OMG! STUPID COMPUTER! ARRGGHH! Sorry for the very late update.
Oh yeah! Another long chappie! –Starts to dance-
Suigetsu: erm . . . Enjoy the chapter.
CHAPTER 3-History of the Sacred Clans
After Neji told the story of the previous night to Tenten and Naruto, the two of them groaned.
"You met some gangster chick while I was drunk in the car? So not cool!" Naruto whined.
"Sorry Ino," Tenten said to her friend. "I should have been taking care of you. But I ended up drunk."
Ino smiled, "I don't mind. It's not your fault, Ten."
"Why'd anyone want to kill Ino?" Hinata said softly. "I mean, Ino-chan didn't do anything wrong, right?" Ino nodded furiously.
"Probably because of your popularity," said Shikamaru. "Or because of you being the heiress to a powerful business company."
"The things people do out of jealousy." Neji said shaking his head.
"Hey Naruto," said Tenten. "Did you find your gym uniform?"
He shook his head. "Nope," he said with a grin. "Dad got me a new gym uniform!"
"My dad got me a new red MAC lipstick!" Ino beamed.
"Does it seem weird that you both lost something and suddenly your dads bring you the exact thing you lost?" Neji asked.
There as an eerie silence. Sakura came bounding into the room and smiled, "Good morning!" She was wearing a purple t-shirt and black quarter pants.
"Good morning Sakura-chan." Hinata greeted.
"How was your night?" Sakura asked cheerily.
"Fine." Neji said flatly.
Sakura frowned, "Doesn't seem that way to me."
"We . . . had a little trouble at the club, that's all." Tenten said with a small smile.
Sakura sighed and shook her head, "I told you that club was trouble. Anyway, I hope you guys are alright now."
"We're fine, thank you." said Ino.
"Hey, what's this?" said Naruto as he pulled out a trip of paper from Sasuke's bag. Sakura's eyes widened and she immediately snatched it out of Naruto's hand.
Everyone stared at her. Sakura grinned sheepishly, "That's mine. I wonder how that got there."
"What is it?" asked Hinata.
"It's . . . a message from my grandma. She passed away and she wrote me a message. It's kinda sticky so I guess it got attached to Sasuke-kun's bag. Sorry."
"Hn." Sasuke said emotionlessly.
"I have to go," Sakura said as she smiled at the boys. "See ya later." She ran out of the room and the gang stared at her as she left.
"That was . . . weird." Tenten said with grin.
"When are things not weird when she's around?" Sasuke said with a scoff.
"Be nice Sasuke," said Ino. "She's not that bad."
"She's still a fan girl." Sasuke muttered.
Anko entered the class and started to teach but Sakura was still nowhere to be seen.
"Where is she?" Naruto whispered to Sasuke.
"Hn. I don't care." Sasuke muttered.
Suddenly, there was a BOOM from outside the school near the woods. All the students rushed to the window to see what it was but they couldn't see a thing because of the smoke and soot.
"What was that?" Ino said, worried.
"An explosion," said Neji. "I wonder who set it off."
"Oh my," exclaimed Hinata. "I hope Sakura-chan's alright."
"Everyone go back to your seats!" Anko yelled. The students mumbled complaints and went returned to their seats.
A few minutes later, Sakura came to the door with a bandaged forehead. She had changed her clothes into a brown sweater and jeans. She smiled sheepishly, "Hello Anko-sensei, may I come in?"
"Sakura, what happened to you?" Anko said rushing to her side.
Sakura giggled sheepishly, "I fell into a trap."
"What?" Anko said, confused.
"That explosion outside of school," Sakura stared to say. "I was running after my grandma's message, which had flown away. I set off a couple of fireworks, that's all."
"You okay?" Anko asked with concern.
Sakura nodded, "I'm alright."
"Go on and take a seat." Sakura thanked Anko and went to her seat. The class started whispering things like 'Clumsy Forehead' and 'Dumb pinkster' but Sakura simply smiled and took out her books.
After class, Ino, Tenten and Hinata came over to Sakura.
"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Hinata asked.
Sakura smiled and nodded, "I'm fine, thank you."
Soon the boys came over as well.
"Clumsy." Sasuke muttered.
Sakura pouted, "Sasuke-kun, don't be so mean."
"Hn." Sasuke looked away.
"Guys," said Sakura. "That wasn't the only message my grandma wrote. She wrote a lot more for my other family members and I lost them. If you find any more, immediately return it to me okay?"
"Sure Sakura-chan." Naruto said with a grin.
"I wonder who set up the fireworks." said Tenten.
