Immortal's Daughter

Chapter 25: the first steps in fighting back

Koomahana

When you sit alone,

Meditate on your faults

In conversation

Do not discuss the faults of others

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine; you want the real stuff get off this site

Thoughts

Paragraphs are flashbacks

…

…

It had been one week since he discovered Sakura Haruno's true identity and with every visit he paid her, he became more and more convinced that she was not the lunatic child the deranged follower they found several years ago described her to be. Sakura was everything they had prayed her to be, solidifying his desire to keep her a secret from the council; the only doubt he held came from the letter they retained from Ami Nanami's apartment. Ren was that lunatic woman they retained several years ago, the same lunatic who described the harbinger of Armageddon, and now that woman was their only hope to save the child who was everything her people hated most. Upon the last blood moon of the year, standing in the crimson light shining upon her birth right, the little girl the village adored would become a host to a monster. Ren said that their Hime was only the host, a sign of what was to come, the little girl they raised for the moment up on her tenth year would die and be completely possessed from soul to body by a creature of another world.

A creature Ren called 'Jashin', the master of death

Hiruzen sighed as he stared out his window, watching a small black cloaked figure walk down the main road of his village, heading straight for the main gate. He should've argued more with the child leaving on her own for special training with two very well hidden clans but her reasons for going alone were valid if not alarming. No child, even one in the advanced class, should know the whole and complete story of connections between the five hidden villages, nor should that child be able to come up with the plan to convince those two hidden clans to join the hidden leaf.

Kumo and Mizu are going to throw a fit, Hiruzen thought with a heavy sigh, turning back to look at his desk. There sitting innocently on his desk, was a large scroll containing a suicidal but highly descriptive mission briefing. Her mission would not only take her out of the village but also into enemy territory, it was a mission that was S-class easy and not something a pre-genin child should do. Hell, a child shouldn't even be on it and yet, she was the only one who could complete the mission to some degree of success. Still, that didn't make it right, he wanted her to be with someone, a person who would protect her at whatever cost but wouldn't throw their lives away for nothing, nor could he allow someone who would belatedly disrespect her or not head her orders. If he sent someone with her, they would have to respect her position as leader and listen to her orders without qualm. Hiruzen looked back at the slowly walking figure far below him; a heavy sigh escaped him as the bright moon light engulfed the figure, making them appear to be a haunting visage of a ghost from long ago.

Still, Hiruzen couldn't help but to wonder if he was making a mistake sending that little girl off so soon

"Tenzo," he felt his guard enter the office and slid into a kneeling position in front of his desk, "I take it you are aware of her intentions?"

"Yes sir," curt and short, sharp like a kunai knife to the back

"You are not happy?" he asked, the young man didn't answer him, his silence answer enough, "I have a mission for you to complete."

"Sir?" Tenzo questioned, voice soft, a frown undoubtedly twisting his features

"You are the only one besides myself who is aware of every detail pertaining to the current war at hand," Hiruzen said, "you know everything pertaining to Haruno-chan, Nanami-chan and Ren-san. You are also aware of the cult, the theory of the crimson moons, and the true strength of Sakura Haruno. Correct?"

"Yes sir," Tenzo murmured, as if he wasn't sure what the point was

Kami-sama, Hiruzen prayed as he rose to his feet, please protect that child.

"You're mission is simple, this is for you to use to protect her," he turned and set the small navy scroll down on his desk in front of the teen, then held up a single black scroll, "Should Sakura Haruno be touched by the light of the crimson moon, use this to kill her."

