Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.
Chapter Thirteen: Training begins
"SIR,YES SIR!" A group of young voices echoed.
Men marched up and down the encampment stirring up dry dirt in their wake. Women washed clothes and furs while chiding boisterous children. Small parties of archers, trackers and gatherers took to the surrounding rocky forests for small game and herbs.
Sasuke looked around the encampment of his army. It was pitiful in its current state. Women and children lived among the mercenaries, they had their own little families, and wanderer families who were taken in on the promise their sons would join the fighters.
Stood before him were the boys who would join and fight, young minds he could taint. Orochimaru had told his to befriend the older members but Sasuke was in no mood to feign friendships not to mention the mind of the old were set in their ways, the young could easily change. He would not listen to the snake, he would do it his way.
"Who is your master?" Sasuke asked them this time. He had been testing their loyalties this morning. The boys seemed confused on how to answer this, most questions were answered simple yes sir or no sir.
"Shinta Chitenshi-sama" They all said hesitantly.
"WRONG. Chitenshi-san is the highest watari-kashi (mercenary fighter), I am your master. I decide whether you all live or die, and that means I control whether your Chitenshi-san lives or dies. I pay for your survival, the clothes on your back and the shoes on your feet. Do you understand?" This wasn't entirely true seeing as the Orochimaru was hiring them but the children went along with it. What did they know?
"SIR, YES SIR!"
"A thousand push-ups, now." Sasuke told them devoid of emotion. They had been training since they were tiny but could only do a few hundred, even the adults could not do that many. The children hesitated before Sasuke snapped at them.
"Only those who succeed will get a chance to join the ranks of the Fumetsu army. Those who fail will be sent away with their families."
Sasuke's blood red eyes scanned over them, taking note of the slackers. "No cheating, I'll know." He smirked slightly and let out a quiet yet bone chilling laugh as the slackers speed up to get on the same number of pushes as the others.
He didn't know when the leader Shinta Chitenshi, a man not much older than himself, would return. Only that the longer he was gone, the better. He needed time to turn their fears into loyalty and he had yet to even instil fear into the adults. That would have to wait until he knew exactly how long Shinta would be gone for.
He couldn't have the leader walking in on his display of fire and lighting, destruction and tests of the warriors, could he?
"Hahahaha!" The sweet laugher of Yamatori filled the air. Sakura was overpowering Shinta. Their blades were locked and despite his physical strength he was being pushed back. It was clear on his face that he was not holding back, he was using everything he had.
It was morning, the birds were singing along with Yamatori's chimes of laughter. The day wasn't necessarily warm but it was bright and sunny. The two were high spirited and giving it their all. A few fist fights had erupted as well when either Shinta or Sakura managed to get their swords away from each other.
Yamatori's delight towards her ward turned to shock. Sakura twisted her sword underneath his and sent his katana flying into the tree Yamatori was perched in. She squawked angrily but continued watching in wonderment to see what she would do next. She threw her sword in a downwards arc, just in the knick of time he rolled over and got a broken branch, she came down on him again. Fast enough to catch him but light enough so that she didn't cut him open. Because of the weak power behind it, the branch stopped the swing yet still made him fall backwards on to the floor. She almost rolled on top of him and secured him down but he put his foot on her stomach and threw her backwards as he rolled.
Sakura landed perfectly on her feet. Her green eyes blazing as if a jade fire had been lit in her orbs. She charged at him, ready to punch him. He got up in one quick movement but noticed something. Her fist. It had a calm green glow about it, but he knew there was nothing calm about her attack. That hand was filled with chakra.
Yamatori saw this too.
"FUYUKO-SAMA STOP!" She trilled.
This gave Sakura some hesitation but she couldn't stop now only slow down. Her hesitation gave Shinta time to move just as she came forward. Sakura toppled forward now Shinta had moved, she had been going at quite a high speed. There was a tree in front, which she would probably hit face first, not that she could see it yet somehow she knew it was there. Like all her other senses could tell her what her eyes could not. She could feel her energized fist, she had to let it loose. Deciding it would be better to hit the tree with her hand than her face she threw her punch at it.
Just an ordinary punch with her puny muscles, yet the after affect was disastrous. The tree splintered into millions of little fragments. Sakura brought her arms around her head and turned her back to the impact, crouching to minimise the damage. She could feel the sharp splinters digging into her skin. They had gone through the clothes on her back.
