There was around a hundred reviews since I posted the last chapter (more than I've ever gotten before oh my god) so sorry about the lack of reviewer replies! I've just never dealt with such a large number before haha…
Thank you to anyone who reviewed though! I read them all and so many of you are so sweet, thank you so much for your nice words :)
Ryooyaku Kuchi ni Nigashi.
"Good medicine is bitter to the mouth."
Advice most needed is least heeded.
The first thought I had upon waking up to complete darkness was that I'd never felt so horrendously shit in both my lifetimes.
A layer of sweat and dirt covered my skin, tangled strands of hair clinging uncomfortably to my forehead and neck. The minor burns that were dotted around my face felt itchy, tight, hot, whereas the rest of my body couldn't seem to decide whether I was roasting alive or freezing to death. My nose felt stuffy, my throat felt as though something had been lodged in it, and my shoulder, oh god, my shoulder-
I bit back a pathetic whimper, half because I didn't like the idea of vocalizing my own pain particularly and half because I didn't know where I was and who would hear it.
Forcing my way through the haze of sleep clinging to my mind, I tried to concentrate on the chakra signals around me. Naruto's, unsurprisingly, was the first to spring out at me, followed by Sasuke's and, finally, the slow, quiet pulse of Kakashi's, only noticeable because the jōnin was right beside me. Initially, it was a reassuring sensation, then decidedly not when the realization he was chakra exhausted and probably still unconscious hit. The fact that I wasn't really that good at sensing chakra and wouldn't actually be able to tell if there were any enemies around didn't make me feel any better, although I took comfort in that my teammates weren't moving much and the lack of unfamiliar voices.
We made camp then, I thought, realizing the reason for the darkness was that I was inside a tent. It was probably night-time too, the idea bringing up an array of internal reactions. Night was the best time to stage an attack, but, excluding when he was using his silent killing technique, Zabuza was all shades other than sneaky. Considering how crap I still felt too, I couldn't have been out for that long, so the man was almost certainly only at the beginning of his recovery from his fight against Kakashi.
Ultimately, relief was what won, helped by the sleep that still clung to me, which wanted to pretend there wasn't that pressing a reason to jump to my feet yet.
I eased myself onto the side of my good shoulder, ignoring the groaning of the muscles pulling on my injured one. The movement made me aware of the makeshift sling someone had made for me and, beyond that, the clothing on my body that wasn't mine. I had gotten mine soaked, I recalled somewhat absentmindedly as I noticed there was somebody that wasn't Kakashi in the tent, the jōnin most definitely laid on my other side.
There was a brief moment of panic before my eyes adjusted enough to see who they were. I had a faint recollection of a jutsu that existed which allowed you to see in the dark (the name ankokutoshi sprung to the foreground of my mind), but it involved chakra in and around your sensitive, fragile eyes so not many people ever learnt it. Especially not a genin like me who didn't have the original Sakura's perfect chakra control. Luckily, my lack of knowledge of the jutsu didn't matter much in this situation, recognizing the mystery person after a couple of seconds of staring even through the darkness.
Tazuna looked awful.
His face was caked in a mixture of dried blood and mud, one eye black and swollen and nose unnaturally crooked. The blanket he'd been placed under covered most of the rest of his body but any visible skin was either bruised or marked with cuts that had come from a whip most likely. Torture for fun, not information, I noted somewhat clinically through the repulsion of the sight. It made sense, Gatō wouldn't have caught Tazuna for the information. He'd caught him to stop the bridge. To make another example. To crush the small, weak rebellion that was starting to form against him.
A thought danced across my mind, fingers twitching towards my right leg.
If I…across the neck…
I killed the thought borne from desperation and fear that must have wormed it's way into brain long ago to exist in a state where I should have been too tired to feel such intense emotions. A foul, bitter taste rose up into my mouth and I squeezed my eyes shut for a few moments, concentrating on my breathing.
There were so many things wrong with the idea I didn't know where to start tearing it down, shoving it away violently. God, the fact I'd even considered it in that split second was enough to make me feel nauseous. Although it'd be so easy, he wouldn't even feel it, just one simple cut, it's not like I haven't killed before-
No.