Sakura shrugged, "I don't know. But we have to get to class now. Let's go."
They all had History next and they headed for their next class. They took their seats and a few minutes late, their history teacher, Kurenai, entered the class.
"Good morning class," said Kurenai. "Today we'll be learning about the ancient clans of Konoha."
Ino, Naruto and Shikamaru groaned.
"But sensei," whined Naruto. "Our parents told us about the clans over a hundred times!"
Kurenai shook her head, 'Sorry, Naruto. You're gonna have to learn it again. Trust me, you'll find it interesting because you'll hear the story in a whole different way. In fact, you and your friends' parents called at told me to tell you the story, the true story."
The class quieted down.
"As we all know," Kurenai started to say. "There were, are, six great and ancient clans in Konoha; the Uchihas, the Namikazes, the Hyuugas, the Naras, the Yamanakas and the Matsumotos."
"Matsumotos?" said Ino. "I thought there were only five ancient clans."
Kurenai smirked, "That's why I said this class was going to get interesting. The Matsumotos were never mentioned much in the stories for a reason. In this class, I'll tell you that reason."
"Please continue sensei." Hinata said softly.
"These six were the richest and the most powerful clans from the five nations and they had a strong relationship among the minor clans and also among themselves," said Kurenai. "It is believed that the Uchihas' could control the elements of fire and lightning and also control the power of the sun and moon to cast illusions with their secret eye technique called the Sharingan. The Uchihas' had onyx eyes and bluish-black hair.
The Namikazes' could control the elements of water and wind and could release enormous amount of chakra from their bodies and use it as a dangerous weapon called the Rasengan. The Namikazes' were also said to have inhuman speed and strength. The Namikazes' had blonde hair and blue eyes.
The Hyuugas had long hair and pupil-less lilac eyes. They had an eye technique like the Uchihas' called the Byakkugan which gave them 360 degree x-ray vision. They also had enormous chakra in them like the Namikazes' but they used it in a more choreographed and graceful way. This choreographed way of using chakra was known as the Kaiten.
The Naras' had super intelligence and had the ability to control the shadows. They all had black hair and eyes.
The Yamanakas' were said to have beauty; blonde hair and blue eyes like the Namikazes but of a bit lighter shade. They also had the ability to enter the minds of people and animals.
However that is considered a myth and even if it were true, it must have happened eons ago."
The class murmured in excitement. Even the gang was interested in Kurenai's teaching as they never heard the story in this version before.
"What about the Matsumotos'?" asked Neji.
From the corner of Sasuke's eye, he saw Sakura stiffen.
"The Matsumotos' were the most powerful among the six," said Kurenai. "They were said to have beauty, grace and intelligence. The Matsumotos' had red hair and green eyes. Some say that the Uzumaki clan, a small clan of the whirlpool country and the hometown of Naruto's mother, were descended from the Matsumotos but that's only a belief." Naruto grinned.
"But that made them special and the most powerful was that they also had an ultimate eye technique, even more powerful than the Sharingan and Byakkugan combined." Kurenai said with a smirk.
"What was it?" Tenten asked.
"It was called the Rinnegan. It is believed that a Rinnegan wielder could control life and death itself; someone who could control the Samsara."
"The what?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.
"In the religion of Buddhism, the Samsara is said to be the circle of life and death." said Sakura. Naruto grinned and nodded.
"That's right," said Kurenai. "The Matsumotos had complete control over life and death."
"How come we never hear about the Matsumotos anymore?" asked Ino. "I mean, aren't they still alive?"
Kurenai shook her head, "The Matsumotos were attacked by a ruthless, war-loving clan from the Sound village. It was a fierce battle and the Matsumotos were victorious but all the Matsumotos were killed, except for their leader, his wife and their unborn child. Grief stricken, the leader and his wife moved away and lived among the mountains.
Generations had passed and the Matsumoto blood went on. Many died because of diseases or because of tragic accidents. People believed it was a punishment for controlling life and death. The Matsumoto clan is no more now, since the last survivor had died ten years ago."
"Who was the last survivor?" asked Sasuke.
"Her name was Matsumoto Yuki," said Kurenai. "She was born to a rich and noble family. After her parents died in a plane crash, she was on her own. Her parents left her all their property but Yuki still chose to earn a little on her own by working in a restaurant. She befriended your parents." Kurenai looked at Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Neji, Shikamaru and Ino.
"She served Konoha as a policewoman," continued Kurenai. "She was smart, kind and brave. People refer to her as the red flame of hope because that's what she brought the people; hope. She married a man named Kenji who died of pneumonia a few months after their marriage."