Sakura always wore her scroll now, as part of her attire. She couldn't just leave it around anymore. She was thankful for this since the scroll seemed to be resistant to attacks. It felt perfectly intact and the place where it resided on her back seemed to be clear of splinters. She couldn't say the same for the back of her arms, back and butt.
"Oww" Sakura moaned. "What the hell was that?"
"We don't know, you tell us." Yamatori stated as she flew next to her.
"I think I got a few splinters myself, damn they're in deep." Shinta pulled one out while grimacing. It was long and two thirds of it were coated in blood.
"It looked like you brought chakra to your fist to enhance the strength, albeit not very accurately." Yamatori told them. If she channelled it properly she could probably crush a few boulders.
"I didn't realise I was doing it." Sakura said as she got up slowly "a-ah ouch." She bent back down into her former position.
"The splinter are pretty deep, I'll carry you."
"Where to? Can't you just take them out here?"
"It would be more effective if I could wash out the wounds then heal them." He said as though she should know wounds were meant to be sanitized before closing them up.
"Oh yeah" Sakura said rather lamely. Puncture wounds may be prone to infection depending on the depth of penetration. The entry of puncture wound is left open to allow for bacteria or debris to be removed from inside. For simple puncture wounds, cleaning can be accomplished using a number of different solutions, including tap water, sterile saline solution, or an antiseptic solution, such as hydrogen peroxide. Experienced medical ninja can sanitize would by killing bacteria with highly concentrated chakra. Information once again entered her head.
Was I a doctor once or was I just a fighter who knew about healing jutsu, similar to Shinta? Was I good at it? Sakura decided she would want Shinta to help her discover if she knew how to heal, not now but at some point in the future.
"Here, I'll take you to water tent." Shinta picked her up bridal style, her legs were fine but he could feel his right arm pushing in on some splinters.
"ARGH SHINTA!" She seethed not daring to move encase it inflict more pain to her person.
He laughed his shy or perhaps hesitant laugh. "Sorry."
"Coming Yama?" He asked the dove-like bird which he knew to be a monstrous sized summon. Yamatori bristled at the nickname which literally meant 'mountain'. It didn't quite have the grace that 'mountain bird' did.
"Such a distasteful name." She mumbled as she flew by them "The large blue tent with all the pipes, I presume?" Shinta nodded and the white bird flew towards it to wait on the roof.
It was the only tent that had running water, it would be a pain to install the pipes to every single private tent. It was used for showers, toilets, drinking water and washing water. The waste would go into a built in tank that had been installed numerous years ago. It was all very old fashioned but better than going outside to do your washing or to walk to a well to get drinking water.
Most places that were situated outside a town had these tanks or water hook up points which the travelling show had arranged for to make life easier.
Shinta took Sakura into the back section of the tent where the sinks and toilets were, he was about to go into the men's room when Sakura piped up. "I can't go in there!"
"Why?" Shinta asked blankly "Oh, sorry." He just stood there until he said "I can't go in the women's room though."
It all seemed rather silly really, the only divide between the two was paper thin boards. Yamatori flew in and went inside the women's room then stuck her head out again. "There's no one in here. What's the problem?"
Shinta signed not moving, as if debating.
"Just go! My backs killing me!" Sakura yelled after the muted silence and Shinta obeyed. "If any of the older women see me in here they'll kill me, do you know how old fashioned they are?"
"Well it's not like I've been living here weeks and weeks or anything." Sakura said thick with sarcasm, she knew how they were. No cutting hair, girls can't wear trousers or shorts, no relationships with outsiders, she had heard Eno, Yenyen, Ami and Rinata tell her. She was sure there was a lot more that she didn't care to abide by.
"Where could that pinkette be?" Eno drawled impatiently. The four girls wandered around in their normal attire of v-necked dresses and a white yukata shirts. They hadn't had much to do this morning and less people were visiting seeing as they had been at this spot for around a month.
"Maybe she's in the water tent" Yenyen offered. "C'mon lets go check, we haven't looked there yet" She said while walking backwards and looking at them all.
"Why would she be there?" Eno dead panned while checking her nails, arm and fingers outstretched before her in judgement.
"Oh I dunno, maybe to shower?" Yenyen retorted sarcastically.
