Sakura yawned and tried to move. She wasn't all that surprised that both Hoori and Inari were keeping her pressed the futon. She would have smiled if it wasn't the day. Hopefully all their plans went according to plan. She sighed the only unknown factors that weren't taken care of was Sasuke and Naruto. She shook her head Naruto would be too tired and ultimately left here to hopefully be here for Tsunami's protection.
She sighed. Kakashi was going to be placing Tazuna under a genjutsu before they even set out. Tazuna was going to imagine himself talking to one of his workers and would be resting with Kakashi underneath the bridge where he would channel another genjutsu through her own body to project what she thought should be happening, she was going to be in control of the illusion for the most part. Sasuke was going to be up on the bridge along with her.
Something about this idea just made her cringe in fright. The variables were so extravagant but both of them knew that when they were planning last night. Sasuke wouldn't want to comply with staying under the bridge with Kakashi as back up if things were going south. Naruto would have protested staying behind in every single way. The other thing that had her thinking, would Naruto actually be here for Tsunami? Then there was always Hoori and Inari.
She felt her heart strings grip in fear. She couldn't let anything happen to her new family. She will never let something bad happen to her new family. Maybe she could get into Naruto's dreamscape and ask him to watch over them until after Gato's men have been eliminated. She gently wriggled her way out of bed, not waking the two boys at all. After all the castor energy she had inside of her made her chakra different, maybe she could use it and gain access to Naruto's sub conscious. This would help if she already had the dream attack ability, she shook her head even if she had it she wouldn't have had it mastered yet.
She made her way to the bags of new clothes that both her and Tsunami had bought yesterday. Over half of them were for Hoori but she still had one or two of them.
Sakura twitched slightly, every step closer to the bridge was making her nerves stand on end. She had tried her best to contact Naruto while he was sleeping but ended up just leaving a note taped to his forehead, hopefully he would read it. She felt slightly out of her comfort zone in her new clothes but they were pulling the cards to this extensive game. She had to keep her calm and cool. Other wise Sasuke would notice the genjutsu and then so would Zabuza and the fake hunter nin.
She breathed in silently and continued to walk next to Sasuke. Illusions of Tazuna and Kakashi were walking side by side behind them discussing the progress of the bridge. She had already heard this conversation before and that made this illusion so durable and believable.
It was about eleven, they had maybe an hour before Gato finally showed up. She just hoped that when he did Kakashi didn't break the illusion. If he did there were so many out comes and possibilities that did not turn in their favor. She breathed in and then out calming herself. Kakashi could worry about the negative possibilities, he was her sensei for a reason.
They finally made it to the bridge. It was covered in mist. She could barely see anything in front of her face. She breathed in and out, even if it was mist it had all the atoms that made her feel at home. A smile lit up on her face and she turned her face to look directly where Zabuza and the other human were standing. Of course they couldn't see her do such a thing. She was standing in her illusions position, yes herself was illusion of the weak girl she used to be.
She turned to the illusion of Kakashi, she had just missed what had transpired between him and a downed worker. She blinked, they were surrounded. She shook her head. She really needed to pay attention. She stepped out of her illusions shadow and walked around the water clones. She breathed in and closed her eyes. Pin pointing the exact place were the two rouge were and then were Tazuna and Kakashi were underneath the illusion's feet.
She pulled her senses out farther, Gato's ship should be making it's way here. She couldn't feel it yet, but she could feel the men making their way to Tazuna's house. She felt them cut up a boar. If Naruto didn't read that note that would be a huge sign telling him something was wrong. She felt movement. Sasuke had taken out the water clones. She almost breathed a sigh of relief. The illusion wasn't going to be found out quite yet.
At this moment it felt like Sasuke and the two rouge's were having a contest of whom could have the snarliest comment. She gently rolled her eyes and spread her senses out again, searching for that boat. The men were getting closer to Tazuna's home. She still couldn't feel the boat.
She snapped her eyes open and jumped over the fake hunter nin as he spun for an attack against Sasuke. "Fuck," She breathed out as she flipped in the air and landed on the puddles of water left from the water clones silently. She looked at Sasuke parrying the senbon with his kunai.
"And then there is the number one knuckle headed ninja..." Kakashi's voice filled her ears as she became more acquainted with the battle field. "Naruto Uzumaki."
She smiled. At least Kakashi didn't put him down. She looked over as Sasuke sent the hunter nin flying back towards Zabuza's feet. She really needed to pay attention more.
Naruto sat there rereading the note Sakura had given him. A huge smile adorned his face. She had faith that he could protect her family! He grinned and jumped out of bed. Then he heard commotion down stairs. Crap they were already here.