I choked on a breath as I sat up, pain rippling down my shoulder and arm once more. The walls of the tent now seemed suffocating, trapping me inside with thoughts I didn't want to be having, shouldn't be having. It was the desperation that was whispering, not what I truly believed, and, most likely, I wouldn't succumb to committing the act it wanted, but I suddenly didn't trust myself. Some part of me was thankful my kunai holster and weapons pouch had been put elsewhere (although, when Zabuza's name flickered across my mind again, that same part got much, much smaller).
Awkwardly, I crawled towards one of the walls of the tent, feeling for the entrance flap with this barely restrained panicked urgency. Upon finding it, I slipped outside immediately, struggling to my feet and breathing in the cool air. My eyes found the fire and consequently Sasuke almost instantly, the Uchiha having heard my movement and twisted round to see who was there. A kunai lay across his knee, fingers toying with the loop at the end of the hilt so that it could be spun and thrown at a moment's notice.
I flinched, instinct kicking in at the sight of a potential enemy before common sense could override it and the jerk of my arm forcing me to bite down another wince. Sasuke's eyes widened fractionally at the flicker of pain that must've been obvious across my face and in the back of my mind I registered that it was mildly disconcerting to see him looking at me with something other than hostility. The usual scowl returned quickly enough once it was clear I wasn't about to keel over. "You shouldn't be up."
Somewhat aggressive concern.
It was at least a minor improvement on his normal attitude towards me.
"Probably not," I ended up agreeing in a croaky voice, wanting to shrug but deciding it was definitely a bad idea. I half stumbled over to the fire, all too aware Sasuke was watching my every movement closely although not being able to bring myself to care. He was regarding the arm in my sling with particular attention; arms were the lifeline of a ninja after all and, as a Uchiha, he especially would consider the value of ninjutsu highly. I wiggled my fingers as a test, noting how they ached but at a bearable level of pain, and there was a wave of relief that accompanied the warmth of the fire I was now standing beside.
Jutsus had been a saving grace for me against both enemies I'd faced. I didn't want to have to deal with the prospect of being without them in a situation like this. Ever.
I eased myself into a squatting position, weight positioned evenly across my feet. A large part of me wanted to just collapse onto the ground but I wasn't quite sure whether I'd be able to get up quickly enough if something did go wrong (logic dictated we were safe for now, however, I wasn't exactly the most rational person to exist). "How long have I been out?" Information was good. Information meant I could make a plan and cling to it for dear life. And I was going to need a plan fast judging by how my thoughts were threatening to run down the dark rabbit hole of horrors at the situation I was in that my sleepiness had barred the entrance to; Zabuza, Gatō, Tazuna, Takasago-
"Around seven hours." Sasuke didn't bother to be stubborn about talking to me. We were in a bad situation and being petty would just waste precious time and energy.
Although we've clearly fulfilled the 'wasting time' quota, I then thought, mentally wincing. That was a long time to have spent just sleeping, more than I'd gotten most nights on this mission. And for Kakashi to have been out for that long too…
"We haven't seen anyone else the entire time," the Uchiha continued, nudging a stick with his foot. The statement didn't offer much reassurance. It just meant that either there really had been no enemies passing us by or ones good enough to not be spotted.
A loud snore made me snap my head around to see our blonde teammate laid sprawled on the ground right by the tent I'd been in, kunai that he'd been presumably holding dropped next to him. He looked so disgustingly peaceful in his sleep that the anger I thought I'd left behind at the scene of the fight against Zabuza returned full force, bitter and twisted. "Hmph, that moron," Sasuke muttered, although his voice didn't hold nearly the same amount of frustration that I felt. "Making all that fuss running about everywhere and then being the first to fall asleep."
On closer observation, I could see the lines of worry on Naruto's face and the marks he'd made by digging his bitten fingernails into his palms, but the fact he'd been panicking only really served to make me more irritated.
Not now, Sakura.
I tore my eyes away, shifting my weight around to assess the rest of my surroundings. The second tent had been erected to my right and the entrance flap left open, allowing full view of its occupants. The four beautiful women were all huddled up inside. Orihae, the youngest, was curled up with one hand clinging to Ukihashi's torn sleeve and Matsubito had her head buried in the crook of her girlfriend's neck. They were all asleep - or at least I'd initially thought so before seeing Yoyotose's eyes cracked open by the barest amount, one arm holding onto the blonde woman's waist tightly whilst her other hand gripped the familiar, small fan.
Emotions pressed painfully against my chest and I flicked my gaze away sharply only to catch Sasuke staring at the same thing. He realized he'd be caught following my line of vision but, after the automatic darting of the eyes, held my stare with furrowed eyebrows, hesitating. "...They said Zabuza killed Takasago."