"Then she'll turn up eventually, when she's done" Ami told the two "And it's not like we need to talk to her right now."
"But I want to see Fuyuko-chan." Yenyen pouted
"Yenyen wants to see Fuyuko-chan in the shower pahaha." Eno sang and snorted while laughing which made Yenyen flush scarlet. A slight blush came to Rinata's face in embarrassment.
"I didn't mean like t-!" Yenyen was cut off by Ami saying "Look!" and pointing
"W-what is it?" Rinata asked.
"I just saw a dove fly into the water tent."
The girls had seen various animals like tigers and elephants that lived in the wheeled cages but never a dove. The water tent was a little way down but close enough for them to be bothered to catch sight of their interest. They went into it, it was still quite early and only a few people were in there.
"I wonder where it could have gone." Ami said.
"Are you sure you didn't just imagine it?" Eno asked with one perfectly plucked eyebrow up.
"It couldn't have gotten out, it's probably at the back."
They went to the back were the single unit toilets were, most people used the larger rest-room which had lots of toilets and was more accessible, so it was pretty empty on this side.
The girls looked at the tent roof to see if the dove had perched there as they walked down the rectangular tent. Then they froze.
"AH UHHH STOP!"
They each stood still and looked at each other, it was Sakura's voice.
"It's Fuyuko-chan!" Eno whispered franticly.
"Shh" Ami hushed quietly.
"I-is she okay?" Rinata's barely inaudible voice sounded.
"What should we d-" Yenyen began but was cut off by Sakura in the woman's room.
"Ahh... OW SHINTA!" She moaned.
Shinta? The four girls simultaneously thought.
"Calm down, someone will hear you." Shinta soothed quieter than her but just as strained.
"It hurts!" She said angrily.
"It's because it's in so deep." He said, getting agitated himself.
"It's because you're not doing it right." Sakura moaned in pain while Shinta murmured something about having done it more times than she ever would.
"Look will you just slow down, no one's going to catch you in here with me." Sakura tried to calm him down. Shinta just grunted in response.
"I'll slow down if you stop wiggling so much." He had to be quick or else she would move and anyway, the quicker he did it the sooner she would be in less pain.
"AHH SHI-" Shinta had put his hand over Sakura's mouth to prevent her from screaming out again but she bit him."GET OFF!"
"LET ME GET IT OUT FIRST!" He growled back.
"HURRY UP!" She buzzed.
"I'll pull it out slowly this time" He said with a smirk.
"I hate you." She said jokingly but with a serious tone.
"Okay I'm done." Shinta declared.
"My God, it feels so raw."
The audience of four girls were beetroot red and stood still in shock. They discarded their earlier plans of finding the dove or friend and silently walked away as if they hadn't seen... or rather heard anything.
"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up... your back's all slimy, ew...lift up your shirt... a bit more..." Shinta said hesitantly and it was the last thing the girls heard of the conversation.
"Tsunade-sama..."
"Yes Shizune?
"Sakura still hasn't returned" Shizune looked at Tsunade-sama with furrowed brows. Tsuande frowned unhappily out the window, pausing in her paperwork.
"I know."
It had been two months and 1 day since they had seen her. Naruto had bound in happily yesterday asking if she was back yet.
"We'll give her a week." Tsunade said before starting to write again. She trusted her pupil would return unharmed within a week. Just as the thought had entered her head a konoha-nin entered the room via the window.
"Hokage-sama, an unknown ninja wishes to speak to you." The ninja told her suspiciously.
"What hidden village does he hail from?" She said while still writing.
"He belongs to no village, a clan on the border of Spring." Her head looked up, that was were Sakura had gone.
"Bring him here." She said sharply.
The ninja and the unknown ninja came back a few minutes later, through the door this time.
The unknown ninja, had long white hair and eyes almost silver looking. He had a strong jaw and piecing eyes that reminded Tsunade of a wolf. He bowed down before her.
"Please, you may rise." Tsunade said impatiently then looked to the Konoha nin and flickered her eyes to the door indicating he should leave. He left silently.
"Where do you come from and what is your name?"
"I'm from an old ninja clan that resides at the base of Matsu mountain on the borders of Spring country. My name is Ookami Ensuki, I have come with terrible news."