He tip toed, trying to be as silent as possible to get down stairs to have a good look at what was going on. In the note Sakura said bad guys were going to try and take Tsunami and use her as a hostage. He couldn't let that happen.
He peered around the corner just as Inari started running towards the two samurai. If he didn't think of something quickly Inari would be cut into shreds.
Naruto preformed a substitution with Inari at the last possible moment and stopped the swords with his kunai. "You bastards won't get away with this." He hollered before pushing their sword up and away from his body. Quickly he placed his hands in his ultimate ninjutsu. "Shadow clone Jutsu!" He yelled. Suddenly they were surrounded by ten Naruto's.
Sakura watched slightly helpless as Sasuke was bombarded with senbon again. She couldn't do anything at the moment other wise she risked her clover being blown. "Damn it Naruto where are you?" She whispered in the air. She looked back at the illusion of Kakashi fighting the real Zabuza. It was getting closer and closer to noon and she still had yet to feel the boat. That was not good.
She dodged and made her way to the end of the boat where Gato and his men were most likely to show up. Closing her eyes she tried to pin point them again. She could feel Zabuza engaging something in combat, but since that Kakashi wasn't real she couldn't feel him. She could feel Sasuke's desperate attempt to free himself of the ice dome that Haku had created. She felt a frown mare her face. 'Haku.' She thought sadly. She shook her head and focused right as soon as an explosion rocked the bridge.
"God damn it Naruto!" She hissed as she almost fell face first onto the wood. Yes she knew the boy was reckless and would do something stupid but come on couldn't he have thought with his brain just a little longer before making the dramatic entrance.
"Naruto don't let the enemy see your techniques!" She heard Illusion Kakashi lecture while parrying a sweep of Zabuza's mighty sword that looked eerily similar to a butchers knife. She huffed and closed her eyes again. There!
She could feel the boat moving. It was going to happen soon. She back up into the mist again but kept a good distance away from the actual fighting. She closed her eyes again and prodded the boat. There were about fifty or so men on deck with Gato on the bow striking a pose where he was pointing off towards the bridge. He was probably giving them a victory speech.
A smirk made it's way onto her lips just as she turned back to pay attention to Kakashi and Zabuza having a discussion as Kakashi's 'summons' held Zabuza in place. Then all the sudden a huge surge of demonic chakra swept through the area clearing the mist in almost one move. She could feel the illusion waver. Damn it Kakashi don't get distracted! She pored her own chakra into the illusion where Kakashi's suddenly pulled back. He was still mainly supplying it though.
She closed her eyes trying to pin point where that chakra was coming from. Then a shattering sound came from the mirrors and she watched through the atoms in almost horror as Naruto sent Haku flying towards her. She had to literally stop herself from interfering. She walked the other way, towards Zabuza. He looked paralyzed at the moment. It would be perfect timing for her to knock him out.
"To have a dream means you have to have a future!" She heard Kakashi shout as she neared the two and soon the sounds of chirping birds made its way to her ears. Her eyes snapped open. His hand had lightning sparking from the palm. She froze in place and watched as he took off intending on ending Zabuza. "From what I can see, you have no future Zabuza!"
Holy crap. Sakura felt paralyzed just watching the illusion. How could he do a move that She wasn't entirely sure what it was? She was supposed to be projecting this from her mind. Kakashi wasn't supposed to have any control over the Genjutsu. Her eyes widened more if that was possible when Haku stepped in to intercept Kakashi's hand quite literally through his chest.
She shuttered like a leaf. That looked so real. The blood poring out of his mouth and out of his chest. Then she saw Zabuza free himself and try to slash through Haku to get to Kakashi, but Kakashi had jumped out of the way with his hand still in Haku's body.
She closed her eyes tightly. That's when she felt relief. That Kakashi wasn't the real one. Haku was probably going into shock. She snapped her eyes open and ran to Haku's side just to hit a pressure point on his neck. He was out. She stepped back still slightly shaking, why did she react that way just now? Why did she feel like her heart was about to shatter when she saw him take that blow?
Her eyes snapped back up to reality. She could feel Tazuna and Kakashi coming back up onto the bridge. The Genjutsu was still intact though. She looked over at Zabuza. He had two kunai's lodged into his shoulders to keep the use of his hands useless. She saw her illusion self crying over Sasuke's body. She stilled, her blood ran cold. Sasuke's body?
She couldn't move, her senses washed away everything leaving her numb and cold. Did she really mess up enough that her own teammate died? She wanted to cry that was until Gato moved right in front of her to kick Haku's body.
