ThePurplePanther: Thank you for your advice! It was actually something I was struggling over, the sudden change in scenarios, I didn't know how I should approach it. But just like you said I'll use section breakers. Thanks!
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Sakura woke up to the sound of robin tweets. She sat up, feeling uncomfortably stiff. The bed was unpleasant but nothing much could be done. She stretched her limbs, popping the airs in her joints. She washed up in the toilet, preparing for her exit.
The quietness of the woods encircling her. The terrain was again rocky, and the path was hard to decipher, indicating she's back into the wilderness far from civilisation. She watched for the temperature, it's getting colder, signalling that she's much further from Konoha, the outskirts of the Land of Fire.
She'd have to cross a river, but before that she'll have to pass the ruins of Uzushiogakure, what was once known as the Hidden Eddy village, the land of the whirling tides. Their people were renowned for their outstanding fuinjutsu skills, to the point they were deemed an overall threat to the existence of other villages. Frightened by their inhuman-like abilities, many plotted against them. Ultimately, it no longer exists after being destroyed and its people and the Uzumaki clan annihilated.
Had they existed till this day, they would have been the strongest village yet, due to their formidable powers and their ability to seal anything. Naruto would have probably been relocated there as it is the home of the Uzumaki Clan. Nevertheless, a huge tragedy that wrecked a peaceful clan.
Now, being uninhabitable and partially submerged, bandits and thieves roam around the empty city, looking for travellers to raid from. It would take miles to completely pass the area.
She carried on the outskirts of the ruins, not wanting to go through the centre, no – that would be asking for trouble. She squinted, spotting some bulky clusters on the ground. Logs? No, they seemed larger.
She followed the crimson trail. Trails should be of the earth, crafted by curious, wondering feet. Only in such a broken world could they ever be of blood. Her face scrunched in utter disgust, blocking out the smell with her wrist. Bodies upon bodies, the ground smeared with pools of blood. The bloodshed was barbaric, it was evil and cruel. Based on their attires, they looked like travellers, but their belongings were missing.
A pack of wolves or rabid animals maybe? But that wouldn't explain why their belongings were missing. Sakura knew they were probably the acts of human beings. Being evil is something only humans are capable of, their biggest enemies being themselves.
''All for some stuff? Why would anyone resort to this?'' She muttered. Amongst all the bodies, she approached one - so young - maybe late teens, early twenties. Leaning down she closed her opened eyes. It hasn't been long since she or the rest died, still having some remanence of colour in their troubled features.
She glanced to her left and right, her surrounding eerily quiet, the howls of the wind quieting down. She couldn't help but feel as though she's not alone, quickly feeling uneasy.
Snickering, like a pack of ugly hyenas, dark figures emerged from the trees. Over a dozen at least. 'Shit' she cursed. She quickly scanned her opponents, examining what she was up against. They were loaded with heavy weapons and gears, probably belonging to the travellers they've robbed: Bows and arrows, wakizashi, daggers and whatnots. They closed in on her, sneering, already celebrating their victory.
A heavily built man, brawny with muscular hairy arms. His rounded face was covered with an untamed goatee. Coated with his protective gears, he pointed a machete at the rosette.
His voice rusty and deep, ''what's a little buttercup like you doing wondering around here?'' The pack laughing in response.
''Boss, don't scare the girl, you're giving us a bad impression.'' A voice was heard amongst the crowd. Sakura scowled in response. The leader erupted with an uncontrollable, absurd laughter, his saliva spilling around in the process.
''Haha! A gutsy one. I mean, it's better than her,'' he pointed his machete at the laying female corpse Sakura examined just earlier. An attempt of a horrible female impersonation he continued, ''She kept crying, please don't kill me, please don't kill me!'' He placed his right pinkie in his right ear, tilting his head ever so slightly, ''She was annoyingly loud, so I shredded her to pieces. It was tragically beautiful.''
Sakura's fist trembled, not from dread, but from rage. Fury thrummed through her veins, inwardly she was seething. She quickly swallowed her frustration back down, not losing her composure. The leader nodded towards her direction, indicating a few of his men to charge.
Swinging aimlessly, Sakura knew some had no real expertise on combat based on their posture.
The first man swung the knife directly to her face, Sakura grabbing his arms and twisting it, pushing him away. Whilst in the process of kicking the stomach of another charging behind her. She flung her shuriken from her holster, knifing into the thighs of another two men, disabling them from running.
A soaring scream from behind her, Sakura whizzed around, ducking in time, missing the swinging axe by a few centimetres. Using her low height, she swept him off his feet, propelling him to fall and kicking the axe away from him. Regaining balance, she looks up only to notice an arrow whip by her hair, taking along some of the pink strands and skin with it. Barely dodging it, everything seemingly in slow motion. Blood building on the wound, it flowed down her pale rosy cheeks. The loud thud into the branch bringing her back to reality. She needs to get to the archers; she can't do all at once.
The boss eyeing her from the distance, realising a fact once her hood was now pulled off. ''She has pink hair!'' He cackled in laughter. He eyed her body, at least from what he could fathom from the cloak. Smirking, he shouts to his men, ''Disable her! But don't kill her, I want it.''
