Founding Love

Chapter Thirteen

Sakura had heaved several times along her route as her nerves turned from tight bundles into anxious jitters. Wiping the edge of her sleeve against the lines of her mouth, she pulled the loose strands of her hair from her sweaty face. Looking into the dense forest, she stood from her hunched position to readjust her clothes.

Heading back to the edge of the tree line, she dipped under a low branch to head to a river she had scouted the day before. Upon arrival, she dipped her hands in the cool stream before splashing her face and rinsing out her mouth. Spitting bitterly, she recalled the start of her endeavor.

She had managed to dip away for several days with no sight of either brother duo, and she was entirely grateful to be free of their presence. Both brother duos being entirely overwhelming and stirring up several mixed emotions in the pit of her stomach. She had trekked far into the wilderness of the Land of Fire, the sun scorching her back through its leaves and the pains of seeing such an untamed amount of land surprised her.

Sakura sighed thinking about how desperate she was to escape. But was she ever even trapped? Her chakra had long since recovered and she had managed to store the vast amounts into her seal which she had been careful to paint over in disguise each morning.

She easily could have fought her way out sooner, her hands cloaked in her strong will, though not each brother duo together. She doubted Hashirama would have put up much of a fight. He was too kind and gentle. His demeanor is clearly open and readable. Tobirama would have fought her surely to test her strength and her allegiance. She had the faint idea he was able to sense her harboring a secret, one she could hardly explain, and he'd force her into spilling her truths. Now the other brothers were a different story. Madara seemed to enjoy coaxing her into battle- a test of wills and submission. He would fight her out of pleasure. Izuna would fight hard, clearly unrelenting in his distaste for her affiliation which was unfounded in this time. He would fight to kill if given the opportunity.

Sakura surprised herself at the sheer amount of unrelenting desire to stay in her stomach. This was familiar in a sense to her, seeing the faces of her known founders and enemies. That's the only reason she surmised her desire to see their defined faces and eerily overpowering chakra wells. But Sakura could feel the stirrings of something more in her chest, pounding frantically and excitedly at the prospect of seeing her captors and hosts.

Shaking her head, she refocused on her reflection in the water. Slashing her face one last time, she shook her hands and took a deep breath in, humid air filling her lungs.

She would need to divest these clothes elsewhere and trade for something much more practical. Then would be the need to gather supplies to sustain her voyage to wherever she was going to.

Sakura stood on bare feet and trudged on careful not to step on any sharp stones at the river bed. She jumped over a small log and attempted to roll her dirtied sleeves up. They would suit her well if she could find somewhere far enough to barter them off to.

She had traveled aimlessly, sending clones in various directions to be safe just in case either brothers were in a close enough vicinity. Thinking of the brothers had Sakura frowning. She oddly missed their company. Perhaps not Madara's, but then again at least he was more tolerable than Izuna had been.

Was being Senju really that bad?

Sakura's face contorted and she snorted indignantly. Not that it mattered. She was free of them, and even the Senju brother's and their own deceitful behavior. Sakura couldn't fathom the amount of betrayal she had felt when she had found out of Hashirama's hand in her imprisonment with the Uchiha clan, but a rational part of her fought to understand why he made that choice, difficult or not.

Sakura sighed.

Her head was beginning to hurt and her body was sore from the nonstop travel.

She tucked her hands into the folds of the junihitoe uncomfortably so. Even though it was missing a few layers, the remaining layers were still heavy and unbearable in the heat. Glancing at the thinning tree line, she vaguely thought of delving deeper in the shaded woods, but reminded herself of her need to hit a main road to lead her to a village.

Trusting her plan, she skipped through the tree line and mindlessly scuffled until she found a break in the trees. Dipping onto the road, she scouted for any travelers before taking the route leading away from the direction she had come from.

The summer days were blending together and she couldn't stop her mind from doubling back to her encounters with the brothers. She shouldn't have trusted them. She should have fought them more. She shouldn't have let herself fall victim to being something other than herself- a prisoner and a liar.

Guilt washed over her, but she vaguely reminded herself that there was a real princess hiding from the Daimyo. In a sick and twisted turn of events, at least the real princess was safer with Sakura playing her role.

Sakura rubbed a tired palm over her face.

Yes, safer.

Sakura frowned and continued on with her chakra extended in a safety net along her senses. As time wound on and the day wore on her, she eventually could hear mindless chatter in the distance and the bubbling clamor of horses. Stepping off the road, she slipped to the side to better assess the situation.

