far off. He just needed a bit more information.
"Son of a bitch, he can talk."
Sai rolls his eyes.
"No shit."
And that was where his words were cut off, as one of the other man, one with more sense than the one that spoke, slap Sai across the mouth strongly. He would then step up and hook a hand underneath his arm as he pulls him to his feet. The way that Sai's legs were bound, he would have to shuffle wherever they took him, but the man had other ideas as he drags him.
"The Boss will want to know about this."
He growled at his the other man, and Sai with his face hidden by his hair, smiled.
His time ...was running out.
But, he would make that time worthwhile.
He would make that time count.
(Chapter 13 ...completed)