…

…

It had been a week since she received the pendent from her teammate, the daily visits from her Kage was her only source of communication to the outside world, he was kind enough to inform her of some of the more classified secrets of their new war and true importance of the crimson moon. Like how the book was right about the last bloody moon being the final key in bringing a demon to life that would destroy the entirety of the world, however the sacrifice for the demon couldn't just be any random girl off the street; the sacrifice had to be a specially trained kunochi hailing from a certain bloodline. The woman who took Ami believed her to be that kunochi, the lost princess of a clan long since forgotten, that was why the woman took Ami; because Ami was supposed to be the one to be possessed by a demon. She was supposed to let her body get possessed by a demon and let her soul get ripped apart until it no longer existed, she wouldn't even get the chance to be reincarnated (as some people still believe in such things). The Hokage even told her about how that woman was wrong, how their information didn't match up with hers and how they knew that Ami wasn't this long lost princess of a family long since dead; the woman was going to kill and destroy Ami for nothing. So when the week came to a close, Hiruzen double checked with her doctors about her health and approved her leaving the village to undergo the mission they both agreed would actually help in saving Ami and giving them the upper hand in the war. To keep her from scaring the ever living hell out of her parents, Hiruzen had one of his agents (one of her guards actually) to go shopping for her, retrieving important supplies and clothes that she would need for the travel. he also allowed her to have one last meeting with her clan head, even if she wasn't truly a Haruno, no one else knew that, she had to make sure the wiry and tiered woman wouldn't have a panic attack when she realized that Sakura was gone; the woman was Kizashi's younger sister after all. As Sakura thought and had warned her Kage about, there was of course a fight, Kai was still angry about his lose to Sasuke and still adamant that Sakura was still not ready to take a journey on her own.

The fight ended in a drawl but they both learned something from it, Sakura wouldn't give up and Kai couldn't stop her, no one could

So now, one week after she woke up from her coma, Sakura found herself dressed in a long black cloak with its possibly too wide hood draped over head to hide her hair and face, giving her the appearance of a shadow walking through the night. She existed the kage tower silently, she looked around herself carefully. She was so used to it being a bustling, loud, headache producing annoyance that it was downright creepy seeing it silent like the grave. Deeming it safe, though disarming, she took a few steps forward and stopped. She spun on her heel and held a kunai knife up at the defensive, imminently blocking the silent attack from a senbon chewing Jonin. She relaxed as she faced him, knowing he wouldn't be able to see her face because of the hood, still, her grip tightened on her kunai.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," the man said smirking around his favorite weapon as he stepped out from the shadows from across the street, feeling curious she stepped forward and met him half way in the darkened road. "Mind if I ask a few questions?" the man asked as he stopped, she pulled her weapon behind the cloth of her cloak and nodded, her eyes darted around and deemed the silent street safe enough, there was no certainty that she'd speak but she'd answer some of his questions with nods if she could. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Can you finish this mission of yours in two months?" she shook her head, she'd need travel time, recovery time, location time and convincing time if she found the clans she was seeking. That alone would take at least three weeks just for the one clan, a month if she was lucky, two if she was unlucky. Then she would need to repeat the processes for the second clan on her list. Purfided none of the hidden villages get in her way, then contacting just those two clans she should be able to come back in four if not five months. She only had eleven months to work with, after (if) she could convince the clans to join her village (even if it is temporary) she would be down to seven or six months worth of training. That meant everyone would have just that amount of time to train and increase their skill to beyond that of just Jonin, she doubted even one person in her year could pull that off, never mind the older kids of her year. She did worry that perhaps she was getting her hopes up for nothing. If they didn't join her, then she'd have wasted six to seven months of her time she could've spent training with her friends and getting strong enough to take on Anbu.

She had to have hope that at least one person from those two targeted clans are willing to join her…

She has to hope

"Can you get strong enough to take out a Kage?" he asked next, it was as if he was suddenly unsure of the questions he wanted to ask. She took in a deep breath and let it out in a heavy whoosh, her shoulders slump and her head bowed—that seemed answer enough. "Can you bring back my student before it's too late?" his voice was whisper soft and his face was one of a parent would give when they were sending their child off to the front lines. For a moment Sakura could only stare at him, surprised that he was the one chosen to teach Ami.