Tsunade knew that he was going to talk about Sakura but she didn't want to hear it. Terrible? What could that be, where was she? The man before her almost looked... sorry, yet what could make a total stranger to the leaf feel sorry.
"What. News." Tsunade bit out, her teeth clamped together and her fists balled, she would have to keep her cool and not start throwing desks to whatever news he had.
"A girl wearing your village's insignia entered our compound with one of our members. Apparently she had helped him walk there and had protected a painting of one of our ancestor. She wanted to sign the summoning scroll which was forbidden for outsiders. Our leader... Tansor, he would allow her to sign it if she defeated the strongest member of the clan, it happened to be the old man she had helped. She defeated him. Tansor had not thought this possible and quickly retracted the offer, saying only members of the clan could sign it. It turned out the old man was the girls grandfather. This meant the girl was the descendant of Momo, her grandmother and so she was the rightful heir. Tansor was not happy with this, when she had finished making the contract with the great summon, Tansor attacked her." And I did too... "It was a fierce battle and she was outnumbered, she was blinded and the fight was by the cliff side. It was unstable... she fell to her death." We never found her body but it was probably taken by the river... Ookami frowned and kept his eyes to the floor, he was ashamed he had helped in her death, blindly following Tansor.
It was better he not tell the Hokage his part in it, it would be best to say everyone who had helped in her death was dead too.
"BULLSHIT." Tsunade roared at him, slightly shaking.
"You walked into here with a LIMP? Tell me HOW did you get a LIMP?" Tsunade pointed at him, her eyes seething with rage. It would be best to tell the truth.
"I was attacked by an Akatsuki member who was in the area." He said it and looked her in the eye. Tsunade could tell her was being truthful, but he was hiding something from her. Sure Sakura could give him a permanent limp with her chakra fists but so could an Akatsuki.
"What are you hiding?" She said quietly but just as scary. Ookami stayed silent, the atmosphere in the room got heavier.
"WHAT are you HIDING?" she said again. Ookami's eye's seemed to water and tremble slightly. He knelt down again as though he wasn't worthy to be alive.
"I'm so sorry what happened to Sakura. She was our rightful heir. I was Tansor's second in command. I didn't know he planned on killing her, but it was too late to stop him from hurting her and then the cliff... It just crumbled and she fell."
Tsunade froze, the anger going through her was so heated yet it froze her to the spot as she looked down at the kneeling man. He had called her Sakura? He had learnt her name, he had felt remorse at her death yet it was his fault.
"What of the others?"
"Others?" He looked up.
"It couldn't have just been you and your leader whom killed my pupil."
"The Akatsuki member killed them and Tansor, almost me as well."
That's what should have happened Tsunade though harshly. "What did the Akatsuki member look like?" Tsunade asked with narrowed eyes.
"I don't remember, he had a black coat with red clouds, dark hair... Oh. Red eyes. They were swirling, monstrous, blood-curdling eyes." Ookami recalled.
Itachi. If he did one good thing for this village, this would be it. Kind of ironic that he would be killing off family murderers though. Maybe when he's done with that he'll be a good boy and top himself Tsunade thought darkly. She was in no mood for nice thoughts, Sakura was dead and the only person alive with a hand in it was in front of her.
"You may leave now. Never return." Tsunade told him curtly with no emotion. He was lucky she wasn't strangling him with his own intestines right now.
He bowed and took his leave.
A while after he had left, Shizune dared look up to speak to her Shishou.
"Tsu-" She cut herself off, Tsunade was sobbing silently and motionless. Her face a picture of grief, grief kept inside her for years, guilt she couldn't shed. Her eyes were glazed over like glass and Shizune could see she was not here, she was somewhere else, in a different time, replaying over and over the death of her loved ones.
The skin on her hands and face, albeit taut and young, looked... old, as they were shaking and thin. They gripped her mouth forcefully to stop her from crying out for her student. Shizune didn't know if Tsunade could cope with this news.
She had sent the Ensuki ninja away, it was a months walk away. He would be walking for two months straight just to deliver the news and go back. She couldn't blame Tsunade for telling him to go without rest, she was quite surprised she hadn't ordered him to be hanged or something extravagant while in her infuriated mood. The fact that it was a months walk away meant Sakura had left this earth for a while already.
A tear pricked at Shizune's eye. She was finally beginning to take it in like Tsunade. Sakura was dead.