Chapter 124
Investigation: Thugs, a Deserter and Sick Children
The friends of the so-called "wicked women" chased the Leaf shinobi over the hills of the Land of Rice Paddies, through the forests and across stretches of farmland where cows lifted their heads while chewing on grass to assess the exciting anomaly, chickens and roosters crowed, hopped and flapped their wings to evade the humans barreling through their flock and horses locked in their stalls whinnied and stomped their hooves.
Ultimately, after a considerable chase which was accompanied by the shouts of their pursuers, the wails of Master Jiraiya and the admonishments of the young shinobi, the friends of said wicked women lost their trail. Or, perhaps, they grew tired of chasing the Leaf shinobi. Who could say?
Regardless, the decision to never return to that town was unanimous.
Tired from racing across hilly terrain, the group searched for a safe location to make camp and rest. Jiraiya in particular was dragging his feet, nursing two lumps on his head courtesy of Sakura and Mimi, moping over how the women he encountered always seemed to be so wicked. How he wished, just once, he could meet a nice and beautiful woman, one who did not resort to threats of physical harm or acts of violence over simple misunderstandings. An honest woman who did not swindle him out of money.
Mimi scoffed openly at his moping. Aoko shook her head. Sakura huffed and crossed her arms. Naruto merely sighed, knowing to do or say anything more was pointless; there was a reason he called him Pervy Sage, after all.
Good fortune seemed to smile on them when they came upon an old, abandoned temple with a tiled green roof covered in moss. The temple was situated at the foot of a craggy cliffside, weathered but showing no signs of disrepair or damage. A thick tree-line at the road concealed its presence behind an abundance of foliage; they almost missed it entirely, truth be told.
With the exception of a few rodents and birds, Mimi and Aoko confirmed no scents had recently entered the temple or passed through the grove. No one, neither devout people or bandits, bothered to visit the temple; prayers had gone unanswered too long, perhaps, and whatever valuables to once linger within—like the hope of the Nations people—had been stolen long ago.
It was the perfect place to set up a base camp. The down side? Two sets of stairs stood between them and rest. First they had to ascend a short but steep stone staircase to the wide terrace, where a Torii acted as a welcoming gateway to the second set of stairs. That second staircase was long and tall, crafted from sturdy wood and led straight to the temple's veranda.
Inside the abandoned temple they removed their sandals before sitting down on the cold wooden floor, which nipped at the soles of their feet and passed through their clothes to the warm skin beneath.
At first it was sharp and unpleasant, but like a cold drink poured over your head on a hot day or a dip in the warm waters of the bathhouse during the bitter winter, their bodies adjusted to the sudden shift of temperatures. It steadily became pleasant. Satisfying, even.
Naruto unzipped his jacket and sprawled out on the floor. Mimi braced her back against the wall in the far corner of the temple where they had all settled down at, shutting her eyes and breathing in deep, relaxed breaths; Aoko curled up in her lap in a small black ball.
While they settled in Sakura removed her arm and leg warmers, the warm and damp skin desperate to breathe after their long run. Crisp winter air flowing gently through the open slats in the windows and door greeted the new areas of exposed flesh. She shivered slightly.
I hope Mimi's Shadow Clone has had more success than us, Sakura thought, performing a few leg stretches for the sake of her warm muscles. All we've done so far is outrun random thugs or bodyguards or whatever they were. And all because Master Jiraiya didn't bother to read the exorbitant prices those "wicked women" charged at the bar.
Quite frankly, she didn't care if it was a scam or not. The least he could have done was actually try to acquire information before dashing off without bothering to pay for his adult exploits. Better yet, he could have chosen to not waste precious time entertaining himself while they sat at the edge of town.
Between waiting for Master Jiraiya, running from those people and searching for camp, we've lost a few hours, the kunoichi surveyed their situation while lowering her right foot out of a quad stretch. She found her balance, lifted her left knee and gripped her left foot, pulling it behind her to stretch out her other quad.
The longer we take to find Orochimaru and Kasai, the higher the probability they learn of our presence here. We need to acquire information at out next destination. Before the sun sets. Before they have an opportunity to learn we're here.
Mid-afternoon was upon them. Daylight, like a thin candle, was burning up quickly.
Sakura didn't want to give Orochimaru or Kasai a chance to disappear. Or worse, a chance to ambush them. Unlike their masked assailant, who Mimi had sniffed out before she and Naruto were alerted to their presence, Orochimaru was capable of infiltrating the Leaf Village without a single shinobi or Sensory Type knowing he was there. Not until he wanted them to, anyway.
They needed the element of surprise on their side. The mere thought of Orochimaru catching them off guard like he had in the Forest of Death or during the Invasion unnerved the kunoichi immensely. It left a feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach.
He toyed with us in the Forest of Death.
He brushed off everything Naruto, Amari and Sasuke threw at him. He survived Fire Style Jutsus that scorched trees and punched holes through them, all with a few minor burns and tears in his disguise. Nothing substantial. Nothing like the Seals he placed on Naruto and Sasuke, nothing like the torture he performed on Amari in an effort to either kill her or permanently weaken her.
The forest hadn't echoed with his screams like it had with those three—not real ones, anyway.
Sakura lowered her leg, kicked it out in front of her with her heel on the ground and her toes pointing towards the ceiling, inhaled and then exhaled while leaning down to wrap her hands around her foot to stretch her calf.
Next time…
Next time she doubted he would bother to spare hers, Naruto's or Mimi's and Aoko's lives. Not when his real targets were Sasuke and Amari.
Not when his real goal, like the Masked Man's, was to twist them both into the darkness. But unlike the Masked Man, who recognized killing Kurenai and Kakashi would alienate Amari against him and his plans, Orochimaru didn't care if they came willingly to his side or not.
As long as they were full of hatred, as long as they were blinded by their suffering, he'd kill any and all of them so the two Uchiha's would chase his trail. Even if they chased him with the desire to kill, his goal would be complete. Because they would fall right into his hands, and then with his Curse Mark he would imprison them the same way he had imprisoned Tayuya.
Sakura released her foot and rolled up. She wiggled her bare toes a little, then kicked her right foot out and performed the same stretch on her other leg.
"I hate him. More than you can ever know. You don't know what it's like to live in one of his cells. Starving. Experimented on by that puppet Kabuto. Being forced to fight and kill other prisoners for his entertainment and the right to survive. I survived. And with every day I lived, my hatred for him grew more and more. But his Curse Mark binds me to his Will. Which is fine. You're free. And you're his objective. You can kill him, and then his Will would demand I submit myself to you. That's as close to freedom as I can get."
A knot formed between her brow as she frowned, remembering the Sound kunoichi and her attempts to bring Amari to their side. All for the sake of freedom from Orochimaru.
"Then take his place and I'll be an instrument of your Will. We can crush the scum of this world and be free together."
Freedom through servitude to a new master. Freedom through submission.
What cruel irony.
What a cruel demand to make of Amari.
Since the battle, and even during it, Sakura wondered if Tayuya was merely trying to manipulate Amari, to twist her kind and generous heart so she would fall into a trap. It wouldn't be farfetched to believe. In fact, it was easy to believe. Orochimaru and Kabuto had gathered information on Amari and the Uchiha Clan; Tayuya flaunted knowledge about the Foundation in an attempt to twist her teammate, so it wasn't impossible they would also try to use her kindness and generosity against her.
However, at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder if it was a real plea for freedom. Could Tayuya sense the purity within Amari? Had the person she used to be broken free of Orochimaru's control in that brief moment, seeing a potential future absent of imprisonment? Had she seen a chance at a life without suffering? Was she trying to reach it the only way she knew how?
Did she really believe Amari could save her? Did she really want to be saved?
She wondered if the feeling of contempt inside her heart was too cruel for the spitfire who had been imprisoned and enslaved to a vile man's morally bankrupt Will, or if it was too kind for the Sound kunoichi responsible for the incalculable suffering and death she and her comrades caused.
The conflicting emotions left her uncomfortable. Confused. Why were her feelings around Tayuya different from the other members of the Sound Four? She was just as cruel as her comrades, just as harsh. She lacked empathy, felt no regret over the lives she stole. She had every intention of killing Shikamaru, Tenten—all of her comrades. Her actions led to Lord Third's death and the deaths of countless others…
So why did it bother her?