"I see," he whispered, he turned with his shoulders slumped and his head bowed low

"I..." her voice was too soft, making her sound more like Hinata then her usual self, "I..." he hesitated, turning slightly to hear her better. "I... I can try," it was as if she hadn't spoken in weeks, her voice sounding almost foreign even to her own ears. He smiled bitterly and nodded his head, while walking away he lifted one hand and formed a fist in the air, as if he was punching the sky. She watched him leave, watching how his green flank jacket slowly turned black and faded into the darkness of the night, swallowing him as if he never existed.

I have to do more than try, she thought, spinning on her heal and looking out at the horizon with determination, I HAVE to bring her back, failure isn't an option. When she finally reached the gates she hesitated, staring curiously at the empty station that was so normally filled with chunin. She knew it was late but that was no excuse to abdomen the most important station of the village, perhaps there were a few Anbu beyond the gates, protecting them in the safety of the trees. She tugged the hood of her cloak further over her head and glanced around quickly, praying no one would jump out from behind a corner and tackle her, trying to keep her within the city. She stepped forward and this time she made it to the edge of border before she heard something behind her, turning she watched in confusion as several dark forms slowly descended down towards her from the far roofs of the homes dozens of paces away. In tune, eight forms landed in front of her, each kneeling with their heads bowed respectfully, as if they were swearing their allegiance. They each slowly rose to their full heights; making her eyes widen at their identities, she never figured they'd break curfew but there was a first for everything.

"Please stay," the closest girl whispered as she lifted familiar teary azure eyes, "please Sakura-chan, stay." She should've figured that her blonde friend would realize that there was something wrong, she was the only one who could sense the entirety of the village thanks to the mini-village they built a few years ago. It was obvious she would recognize her signature and quickly come up with the reason behind her leaving so late at night.

"I have to go," she whispered raising a hand and pulling her hood back to show her long pink hair had been pulled back by a red hair tie, "Someone has to collect the recluses."

"Then let a Jonin do it," her dark haired childhood friend grumbled as he dusted off his knees, "Seriously, you could get killed and that's just troublesome." Of course her best friend would then make contact with their generation's boy genius; it made her briefly wonder how the other's knew and if they contacted the others of their class.

"It's better than not trying at all," Sakura replied with a huff, "and besides, its not like I'm going alone, one of my instructors is going with me." She turned her attention to the older students, her eyes in particular resting on the boy who has argued with her every word about the plan she's created.

Her cousin, Kai Haruno

"We're each representatives of our class year," Kai answered her silent question, clearly still disliking the plan.

"The eighth years are wiry but are willing to train harder if we eventually decide to join you," a familiar looking Uchiha girl smiled, "not that'll it be a problem. Almost all of us eighth years are getting specialized training regiments from Jonins and masters of whatever art we've chosen to specialize in. So though we are unsure for now, if you succeed in your mission, we are bound to follow you upon your return."

"The sixth and seventh years are also wiry with the plan," Neji sighed, "I, myself, still do not agree with it completely. However Hinata-sama has given her orders and I will participate, as will my teammates."

"The others however have not made a final decision," Kai spoke up, making Sakura's eyes snap back to him, "the amount of success you have with your mission will be the deciding factor."

"The majority of us fifth years are already training to increase our speed, dexterity and knowledge to help with the rescue," Shikamaru added, rubbing at his forehead as if to stave off a headache, his brows pinched together in irritation. "since Umeko woke up this morning, we've all decided to keep Riko and Umeko out of the loop. Slightly more difficult with Riko but at least she doesn't know the whole story. They both are considered to be in unstable mental conditions and need the therapy sessions they're being given, that's the main reason we aren't telling them everything." Sakura sighed at the new information but she did understand, if they were in unstable mental states then it was best for them and everyone to keep them out of the loop until lord Hokage deemed it safe enough to inform them.

"Plus a Jonin by the name of Genma is taking them under his wing," Ino added, "I heard he's a master at the emergency teleportation jutsu." Sakura briefly wondered if that was the same Jonin she just spoke with, the one she promised to try to save Ami, despite him not knowing her identity.