Dipping into the shade, she noted a small village of civilians. Their ragged, worn faces showing signs of too much sun exposure and their curved older spines telling of years bent over in the fields.

Sakura felt a thick wave of relief course through her. Yes, this had been what she was looking for.

She stepped back onto the beaten path and ducked her head to hide her face. She skirted along the edges of the village until a child pointed in her direction, small hand clutching onto her mother's brown kimono.

Sakura tipped her head slightly at the mother in a polite fashion, but offered no words as the woman picked up the small child and darted towards a small group of older villagers. Village elders, perhaps. Sakura studied the older woman of the group leaning around the mother to gauge Sakura. She stopped to allow the woman the option of approaching her instead of vice versa, but Sakura did not have to wait long until the old woman stammered over.

"What do ye need, ma'am?" The old woman crooned.

Sakura bowed her head politely. "I request the opportunity to barter my kimonos in trade for more practical clothing and supplies for travel, if I may."

Sakura waited beneath crusted painted lashes for the old woman to respond. The older woman assessed her for a long pregnant pause, and Sakura fought the urge to sigh in frustration.

"We don't have much to offer ye here, but we can give ye what we can." She beckoned Sakura forth and Sakura thanked her shyly.

She followed a decent distance away and the civilian farmers gathered in pockets. All so nosey, she thought with a small smile. It reminded her of home actually and her stomach churned.

Better not think of that.

She ducked under the mat of a hut and waited for the old woman to give her further instructions. The old woman paced the hut, grabbing various items- a small satchel, some plain kimonos, and a rag. The old woman waived a weathered hand over and Sakura came forward cautiously.

"Give me the top two layers of your junihitoe, ma'am."

Sakura sputtered, surprised the woman knew of the article of her clothing. Her weathered eyes twinkled. "We may be a poor farming community, but ye must know we are still cultured enough to know the significance."

Sakura bowed low in apology and slipped her obi loose to pull out the top two layers easier. Sakura smiled and offered her another layer. The old woman waived it off.

"Ye must understand we cannot afford much more."

"I do. Thank you." Sakura smiled.

Sakura handed over the two layers and watched as the woman lovingly stroked them. She reached up to her pins and tugged one loose and offered it to the woman.

"For some food, if I may bother you for some."

The old woman grabbed the hair pin, appraising it heavily with tired eyes and nodded. "I will see that yer belly is full tonight and that you have what you need to fill this satchel."

A silence spread between the two as the old woman packaged a few items into the satchel for Sakura. Sakura waited patiently while the woman worked. The old woman handed her the brown satchel first before a plain khaki kimono.

"Ye have such calloused hands for someone wearing such clothing." Sakura froze, dread crawling under her skin as the woman grabbed her wrist, wrinkled hands folding over the marks on her skin. "Ye are a working woman."

Sakura pulled her hand free and edged back to better study the woman.

"Ye may not have to worry of explaining ye's circumstances to me, but let me advise ye." The old woman's brown eyes flickered in mirth at Sakura's expense and Sakura tensed. "About a day's travel East, the farmers there are experiencing rogue thieves. They would be willing to barter far more than what we can offer here."

The twinkle in the old woman's eye was noticed by Sakura as she eagerly debated with herself on the trustworthiness of the woman. Sakura's lips pursed and she ran her tongue against the back of her teeth. This could easily be a trap, but what would this old woman gain from it? Sakura plagued herself mulling over the advice of the old woman as she fumbled with the satchel.

"Thank you." Sakura settled on, cautiously stepping away from the woman.

"There's a room to the back that ye may change in." The old woman crooned, rotten teeth clinking together.

Sakura gave a polite nod before excusing herself.

As she made her way through the dusty hut, she entered the small back room, pulling the mat away to dip in, and quickly changed. Fumbling with the layers of kimonos, she dared breathe a sigh of relief. The heat had been sweltering in the layers and having shed a few of them was beyond relaxing. Quickly though, not to be caught practically nude and unarmed, she drew up the kimono the woman gave her.

Should she go to the East? Could she take that risk?

Sakura chewed her lip.

Perhaps, but maybe she would be better to keep moving further away. She was still too close to the premises of the Uchiha and Senju, but considering how dense the forest was meant she would have to rely on her hunting and foraging skills more to feed herself. She frowned.