The huge wound across the chest, blood flying through the air, splintered ribs, vacant eyes.
My toes curled up. "Well, they're not lying." Somehow it felt a little like a lie though. The memory was still there in my mind and crystal clear; murder in high definition that played on and against my will in my mind. Yet time made it confusing and unresolved, not helped by how it had been so sudden and there had been no opportunity in the moment to fully comprehend and mourn the loss of life. Takasago's death had just incurred the fear that I would be next.
Sasuke seemed to struggle to find a response to my answer. I wondered briefly what reaction he'd been expecting me to have if anything. He eventually decided on some noise of acknowledgement, turning his gaze back to the fire, grip tightening on the kunai in his lap. I restrained the sigh of relief that he wasn't going to attempt to probe deeper - I didn't want to talk to anyone particularly about what had happened, especially not my angst-ridden teammate.
(I mused somewhat hysterically however whether I would take over his role as that fairly soon.)
It couldn't have been more than a few minutes of this tense, strained silence before a loud thump made us both turn around to look at the tent I'd come from, Naruto being jolted awake by the noise. He blinked rapidly, sitting up sharpish and twisting his head around to look in all directions. "Wha-?!" His eyes momentarily caught onto me and burning, deep guilt flourished across his face, gaze snapping to the ground as his face flushed red. Naruto's attention was then stolen away by the sound of more movement, the boy this time recognizing what the source was and shoving his head through the tent flap. "Kakashi-sensei! You're up!"
Thank fuck.
Sasuke visibly relaxed at the same time I did, kunai he'd been holding in a ready position hanging loosely from his hand instead. He then looked inordinately embarrassed by his obvious relief and I found it in me to feel a smidgen of dry amusement at the sudden dust of pink across his cheekbones.
I straightened up uncomfortably out of my squatting position as I heard Kakashi ask Naruto with soft impatience where Sasuke and I were. The fact he didn't enquire the wellbeing of our clients first somehow stood out to me, although it made sense that his actual team's status would be of higher priority to him. Naruto's answer was a babbling torrent of words that I didn't bother trying to make sense of, Kakashi clearly sharing the same sentiment and opting to poke his head out of the tent instead of asking Naruto to repeat himself.
A hard grey eye swept over the surroundings, noting mine and Sasuke's presence with a degree of relief and sag of the shoulders. "Ah, Sasuke, Sakura, are you two alright?" His tone was teasing and light whilst his gaze was anything but, boring into us mercilessly. Even so, Sasuke gave a simple grunt in reply whilst I resisted the urge to say that I was doing absolutely terrible, thanks for asking. Kakashi took our lack of comprehensive response favourably, lips curving into a smile. "Good, good."
He crawled out of the tent in the same undignified manner I assumed I had done although he was far more unstable once upright. Once Naruto had scampered out as well, still babbling away, Kakashi placed his hand on the blonde's head in what was meant to be seen as an affectionate pat but instead was probably for much-needed support.
My chest felt tight again and I hammered down the instinctive thought of run.
"How are our clients doing?" Kakashi then asked, effectively shutting Naruto up, blue eyes darting towards me and then the ground in this deep sense of shame and guilt. Sasuke was the one to answer both surprising and unsurprisingly. He described the wellbeing of the women with words clean and concise, just like how we'd been taught to deliver reports to commanding officers in the Academy.
"And Takasago is dead," he finished with finality I didn't feel towards her death, gaze flickering to me for a split second. Kakashi did the same although he didn't look particularly shocked by the news. He'd probably come to the conclusion about the woman's death the second I'd shown up to the fight with Zabuza without her.
"I see." Kakashi flexed the hand that wasn't resting on Naruto's head, stare growing sharp and thoughtful at the appendage. He then passed his gaze over the three of us again, as if deliberating on something. "Wake them up."
Sasuke hesitated before nodding curtly, Naruto ducking his head too and heading towards the women in a stumbling rush. I didn't move, only half because my two teammates would be enough to wake all of the women. Kakashi hobbled over to me, gaze having slipped to my bad shoulder. "Ah, yes, sorry about your shoulder by the way." His words were light but it was obvious he genuinely regretted causing the injury by flinging me away from Zabuza with the force he had. Then again, it was better than if he had left me there. Coming out of close quarters with one of the seven swordsmen of the mist with only a few burns and a dislocated shoulder to show for it could practically be considered a miracle.