I don't know if you were trying to manipulate Amari, Sakura thought, releasing her foot and rising. She stared at the ceiling, troubled and thoughtful. But I know Amari was genuinely trying to reach out to you. She wanted to save you. It's who she is. Yet… I wish she hadn't tried to save you. I wish you didn't tell us about your past. I wish you were just a willing thug of Orochimaru's, unbranded by his Curse Mark. Then you wouldn't have asked something so unfair of her.
And I wouldn't feel this way.
I wouldn't feel anything at all.
After rising onto the tips of her toes and arching her back for a final stretch, Sakura knelt onto the floor beside Naruto's spread eagle form. For a minute or two longer they relaxed and recovered in a comfortable silence. Then, with Master Jiraiya unrolling a map of the Land of Sound, their mission continued.
"At the base of these mountains," the Toad Sage began, finger pointing at the illustration of the mountain temple, which was beside a long winding road, "we can stop at the most bustling outpost in all of the Land of Rice Paddies."
He drew his finger over the map to the outpost in question, illustrated with a bottle of alcohol and lipstick covered lips blowing a kiss. Sakura felt her eyebrow twitch. She was seriously beginning to think this was a map he personally had drawn.
Mimi bristled at the plan.
"Agh, you're just looking for more crazy hotspots in the name of research, Pervy Sage," Naruto grumbled.
"Yeah, enough is enough," Sakura reprimanded. "We've already wasted so much time shaking off the bodyguards from the last town you dragged us to."
"Mmhm!" Naruto agreed, nodding.
"Hold up a minute," Mimi interceded, eyes narrowed. "Let me see if I'm following along. You had a map of the Land of Rice Paddies this whole time. Not only that, but since you possess this map that also means you knew where the highest populated outpost was this entire time."
"Well, when you put it like that it does sound bad, I admit. Ha ha—"
"And despite that," Mimi cut off his sheepish laugh with a sharp glare, "you robbed Naruto of his hard-earned money to drink and have some cheap perfume wearing tavern girls tell you how amazing and manly you are in the biggest dump this Land probably has to offer. On top of that, you made us run past piles of manure and horse crap, the smell of which is still stuck in my nostrils, to outrun chumps you refused to pay because you didn't have the foresight to check the prices of their sketchy bar."
"Wait a minute…" Naruto seemed to be connecting the dots from the evidence laid out in front of him. When the realization struck him it was almost as if Sakura could see the lightbulb finally click on in his brain. "She's right!"
His eyes went white with rage as he lunged for his Master, who he grabbed by his shirt and began to shake.
"What kind of crap is that, Pervy Sage! You robbed me for drinks and a good time in a dump like that!"
"So what if I did!" Jiraiya boomed, pressing his hand over Naruto's mouth and pushing him away. The boy let out muffled grumbles and shouts, making violent gestures with his hands. "Grownups are allowed to have a drink now and then!"
Naruto ripped Jiraiya's hand off his mouth long enough to shout, "We're on a mission, you old coot! And if there was a better town then we should've started ther— mmppphhffff!"
"We're going there now," he interrupted. "Listen, I don't like it anymore than all of you. But we don't have a choice here. This is the best and quietest way for us to locate the Sound Village."
"My ass it is," Mimi said beneath her breath.
"That's just the predicament we're in," Jiraiya continued while restraining Naruto, who thrashed about and had his frustrated screams muffled. "In this line of work sometimes we have to stomach things we don't like. And I'm just the man to do it!"
Sakura sighed at his excited declaration. Why do I feel like Lady Tsunade approved this mission so we could babysit him?
With a slight turn of his body, Jiraiya released his hold on Naruto and let him stumble straight into the wall behind him. Her poor teammate fell over holding his nose.
Jumping onto his feet and equipping his scroll, Jiraiya threw the door to the temple open and strutted out with a grin.
"All right! Let's go! Come on you slowpokes! Quit dragging those feet!" he called, skipping down the steps.
Mimi grumbled curses not suitable for delicate company. Aoko growled. Sakura sighed and Naruto groaned in pain.
"That one hurt," he said, rubbing his nose.
The Inuzuka helped him onto his feet, soothed the pain with Medical Ninjutsu and gestured them to leave their bags but get the rest of their gear on. Afterwards they followed after the man skipping down the stairs. The same man meant to be their squad leader.
Naruto exited with his arms crossed and a severe frown on his lips, Sakura with her head down slightly in defeat. Mimi stuffed her hands into her pockets after setting Aoko on her head, rolling her eyes as they descended the stairs.
Jiraiya continued to skip down the dirt road.
"Investigation! Investigation! Investigation, what a chore! I hope it isn't too rough on me Ha ha! Woohoo!"
"This is just sad," Mimi said.
Sakura pressed her hand to her forehead. "He's hopeless, isn't he?"
"You can't teach an old pervert new tricks, that's for sure," said Naruto.
"Let him celebrate his chore," the Inuzuka rolled her eyes. "We'll do an investigation of our own. If his 'research' goes as well as it did last time, which seems inevitable at this point, we'll have a better shot at uncovering something useful without babysitting the Master Pervert."
"I'm with you," Naruto said.
"That makes three," Sakura agreed.
Aoko yipped.
"Four," Mimi said. "All right. As soon as he's off on another one of his investigations we'll start our own."
Jiraiya, several skips ahead of them, jumped and clicked his heels as he let out a perverted laugh, doubtlessly imagining how grueling his investigation would be.
The young shinobi and Aoko all sighed in disbelief.
"Unbelievable."
"You said it, Mimi," Sakura sighed again.
"And that's my Master."
Little did they know there was a raging whirlwind barreling towards them.
It turned out that the most bustling outpost in the Land of Rice Paddies was neither a rundown dump nor a respectable town. It was buzzing with roguish characters, bounty hunters, mercenaries and, much to Sakura's innocent shock and Naruto's embarrassment, no shortage of brothels with scantily clad women cooing to potential clients.
Somehow they were the more respectable folk, ironically enough.
Meanwhile, Mimi's fiery glare was burning a hole into Jiraiya's temple, from which smoke could almost be seen billowing into the sky. Jiraiya hadn't noticed, his mouth agape in lecherous excitement and eyes leering over the battlefield his investigation would take place; you might have thought he found and claimed an untapped gold mine.
In the few short moments since they arrived at the entrance gate of the outpost Sakura had seen a drunkard accidentally bump into a thug; the latter took exception to it, gripping the drunkard by his shirt and socking him harshly in the face. The drunkard crashed to the dirt with a bloody nose and a stupefied look on his face.
On the other side of a street, two thugs dragged a man into a nearby building, slamming the door behind them. It wasn't difficult to hear the beating, thrashing and tumbling of furniture coming from within. The window suddenly broke, shattered by that same man being thrown through it. He was stripped to his boxers, bruised and embarrassed.
Further down a few men drooling over one of the scantily clad ladies laughed as they tugged her around and groped her, as if they were lions fighting over a piece of meat. Those same men then met the titan bodyguard, who didn't bother with introductions or words or questions. Impressively, he hefted one of them above his head with little effort and literally threw him from one side of the street to the other with a booming shout of,
"Get the hell outta here!"
The wailing man slammed head first into a garbage can, knocking it over and piling days old wet and broken trash bags on top of him.
The feat of strength sent the others scrambling in fear.
This was the supposed treasure trove of information? The place where they'd learn the location of the Sound Village?
We'd have a better chance at finding a needle hidden in a field of haystacks, Sakura lamented.
"Seriously, Pervy Sage? Look at this dump. If this is about your 'research' then at least be honest about it."
Jiraiya said nothing.
Mimi scoffed and looked away from the Toad Sage.
"Look at where his attention is, Goofball. You'll find more honesty there."
Sakura and Naruto followed the legendary Sannin's gaze across the street, past roguish characters and shops to a giant sign with gold flashing lights surrounding its border, not at all unlike a movie theater billboard. What was displayed on it left the pair blushing.
At the center of the rectangular sign and bulging over the top was a giant heart shape, also bearing golden lights blinking around its border. And beneath it, lying on their belly along the entire length of the sign, head resting on their heads while blowing a kiss with two pink hearts flying away, was a pink-haired woman with a large bosom, a curvy backside and shapely legs.
She was dressed in lacy white underwear. Nothing else. The artist went out of their way to accentuate every detail in vivid illustration.
Beneath the sign was a pink awning outside the dark hall leading inside. The inside walls were decorated with burning neon hearts and womanly shapes.