Sakura spat on the ground as a form of reply. Did he think she was some kind of object? Come again? An 'IT'?
She darts for the men surrounding her, picking up the available dagger and slashing their limbs, incapacitating them. She noticed an archer releasing his arrow, Sakura grabbed the available bandit, using him to shield herself. Throwing him aside, she blocks the next upcoming arrow with her dagger.
A wisp of air leaving her lungs as she was dragged violently by her hair. 'What is up with everyone and grabbing the head?!' she mentally hissed. She clutched the man's hand with her two arms, slinging him forward with such force, he shattered the ground before her, blood spluttering on her face.
A painful sensation pulsed through her shoulder. The impact so forceful, it shoved her back a little. She looked down: a wedged arrow. She ripped it out giving no time to dwell. Sakura was getting tired, there were so many of them and only one of her.
She eyed the field, in one swift movement, she punctured the ground, the earth rumbling preparing for its rupture. The ground collapsing in, sucking a few of the men. The sky covered with debris and dust smoke. Sakura used this opening, leaping for the archers, in such a speed no human can capture. She knocked a few out, taking a bow and a few of the arrow for herself.
The sudden hiss of the wind began to grow louder and louder. She looked up; a spear hurled in such a speed the whipping of the wind was vibrating.
She flew to the side, throwing a smoke bomb and hurriedly locating behind a tree, dropping down on the stump. Sakura released the breath she didn't know she was holding. What on earth was that weapon? It looked like an atlatl with a rope attached. ''So, he was planning to pierce me with it and drag me back like an animal?'' she muttered in disbelief.
It wasn't that they were insanely strong, no it wasn't that- there were so many of them, when you remove a rock from an ant formicary, they come out from every angle possible. A few of them being 'normal' people, a few with some history of warfare.
She could run for it now, leave all this behind, after all, it was a waste of time, and she'd gain nothing from it. She took out a mirror from her holster, propping it so she can see beyond the tree.
The mirror hurled from her hands, sent it flying as an arrow pierced it, shattering it into pieces. ''What the fuck.'' She cursed. She was beginning to assume the boss was no ordinary bandit, some history of being a fighter. Having no time to think anymore she throws a smoke bomb into the crowd, landing on a one half kneel, she props the bow against the arrow, drawing it back and releasing it. She was welcomed with a groan and a thud.
Keeping an eye on the figures, she crouch-walks to a neighbouring tree, drawing out an arrow. Aiming for another individual, she released the bow string. She had no time to celebrate for every person she hit. She doesn't know if it was pure luck, or if she had a knack for archery.
She notices a few running towards her direction. The rosette props herself, making a beeline within the forest. Leaping and running, raw determination sailing through her veins to get away. Sakura glances a look back, a number of them chasing after her with their weapons. A whizzing sound to her left, then right- the firing of arrows. Listening to its sound, she manages to dodge some, the rest just slightly grazing her.
Sakura turns her back, jumping backwards. She throws shurikens, disabling a few of the runners. She turns back, continuing to run. She grabs a smoke bomb, throwing it towards them and piercing it with a flying kunai. The rosette makes a sharp right turn, in an attempt to confuse and lose them. Charging for higher ground, she makes her steps as subtle as possible, light as a feather.
Sakura examined the area around her, her eyes falling to a small cave. Not thinking twice, she ran for it, seeking refuge. She collapsed on her back, breathing heavily as she stared at the webbed ceiling. ''Dusty rodents, so persistent for what.'' She spat. Her heart broke for the massacred travellers; the young girl, no older than she was. She gently rested her eyes, releasing a shaking breath. 'So much for a hassle-free journey.'
Her eyes shot open; her breath caught in her throat as she goes rigid. From her peripheral vision, she notices something fidgeting. Turning her head slowly, her eyes searched for the figure. It was slouching against the wall, it's arm against its abdomen. Slowly using her elbow as support, she lifted herself up, wanting to dissipate into thin air, suddenly feeling her existence was loud.
The crunching sound of a leaf from her boots echoed through the silent cave. For a long moment, nothing happens… then everything slowed down. The figure lunged towards her, Sakura not fast enough as she grabs a kunai from her holster, spearing at the thing. It stabs it's shoulder, but it never stopped it. She drags herself back, dodging a fatal blow from his right hand. However, within seconds he was inches away from her face, it's hot breath against her cheek. Using his left hand, he viciously grabs her throat, crushing it with his slender fingers. Taken aback, she gasped for air, wheezing for oxygen, blood trickling down her neck, not knowing if it was hers or his.
She grabs onto the kunai embedded in his shoulder, digging it further for him to back away, but he wouldn't. She fumbles for her holster. 'Something, just give me something!' It was getting hard to breathe, her vision blurring. The figure was towering over her every second more. Unable to make sense of his face because of her clouded vision. Was this how she was going to die? So pathetically?
A sudden rush of air bathed her lungs. The heavy figure collapsing on top of her, plummeting Sakura back down to the ground, a loud thud reverberating from the back of her head as it collided to the concrete, knocking her unconscious.
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Thanks for reading c:
Be sure to leave a review! I am unsure if this is worthy enough for readers and if I should stop. My writing is not the best after all! c:
Ciao
-Grape