"I guess it means we're even," I muttered half-heartedly under my breath.
His smile became a little more real at my reference to how I'd broken his arm. "I suppose so." Kakashi eased himself onto the ground beside the fire, using a shaky arm to prop himself up as our clients emerged from the tent. I hesitated before returning to my squatting position from before, ignoring the jōnin's observation of this in favour of watching the women take their places by the fire too.
Ukihashi was gazing at Kakashi with bags under her eyes but immense relief, it being clouded by how he did not look exactly well. Orihae seemed to share the same sentiment, although Matsubito held no reassurance in her stare, only fear and grief. Yoyotose held her girlfriend by the waist, eyes dulled but lips quirking into the smallest of smiles upon meeting my gaze. They all sat around the fire in an almost parody of how they had the previous nights when we'd been eating dinner together, voices that had been loud with laughter and amusement silent.
Naruto for once sat willingly beside Sasuke, hunched up and miserable looking. Kakashi noted this but said nothing about it. Our relationship as teammates isn't the most pressing of matters at the moment after all. Instead, the jōnin took in a deep breath before starting. "I will keep this discussion short." The light tone from earlier was gone, voice steeped in solemness at the gravity of the situation. "Firstly, on behalf of my team, I sincerely apologize for our failure to protect Takasago. As the squad leader, I accept full responsibility for her death. In return, I ask for your complete cooperation in the events that are to come."
Most of the women looked stunned by his words, Naruto snapping his head round too to stare in disbelief at Kakashi. In a way, the man wasn't wrong. Had he been there when Naruto had first spotted Tazuna then this whole situation could have easily been avoided. And, considering the mess that was team seven, he should have been there with the full expectation that something was to go wrong like that.
But, then again, a jōnin-sensei wasn't just a glorified genin babysitter. He was our squad leader and we were his soldiers, and there was meant to be a degree of trust that we wouldn't ruin everything the second he turned his back. Besides, judging by how this mission had gone through the system in the first place, Kakashi hadn't had a reason to suspect Naruto would have an opportunity to do something that would directly lead to a missing-nin murdering one of our clients.
It was a C-rank for crying out loud! Stuff like that just didn't happen on a C-rank.
"We understand, Hatake." Ukihashi was the one to respond to his words, voice gentle but face twisted with grief. "And of course you have our complete cooperation."
Kakashi looked relieved. I wondered how many times he'd had to have this conversation with a client before and how many times he hadn't gotten such an understanding answer in response. It would have been incredibly easy for them to react like I had, I realized, pushing all the blame onto one single person and screaming at them, making it as difficult as possible to progress. Yet there Ukihashi sat, a semblance of forgiveness in her gaze and no anger to be seen.
Just...sadness.
"Then we come onto what we plan to do next," Kakashi continued. "Since Zabuza Momochi has become involved, I'd grade this mission as an A-rank, which is far beyond the capabilities of my team."
Naruto looked as though he wanted to argue then crumpled in on himself at the realization that it was true. He and Sasuke had barely been able to handle a clone of the guy. I'd only been able to force the real one away from Kakashi because he was compromised too. The Uchiha gritted his teeth at this fact as well, clenching his fists and glaring at the ground.
"Therefore, I intend to call for backup." There was a pause as one of the women murmured 'back up?' and I stared at Kakashi in surprise. Somehow calling for backup had never crossed my mind as a viable option in a situation like this. Yet it was obvious. Calling for help was one of the first things you were meant to do when you were out of your depth. "However, calling for backup means two things also. One, they will not arrive for at least five days and two, I, and, as extension, all of you, will not be able to move from here for around the same period of time."
For a second I thought my heart had completely stopped.
"What?" Matsubito was the one to choke the question out, eyes wide with horror.
Kakashi looked evenly at the woman. "I am fairly chakra exhausted. Calling for backup will result in my condition worsening somewhat as it will involve the use of chakra. If we attempt to move whilst I am in such a state then I sincerely doubt that I will be able to recover in time for when Zabuza moves after us again. Staying put however will allow me to recuperate at the same speed as him." Another pause to allow information to sink in. "If I was the only one in such a state I would contemplate telling you to move without me, however, considering Sakura's condition, only Naruto and Sasuke would be around to fend off any other attackers, which is not enough."