Embarrassed, Sakura jolted behind Naruto, clasping both of her hands over his eyes. She sent a scathing look to Jiraiya.
"Master Jiraiya, can we move on now? We need to find the Sound Village."
The Toad Sage either didn't hear or ignored her entirely. He was grinning more lecherously than he had been moments prior; she heard him giggling lowly.
"Let's get out of here," Mimi said resolutely. "Leave the Master Pervert to his entertainment. Lady Tsunade isn't paying us enough to babysit a grown man."
"Uh…" Jiraiya reached into his pouch, looking down at Naruto, who was still blind. "So, Naruto…"
The boy growled. "Get real! You already cleared me out before! And if Amari heard that I funded whatever that is," he said, blindly pointing towards the den of debauchery, "she'd crush me!"
"Here," Jiraiya said instead, placing a thick cloth covered roll of money into his student's hand. "I want you guys to go get some food with that. Then wait for me in the temple outside of town."
Sakura removed her hands, utterly dumbfounded by the charity. Naruto mirrored her expression.
Jiraiya half-turned to leave, but his expression had become serious.
"Information tends to gather in dens like these," he said in a voice matching his expression. "But I won't corrupt the eyes of the innocent. I'll sacrifice myself and see what I can dig up here."
Without another word he walked off deeper into the outpost. Towards the giant sign of a nearly nude woman.
"Sacrifice himself?" Sakura repeated, furrowing her brow. "What kind of idiots does he take us for?"
"Big ones, apparently," Naruto said. "Geez. Tries to make it sound all heroic, too. Like he isn't about to have the time of his life."
"Heh," Mimi crossed her arms, grinning sadistically. "Can't wait to debrief with Lady Tsunade. She's gonna love to hear about this."
Aoko yipped. Her furry expression was equally malicious as it was joyful.
"All right. While the pervert plays let's get some real work done. First off, anyone hungry?"
"No."
"Nope."
"Okay. Naruto, hand that money over. I'll store it one of my pockets where a pickpocket can't snatch it."
"Here ya go!" Naruto underhand tossed it to the Inuzuka, who placed it inside one of the pockets of her flak jacket.
"We've packed rations, so if we need to use his money to pay for information there's no worry about going hungry. If we don't, it'll go to Naruto to refund his lost money."
"Where are we going to start?" Sakura asked, glancing out at the outpost. "It's a big place. And some of these shops…"
She counted a handful of Adults Only signs just on the entry street.
"They won't let us in. I don't really want to sneak in, either," she admitted.
"Don't worry about that. We won't have to. Come on," Mimi motioned them to follow with a lift of her chin. "Follow me, keep your senses sharp and try to maintain a low profile. I've got a good idea where to start."
Sakura and Naruto didn't argue. They followed their squad leader at a casual stroll through the outpost. As they walked, Sakura observed Aoko sniffing the air, her ears perking up and her head swiveling around.
Beyond the ninken she watched other acts of violence between thugs and strangers. Noticed other dens of debauchery, drunkards and scantily clad workers.
It became clear they couldn't go more than a block without a bar or a brothel appearing. Some were exceptionally sketchy. Others professional, but no less uncomfortable to witness.
Eventually even the violence found them. A stout man purposefully bumped into Mimi, then called her out like she was responsible for it. The Inuzuka was unfazed, ignoring his existence as if he was just a gnat buzzing about. That infuriated the man into throwing the first punch, which Mimi evaded and countered by kicking him in the groin.
In an uncharacteristic and certainly fake girly cry, Mimi pointed her finger at the man and cried out,
"Pervert! He tried to grope me!"
The cry itself surprised Sakura and Naruto. But the resulting effect floored them. A random sea of men appeared from seemingly everywhere; stores, alleyways, the street itself, they numbered in the dozens, rushing towards the man hunched over grabbing his groin. They then proceeded to violently dog pile on him.
As the dust flew and punches rained down, the trio of Leaf shinobi moved off with Naruto barely containing a snicker.
"Where did that even come from?" Sakura asked, smirking with amusement.
"Tenten taught me that one," Mimi admitted. "Outpost like these are the same regardless of Nation. Same façades, different paint. People are just looking for a reason to fight in places like this. You can literally feel the tension in the air. If the reason for fighting happens to be just, like a pervert groping a teenage girl, all the better."
"You really can feel the tension," Naruto said thoughtfully. "It's kind of uncomfortable. Doesn't feel like a home at all."
Sakura hummed in agreement. Then said,
"So, someone picked a fight with Tenten, then? I'm surprised you didn't beat them to a pulp first."
"Heh! It wasn't from lack of trying, I can assure you of that. Tenten stopped me."
"What happened?"
"Ah, we had a mission that took us into an outpost like this in our first year. Bandits were doing their usual game: robbing people and selling their stolen goods. One thing led to another, as it always does, and someone with a family was killed. We were hired to find the people responsible.
"While trying to track down the bandits we had to come through one of these outposts. Same scenario happened, except it was Tenten they picked a fight with. I went to grind them into dust, but before I could she kicked him below the belt and shrieked the same thing. It was like someone pissed off an ant hill. And while that guy was getting destroyed, we snuck off."
Mimi's voice changed as she began to mimic her teammate, "'Deception is a shinobi's tool, Mimi. If we go around punching everything that moves we'll blow our cover. Sometimes we have to use our charm and intuition to circumvent a problem'."
Aoko barked.
The Inuzuka frowned. "Heyyy. I have plenty of charm."
Her ninken barked again.
"Traitor."
"By the way, what are we looking for anyway?" Naruto asked.
Sakura couldn't deny her own curiosity on the matter. Although they had gone over infiltration missions and tactics, this was the first time she'd ever taken part in one that required information gathering. Sneaking into the Land of Waves was straight forward enough; it was a bodyguard mission more than an infiltration one, in the end.
Kazahana Castle was a different animal altogether, but they had a general idea of what their enemies were after and Atsuko and Kakashi to guide them to their hideout.
Truthfully, this reminded her more of chasing after Amari and Naruto when the former was captured by the Akatsuki, with sprinkles of Ibiki's first exam and the stop Team Seven made at the tea house on their way to meet Boss Jirōchō.
Even then, Sakura mused, I didn't realize I was supposed to cheat in Ibiki's test; I answered all the questions on my own, for better or worse. In the Land of Tea Amari was the one to gather information on our mission.
When she and Sasuke chased after Amari and Naruto to that outpost, all she had really done was run around in a mad frenzy in search for any sign of her teammates or their enemies. There wasn't a thoughtful approach or meticulous gathering of Intel for the sake of the mission, like was necessary in this mission.
Fortunately, Mimi did have that experience. That likely played a hand in why Lady Tsunade agreed to assign her to the mission, besides her obvious tracking abilities.
Likewise, Sakura wondered if she was placed on this mission strictly to gain new experiences, sharpening her shinobi skills for the future, or if it had to do with battle strength in facing Kasai. Or, perhaps, it was simply the personal nature of his hatred-consumed bond with Amari, and all three of their close relationships with her.
"What are we looking for? Information, of course," Mimi replied with a cheeky grin.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny," Naruto pouted, crossing his arms.
"I thought so."
After stopping at a crossroads in the outpost, sniffing the air and listening to Aoko, Mimi turned right. She spoke again after a moment.
"One thing the Master Pervert isn't wrong about is that information does gather in shady dumps like this. But taverns, brothels and cabaret clubs aren't the only places it gathers. Information can be found out here on the streets, from the right people for the right price."
"Okay. So what kind of shady thug are we looking for?"
"Thinking the wrong way about it, Goofball. Shady thugs are fishing for idiots to scam. If we started walking up to random people asking for information, they'd steal our money and send us on wild goose chases for golden eggs." Mimi stuffed her hands into her pockets. "Tell me, Goofball, why'd you start pulling stunts and pranks around the Village before you graduated?"
"To get noticed."
"Because?"
"When I didn't act out no one bothered to acknowledge that I existed. Or they just…stared at me with hatred and disgust. I was invisible."
"Exactly," Mimi nodded.
Confused, Sakura tilted her head to the side. "I'm not sure I'm following."
"Naruto's situation is unique, for reasons I don't need to mention. But there is one part of his experience that is universal—invisibility."
"Invisibility?" Sakura repeated.