"Even Naruto is getting obsessed with his seals lately," Shikamaru yawned sleepily. "I heard Jiraiya-san muttering about how he'll be a master in a year or less. He's even starting to create his own seals now"

"Good," Sakura sighed with a smile, she might be able to use those seals to her advantage when it came time to fighting. Granted the seals were best when prepared beforehand but a true master could use them in the middle of a fight and not get damaged because of it. She had no doubt that Naruto would aide her, he was the one person (other than Ino, Shikamaru and Shino,) she counted on most.

"Do you have to go?" Ino asked softly, suddenly changing the topic back to the original one, "why can't it be someone else?"

"Because," Sakura whispered, staring determinedly into her friend's worried blue eyes, "no one else has the same abilities as I do. I'm the only one who can convince them to join us, even if it is temporary unison." Ino sighed and nodded her head softly, Sakura smiled sadly and turned on her heel, she lifted her hood and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Silence surrounded the group of children as they stared out into the darkness of the forest, watching it like a wolf would watch its young.

"You didn't tell her," Shikamaru said softly, his voice barely even a whisper, "why didn't you tell her about your clan?"

"She doesn't need to know about us," Kai replied calmly, turning sharp azure onto the young heir. "Weather Kizashi-sama has told her of her place or if he chose to remain silent, it is his choice. We should respect his wishes."

"Even though the knowledge could make her as strong as the legendary three?" Shikamaru asked, with narrowed eyes, "You know she can master all of your family's techniques by the end of the year, you need only to teach her and she will master them."

"And there lies the problem," Kai replied, "if our clan master didn't die years ago, there would be someone to teach her everything we know." Kai sighed heavily and turned away from the two fifth years, not daring to show the pain he felt for the father he lost that day three years ago. "However, fate is not kind even to her most favorite of children. Now I am the only one who can teach the children of my clan and I am as far from a master as one can get."

"If that's the case you should've gone with Sakura," Ino said, stepping towards the copper haired preteen, "that way you both could be masters by the end if the yea—"

"No," Kai interrupted with a snap of his voice, Ino perked at the contempt lacing his voice. Ino was about to reply when something else caught her attention, she turned sharply to face the seemingly endless main road of the village. The other four children turned to see what drew the blonde's undivided attention, they watched curiously as a figure in the distance appeared in the half darkness. Kai squinted into the night, his eyes taking in the awkward shape and trying to fit it with the people he knew, the dark haired girl to his left let her eyes flare bright crimson before sighing and shaking her head in disapproval.

"Hay guys!" a familiar voice rang out, "she didn't leave yet did she?!"

"That idiot," Ino slapped a hand to her forehead, somehow she wasn't surprised by the other blonde's tardiness

"Later," Kai smirked and disappeared in a puff of white smoke, alarming the others who were unaware if his skill level. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the spot the boy once stood, Ino narrowed at the placement before she turned her attention to the silently walking away Hyūga genius, deeming his presence unneeded.

"I have to return home and prepare breakfast before Sasuke-sama wakes for the day," the Uchiha girl smiled and disappeared before Ino could question the strange girl's word choice. In the meantime, the rushing shadow slid to a stop in front of Shikamaru and Ino, panting heavily as he doubled over a small box clutched in one hand. Naruto was dressed in pale blue slacks and his bright orange coat, clearly he just finished something and was in too big of a rush to actually get dressed for the night.

"D-did s-she l-leave y-yet?" Naruto panted out as he looked up at the only two kids left, even going so far as readjusting his green goggles so he could see clearly.

"Idiot," Ino drawled in annoyance, "you're late, as usual." Naruto narrowed his eyes at her, his mouth opened with a scathing remark that would undoubtedly send the both of them into a brawl in the middle of the street.

"She just left," Shikamaru sighed before the two could get into an argument, he ignored Ino's annoyed look in favor of staring pointedly at the corner of the house closest to them.

"NO!" Naruto screamed, not seeing Ino roll her eyes heaven word, "I wanted to give this to her!" readjusting his hold on the box had both kids starring directly at it in confusion, wondering how it could possibly help their friend.