I barely acknowledge the following looks of surprise and glare originating from my two teammates, too busy not being able to breathe properly. No. No, I can't stay here. Don't make me stay here. Kakashi saw my horrified gaze, watched my lips form a silent 'no', and then glanced away as though he'd seen nothing. "Staying here will also allow us to better protect you, mystery man Naruto picked up."
There was a muffled grunt from inside one of the tents before the flap swung to the side, Tazuna shuffling into the open with a meek look at having been caught listening to our discussion and wince as he moved. "Konoha ninja, right?" He rasped, Naruto jumping to his feet to presumably help the man when he then stumbled although hesitating, anxious gaze flicking to me. "Don't worry, this old man can handle himself," Tazuna muttered before realizing the hypocrisy of his statement and wheezing out a pathetic laugh. He slumped down onto the ground with a loud thump, groaning at the pain the movement granted him.
Thoughts from earlier threatened to force themselves back into existence although they were effectively slaughtered by other more pressing ones; we're staying, oh god, we're not going back to Konoha, I'm going to die.
"Tazuna. I'm the main guy behind that bridge we're building to connect to the Land of Fire. Which is also why that bastard Gatō wants me dead," he explained, finishing with loud, spluttering coughs.
"The bridge…" Orihae's eyes flashed with recognition, no doubt recalling when we'd passed by it on our way to the Land of Waves. I could see Kakashi putting the pieces together, visible eye narrowing.
"You saved my life back there, and for a price too high for an old boy like me by the sounds of it," Tazuna continued, sincerity clear in his coarse voice. "I...I can't offer you much in return but if you need a place to stay then my daughter and I would be more than happy to put you up for as long as you need. Gatō knows where it is, however, it'll beat staying out here in the mist."
No.
"We're unlikely to be attacked for a few days at least so it doesn't matter if Gatō knows where we are exactly," Kakashi informed the man, seeming to seriously consider his offer.
No.
Sasuke was looking at me though with this kind of muted alarm and I hadn't even noticed my breathing had gotten this erratic, unable to drag it back to normal. Kakashi, who seemed to have been visibly ignoring my distress until now, spoke again. "It seems we have a slight disagreement in our team. Please excuse Sakura and me for a while; in the meantime, pack up and get ready to move." The jōnin told them all with hardly any tact at all, heaving himself with some effort to his feet.
For a split second, I wanted to refuse to go with him.
Then his hand rested on my good shoulder and it was no longer my choice.
As I stood, everyone else started moving too, beginning to take down the tents whilst Kakashi steered me a far enough distance away so people couldn't hear us but were still in view. Once we stopped, there were a few seconds of quiet filled only with the sound of my attempts to regulate my breathing before Kakashi spoke. "What's wrong, Sakura?"
He knew exactly what was wrong.
I felt a short rush of anger mixed in with the terror that was squeezing my throat tight because I didn't want to play this game. I didn't want to have to explain to him why this was my nightmare come to life, didn't want to have to crawl through the memories in order to tell him why I was a mess, didn't want to acknowledge that the fear was enough for my jōnin-sensei to finally ask what the hell was wrong with me-
"I was going to die."
The words were practically squeezed from my mouth. They hung in the air in front of me, bold and daunting. Because that's all I'd done yesterday, stare death in the face. It had been there when the Demon Brothers had attacked, hovering when I saw the poison, leering when the mist and Zabuza had come, laughing when Takasago had died and glaring when I'd faced the swordsman head on.
In that moment I realized too that I didn't feel sad about Takasago's death, not really. I hadn't known the woman at all, merely skimmed the surface of her personality and character in the few days I'd spent with her. The closest thing that came to grief about the whole thing was the fact she'd had no last words, no final goodbye to the woman she'd died to save, no last message, nothing. It was where the lack of finality towards her death came from.
And I'd done the same thing to that Demon Brother, killed him before he'd even managed to scream.
Kakashi's gaze was heavy on me. "But you didn't." I opened my mouth to rebuke, to say how close I'd been, to declare it was luck and the fault of miracles that I was still breathing, however, he didn't give me the chance. "Sakura, I will be brutally honest with you right now so listen carefully." His voice took on a more brisk and stern tone. "When you were separated from the group I was around thirty percent certain you would die then. And, when you ran at Zabuza, around ninety-five. However, you are alive. Even more so, you saved not only me but the rest of our team."