Not that she wasn't good at hunting or foraging.

She was quite able considering her years of tracking and service as a shinobi.

Just she preferred a warm bed and the luxury of finer foods on occasion. Konoha back in her time was abundant with cities and towns close to the wall of the village. She was always within a day or so of travel of a bath and bed. Fresh linen and warm water was always more relaxing than tree tops and scuffed sandals.

She sighed, hands clasping around the edges of her new kimono.

Sakura admitted to herself her typical spoiled behavior. It wasn't something she could afford right now. Keen eyes studied the satchel.

But that didn't mean she couldn't work to afford herself some of those luxuries.

Even if trouble awaited her to the East, she could take care of herself. Hands fisting into her kimono, she smirked. Yes, she could. She was strong enough to survive thus far. Very little would stop her now.

Newfound determination pumping in her blood had Sakura eager to meet the day. Stuffing her junihitoe layers into the satchel, she headed back to the front of the hut to find the old woman speaking to an older gentleman. His hands were covered in soil and he had a small bag filled to the brim.

"Thank ye." The old woman said, taking the parcel from him.

The man bid her farewell and departed quickly enough. The old woman turned, bag in hand to smile fondly at Sakura. She extended the bag to her, and Sakura took the parcel from her.

"The farmer came with these for ye."

"Thank you. I can't express how much gratitude I have for your and your villagers' kindness." Sakura dipped her head, a small smile perched on her lips.

"Ye will do well to avoid heading South in yer travels." The old woman patted Sakura's shoulder warmly. "War amongst the shinobi clans has broken out over a princess. Ye may wish to avoid those parts."

Sakura nodded, throat tightening. "Yes, thank you."

The old woman nodded, a crooked smile parting the worn features of her face. "Ye may not be a princess, but ye would be easily mistaken."

Sakura gulped, fingers clutching to the parcel and the satchel tightly. The old woman laughed and waved her boney fingers.

"The princess is blonde, not that those fools would know the difference."

"Oh." Sakura blanched. She tried to recall what she had heard about the Daimyo's bride and frowned.

"She is safe, far from these lands, if ye are concerned." She barked with an empty heat.

Sakura frowned, tilting her head. "Then why warn me?"

The old woman paused, hands wrapping around her back as she leaned forward to study Sakura's face. Sakura, unashamed, leaned forward with narrowed eyes. Her shoulders tensed as she attempted to hold in the angry sneer.

"Ye should know men of power seek equal or greater power to gain for their own. Yer seal is proof enough."

Sakura's skin crawled and her hand reached up to brush her forehead lightly.

"But enough of that, ye must be prepared for more travel it seems."

"Yes, East it is then." Sakura mumbled, arm dropping to her side as she slung her bags up and over her shoulder.

The old woman paused in the doorway, holding up the mat for Sakura to cross. "Ye will make a legend of yer self if ye aren't careful."

Confused at the statement, Sakura pivoted on her foot to stare into the twinkling eyes of the old woman who smiled in response. Her gut twisted and she swallowed down her nerves to counter the woman's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Sakura drawled, teeth clenching.

"Ye will see."

Sakura couldn't part quick enough, the dust kicking up from her heels as she squirmed away from the all seeing eyes of the village elder. She skirted around the village, grabbing a pair of sandals from the woman carrying her child, dropping a hairpin into her other child's hands. She didn't stay to fill her belly and she didn't dare glance back lest she feel the old woman's words crawl up her spine.

Sakura wasn't sure what it meant to be a legend, but she was unsure if she was ready for it. All she knew was heading East seemed to be her best bet for now.

Eastbound was fairly quiet except for the growing unease swimming in her head. Sakura veered North slightly to avoid a throng of samurai on the main road, but swiftly wove around them as they crossed paths. She slept in the early morning when the birds chirping lulled her and she traveled at night with the looming moon as her light.

East was pleasant enough on the eyes, but she realized the old woman wasn't wrong when she spotted an encampment of burly men counting coins and slurring words over rice liquor. She watched them with careful scrutiny as they ate with sloppy mouths and dirtied hands. Sakura detested listening in as they divulged their latest conquests and pillaging. Their ragged hair muddy and uncombed.

Sakura sat in a tree, her kimono tight as she knelt closer in to better hear them, but as the liquor continued to pour, she leaned back. Their horror stories rang loud into cackles over their fire.

