NOTES: Sorry for the very long wait!


Present - November 20th

The air was damp with the last traces of the rain floating in the already charged atmosphere. The eerie silence enveloping the forest was making anxiety course through the veins of the weakest members of their party, paranoid at the idea that they could be watched.

Sakura knew for sure that they were currently being watched, her above-average skills picking up on the hidden chakras of fellow ANBUs hidden in the shadows, far enough so that average fighters with the use of chakra could not feel them.

She had successfully integrated a party of rogue nins and sword-sellers samourais working for the syndicate about two weeks ago. Her Captain had left her wounded in the woods after a makeshift fight in order to make it look like she actually did fight against Konoha.

Oh, how she would have liked for it to be an actual fight where she could use her deadly punches for real against him

But it was part of her mission's description to be left wounded with a minor injury, however still looking serious enough to justify her not being sent on the frontlines on the enemy's side. After all, having to fight Konoha comrades under the watchful eyes of the rogues without being unmasked would have been quite the challenge, and one where she would not have been in the best position to gather intelligence.

Flashback - November 5th

After her altercation with Shinji, where he had left her shaking and gasping for air after the long choking she had had to endure, they had travelled in a heavy silence for a few hours, before he calmly asked her how they should go about the makeshift fight. She had first died her all-too-recognizable pink hair in an inky black shade with a powerful chemical concoction Tsunade had given her years ago. Shinji had raised an eyebrow at the noticeable difference in her looks but he had not commented, something she was relieved of. She did not need words from him to fuel her hatred of him which was already consuming her whole and slowly destroying her fragile composure. He had then let her walk away, shadowing her from afar, waiting to sense the presence of enemies so that they could act their show and pretend to fight. Without a word of goodbye or any encouragement, he had watched her walk away from him, a lone figure with shiny, still damp black hair, marching on a nonexistent path between the tall trees.

After a long hour, they both finally left the presence of eyes on their backs as she was crossing a small clearing. The intentional buzzing of Shinji's chakra was all the warning she got before he appeared out of nowhere and launched his attack against her.

They had enough sparring experience thanks to their months of working together to make the makeshift fight last for about half an hour without actually hurting each other on a serious level. They were also both downplaying their actual skill level. Sakura still managed to land a few hits on her Captain, happy adrenaline coursing through her veins whenever she saw him wince. The hidden presences in the woods did not come out to take part in the fight, making the whole ordeal much easier. At one point, her Captain successfully slashed a profound gap in her upper thigh, the shiny blade of his kunai burying itself deep into her flesh. She screamed in pain and in surprise, not having expected the strike just yet. The flash of concern that briefly crossed his brown eyes at her strong reaction made her want to punch him all over, knowing that his concern was the last thing she wanted. But once that her body managed to process the first wave of pain and shock, she thought it actually was for the best. At least she didn't have to play her surprise and she did not have time to alleviate the pain through her inner healing technique.

That seemed to do the trick, as five men appeared out of the woods to target Shinji, coming to her defense. She refrained from trying to heal herself internally, so as to appear more believable in her role as a wounded young woman. The pain was her anchor and she felt that it might just be the only thing able to keep her sane as she watched Shinji escape his opponents and disappear, effectively leaving her alone.


Flashback - November 6th

She was brought to a camp, half-passed out from the severe blood lost. There, some female underling managed to do a rather decent job with her injury, although Sakura noticed with satisfaction that their medical knowledge was nowhere as advanced as Konoha's. As cruel as this fact was, it was nonetheless an advantage for the Fire country's forces. Their camp was mostly made of makeshift beds directly laid on the floor and she noticed that they had no proper facilities, not even tents. The camp was unprotected as well, save for a few traps and jutsus which could be more or less rapidly dealt with. Although she could not have a good look at everything from her injured, unmoving position, she concluded that their strength did not lie in defensive positions. After about a day of waiting, where she felt all eyes were on her, the current head of their small party of about twelve fighters came to her and confronted her. Their leader was a middle-height woman in her early forties and had the aura of a seasoned fighter whose authority could not be questioned. Sakura did not fail to notice the way men unconsciously cowered in her presence. She must be strong concluded the young medic.