"I was just lucky," I half choked out the words I'd wanted to say earlier. And luck won't save me again. If we stay, I will die.
His gaze got heavier. "There is a point where modesty becomes an insult not just to yourself but others. Zabuza, an A-rank missing-nin, captured me, a jōnin, out of skill, not luck. For you to say that you then freed me from him because you were 'lucky' is quite the slur."
I flinched, the movement making my shoulder scream. But I was lucky. If I hadn't dropped underwater by accident I would've been completely caught in the explosion-
"Sakura." He repeated my name. "Sakura, look at me." The commanding tone of his voice made my gaze flicker to his face, visible eye narrowed and lips pressed into a serious, firm line. "Against a C-rank ninja like the Demon Brothers perhaps you can argue that luck was a factor in your victory, but there is no such argument for that against an A-rank. You are alive because you are skilled. Had this been five or so years ago, your actions would have constituted for a field promotion without any question of whether you really deserved it. And now, if we are to encounter Zabuza again, I would consider your chances of dying at around seventy percent."
It sounded like a large number. And it was because, realistically, Zabuza would always come out on top against me, no question about it. But the increase of my chances of survival from five to thirty was also an incredibly big leap.
It was the difference between certain death and fairly likely death. A difference my mind was already beginning to cling to for comfort.
"I'm not saying your fear is unjustified," Kakashi's voice then became a little softer. "Fear is what drives even the best of us to survive. But, if you allow this to continue, Sakura, it won't be the fight that kills you."
Ironically, his last words were what caused the largest bolt of terror so far.
I wrestled it down however (thirty-percent, thirty-percent, thirty-percent), and was rewarded with the most honest smile I'd seen yet. "You did a good job back there. I'm very proud of you."
There was a bloom of pride within the other swirling, uncomfortable emotions. I'd been starved for a very long time of people being genuinely impressed by me and praising my efforts. I don't think I would've even noticed had any of the praise offered to me been real anyway because it hadn't ever been a true testament of my abilities. So it felt...good to be told I'd done well, regardless of how patronizingly the praise had been delivered and the situation it was being given in.
"Now, do you still object to our plan of action?" Kakashi then asked, grip on my shoulder tightening.
I paused before answering. Getting back up was important. If we were to head off without calling for them then Kakashi would be able to move, however, Zabuza would take him down easily considering he hadn't time to properly recover. It wouldn't matter that we were closer to said backup as we'd only be able to move as fast as our slowest members, which were civilians. A distance like that was easily made up by a ninja of Zabuza's caliber.
Staying wasn't exactly good either, but it meant we could plan properly for the attack. We could set up traps, create diversions, fight in a terrain we knew. And we'd be well rested too from not having had to walk all day.
It was...the lesser of two evils, I begrudgingly admitted to myself.
(Thirty-percent, thirty-percent, thirty-percent.)
"No," I answered Kakashi, then more firmly, "No. I...agree with it."
He smiled again, although this time more ruefully. His eyes flickered to everyone else and, upon seeing they were still packing up, raised his voice again. "After your first kill, you are expected to see one of the counselors."
"I don't want to." The words came out this time without me having to force them from my mouth.
Kakashi sighed and patted my shoulder. "I expected so." He sounded almost sad about it. Regretful, with hints of nostalgia. "Don't worry, I won't force you to go. If I did I'm certain you'd just lie to them and regress into a worse state because of it." I couldn't stop myself from flinching at his correct assessment, biting back the wince of pain. "However, I will offer you the compromise of talking to me about it when we get back to Konoha. I don't think the Hokage will be happy about it though…" Another sigh but this time it was lighter, tinged with amusement.
I raised an eyebrow despite myself. "Why ever would that be, sensei?"
"Ah, back to your usual self I see."
The smile hurt my face.
No more than five minutes later everything had been packed away, there almost being no sign that we had been there in the first place save the few pieces of ash and flattened grass. Kakashi nodding approvingly at this, although there was a sense of him only really valuing the job as 'good enough'. Pushing himself off of my shoulder, he stepped forwards on shaky legs, biting his thumb before running through the hand signs with blinding speed. He then slammed his hand into the ground, black writing scrawling out across the dirt only to be obscured by the puff of smoke.