"Wait a minute," Naruto said, struck by sudden inspiration. "I think I know what you mean. It's like Haku's situation before he met Zabuza. And Hikari before she met Gaara. They were orphaned, all alone. No one cared they existed. No one even bothered to acknowledge they were there. Or worse, they abused them for simply being on the streets in their way or out of irrational fear of their power. Most of the time, though, they were invisible."
"Dead on, Goofball."
"We're looking for orphans then?" Sakura asked, unsure if she was following along.
"That's where we're starting. Orphans or the homeless."
"Okay, but why?"
"It comes down to their invisibility. They hear and see everything, but they aren't ever seen. I should warn you, we'll still need to be careful. We're not the first one's to think of this; shinobi have employed orphans and homeless as agents of information gathering and subterfuge since time immemorial."
A sound strategy, if not a bit underhanded and exploitive. But, then, they were doing the same thing in the name of finding Orochimaru and Kasai, weren't they?
Was it justified because of the threat those two posed? Or was that merely a rationalization to ease her conscious?
"Is doing this okay with both of you?" Sakura asked softly after a lengthy silence.
"Huh? What do you mean, Sakura? Is what okay with us?" Naruto asked.
"Gaining information this way," she clarified. "I understand how it will help us, but…" The kunoichi frowned, eyes falling to the dirt road. "My brain keeps rationalizing it. I keep telling myself it's important to our mission. Orochimaru and Kasai threaten so much we hold dear. Also, from the two towns we've seen, Orochimaru and the Feudal Lord's relationship hasn't benefited anyone but them, so it's easy to say by getting rid of the Sound Village we could help these people.
"But…I can't help but wonder what if it was Amari? What if the child we barter for information with was Amari or Sasuke or one of you two? Would I feel any different? Would I still rationalize it?"
"You have a good heart, Sakura," said Mimi, glancing over her shoulder at the kunoichi with a kind expression. "I can see where you're coming from. Most of what you're feeling is my failure to communicate the overall plan properly. We're not gonna extort a bunch of orphans or threaten to grind them into dust if they don't squeal. I'm not gonna hold money over their head and ask them to cough up information for the chance at their next meal.
"I'll give them the money before I ask a question. If they run off before answering, oh well," the Inuzuka shrugged. "It'll be a charitable donation. We'll find a different way to gather information, then. This is just the fastest non-violent way I can think of to give us better direction."
"Oh." Sakura grimaced. "Sorry. I made it sound like you were looking to exploit the vulnerable even though I know you'd never do something like that."
"Don't be sorry," Mimi shook her head. "Your heart was in the right place. I appreciate you asking. Never lose that independence or self-awareness, Sakura. Never be afraid to ask questions. If something doesn't feel right in your heart, listen to it. Ask questions. Otherwise you might do something that you regret, something that will haunt you later in life. Trust me."
The team walked past several more bars. A handful of brothels, their signs all consisting of some manner of partially or fully undressed women. One such brothel, named Afterlife, was host to giant sign with the image of an exceptionally voluptuous, and exceptionally naked, woman's chest.
And nothing else.
Sakura's face flushed feverish red, steam all but shooting out of her ears from internal combustion and embarrassment. Mimi stared wide eyed, mouth agape and cheek visibly dusted by a blush beneath her Clan markings.
"Is a sign like this even legal?" the Inuzuka muttered.
Naruto scratched his cheek as he blushed and ogled the image at the same time. He also provided expert adolescent commentary.
"Those are even bigger than Granny Tsunade's. Huh," he murmured. "They don't seem very real, though. They're way too big for her body. I think they might be too big for anyone's body. I wonder if it's like a Transformation Jutsu? Maybe I could use something like that for my Sexy Jutsu against Pervy Sag— Gahhhh!"
Pinching his ear, Sakura strode off.
"I've had just about enough of this outpost. How many bars and brothels does a single town need?"
Naruto was right, she thought, embarrassed. They were bigger than Lady Tsunade's. Is that all anyone wants? What kind of standard for beauty is that?
"Ow ow ow ow ow! Sakura, you're going to rip my ear off."
"Well, they didn't leave anything to the imagination," Mimi said to no one in particular, strolling after the two. "If the Master Pervert were here he'd probably be on his way to a different afterlife at the sight of that." Aoko yipped. "Yeah, you said it. Talk about being top heavy. Whoever their model was is gonna have serious back issues later in life."
Further down the road they passed a cigar shop, which caused Mimi to cover her nose and Aoko to bury hers into her companion's hair. An adult book store was tucked at the corner of a street.
It was quite obvious when they entered a new district by diversity of its stores, none of which had anything adult or lewd to offer. Tattoo parlors, groceries, market stands, clothing stores, book shops, the odd clinic or two; it almost seemed like a regular town, with an exception of the constant abundance of thugs and rogues roaming the streets alongside the regular populace.
Their search finally bore fruit. Mimi's heel grated to a halt on the dirt road, head tilting to her left slightly. Naruto and Sakura stopped; they could see the slightest narrowing of the Inuzuka's eyes. Aoko's ears perked up as she made a series of rumbles which transformed into growls. Without a word Mimi tore off at a sprint across the street into a narrow alleyway.
A stray tabby cat was startled by the Inuzuka, leaping onto a trash can, knocking it over and creating a obstacle for the following Team Seven members to hurdle over. They took a sharp turn. Splashed through a puddle. Another turn.
It would've been easier to scale the buildings and jump across the rooftops to reach their destination, but that would've drawn attention, unfortunately. So the Leaf shinobi kept racing through the narrow and shadowed alleyways smelling of garbage and disposed food that had gone bad.
They passed two restaurant workers on a smoker's break; they exhaled a veil of apathetic smoke into the path of all three shinobi. Sakura's eyes watered despite holding her breath.
Finally, like a marathon runner passing through the finish line, they broke out of the alleyway onto another street, where a small crowd had formed. Others merely kept walking on without acknowledging the scuffle taking place.
Mimi stopped just outside of the alleyway. Sakura and Naruto fell in at her sides.
The scene didn't take more than a moment to register. A group of four thugs had a young man and a small boy surrounded, around their feet were vials of medicine scattered out of a small crate. The four thugs consisted of a burly man with three horizontal scars on his right bicep, a thin and tall man who may as well have been built from toothpicks with an eyepatch over his right eye, and two stout bald twins who had no unique qualities other than being mirror images of each other.
The young man was attired in a white and black striped poncho cloak, a mute burgundy long sleeve and grey pants. His fluffy black hair shifted with him as he spun three-hundred and sixty degrees, always keeping the small boy clinging to his poncho behind him.
Sakura gasped at the sight of the black eye on the small boy.
Mimi had a different visceral reaction, though it would've been impossible to tell only by the blank expression on her face. It would only be after the dust settle that Sakura would realize the storm she hid behind a mask of indifference.
"Nowhere to run now," sneered Eyepatch. "Thought you could steal from us, huh?"
"This medicine was purchased by a good man," refuted the young man. He turned again, his hair swished and Sakura noticed a streak of blood slithering down his cheek. "But you lot stole it before it entered the town. Then you demanded him to pay extra tax for delivery. Your greed knows no bounds. You'd damn orphaned children to death from sickness to line your pockets with more money."
"Those little orphans would have their medicine if he just paid what he owed. But," Eyepatch reached down and picked up a clear bottle at his foot, popping out the cork, "maybe you'd be more interested in paying up now. If you don't, well…"
He tipped the bottle over, pouring the medicine within all over the street.
"No!" the boy cried.
"Better decide quickly. Every drop wasted is could be the end of those orphans."
"Stop it!" the young man demanded.
"Pay up and I will. Oh, look its all gone. Let's try another."
"These rats," Naruto growled. "How dirty can you get."
"What's the plan, Mimi?" Sakura asked.
"What else?" The Inuzuka shifted her neck side to side. "We're gonna kick some ass out of charitable duty. This guy seems to be a protector of the less fortunate, so he may also have information on the Sound Village. Two birds, one stone."
Aoko growled something. Whatever it was caused Mimi to grin insidiously.
"Too right, Aoko. Let's go teach them some manners."
The three Leaf shinobi marched directly for the thugs. Mimi signaled them silently with a gesture of her hand to circle around the crowd of bystanders and approach from behind the two twins. Meanwhile she pushed her way through the crowd, intent on acting as a decoy and vanguard. Sakura's steps quickened when her team leader began to speak.
"Well well well, looky what we got here, Aoko. Four little boys desperately asking for a foot up their ass. Must be our lucky day."