They were still two days out from the village apparently, but Sakura knew she would need to arrive much sooner to better gather weapons and perhaps a pair of pants more suitable to stomping the shit out of their damned heads.

Sakura raised a delicate lip into a sneer and she darted along the treetops eager to ignore their cackling laughter. In her mind, their fates were sealed and she was dying to teach them a lesson they would surely never forget.

First, though, was engaging the village in need.

She approached the village in no time, warring through the night and most of the morning to arrive midday. She scouted the edges of the village, noting how many farmhouses and how much livestock grazed the land. It was a small village. Perhaps a population of thirty people, but judging how close the village sat both to the main road and a large pond told Sakura how important foot traffic was to the village.

It was cleaner than the village she bartered her kimono at and she hummed watching as the village children played in the shade of a few trees near a storage shed. Rubbing her eyes, she estimated the length of the village from the tree line to the main road. It would prove useful to know the ins and outs of the village prior to instigating any sort of mission.

Sakura's heart fluttered.

She could barely remember the last time she had been sent on an actual mission. It had been several months since she arrived in this ear, and longer since she was assigned formally. The war had proven to strip her of her originally shinobi duties, and she swallowed the knot in her throat. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest. She missed those times.

But this was proving to be promising and hopefully the village would accept her offer without so much as a fuss.

This was probably the closest she would get to another mission.

Best not to fuck it up so soon either, she huffed.

Straightening her kimono and arranging the bags on her shoulders, she stepped onto the main road, her senses flaring about in a sort of net as a safety precaution. Walking into the village was fairly unnotable; however, her arrival struck many people as odd evidently. She could tell based on the open stares, the murmuring, and the pointing fingers.

Sakura blanched as some openly commented on her unnatural looks. Ignoring the tick in her jaw, she smiled as warmly as she could. She beckoned to an older farmer, his weathered skin pulling as he wobbled with his rake to her.

"Sir, I coming to speak to someone about offering my services-"

The man shook his head vigorously. "We aren't that kind of people."

"Sir," Sakura frowned. "I heard-"

"No, no. We don't accept those kinds of services." He interrupted again, anger seeping into his words as he attempted to shoo her off.

Sakura sighed. "I was told by a neighboring village that you are having trouble with thieves."

An idea struck her while he shook his head and she cocked her head to the side. The man frowned, his light weight shifting forward as he glanced over her. Remembering how the old woman studied her hand, she shifted her bags to one shoulder. She raised an eyebrow curiously before opening the hand to him. He grabbed at the appendage and turned it over to look. His fingers brushed over the hardened calluses of her hand and he peered at the light scars on her knuckles.

"To be clear, I think we're having some sort of confusion on what kind of services you're speaking of." Sakura chuckled.

He seemed embarrassed, dropping her hand as if it burned. His mouth pressed into a thin line and he waved off the comment. "I suppose so."

"What do you need done?"

He mulled over her words and nodded slowly before waving over a younger middle aged man, presumably his kin. The man came over, tousled hair and tan body gleaming in sweat as he swung his hoe to his shoulder.

"Kenshi, my son, can give you more details, but what do you seek to gain from this agreement?" The old man stated, scratching at the whiskers of his beard.

"I need some supplies and ones I am willing to barter for." She swung down her satchel and pulled out some layers of the junihitoe. "These should suffice as payment for some food and working clothes, correct?"

The old man wasted no time in inspecting the layers, dedicating loving strokes over the material. His nod was quick and he waved over another man. The farmer's son was not so tempted, but blatantly distrusting of her.

"We can offer that, but not much more in payment of coin." The old man chattered, pulling open the kimono delicately to memorize the intricate design.

"I will take what you can readily give." Sakura glanced around as some of the village folk began idolly staring. "Do you have any weapons- swords, daggers, knives?"

The younger man spoke. "How do we know you can solve our bandit problem, little girl? For all we know, you could be a con artist or a ploy."

Her lips curled upwards in a sneer and she clicked her tongue at him. Swaying her head side to side, she looked around to gauge how best to display her so called talents. She saw a sturdy oak tree, the one where she had watched the children playing under.

Smiling, she nodded her head in its direction. "I can take down that tree in a single punch."

The men stopped to laugh, but her growing sneer had them freezing. Stomping over, she shooed the children away. Dropping her bags, she cracked a knuckle. Snorting, she made sure they were watching as she swung back to launch her closed fist at the tree.