A dog that somewhat resembled that of a greyhound emerged from the smoke, bandages wrapped around their head and neck and fur an auburn colour with white patches. "Hey, Kakashi, you don't look so good," they announced in a slightly concerned voice, Tazuna taking a moment to stare at the dog that had just spoken. Naruto looked equally surprised but why I didn't know.
Then again, it wasn't like he'd have paid attention in the summons class we had back in the Academy.
"I have had better days, Ūhei," the jōnin admitted, considerably more wobbly on his feet than before. I wondered if he was going to faint again since summons were meant to eat away quite a lot at your chakra, although chakra exhaustion could be pretty relative. What was small for Kakashi would probably do fine just by me. "I need you to get to the nearest Konoha outpost and request backup for my team, fast."
Ūhei glanced past him, gaze passing over Naruto, Sasuke and me thoughtfully. "Oh, so these are the pups you've taken on?" The dog wrinkled their nose. "They smell awful."
Naruto twitched. Sasuke glared. I thought their assessment was pretty fair.
"Don't be mean," Kakashi chided a little faintly, wobbling again. "This is urgent. Tell them the mission has been upgraded from a C to an A-rank."
The dog looked mildly surprised. "No wonder they're in such a terrible state. You do need to solve that habit of throwing people into the deep end, Kakashi."
"It wasn't my fault," the man replied almost defensively. "Now get a move on."
"Right, right…" Ūhei shot one last look at my teammates and I before scampering off fast, leaving a dust trail in his wake.
Kakashi shook his head, smiling at a joke no one other than himself had quite gotten. "Dogs."
He then collapsed onto the ground again.
"Father!" Tsunami practically threw herself at Tazuna, tears flooding down her face as the older man yelped in pain and surprise. "Oh thank god, I thought- I thought you were…!"
"Tsunami," Tazuna closed his eyes as he awkwardly patted his daughter on the back, smiling. "It's okay. I'm home now."
The woman pulled back, still crying but expression fraught with anxiety. "But how- how did you-" She cut off upon seeing the crowd of Naruto's carrying Kakashi, the jōnin giving a faint wave in response.
"These Konoha ninja helped me," Tazuna explained, stepping to the side to allow the Narutos to enter, all of them offering their own greetings to the now flabbergasted Tsunami. "They needed a place to stay along with their clients." His face then morphed into one of regret, eyes flickering to the floor. "They saved my life, but in doing so, one of their clients…"
Tsunami poked her head back around the door to see the group of women accompanied by Sasuke and me. She looked horrified by the awful state we must have been in, staring for a few moments before snapping back to reality and furiously wiping her tears away. "Oh, of course, they- please, come in, I'll run a bath and get you something to eat right away."
Ukihashi smiled at her although it did nothing to alleviate the sad air that clung to her. "Thank you," she half whispered as she passed by Tsunami, the rest of the women murmuring their own thanks when they followed. I entered the house after them, Sasuke being the last to pass through the door.
Once inside, I resisted the urge to wince at how cramped the house was, it only being further emphasized by how many people had been crammed into the room. Tsunami maneuvered around us all to get to one of the Narutos who was asking where Kakashi should be dropped off, Tazuna rasping out his own instructions to Ukihashi as to where they should go. Sasuke and I stood somewhat awkwardly in the doorway as the chaos was slowly taken control of, watching as cushions were pulled out and futons grabbed from cupboards. The Uchiha was then recruited to help set up said futons, leaving Tazuna and me alone in the kitchen/entrance.
"A day and a half, huh?" The man croaked, having at some point acquired a bottle of sake and sitting with his back to a wall.
I thought about Zabuza, the man that was still out there, alive, and baying for our blood. Then I considered the dog that Kakashi had sent off running and that percentage (thirty-percent, thirty-percent, thirty-percent).
You can say that again.
Extra: The ripple that caused the tsunami
(Kizashi's eyebrows shot up. "Land of Waves?" At my curious glance, his face morphed into a thoughtful expression. "I used to do a lot of business with people in that country. It's a small place but their shipping industry was incredible. A year or so ago though some big business guy started working there and I thought it was best not to encroach on his territory. But it was strange since he started gaining a lot of money but the Land of Waves became poorer and poorer. Well, there is an economic depression going on in a couple of countries though so it's not surprising." He shrugged before leaning forwards to ruffle my hair.
The seed of suspicion was still visible in his eyes, however. He'd been trained as a ninja after all and was a well-known merchant. If anyone would be able to see hints of immoral dealings going on in the Land of Waves then it would be him.