Eyepatch and his burly and scarred counterpart half-turned, drawn by the taunt like bees to honey. Distracted, confused and amused by the sight of a young girl standing before them, an arrogant smirk on her face and a hand on her hip, Eyepatch and Burly Scars traded grins, which transformed into mocking laughter.
Sakura was nearly in position. Naruto, too. Step by cautious step they neared the stout twins, the two beginning to laugh along with the two who seemed to be in charge of this little gang.
The fluffy-haired young man slowly knelt down, eyes checking the two twins as he and the little boy began to pick up what bottles of medicine they could reach without drawing attention to place them inside the small crate once storing them.
Mimi grinned vindictively at the laughing thugs. "Did I say something you find amusing, Cyclops?"
Instantly, Eyepatch's laughter died in his throat. A gnarled scowl twisted onto his lips, face flushing red.
"What'd you call me?!"
"Ohhhhh," Mimi purred, eyes glinting with malice. "Did I find a nerve? Does the name Cyclops hurt your feelings? Should I instead call you Captain Jackass? Ha! All you're missing is a peg-leg and a parrot squawking from your shoulder. Baawwkkk! He's a Cyclops! Bawwkkk!"
The admittedly poor imitation drew laughter from the crowd. Burly scars stifled a chuckle. All of it incensed Eyepatch while incentivizing Mimi to continue.
"Lo and behold, everyone! Feast your eyes on Captain Jackass, the Cyclops of the sea renowned for fornicating with goats!"
More laughter. Eyepatch's rage boiled over.
"Arrghhh!" Eyepatch took long and violent strides towards Mimi. "I think I'll rip your tongue out first. Then I'll pluck your eyes out and we'll see which of us is laughing then!"
"Interesting plan," Mimi drawled, features becoming expressionless. "But how do you plan on accomplishing that…"
Eyepatch pulled out a knife and lunged suddenly for the Inuzuka, clearing the remaining distance in an effortless glide. Mimi was calm as a river; she didn't flinch at the sight of the blade shining in the sunlight.
The sound of bones crunching was heard by everyone, drawing grimaces and gasps and stomach churns from those unused to such violence. A shrill, wailing cry broke out over the street. The young man and the boy seized up at the scene and sounds; they then hastened their efforts to reacquire all the medicine regardless of the loud clinking the bottles made. The three thugs recoiled, stunned and bewildered.
For the scream had come from Eyepatch.
Mimi stood beside the kneeling man, face impassive, hands controlling the weapon hand, disabling it. Simultaneously, her foot was buried in the side of his knee, now visibly broken at an explicitly painful angle. The Inuzuka removed her foot, flattened his arm out then slammed her knee straight into his elbow.
The audible snap was only surpassed by the bones puncturing through flesh. The knife fell into the dirt, the previous shrill wail twisting into a sobbing scream of agony. Tears streamed from Eyepatch's eye.
It was not the end. Mimi released his limb, letting it fall limply at his side; Eyepatch gripped it, as if trying to hold it together and put it back. In the middle of a sobbing scream cursing her the Inuzuka swung a powerful spinning roundhouse.
Eyepatch flew, landing face first in the dirt at the feet of Burly Scars. His screams became little more than pitiful groans. Blood pooled out of his mouth, and when he spat Sakura saw a few shattered pieces of white among the red.
"When you're lying broken in the dirt," Mimi finished her previous rhetorical question. "Sakura, Naruto, go ahead."
Naruto, ever the prankster, tapped the twin on the shoulder. The twin reacted, swinging his thick arm as he spun around. Ducking beneath the strike easily, the knucklehead retaliated by leaping into the air and landing a flying knee right into the twin's jaw. As he stumbled back, and as Naruto floated briefly in the air above him, the Leaf shinobi unloaded a punch right between his eyes, breaking his nose. The twin crashed harshly against the road.
Meanwhile, Sakura had started with a kick rather than a prank, hitting the back of the twin's knee before he had a chance to realize she was there. It didn't have the desired effect she sought. Rather than collapse to his knees, his leg buckled slightly, but then he whirled around on her with snarl on his lips and a timid leg. Still, she opened up an opportunity. That was all she needed to finish this fight.
When he threw a heavy and powerful fist, Sakura swiftly evaded to the side. She grabbed his hulking arm, kicked him again in his weakened leg. Then, with all over her strength, she hip-tossed the twin, crashing him against the street before slamming her knee into the back of his shoulder while pulling back on the limb.
The audible snap of the bone was followed by a short cry of pain. The twin fell unconscious a moment later.
In the middle of the violence, the young man hefted up the partially filled crate and rushed off with the boy.
Burly Scars mistakenly took his eyes off Mimi at the sound of clinking medicine bottles and retreating footsteps, a sound which he associated with money being poured down the drain the same way Eyepatch callously emptied the medicine.
He didn't see Mimi approach. Didn't feel the strike to the pressure point in his neck, or how his face broke on the road.
There were still a handful of unbroken and sealed bottles left over, Sakura observed over the groaning of the two conscious thugs.
"Think you're real clever, huh," Mimi said, looming over Eyepatch. "Stealing medicines, extorting the people who bought them for more money when lives are at stake. They're just kids. Orphans struggling to survive."
Mercilessly, the Inuzuka placed her foot on his broken elbow.
"Wahhhhhh!"
The slightest bit of pressure caused the wail. Sakura felt an uncomfortable knot form in her stomach. She opened her mouth to speak, but a cerulean gaze stopped her. A gaze that said what she was feeling inside, yet tried to ignore.
He deserved it. Let it be, for now.
"Sakura, let's salvage the rest of this medicine," Naruto said.
"Right," she conceded, crouching down with him to pick up what bottles they could.
"You poured out that medicine—medicine that could save a life. Not just any life, but a child's life, you worthless sack of flesh," hissed Mimi, slit pupils searing into his teary eyes. "You poured it out right in front of that boy. Sneering like the one-eyed snake you are, laughing with your little friends at their helplessness. But where's all the laughter now? Where's that grin of yours? Come on! Show me a smile! Laugh! Aren't you having fun?"
"Pleeeassseeeeee! Sto- Ahhh! Ah! Ah!"
Mimi exerted more pressure, moving her foot around like she was squashing a large cockroach that had crawled onto his arm. Eyepatch writhed and convulsed on the street, screaming, wailing, sobbing.
"It isn't fun when your powerless, is it?" she asked venomously. "Not so fun to be at someone else's mercy, huh? No, I don't think you're having any fun at all. I think you might be suffering. Just like those kids you were going to damn to sickness and death."
"Wh- Who are those kids to you?!"
"I don't know even them."
"What?!"
"Funny, isn't it? All this over some kids neither of us have ever met."
The Inuzuka crouched down, foot still planted on his broken arm. She leaned over to be face to face with the man. Though Sakura couldn't see it, she could sense the violent and murderous expression on the Inuzuka's face through the tone of her voice alone. She could feel the killing intent in the air.
"I'll kill you if I ever see your face again. Remember that."
After she rose, Mimi kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious. She turned her attention to the crowd.
"What are you all staring at? Show's over! Scram!"
Slowly, almost as if out of disappointment there wasn't more violence, the crowd began to disperse. Disgust over their grotesque inaction settled in Sakura's gut. She frowned as she rose, four bottles hugged against her abdomen. Together the entire crowd could have overwhelmed the four thugs. Instead, they watched.
Street fights were just another form of entertainment here, it seemed. No, Naruto was right. This outpost didn't feel like a home at all. Nothing like the home she knew, anyway.
Mimi stepped over the unconscious bodies, leaned over and picked up the final two bottles.
"Let's go make a delivery," she said, gesturing with a tilt of her head to follow her before turning to leave.
"Yeah, let's go get those kids their medicine," Naruto said.
"Right behind you," Sakura followed.
The scent of the fluffy-haired young man weaved through several back alleys. By comparison to the heavy and cheap fruity perfume permeating from the previous town, his scent was lighter, smelling of natural sweat, dirt and the slightest hints of blood.
The stench of garbage in the alleyways nearly buried it. However, the trail never went cold. His scent lingered heavier wherever he stopped to catch his breath, check his surroundings for the thugs or tried to get his bearings, but it never halted. It pressed on, accompanied by the scent of the small boy he was protecting, until finally reaching its destination.