"What is that?" Shikamaru asked, tilting his head to the side

"A box," Naruto grinned impishly, his blue eyes dancing

"Enough idiot," Ino growled, raising a threatening fist, "what's in it?"

"It holds a communication device," Naruto answered with a pout, "It was Sakura-chan's idea."

"A communication device," Ino said slowly, one eyebrow raised as if she was about to give the blonde a heavy dosage of sarcasm-supreme.

"If Sakura came up with the idea, I doubt it'll be as simple as it sounds," Shikamaru interjected before the girl could shoot off her mouth. "Can you tell us what exactly this communication device is?"

"Well yeah," Naruto answered honestly, "it's a scroll she can seal things into, the difference is that this scroll is connected to another one. So what ever she seals into its twin can be accessed by the one holding the other scroll. This way she can remain in contact with us through letters, she can even send us objects too, well, if she wanted too."

"Why would Sakura ask you to make that when she could simply send a message through the trees like Kai can?" Shikamaru asked curiously

"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head to the side, "you mean she didn't tell you?" Shikamaru narrowed eyes and Ino's frown seemed answer enough, Naruto had his clueless moments but he wasn't oblivious. "Oh, um, Sakura-Chan isn't apart of the Haruno clan." Naruto explained slowly, as if he wasn't sure if he should be telling them what he and Sakura discovered accidentally two years ago.

"What? But she holds their signature pink hair," Ino said in disbelief, "plus her father is the original clan head."

"Sorry to bust your bubble Ino but Sakura is adopted," Naruto replied calmly. "Based on the scroll we created two years ago, her parents died shortly after she was born. The Haruno couple we know as Sakura-Chan's patents are actually unable to have a child of their own. That's why they adopted her nine years ago, her physical appearance matches theirs so cleanly that no one, not even you can question their relation. That's why they adopted her."

So, that's why Kai didn't tell her about their family, Shikamaru thought, giving a depressed sigh as he slumped in his posture, he knows they aren't real relatives. He can't teach Sakura even if he wanted too... Not that he actually wants too

"Wait a minute Naruto," Ino stepped forward with a frown on her face, "if you both managed to create something like that, how did you test it? More importantly how do you know it's right?"

"I know that Chakra control plays a big role in its ability, so does the overall amount of chakra the individual has in their well." Naruto infirmed her, "I don't know what Sakura-Chan did to make the scroll accurate, but I do know she had made a total of five smaller versions as test dummies, before she realized that seals were an essential part to its function. Without them it faded in seconds, wasn't as accurate, and only went back two generations."

"So that's how you got involved," Ino said softly, "you're a genius at seals." Naruto blushed brightly at the complement, not used to hearing them from the girl known to insult first and careless later.

"Naruto," Shikamaru called with a touch if annoyance in his voice, bringing the boy back to reality, "how long has Sakura been working on that generation scroll?"

"Oh right," Naruto blushed, "uh, I've been working on my end of it for two years now. I don't know how long she was working on it before she got my help."

"Long enough to work out all the kinks and even improve it," Ino replied with a light frown as she thought. "Hay Na—" Ino flinched back as Naruto let out a shrill, girlish scream. Shikamaru immediately locked eyes with a pair of crimson orbs, he was more than a little relieved to see the little shadow hiding in the corner weave through several hand signs to hide them from the patrol who appeared around the far corner to his right. At the same time Ino jumped forward and wrapped both hands around the other blonde's face, reinforcing her hold with chakra. Once Ino was sure the shadow behind Naruto wasn't going to attack, choosing instead to try and save their ear drums, Ino tugged Naruto away from them so the two of them could hide behind the already armed Shikamaru Nara with his shadow's surrounding him protectively.

"Ino," Shikamaru hissed lowly, clearly not happy with the blonde's mistake

"I can't feel him," Ino replied in distress, "he's like the gray haired Jonin from the test. He's suppressing his chakra to a point that it's barely noticeable." The man rubbed at his ears a little more before regarding the three children.