-Chapter 11)
Kizashi sighed deeply, an uncharacteristically serious expression gracing features accustomed to easy-going smiles and laughter. A map on the Land of Waves was rolled out on his desk and in his hand a letter, logo in the right-hand corner proudly boasting 'The Gatō Company'. It had been written on expensive paper, Kizashi could tell by merely looking at it, and with long, pretty words, but the sneering threat of the message at its core was not lost on the man.
Get out of the Land of Waves before you piss me off.
Running a hand through his hair, Kizashi leaned back in his chair. He wasn't stupid. Whatever Gatō was planning to do in the Land of Waves was undoubtedly going to be a hideous mess of illegal and immoral activities. Kizashi had never had the pleasure of meeting the billionaire himself but people whispered and all good merchants kept an ear out for such whispering. Gatō was never and would never be a good man. Of course, he was a brilliant businessman, Kizashi would give him that much, however, he was far from a paragon of virtue.
Along with the means to back up whatever threats he made.
Kizashi didn't like it but he was going to have to sever all his business ties with the Land of Waves. He could, of course, try to fight back and hire Konoha-nin to ensure Gatō couldn't physically hurt him or any of his workers. However, Gatō would just attack him in other ways. Konoha-nin might have been great to have on your side in a fight but they were hardly that useful in a battle of the legal kind when Gatō would inevitably pull some ridiculous laws out of his ass to kick Kizashi out of the Land of Waves for good.
He cast his eyes back to his desk, to the map which had one corner obscured by another letter. He'd been on the verge of actually carrying out some business with a man in the Land of Waves. And by on the verge, he meant that the wares were all boxed up and the money was going to have been exchanged within that week! God, he was going to have to cancel this all now-
"I'm home."
Kizashi sat up straight at the sound of his daughter's voice, lips automatically stretching into a smile. "Welcome home, Sakura!" He called. "Had a good day at school?" There was a non-committal noise in reply, making his smile widen even more.
A thought suddenly struck him of the man he was doing business with. He had a young son (or was it a step-son?) a bit younger than his own daughter. Kizashi prided himself on not allowing his emotions to entirely dictate his business choices but...
Grabbing a pen and a piece of paper, Kizashi began to write his apology to The Gatō Company, that their letter had arrived just that bit too late to stop him from finalizing that deal with that man in the Land of Waves.
(He could not of known the future he'd spun from that one choice based on emotion alone. That a family in the Land of Waves would acquire just that little bit more money than they were supposed to. That just that little bit more money would result in an old man staying just that little while longer with his family because they weren't quite desperate enough yet to go lie to Konoha-nin for help. That staying just that little while longer would mean Gatō's patience with the old man wearing thin whilst he was still in the Land of Waves rather than the Land of Fire. That with Gatō's main roadblock to his complete control over the small country finally out of the way he'd seek to hire a group of prostitutes to celebrate, who in turn would hire Konoha-nin themselves to complete the journey safely.
All because his daughter Sakura came straight home from school that day instead of staying out later with her friends like she was supposed to.)
Edit: Included that extra to explain butterfly effect! At one point I'll try to integrate this into the main part of the fic but for now it'll just exist as an extra. But yeah, Kizashi in this fic has been stated to have a direct connection to the Land of Waves so that's how Sakura affected things over there. Sakura's anti-social nature doomed them all lmao
Ankokutoshi or ankoku-toshi no jutsu is a real technique that was said to be used by ninja to use in the dark. Thought that was an interesting little tidbit to include
OH GOD THIS CHAPTER WAS AWFUL TO WRITE
I hope it came out even semi-okay? I rewrote it like four times and I'm still a bit uugh about it
I also hope the reasoning as to why they aren't moving makes sense too? I'm very willing to discuss with people why it might not be though so I can alter accordingly if need be!
I'm excited about the upcoming chapters though. We're making a dip back into canon territory with them staying at Tazuna's house but, with back up being called for and Sakura mentioning how they're going to try and use the terrain to their advantage, we're going to have some (hopefully) interesting fights soon :)
Review Question: Is Kakashi really being honest in his talk with Sakura about how skilled she is? Or is he just saying it to give her the mental fortitude to keep on going?
There was definitely an element of luck to Sakura's fight against Zabuza no matter what Kakashi says, however, I'd say he does genuinely believe her to be of chūnin rank, so he's not entirely lying.