The exterior of the two-story building was nothing special. It was narrow, squeezed in at the end of a street dominated by a variety of similarly built narrow buildings bearing the same dull white painted exterior walls, the same tiled rooftops and pine green weather awnings positioned above their windows.
There was only one difference, physically speaking, between their building and the others: the sign hanging above the door bore the image of a wine glass being filled with red wine. The other buildings were either apartments, shops of varying types or boarded up entirely.
I think this town has a drinking problem, Mimi thought dryly.
The sign in the window read Closed. Despite that, the Inuzuka tested the knob. It refused to budge, locked up tighter than a tetanus lockjaw. That was okay. Such a trivial defense mechanism couldn't bar a shinobi from entry.
Quickly analyzing the outer façade, Mimi checked for any potential openings, hopeful there would be another means of entry other than resorting to the easy kick-the-damn-door-in option. She was gifted with the sight of a partially opened window on the second floor.
"We'll use that window," Mimi directed Naruto and Sakura's attention to the open window. "Expect them to freak out, but don't resort to violence. At most be prepared to disarm a weapon. Otherwise, we'll talk them down. If they refuse to listen we'll leave."
They assented to her plan.
One short jump later she was at the window, sliding it open more for easier entry. Slipping inside, the room, she learned, was the size of a small bedroom. At least a dozen empty sleeping bags were lined from wall to wall in columns like a rainbow made from mute grays, dusky greens and blues, bright oranges, and royal purples. No furniture. It would've taken away space from its occupants, who were already sleeping on top of each other.
Mimi stepped lightly at the edges of the sleeping bags, over and around the stuffed animals while balancing the medicine bottles in her hands. She smelled sweat. Fresh, and yet also so heavy to her sensitive sense of smell she was confident that it had been accumulating over a few days. It did not belong to the man they had followed, the scent was different. Sickly, even.
Other scents wafted from the sleeping bags, the strength of the multitude of scents made it clear the room had been occupied recently by the children these bags belonged to.
A muffled haggard cough caught her attention. She stopped in the middle of the room, her attention drawn by the sound to the far left corner and the sleeping bag she had assumed the sweaty smell was coming from. Two petrified eyes peeked and blinked at her from beneath the sleeping bag, belonging to a very skinny and very meek girl.
A very flushed and sweaty girl with a cold compress on her head.
The fear didn't surprise her. The silence didn't either, nor did her noticeably skinny body. No, it was the smell of an infection her nose honed in on that caused her greater distress.
She redirected her path straight for the girl, unfortunately causing the child greater distress to go along with the fever, sweat and pain she was already dealing with. Her unkempt and sweat soaked hair became all the Inuzuka could see of her; the fact she didn't cry out for help told her all she needed to know about the girl's previous circumstances and experiences in this town.
Mimi kneeled down beside her, setting the medicines down.
"Hey," she spoke in a soft voice. The girl peeked at her with one eye, hiding the rest of her face beneath her sleeping bag. "There's no need to worry. We aren't here to hurt anyone. We're here to drop off this medicine, see?" She gestured to the bottles. "I'm a medic. My name is Mimi Inuzuka. I can tell you're not feeling well. Let me see if I can help. Will you let me?"
"Can you…help me?"
The girl broke off in a terrible cough. Wet with phlegm. And then wheezing.
"I'm gonna do everything I can to help. All right?"
The girl nodded through another fit of coughs.
Taking off her left glove, the Inuzuka removed the cloth and placed her hand over her damp and burning forehead, confirming what she already knew by appearance.
"You're burning up. Here, I need to untuck you out of this cocoon of warmth. There we go."
The medic-nin slipped her glove back on. Channeling chakra to her left palm, a green hue formed over it as she gently placed it over the girl's chest.
This is more than an infected wound, she deduced. She's clammy. Wheezing. Her heart rate is beating faster than it should; I thought it was just the fear but this is something else.
She had a theory. But she wanted to confirm her suspicions with facts before making a bold assumption, no matter how confident she felt.
"Aoko, can you sense where the wound is?" Mimi asked her companion rather than the girl. She was struggling enough as it was without being asked questions.
"The wound is on her right thigh. A series of puncture wounds. Specifically, a dog bite. The infection has grown severe. It's unclean. Filled with pus on the outside, but on the inside her body is—"
A heavy thud on the floor from the window cut off her companion, as did Naruto's voice.
"Gah!"
"Naruto, are you all right?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, just my own clumsy feet," he groaned. "Did I… Phew! The bottles are all still intact."
Mimi heard the rushing footsteps from the hall before the door ripped open. Her sapphire eyes didn't leave the girl; her Diagnostic Jutsu finished.
Pneumonia, she confirmed solemnly, pulsing Medical Ninjutsu through the girl's weakened body. And right now her body is losing the fight.
"He- Hey! You! Get away from her!" The young man from the street was joined by a crowd of children and a middle-aged man.
"What kind of antibiotics do you have? Do you have any Penicillin? I have antibiotic ointment, but that won't help what's going on internally, " Mimi asked, still pulsing Medical Ninjutsu into the girl's body.
The girl groaned in relief, then coughed again.
Mistaking the groan for one of pain, the young man rushed over the sleeping bags and tried to tackle her. It was for that brief moment Mimi removed her hand from the girl, but only to stop the impulsive man acting like a bull in a china shop before he broke one of the bottles beside her or unintentionally hurt the child.
She whirled up on the unsteady surface of the sleeping bags, which tried to slip out from beneath her feet, and caught him in a headlock, heels sliding back slightly. Then she whirled again, chucking him suddenly into the wall back first.
He slumped to the floor, dazed. Mimi kneeled beside the girl and placed her green glowing hand on her chest again.
"We brought the medicine you left," she said emotionlessly. "You nearly trampled it there with that reckless charge, but hey, no harm done. Four strangers are trespassing, I get it. Sakura and Naruto have the rest," she said, gesturing with her thumb over her shoulder. "Did you get any Penicillin, by chance? The bottles I have won't be helpful to her."
"Wh- who are you?" asked the dazed young man.
"Mimi Inuzuka. That's Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno. Now, Penicillin?"
"What are you—"
Mimi switched hands. She used her right to administer Medical Ninjutsu and her left to snatch the young man by the collar of his shirt.
"Ask. Questions. Later," she ground out. "I am trying to help this girl. Either help or get the hell out."
"There was Penicillin in the order," the middle-aged man answered in his stead. "I'll go retrieve it."
"Thank you." She released the young man. "Sakura, Naruto, bring your medicine wherever he's going. Also ask for rags and a bucket, if possible. I have to clean an infected wound. Afterwards, Sakura, you've learned how to perform a Diagnostic Jutsu, right?"
"Yes."
"All right. I want you to check all the children. Figure out who needs treatment and who is healthy. Do what you can. If you aren't sure about something, or you aren't confident you know the proper treatment, say so and come to me. Got it?"
"You can count on me, Mimi."
"Good. Naruto, once you're done delivering that medicine I want you to keep watch. Never know if there are more of those thugs to pummel."
"Got it."
They moved out without another word.
"How's the pain?" she asked softly to the girl. "Better? Worse? Same?"
"My chest…doesn't hurt as much." She coughed again and grimaced. "It hurts when I cough."
"Mm. That's because of the bacterial house party happening in your lungs right now."
"…What's going on in her lungs?" the young man asked cautiously.
"Short version? She has Pneumonia. Long version: The air sacs in her lungs are inflamed by an infection, and that wet cough your hearing is the result of an excessive secretion of phlegm building inside of her respiratory passages."
Mimi stopped herself short of explaining the possibility of infection spreading in this cramped room. They were going to need more antibiotics. A lot more. For now she focused on the life in front of her in need of saving.
"Pneumonia?" repeated the young man, shocked.
"How long has she been here for?"
"Uh, the children brought her in…three days ago. She was in bad shape already. I thought it was a bad case of the flu. It's been spreading among the kids because…well—"
"Don't need to hop and skip around it. I know they're orphans, and I know what the common living conditions they endure are." She glanced at him. "It may have started as a flu. Problem is her immune system was already compromised by a combination of terrible living conditions and an infected wound."
"A wound?"
"Right thigh. Puncture wounds from a dog's teeth. You didn't know?"
"No. Like I said, I thought it was a bad case of the flu. I hoped by bringing her in from the cold we could… Will she be all right?"
"Yeah," Mimi answered resolutely.
"Give me the strength not to drill him for asking that in front of a patient," Aoko rumbled.
Mimi couldn't agree more.