"How did she die?" asked Shikamaru.
"She was killed," said Kurenai. "Police reports indicate she was alone near Konoha Park and was attacked by a gang. She had multiple cuts on her body, indicating she was stabbed several times. Her body was found in the bushes in the park. The people in that area heard a child scream and rushed to see what was wrong. They found Yuki's body but saw no child."
"She wasn't killed by a gang," a voice said. Everyone turned to see Sakura. She looked kinda . . . angry. "She couldn't have been defeated that easily. She served as a policewoman for years and had defeated and arrested many S-class criminals. She couldn't have died of a gang attack."
"You know the story of Matsumoto Yuki?" Kurenai asked.
Sakura gritted her teeth, "My mother told me the story of the Matsumotos. She . . . knew one I guess."
Kurenai nodded, "It's true that Yuki was a tough woman. But there are proof and evidences to show that she was attacked by a gang."
Sakura sighed and nodded.
"Let me ask you one thing Ms. Haruno," said Kurenai. "People say the Matsumotos were a selfish clan who took advantage of the power to control life and death; even though there is no proof stating that the Matsumotos used their abilities for a bad purpose. Why is it that you take such an interest on a clan that is no more?"
Sakura hesitated. Finally she spoke, "Matsumoto Yuki was, is, my role model. I guess her background interested me as well." Kurenai nodded.
Class was over and Sakura exited quickly. The gang met up at the cafeteria. They were all curious about Sakura's behavior in class.
"Sakura is hiding something and that something related to Matsumoto Yuki." Shikamaru said to his friends.
"Could she be a Matsumoto?" Hinata asked.
"Sakura is a Haruno, not a Matsumoto." Ino said while shaking her head.
"She said Yuki was her role model," said Sasuke. "But I think she has a relationship with Matsumoto Yuki."
"What?" Naruto exclaimed.
Neji smacked his head, "Not that relationship. You know . . . like a family relation or a friendly relation or something like that." Naruto nodded.
Sasuke looked around the cafeteria for Sakura but she wasn't there. Sasuke knew Sakura had a secret and he was going to find out what it was.
The gang was passing by the hallway when they heard a voice.
"Yes, I found ten of them." The voice said.
Ino and Hinata's eyes widened while Sasuke, Shikamaru and Neji looked at each other. It was the voice of the female from the other night.
"I'm going to need reinforcement," said the female. She was talking on the phone. The gang couldn't see her because they were hiding in the hallway. "There's bound to be more of them."
She was silent, listening to the person on the phone speak.
"No," she said. "This time, they're targeting Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke stiffened at the mention of his names. How did she know who he was?
"I understand." She snapped the phone shut. Just then, Naruto sneezed. Sasuke, out of instinct, smacked him on the head.
"Ow!" Naruto yelled. "Why'd you do that?"
"Dobe." Sasuke muttered, irritated.
The gang stepped out of hiding but saw that the person was already gone.
"Damn it!" Neji cursed.
"Who was that?" asked Tenten.
"It was the girl who saved me last night." said Ino.
"Do you know who she is?" asked Naruto.
"We were going to find out," said Shikamaru. "But because of a blonde idiot, we failed."
Naruto looked at Ino and pointed a finger, "INO ITS ALL YOUR FAULT! I WAS GOING TO MEET A GANGSTER CHICK!"
Ino twitched and punched him on the head, "I'm not the only blonde you know!"
Naruto took about ten seconds to understand what Ino meant, "Hey! I told you! It's not my fault I had to sneeze!"
"Guys, stop it." Hinata said softly.
Naruto crossed his arms and pouted, "I'm only stopping because Hinata-chan asked me to." Hinata turned as red as a tomato.
"Do you think she goes to this school?" asked Neji.
Shikamaru nodded, "Maybe. The school's security system is quite strong. There's no way they'll allow anyone enter or leave the school compound at this time. I'm guessing our mystery person attends this school."
Sasuke closed his eyes. First there was Sakura, who was hiding something big. Second, a mysterious woman, whom he doesn't know, knows him. Third, someone was out to attack him . . . maybe even kill him.
So many questions flooded his mind and he felt the answer was right there under his nose. But what was it?
Me: Ooooooh! A cliffie! Well . . . sort of.
Itachi: Hey guys. Miss me?
Me: O.O ITACHI! –Tackles him in a bear hug-
Suigetsu: Hey! –Pouts-
Me: I still love you Sui-chan.
Suigetsu: -grins and sighs-
Itachi: I'll be helping Psy with her work. Please review. O/u\O