"What is it Anbu-san?" Shikamaru asked with narrowed eyes, "why are you here?"

"Damn, I thought girls were supposed to have shrill screams?" The man asked himself as he continued rubbing at his sore ear, "huh?" The man looked around himself as if he was seeing something for the first time, "well you're quick... that's a pretty strong genjutsu."

"Answer the question," Ino snapped, shooting a quick appreciative glance at the hidden Uchiha nearby

"Huh?" The man's mask seemed to dip, as if he was noticing the group for the first time, "ah, so you're the Questionnaire. Elwell, doesn't matter, I'm here for the village." Shikamaru really wanted to do something violent to the careless agent, but he knew that it was the careless ones that were the most powerful in the ranks. "I was wondering if you saw my student, Sakura Haruno, here by any chance?" The three children stared dully at him, at this point Ino had released Naruto and had taken her protective stance in front of him and beside Shikamaru. She may not be a strong fighter but she was damn good at surprise attacks, Shikamaru would be able to cover her lack of hand-to-hand fighting with his shadows.

"What?" The man asked, tilting his masked face to the side as he continued staring at them, "is there something on my mask?"

"…you're her teacher?" Naruto asked in disbelieve, staring at the man as if he had two heads. He wasn't aware that the Sprite of their year was taking lessons with an Anbu agent, it did make him wonder just how strong his friend truly was though.

"Yes I am," the man nodded, "I've been assigned to teach Sakura Haruno during her mission."

"What is her mission?" Ino asked curiously, tilting her head to the side innocently

"My apologies, but I am not cleared to tell you that," the man replied calmly, "however, I've been informed that if you make it to Jonin status by the end of the year, then Sakura-san and I will be able to tell you the details of the mission." The three teens perked at the information, their eyes widening. However, that only made them wonder if Sakura was already at Jonin status despite being nine years old, the same age as them. The three shared curious, wiry looks before turning distrusting eyes onto the Anbu agent standing in front of them.

"Why is Sakura taking lessons from you?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes, clearly stating that he didn't trust the masked man.

"Why should we trust you?" Shikamaru and Ino asked at the same time, the three shared confused looks, realizing that they all spoke at the same time. Dismissing the incident, they turned serious eyes back onto the man, Shikamaru and Ino both standing just that little bit closer together so that Naruto was just that little bit more hidden behind them. Hopefully it would give the blonde enough time to retreat if the agent turned out to be an enemy.

"It is because she and I share the same ability," the man replied calmly, "I have yet to get to the stage of combining the natures to form the element we both yield but with this mission I will be able to teach her those finer details. As for why you should trust me, it is because I've been training her for the past two years."

"We don't know that," Shikamaru and Naruto replied calmly together, Ino however remained staring passively at him.

"Alright, I'll believe you… for now," Ino said as she stepped away from the two boys and turned her eyes onto Naruto, "Go ahead and give him the box Naruto."

"Huh? But why?" Naruto asked as he pulled the box a little closer to himself

"I remembered something," Ino answered with a slight frown, "I've noticed for some time, since we erected the mini-village for Hokage-sama, that every week Sakura would spend half a day with a signature that's really hard to keep track of. I've been curious for some time but I was never able to tail her during those sessions and I've never had the chance to track down the signature that's been with her."

"You're saying he's the signature you couldn't keep track of?" Shikamaru asked in surprise

"Yes," Ino agreed, "he's the only one in the village who match's the signature and the only one that remains slightly elusive to the sensing seals." Naruto stared up at the man with a frown on his face, he wasn't aware that there was a weakness to the seal's he created, and now he was beginning to wonder if the attach on the village was as successful as it was because of that weakness. If he had known about it sooner, would he be able to fix the seals before the woman's attack? Could he have protected everyone better if he'd known that? Would Ami have gone missing and consequently have Sakura leave on a suicide mission to save her? Naruto sighed heavily, realizing that there was still much he had to learn about seals, at this rate he'd never be able to look his mother in the eye and say he became the best seal master in the village. It was only thanks to Sakura's curiosity that they even came up with the technique to trace back one's family tree, and after learning who his mother was, Naruto become serious about learning his mother's mastery. He didn't want to surpass her but he also didn't want the family art to die with her, he wanted to have the ability to look at her and say that he understood the reason behind the complex seal painted on his stomach. He wanted to tell her that he understood what was in him and he still loved her because she did it for the village despite knowing that she was going to die.