The middle-aged man returned with the antibiotic and removed the bottles settled beside her.
"Has she eaten or drank anything?" she asked the young man after a moment.
"A little bit of water. She refused to eat, though. She doesn't have an appetite."
"Do you know when her last meal was?"
"No."
"Then I need you to grab a glass of water and find something she can eat. A soup would be good."
"Okay. I'll be right back."
Mimi hummed to acknowledge him. Her attention was solely on the girl.
The loss of fluids she's suffering from… If we can't get her to eat and drink, and hold it all down, she'll need to be taken to a hospital. She's in bad shape. Mimi clenched her jaw. All I can do right now is give her a fighting chance.
Medical Ninjutsu had its limits. It wasn't a cornucopia miracle cure for all ailments, whether physical injury or internal illness. She couldn't open up an incision on the girl and drain the bacteria out of her lungs, sew her up and call the job done; a procedure of that kind was a last resort for poisons when an antidote couldn't be synthesized in time to save their life.
It was also incredibly painful for the patient and way beyond her current skill level.
Even the Medical Ninjutsu she was administering wasn't wiping out the infection in its entirety. If the application of Medical Ninjutsu could do that, the need for antibiotics, flu shots, vaccinations and other medicines would've died off long ago. No. All she could do was alleviate the symptoms, mitigate the pain and heal the damaged tissues in her lungs caused by the severe infection.
The latter of the three would require the most focus and the most precision. Like with medicine, too much Medical Ninjutsu could potentially harm the body. However, unless they took care of the root of the issue—the infection inside her lungs—none of it would matter.
Naruto entered the room again bearing a bucket and several dry rags. After he set them down where she directed he asked,
"Is there anything I can do to help? I can spare a Shadow Clone."
"Thanks, but no. Aoko will help me clean the wound."
"Okay. I'll keep watch then."
Left alone again Mimi temporarily redirected her attention to unpacking her antibiotic ointment and roll of bandages. While she did Aoko hopped down from her head and transformed into a mirror image of her companion with the Man Beast Clone technique.
They didn't examine the wound on the girl's thigh until after the young man returned with a fresh bowl of soup and a glass of water. It took no small amount of gentle coaxing from Mimi to get the girl to eat even a little bit. Sick kids were stubborn. But the medic-nin was patient and resolved in her goal.
There was a rule of three when it came to deprivation. The body could survive without oxygen for three minutes, it could survive extreme temperatures for three hours without shelter, three days without water and three weeks without food. By the look of the girl, Mimi could bet the three week mark was closer than any of them wanted.
After the soup Mimi had her take the Penicillin with her glass of water. Again with no small amount of coaxing. But with food, water and an antibiotic in her system, it was finally time to work on her leg.
Once she was lying down again the Inuzuka put the girl to sleep. Cleaning the wound wouldn't be fun. Definitely if the severity was as bad as it smelled.
Turning her onto her left side and exposing the wound, Mimi couldn't suppress her curse at the sight of the wound. The punctures were filled with pus, appearing like grotesque oversized zits leaking down her leg on the verge of exploding. The red streaks leading further down her leg and up towards her hip confirmed the worst.
It was worse than the smell.
"You ready for this, Aoko?" Mimi asked.
"Ready when you are."
"All right. Time to save this girl's life."
When Mimi and Aoko in her natural state finally emerged from the bedroom to join Naruto and Sakura in the medium-sized living space on the second floor, where the other dozen children plus the fluffy-haired man and middle-aged man also gathered, they didn't appear too worse for wear despite the half hour they spent tending to the girl. A bit tired, if nothing else.
In spite of that, she went around to all the children to check all of them a second time, much to the chagrin of some of the more independent children. Sakura didn't take it personally. It was Mimi's way. Despite knowing nothing about these kids, she actively went out of her way to help them without asking for anything in return.
It was one more reason she respected her squad leader.
After the final checks were done, and the swollen eye on the boy from the street was taken care of, the Inuzuka asked for a quick rundown of anything she may have missed out on in the last thirty minutes.
They started with introductions. The fluffy-haired man's name was Daisuke while the bar owner's name was Manzo. Neither of them watched the shinobi with hints of suspicion, not after everything they had done. Naruto reported his Shadow Clone's hadn't seen a single sign of thugs or anyone like them since they showed up. Sakura informed Mimi on the state of the children and what she recommenced to Daisuke and Manzo for the sick ones.
Mimi nodded along. Overall, the state of the majority of the children was nothing compared to the sick girl. They weren't painfully thin or fighting off a serious illness. Only minor flu symptoms, but as Mimi would warn, that didn't mean they were safe.
"Not everyone will be infected by the flu. And not everyone will develop a serious case of it," she explained. "But the chance is always there. The good news is these kids aren't gonna be stuck out in the cold for the winter. Bad news is the sick ones will be crammed together with the healthy ones."
"Meaning more of these poor children will get sick," Manzo realized with a resigned sigh.
"We saw a few clinics, but is there a hospital in this outpost?" Sakura asked.
"Officially? No," Manzo answered, shaking his head. "The thugs and gangs in this town pushed their extortion too far. Those clinics you saw have long been shut down. They couldn't afford to keep the lights on, let alone maintain a supply of medicines or power their machines. So, they packed up and moved elsewhere. Some left the Nation entirely, fed up with the Feudal Lord's refusal to do anything except fill his own coffers. Others moved to new towns and found much of the same."
"What about unofficially?" Naruto asked.
"A few of the doctors and nurses remain, guided by their duty to help others however they might. However, they aren't easy find. In fact, it is more accurate to say they find you."
"How?"
"That I do not know," he admitted sincerely. "Furthermore, from what I hear they are small in number, and this is a large outpost."
"And in this town there must be plenty of patients overwhelming them," Mimi deduced.
"Quite right. Frankly, when we found you taking care of Emi I had thought you were one of them. At least until I saw your headbands."
"What even brought you to this town?" Daisuke asked. "No- not that I'm not grateful! I owe you for protecting me and Biscuit—"
"Biscuit?" Mimi repeated the name, tilting her head. It was clear she was trying not to smile. Aoko didn't bother to hide her grin.
Admittedly, Sakura had a similar reaction. It turned out that some of the children had never been given names, which led to the orphans naming themselves after foods, flowers and drinks.
The boy she healed, Biscuit, lifted his head at the sound of his name. Scotch, a young girl with a brown plait, jabbed him in the side with her elbow to redirect his attention to the big book opened across his lap.
"It's a long story," Daisuke replied.
"Well, we're actually here on a mission to locate the Sound Village," Mimi divulged.
Daisuke tensed. Mimi caught it, as did Sakura and Naruto.
"By the pale look on your face, seems you've heard of it," the Inuzuka said.
Daisuke slouched forward in his chair, bracing his forearms on his thighs.
"I had hoped I would never hear that name again," he said softly. "It's because of the Feudal Lord's partnership with that man that I deserted my Clan."
"Wait, so you know him? Orochimaru?" Naruto asked.
"No. I never met him personally," Daisuke shook his head, his fluffy hair swaying with the gesture. "But his name and his Village are known to me. This Land was once home to many shinobi Clans. However, the Feudal Lord in his desire to acquire more territory and power sent these Clans into hopeless wars, which they were decimated in. The Fūma Clan, my Clan, was one of them.
"Due to the casualties we sustained, we were no longer as glorious or powerful as we once were. Naturally, the Feudal Lord then looked elsewhere in search of an edge."
"Orochimaru," Sakura stated.
Daisuke nodded. "My Clan was approached to join his new Sound Village on the promise he would one day revive and restore our Clan to its former glory. The result of his lie, as you can imagine, led to infighting. Two factions formed: Those who were willing to sacrifice our secret techniques and their honor to Orochimaru, and those who saw through his lies."
"What did you choose?" Naruto asked.
"By that time, my Clan was already falling apart. We were stooping to petty thievery and banditry to survive. I…couldn't live my life that way. The war had already stolen so much…" He clutched his hands into tight fists, briefly. They fell slack a moment later. "So I left. I struggled to survive on the streets; a sense of honor, kindness and generosity are foreign in this Land, and for a deserter with no home and no means to make money, refusing to steal doesn't increase your chances of survival.
"I came close to just…giving up. I didn't have much to live for anyway. Everything and everyone I had ever loved was gone. They were stolen from me by those godforsaken and hopeless wars."