Even without her chakra, the tree toppled in a heap, dust kicking up wildly and the ground vibrating as it crashed. She could hear the gasps of the villagers around her and she smacked her hands against her thighs to dust off her kimono.

"Believe me now?"

The rest had been painless and she wasn't questioned again.

The middle aged man had deposited a few knives in her possession and even drew a map of the village. Not that she needed it, having already studied the vicinity, but she happily took his advice.

The small group of bandits were a fraction of a larger group which traveled separately. The other group had not been heard of recently, but the five bandits plaguing their village had come every fortnight from the North end of the main road. They trampled the rice fields and robbed the nearby storage houses. Some of the bandits have recently taken to stealing from the homes outright, bullying the families into giving up the little money they earned from selling their vegetables and stealing their goods.

According to the villagers, they were coming up due for a visit based on the last appearance of the bandits. Sakura nodded, having seen the bandits camping close by. She was quick to bark orders then.

The first order of business was collecting the available farmers to discuss a method of alarming the villagers of an impending attack via certain flame signals and patterns. The second was to teach the younger men, and even some of the women, on how to defend themselves and escape basic holds. They weren't avid learners, but she drilled them for a couple hours to ensure they were able to hand themselves if caught alone. The third was to stake out the Northern end of the village as dusk settled in to set her traps.

Sakura gathered rope and shredded some kimono sleeves to make rags. She was keen on catching the bandits and disgracing their rotten faces to the villagers, as to give the villagers peace of mind. She had managed to barter a hair pin for some hakama pants and tucked the kimono into it, fastening the bottom of the hakamas to avoid the material from billowing.

Once night set in, Sakura scurried to the outskirts of the village and she quickly spotted the bandits arriving as predicted to the North end. Using the cover of the night, the pink haired vixen dropped by to the closest barn alerting the stable boy to raise the first fire signal. He lit the torch with wavering hands and shakily waved it twice before dousing the flame.

"Good, now go." Sakura shooed the boy away, still crouching in her hiding spot in the rafter.

She peered through a hole in the boards. Counting all the bandits, she swung the small knife in her hands. Patiently, she waited until the clamoring of the horse grew louder before cutting the rope. Sakura leapt down from the rafter in time to hear the cursing of the thieves and some thumping. The horse neighed, rearing up and stamping the ground. Dipping out, she nearly laughed as a few men were knocked from their horses by a log she had strung up.

In a flash, she raced to another storage house where she lit another torch waving it three times before dousing it. Waiting, she looked about for signs of a matching signal. When it came, she zipped outside and around the bandits as they tried to calm their horses. A few men cursed and spit, angry at being caught off guard, and the few on the ground were either knocked unconscious or nursing bloodied noses and broken ribs.

Cracking her knuckles loudly, she called, "Want to try that again?"

Before the thieves could spin about to see her, she raced to another storage shed and lit another signal. Finally, as the excitement lit in her belly, she rubbed her hand over her dark hakamas to form a few signs.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu."

Her identical clone puffed into existence and they nodded together. Her clone puffed away and she strung a chord connecting two storage sheds. She grabbed at it to stop the thrumming and waited for it to thrum again for the other shed.

Taking her sign, she managed to climb the building and peered over the rooftop at the thieves fighting.

"What the fuck?!"

"Did you see that?"

"Get up and let's cut these fucking mongrels!"

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek, warily eyeing the largest man who was grabbing the other bandits up off the soil, trying to shake one of them into consciousness. The horses were several feet away, having been scared, and she signed her fingers. Her clone appeared from beneath the ground, her signature pink hair just barely visible near the men when the clone lit a small smoke bomb.

The bandits jumped up, hacking into their arms as the smoke covered the near vicinity. Angling her knife, she chucked it. The largest thief hollered, grabbing his elbow as it shot past him into the foot of the thief he was grappling with.

She chucked another knife into a thief's hand as he felt along the earth trying to find his discarded gear. He yelped and the remaining two conscious thieves scrambled to get away. Her clone reached up from the ground, grabbing their ankles. The two fell knocking their heads together in a coughing fit. The horses bucked and fled. Their hooves kicked up more dirt and soil.

Sakura wrapped a loose rope around her forearm and began making quick work of tying the thieves together under the cover of the smoke bomb as her matching clone dragged them together.

As the smoke began thinning, Sakura spit out, "Don't you dare come back here."