The kiyobi was her last effort to protect him

"Alright," Naruto sighed, surprising the two kids standing on either side of him; they expected a to do a verbal battle with the over protective blonde. Naruto held the box out in his left hand, which soon flared a bright yellow before an integrate and beautiful scroll work of lines and leaves carved itself onto the wax seal in the center of the box, keeping it firmly closed. Naruto looked up at the man with determined blue eyes, "This box is for Sakura-chan. No one but her can open it, not even me. So don't bother trying to look inside, it'll just explode in your face."

"I understand," the man sighed as he carefully took the box and placed it into his pocket. After which, he turned his attention back onto the three children, each staring at him like little stone soldiers daring him to take the wrong step. "I'll make sure Sakura-san receives this box—"

"You'd better make sure she comes back alive and unharmed," Ino snapped with a glare, "if she has so much as a scratch I'll kick your rear." The man wasn't very impressed with the threat but he also knew better than to underestimate the people his student called 'friends'. With that in mind, he decided to treat the threat like he treated the ones that came from his superior; who had given him a similar line, his was a lot more vulgar and certainly promised a very bloody and painful end if he failed.

"Very well," he nodded and just as quickly disappeared, leaving the children behind to stare at the empty road leading straight to the Kage tower. The three shared looks; Ino in uncertainty, Naruto in worry and Shikamaru in sudden determination.

"Alright guys, let's go," Shikamaru ordered as he started forward. The two blonds hesitated for a moment before smiling brightly and nearly tackling the dark haired Nara heir with laughter echoing around them, still hidden discreetly thanks to his still standing genjutsu. The young crimson eyed girl smiled to herself before she allowed her Sharingan to fade from her eyes and started running across the nearest crimson roof, returning to what little of a home she dared to hold.

All they could do now was hope they made the right choice

…

…

She panted as she ran down the dark halls, the soles of her feet slapping loudly against the stone, telling anyone with half a brain her exact location. Thankfully she didn't really have to worry about it too much, the maze-like underground tunnels were occupied only by skeletons and the psychotic woman holding her prisoner. She took a sharp turn and went face first into a stone wall, only for her body to light up in bright golden sparks and burst the earthen wall down. She kept running, her eyes narrowing as she realized that she was no longer alone in the maze of tunnels she was being kept in. Someone else was following her, erecting earthen walls every ten feet, expecting her to run out of chakra to force them down. On her eighth wall, she skidded around a sharp turn and jumped over the giant hole in the ground filled with spikes at the very bottom. She heard the person behind her slide to a stop, cursing her loudly as she disappeared into the darkness.

I'm almost out! This was the only route she hadn't taken in the countless number escape attempts, she had been getting plenty of exercise and she was sure that she could out run even the fasts of ninja from her home village. She gasped as she watched something to her right light up and suddenly she was engulfed in flames and screams, pain ate away at her body like leaches to fresh flesh.

"Trying to escape again yeah?" a familiar voice drawled in boredom, "When are you going to learn that we're not just going to let you go?" she caught sight of a dark yellow ponytail sitting atop a body of black with a single crimson cloud on its surface, telling her that she was caught once again by the mad bomber that was following the insane woman.

"No," she whispered brokenly, "please… no…" her mind went blank as darkness surrounded her once more, she doubted she would wake again for another two or three days. They always made sure to keep her out cold while they treated her wounds; she didn't want to know what they do to her when she's not conscious.

Someone, anyone, please...save me

…

…

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Helpful criticisms lovely! Just don't cripple me okay?

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