Sakura felt a pinch in her heart. The pain in his voice and weight of those scars bearing down on his slouched shoulders proved he still struggled with it. He looked so worn down suddenly, like how Amari and Mimi appeared after the Invasion.
The pinch she felt twisted into fear, for she and her comrades were set to witness a war, too. A war in which they could also lose everything and everyone they loved just as he had. Looking at her comrades, she could tell Naruto shared her grim expression; Mimi watched him with eyes that understood, yet were resolute to not allow the same fate befall her comrades.
"Around that time was when Biscuit found me," Daisuke continued. "He brought me to Manzo. Ever since I've dedicated myself to helping him help these kids and the other less fortunate around town."
"Many were swept up by the dream of what the Sound Village could have been," Manzo said. "A shinobi Village represents power, influence. It can bring wealth to a Nation. However, what the Sound Village became is neither a dream nor a nightmare for this Land, for even a nightmare would be an improvement."
The bartender's expression became grim.
"It is a mass grave filled by the unfortunate souls, greedy fools and the most desperate that fell into it. Folk will go missing, then never return. The few who have were dead, and those few corpses were unidentifiable, or so I've been told."
"Is that why you opened your door to these kids?" Mimi asked. "To keep them from getting picked off by Orochimaru?"
"Yes," Manzo nodded. "As a bartender, I hear a great deal. Alcohol is capable of loosening even the strictest of tongues. Although I have never learned the location of the Sound Village, or the intimate details of what goes on within it, I learned enough to know that the fate to await those taken in by the Sound Village was worse than death."
A fate worse than death… Sakura shifted in discomfort. Naruto crossed his arms, frowning deeply. Mimi didn't reveal her emotions. But they all knew the truth of his words from their encounters with Orochimaru and his lieutenants.
Manzo shook his head.
"I am not a shinobi like you children. I lack the power to fight against the Feudal Lord and the Sound Village, and the power to change the circumstances these children face. But I can ease the burden and offer them shelter from those who would steal what little they have."
"You may lack power, but you've proven you aren't powerless. The world could do with more people like you," the Inuzuka said. "But from the sound of it, our best bet at finding the Sound Village is locating a member of the Fūma Clan. If we can find the faction who opposed joining the Sound Village they might have an idea of where the Village is located. If we find one from the Sound Village we can scare them off and track them straight to their base."
"I wonder if that masked guy was part of the Fūma Clan," Naruto pondered.
"Could be," the Inuzuka said, nodding slightly. "Won't know until my Clone dispels. For all I know she might have found the Sound Village already." Mimi rested her arms over her belly. "Still, better to be proactive and keep investigating. She might hit a dead end, and daylight is burning."
Her sapphire eyes flicked to Daisuke. "Any chance you still know someone we could talk to?"
"Sorry, no," Daisuke replied, shaking his head. "I didn't part in silence. I made my thoughts and feelings known on the direction the Clan was going. Tempers flared and we came to blows. I was told they never wanted to see my face again."
"Hm."
"Sorry."
"Nah, don't worry about it," Mimi brushed off his apology. "You guys gave us a better idea where to start looking, which is more than we had a few minutes ago. Anyway, we should keep moving. The Sound Village isn't going to suddenly reveal itself to us."
Sakura and Naruto agreed. Before leaving, though, Mimi reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, which she then handed to Daisuke.
"Here's all the information you need to take care of Emi and bring her around with the medicine at your disposal. If her condition doesn't improve in the next couple days, come find me at the abandoned mountain temple outside of the outpost."
"Okay. I will. And thank you again, Mimi."
"Happy to help." Mimi turned to face them and gestured to the door with a tilt of her head. "Naruto, Sakura, let's go. We've got plenty of work left to do."
"Right," Sakura nodded.
Plenty of work, true, but just like she said they had a direction to go now. They were finally gaining some ground.
Manzo and Daisuke escorted them down the stairs and out the front door. Mimi paused, turned back and tossed the money Jiraiya gave them to Daisuke, who nearly fumbled the catch.
"It isn't much. But I hope it helps."
"I- I can't take your money. You've already done so much for the childr—"
A breeze rolled through the town. Mimi's head snapped up towards the roof.
Movement and a shadow in the sky caught Sakura's attention a second later, drawing her eyes to the body falling off the rooftop of the bar. The person crashed to the ground, an open cut over their shoulder to go along with the contusions the fall would've caused.
The familiar balaclava and orange ponytail caught her attention.
"Hey, it's that guy!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing his finger at them.
They struggled and quivered as they tried to rise. Wide and fearful eyes rose to the rooftop they'd just fallen off of, to their assailant who loomed over the street.
The most distinguishing feature of the young man wasn't his his short black hair or his thick eyebrows or his brown long sleeve with a single maroon line running down its right side or grey pants; the smug grin wasn't all that impressive either. It was the scissor pincer weapon worn on his right arm.
Daisuke gasped at the sight of the man. "Kamikiri?"
"It must be our lucky day," Kamikiri declared, ignoring Daisuke. "All of our targets in one place. I think I'll start with—"
The flash of furious crimson red was all Sakura's eyes perceived. She didn't even hear their enemy cry out in agony, for the powerful blow that struck him flung him from the rooftop and drilled him into the street in a mere instant. The crash reverberated through her sandals and into her legs. Dirt and a veil of dust exploded into the air.
Stunned by the suddenness of the attack, it took Sakura an extra moment to recognize the source as they dropped down from the building, shrouded by a swirling red tornado of pure rage.
"That's not a good sign," Mimi muttered.
No. It seemed the fury of the Inuzuka was about to be unleashed.
Review Response to NarutoFan: Happy you enjoyed the last chapter and the bit of detail about how Orochimaru went about creating the Sound Village with the Feudal Lord. I don't know how far into detail I'll always go in regards to the civilian side of the world and the effects of war and such, but it is something I hope to show here and there throughout.
True, they aren't used to seeing rundown or sketchy towns after living in the Leaf all their lives. Despite the Invasion and the damage caused by it, as Atsuko mentioned during the Sound Four arc to the kunoichis, they've grown up in a time of peace and prosperity. When I think of the Leaf, though, I don't imagine it without adult recreation, beyond the obvious bars and restaurants and karaoke. Though I assume there would be greater regulations and rules and laws, unlike the recent town the gang visit in this chapter, I tend to think there are dance clubs, cabaret clubs, gambling houses and other forms of adult entertainment. Even a sort of red lantern district.
Though, despite the peace and prosperity, not all of them grew up in financial security. Naruto, for instance. To your point on Jiraiya stealing money from Naruto, I remember it always being presented as comedic in the anime, but, yeah, although I love Jiraiya as a character it was pretty strange and morally wrong for him to steal from Naruto given his success as an author and as a shinobi. Though I wonder if like off-screen he repaid that stuff without Naruto knowing beyond training him, or if training is what is meant to be seen as his repayment. Either way, I liked the idea of Naruto learning from his previous experience and getting one over on his master without actually losing a significant portion of his money for a change.
There will definitely be some chances for Naruto and Sakura to show off how they're growing in this arc, I can promise that.
It was a bit weird writing Kasai's perspective for me. It was the first time I'd ever done it; I had a similar feeling when I first wrote Chojuro and Haku in the Crimson Flowers arc. I wasn't sure I would capture all three of their thoughts and personalities, but in the end I was happy with how it turned out.
I think Mimi's Shadow Clone has already gone beyond that point. Hopefully they can regain control of the situation and, for Mimi, maintain control of herself when she has those memories imparted onto her. That's one thing I liked about writing this chapter, just knowing that Mimi's Shadow Clone is out there witnessing what she did and going ballistic while her original and teammates are completely oblivious to what's happened. Then having it all intersect and, as the arc goes, seeing how witnessing that sight and learning of it effects the team.
When I think back on it, we don't really witness the full extent of Orochimaru's crimes until later in Shippuden when he's dead through flashbacks with Tenzo and Kakashi, to name only one off the top of my head. We don't know how many children he killed with Hashirama cells until that time, and that's just that particular experiment. My mind then goes to the question of: How many more? Because there would clearly be more children he kept in cells, experimented on or manipulated. Not to mention the adults and teenagers.
They'll have to be careful going forward considering who they're up against. Hopefully this mission can get back in their control, preferably before something like what you mentioned happens. A fight against Kasai definitely won't be easy, especially if there are other Sound shinobi around.
Anyway, thank you for reading and thank you for the review!