The largest thief with a thick scar covering his face struggled against her, but with her arms locking the rope tight with a squeeze, he squirmed uncomfortably. "We'll be back! And I'll carve that pretty little face up!"

Sick laughter peeled from her lips and she grabbed at his flexing hands. With a snap, she broke his wrist and stroked each finger lovingly before breaking those as well. The large thief cried out and he thrashed violently. She crouched further down to grab at his flailing legs before snapping his ankles, the bone crunching as twisted it.

"You won't be able to do much." Sakura teased with a smile.

"You fucking pink haired-" his response was cut short as she crushed his kneecap with a sneer.

The remaining thieves cried despite their burly features as her clone rounded on them with the same disheartening behavior. She made quick work of clearing away their supplies and gear. As her clone dispersed, she tossed the items into a far pile before waiving the stable boy and Kenshi over.

"They're yours to deal with, but I doubt they'll harm you all anytime soon."

The stable boy nodded, fear and discomfort obvious in his closed posture. Kenshi nodded, his arms wrapped folded across his chest.

"What is your name?" He asked, bland eyes darting to inspect the petite woman.

"Sakura."

He nodded, scratching at his forearm absentmindedly as she patted his shoulder.

"In the main storage head at the West end of the village, you will find your belongings and supplies. That should hopefully be enough." He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she turned to stare at his warming eyes. "You are more than welcome to stay the rest of the evening."

"Not unless you need me to." Sakura sighed with a small smile.

"No," he released her to stare at the wailing group of thieves. "But I will tell you we have had travelers from a small village just half a day Northeast of here who have encountered the rest of this fraction."

Sakura turned, interested in the development of information. "Yes?"

"I will send word to tell by messenger bird. I'm sure they would appreciate your services and payment would be reciprocated equally."

Sakura chuckled and folded her arms across her chest. With a polite nod, she departed for her belongings, finding them exactly where he had described with a small sack of coins. Her other satchel was replaced with a bigger carrier bag containing her kimonos and food. She ran an excited hand through her long locks and stretched.

And so she departed the small farming village to investigate.

She entrapped the remaining fraction similar to how she had done the first part and found herself being hired for small meaningful tasks around the Northeastern village. She took on several assignments for this village, plagued with tasks similar to her version of D rank missions, but she couldn't find it within herself to decline.

The village the farmers had alerted her of was slightly more well off with blacksmiths and tradesmen making her task of gathering forged weapons easier. They were a friendly bunch, practically scared witless considering how often they were on the receiving end of the thieves' robberies and were much more grateful in her aid.

Thumbing the small knives she had collected in the sleeve of her kimono, Sakura clicked her tongue. It reminded her of a time when it was soothing to finger the kunai in Konoha when she patrolled the streets.

Yes, she definitely was feeling like her old self again.

Rumors of another bandit group haunting the Northeast villages spread to her ears just off the main road the next morning and Sakura found herself in demand once again. She had traveled quickly to the neighboring village, a kind tip from a farmer in the first Eastern village, and after speaking to several of the village leaders, she surmised that a week's worth of wages would suffice to get rid of the rest of the bandits.

The village elders had been pleased and eager to offer her supplies and money. She took more of the supplies than the money, politely declining the need for anything other than food and a few pieces of clothing, but they were adamant. She smiled, accepting the small pouch of coins with the promise of returning the bandits stolen goods.

Finding the bandits had been easy. They sat similarly to the original group she had encountered at the first village around a small clearing, horses tied to low branches and their slop cooking over an evening fire. They were so engorged in their stories and their liquor that a stampede of wild boar wouldn't budge them.

"Hah! Kukotsu, did you see the way that old bag cried when you grabbed her chest?" The closest drunk laughed, his liquor sloshing over the rim of his cup.

"It was saggy and disgusting!" The other barked, his broken tooth smirk gleaming over the fire.

The man cackled and his buddies around him hollered in excitement. "I can't wait to see what the next one has for us! You think they'll have more coin or more pussy?"

The group hooted again and raised their cups.

The group was just shy of ten men strong, and Sakura felt her blood boil as she studied them. Her sense of duty hit her hard and she bit down the urge to pummel them. She could take them out now, but that would mean she couldn't barter her services as easily. A silent sigh left her and she leapt from her vantage point to another tree before spotting a few decent sized stones and pebbles. She quickly dropped down to pick them up, weighing their size in the palm of her hands.