She lunged and held his foot stationary just inches away from Haku's face. "Don't you dare touch him." She snarled murderously.
"What the hell?" Gato looked like he was about to pee himself. She knew that she had missed a lot of the dialog that had happened before this but seriously? Kicking what presumed to be dead body? This man was sick and needed to be killed.
Not two seconds later she felt the illusion drop. She heard multiple gasps of shock but she paid them no heed, she stared up at Gato with murder written in her eyes. She began to squeeze his ankle tighter. He cried out in pain. "Well Zabuza-san." She asked her voice reeking with sweet calmness, "Are you going to do the honors or should I just dispose of him?"
She didn't look any where but at Gato but she could feel Gato's men getting angry and agitated. Two more seconds and they would probably attack. She bared her teeth in absolute hate for the man standing above her. She didn't hear anything from Zabuza.
"You die." She snarled lifting her other hand up to her shoulder. "Fucker!" She screamed and shoved her arm forward and up isolating all the water molecules that sprang from her fingers towards his body. She could feel them harden and solidify. She had created a sword of pure ice. She could hear Gato choking on his blood. The blade of said ice sword stuck diagonally up through his rib cage and out the other side of his body right above his shoulder blade. She struck his right side, missing his heart. Meant for a painful death.
She narrowed her eyes to slits and swung her hand in front of her body quite literally slashing the sword through his chest and into his heart. She couldn't hear anything else besides the pained scream that seemed to echo in her ears from the now dead man. He died with his eyes wide open, blood dribbling down his chin. He slowly slid further on to the sword as he fell to his knees. She flicked her wrist and dropped the sword off to the side, his body following the movement.
Slowly her senses came back to her. She could hear the fearful whimpers coming from his men along with some angry whispers about killing the man who paid them. Slowly she let herself to her feet. She could feel Sasuke sitting up, relief filled her heart suddenly but wasn't nearly as strong as it had been when she had found out the illusion was really an illusion with Haku. She could feel Kakashi's, Tazuna's, and Naruto's shock still bodies not too far from her. She could feel Zabuza's form kneeling near Haku breathing hard.
She shifted her eyes to the men that trembled before her. Then an idea struck her. She bared her teeth while coating them in ice, giving her some terrifyingly long and sharp fangs. Sneering she watched as some of the weaker ones drop their weapons.
"You bitch!" One of the stronger willed ones called out. "Now who's supposed to pay us?!"
She settled her eyes on him, he had brown spikey hair and brown eyes. Other than that he seemed to disappear into the crowd easily. "Leave." She said all sense of murder was lost in her countenance, she just seemed tired.
"There's a town just waiting for us," He smirked to his men, "We can take what ever we want."
She felt them before Inari made themselves known. He shot a warning arrow at the man's feet, "Leave already!" The towns people shouted waving around their make shift weapons.
He was about to sneer when she sent a wave of ice spike towards him with a wave of her hand. One of the larger ones impaled him through his heart giving him a very quick death. "Leave." She repeated in the same tone as before. The fangs were gone now but they still backed away from her as quickly as they possibly could. Some tripped over the others and stepped on top of fallen men trying desperately to get back onto the boat. Some even fell into the water.
She stood almost ram rod straight her eyes traveled from one man down to Gato. Remorse wouldn't come to her, not for Gato anyways. She was more than glad to have ended his pathetic life. The other man, did he deserve to die? She flicked her eyes back to his body that was slumped forward on the spike slowly making the hole in his chest bigger. She blinked. She didn't feel any regret. He was going to plunder the town along with the others.
Oddly she felt numb. She turned to the others, of course her boys didn't move either from being in an almost death like state or in complete shock. She sighed, she was going to have to explain this to Kakashi now. She cast her eyes downward to see Zabuza picking Haku up off the ground. "You let us live?" He questioned looking into her eyes.
Her eyes softened and she extended her hand towards him, "Zabuza-san my name is Sakura and I'd like to help you."
Yes I know that was a horrible fighting scene but this IS a Sakura-centric fic... I added a bit of Naruto into here because I've been getting some reviews stating that he really isn't doing much, well if this was a Naruto-centric fic it would have a lot of him. All I really have to say.
Yes I know the Genjutsu thing doesn't actually seem realistic, but at the same time it is because he is using a medium to cast his genjutsu and added chakra to the technique didn't hurt much...
Yes I know most of the characters are in OOC mode but well I'm the author and I feel like they all need an attitude adjustment, can't wait for the Sasuke adjustment.
I'm still up for receiving quests!
Ja Ne