Under the cover of the trees, she zipped back up. Smiling once settled into the higher perch, she flicked a stone. The stone crashed thru the bottle of liquor the one gloating man was holding. His laughter quieted and they all attempted to jump up. Heads spinning about, she held in her own chuckle at the bewildered faces which spanned the surrounding forest.

"Who is out there?! Come out now!" He yelled, daggers now lifted from their holsters as he dropped the broken bottle.

She quietly leapt to another tree at the opposite end of the camp, careful not to rustle the leaves. She flattened her body on the branch and flicked anotiher stone hard enough to spill the entire pot of slop from over the fire. The fire blazed to life and the bandits spun around.

"Stop playing!" One barked, edging closer to his companion.

Sakura pursed her lips and blew out, the whistle howling lightly in the evening breeze. She smiled widely as they muttered amongst themselves, eyes darting uncomfortably into the darkness of the forest.

"Go check it out, Kukutosu." The one man pushed, shoving his palm into the back of the younger man.

"No! Why don't you?"

They argued for a minute before the younger man was pushed forth, his legs barely able to hold him up in his drunken stupor. He dared to edge to the tree line, glancing about quickly with quaking knees and he spun around when she flung a pebble from another tree.

"No one is out here-"

"Keep looking!"

The man fumbled through the bushes a few times, stumbling over his own drunken feet as he attempted to spot their assailant.

"There's no one here-"

Skirting around, she waited several minutes for the fools to work themselves into a tizzy. Flicking a few more stones, she broke a few more cups and spilled their food. She whistled here and there, hoping to stir the bandits into motion. Sakura played with them like this for a bit before they all sat in a circle, backs facing toward each other. Their teeth were chattering, drinks long forgotten on the forest floor.

The largest man, a burly middle aged man began shushing them.

"Is it an omen?" One bandit probed.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves." The burly man yelled, hands fisting in his rugged hakamas.

An omen, Sakura thought, bouncing a large stone in her palm while leaning forward on her branch. Or a legend.

"You know," one bandit spoke in a hushed tone, his body shaking violently as he held his sword close to his chest. "There's a growing rumor of a legend of this forest."

One bandit shot the man a dirty look. "It's a legend, you idiot."

"No, no!" He tried again, vigorously shaking his head. "There's a legend of a pixie who haunts these lands."

"Oh, dear Kami, there's no such things as damned pixies." Another growled.

The man who skirted the edges of the forest jumped up. "I think I saw it!"

The men turned simultaneously to glare at him.

"No, seriously! It was a flash of pink in the trees!" He attempted to draw in the air, arms exaggerated sizing and shapes.

"You said you saw nothing." The burly man snapped.

The younger bandit shrunk and stubbed his toe into the ground. "I didn't see it entirely."

Sakura damn well near laughed. Her head bobbed as she clutched the stone in the palm of her hand tightly, chest rising and falling dramatically. Definitely not the kind of legend I thought I'd be.

Sakura sighed as the men continued to argue and she feigned disinterest as she smoothed her hand over the stone. Perhaps, becoming a legend wouldn't be terrible, but definitely not of being a pixie.

"Do you think it's like that boy who collects hearts?"

Sakura froze, her spine snapping to attention. She zeroed in on the conversation again, stone forgotten in her lap. Leaning against the bark of the tree, she narrowed her vision in on the thief rubbing his arms awkwardly.

"Pfft. Don't be ridiculous." The bandit snorted. "No pixies collect hearts."

"But- that boy!" The boyish man cried, theoretically waving his limbs about. "They say he has more than one!"

"No man can have more than one heart." The bandits chuckled, but the small crowd grew eerily quiet.

"I've heard he has tentacles that rip it right from you." One pitched, back shaking violently as he leaned close to his companion.

The other gulped, throat bobbing in response. "I heard he eats them to prolong his life."

Sakura ran her knuckles over the harsh bark to ground herself. Dread sank in her stomach and her mouth grew dry. It couldn't be-

"I heard his name was Kakuzu."


A.N: Long chapter with no mention of our beloved love interests, but this is important. I wanted Sakura to feel more like herself and to recognize her strengths. I wouldn't say I did the best job of portraying this, but I wanted to show a shift in her character besides her stockholm syndrome. I want her to make a legend of herself here, but that's in the making.

Don't worry though! The Uchiha and Senju aren't too far behind! Happy readings, my friends!