"Which unit did you belong to?" asked the older woman. She must never really have been pretty thought Sakura. Her traits were too masculine to possess the feminine grace of beauty. The pinkette was trying to assess the expression on her opponent's face, watching for any sign of silent communication with the other members of the group gathered around them.

"We were stationed at the border," answered the Hokage's apprentice vaguely.

The dark-haired woman simply nodded at that, not letting anything transpire of what she could be thinking. "Where exactly?" she asked after a pause.

"North-east," said Sakura with an even tone. "Where the forest is thinner and we had to remain exposed more often than not."

"Ah, yes! There were lots of attacks from ANBU bitches in that area," said the sandy-haired young man, Takeo. His voice was laced with venom, boldly displaying his hatred against the Fire village's forces. He placed a compassionate hand on Sakura's shoulder, his hand giving her a squeeze that was meant to be comforting.

Are they trying to fool me? thought the pinkette, every sense on alert, carefully watching for any sign that they were setting up a trap, expecting her to fall for a piece of wrong information. One mistake and she would be exposed. Green eyes looked for hidden exchanges of meaningful glances, discreet hand codes and brief changes of facial expressions. She had a split second to assess the situation and make a decision. Everything seemed normal enough, and so she offered them a sad smile, a sparkle of blood lust in her eyes and a thirst for vengeance in her voice: "Yes, that area precisely."

She refrained from adding unnecessary details she would have to make up, afraid of destroying her fragile cover which they seemed to buy for now.

"And how come you remained unscathed when your whole team was taken down?" asked a large bulky man with a bold head where numerous angry-looking scars distorted the otherwise smooth-looking skin.

"Pure luck," challenged Sakura, still bent on loosing herself in details that might betray her.

"Konoha's dogs aren't particularly known for being more lenient on women," said the dark-haired woman while crossing her arms slowly, her eyes never leaving Sakura's face, watching just as intently for any emotion her face might display.

"Well, I don't feel like they were," spat the pinkette, casting a meaningful look on her bandage thigh. One of the men behind her grunted in agreement but their female leader seemed unimpressed, and merely raised an eyebrow.

"One ANBU was chasing her as we found her," said Takeo, coming to her rescue. "And by the looks of it, he was not a rookie. The guy was lethal, I'm telling you!" he insisted, hand gestures accompanying his every word for emphasis.

"Well, we mostly have to deal with seasoned ANBUs anyway. They rarely send out regular ninjas for actual combat," said the bulky man, looking sternly at Takeo. "That piece of information is irrelevant, kid."

Takeo opened his mouth ready to spit back, an indignant expression on his face, but Sakura spoke up before he could: "I suspect I was chased by their Captain," she said slowly, careful to pause between her words so as to show hesitation. She also frowned slightly in concentration as if she was trying to recall blurred memories of the chase and the fight. "Or at least someone high up in their hierarchy. His range of techniques was broader than most and the fact that he managed to escape five of you guys speaks for itself…"

"Hm," grunted the older woman, her arms still crossed in front of her torso, her face still void of any trait that could tell Sakura whether or not she was believing her.


Back to present - November 20th

That had been a little over two weeks ago, and the party she had joined had luckily bought her story of being a wandering fighter for the Syndicate whose group had been annihilated by Konoha ninjas. Another thing that might have played in her favor: she did not have to fake the hate shining in her eyes during her fight against Shinji. Being a woman also helped, as one or two young guys seemed to have been more than happy to carry her and provide for her during her first days of healing. She could walk now. She still had a noticeable limp though, so as not to betray her medic abilities.

The rogues were constantly on the move she noticed unhappily, rarely staying more than twenty-four hours in one place. They were wandering the woods in small parties, following a well-organized plan so as to still be within reach of another group in case of a surprise attack. Overall, most fighters she had encountered so far did not have an exceptionally high-level of skill but they were numerous, well-trained, well-paid and most importantly, carried more than a grudge against both Earth's and Konoha's authorities. Their allegiance to the Syndicate was total and Sakura noticed with dismay that they did not mind dying for the corrupt organization. Jobless swordsmen, thieves and psychotic running nins found a place of solace under the wing of the Syndicate where each one of them could go about their own business: being part of a large-scale army, committing crimes that would remain unpunished, satisfying their blood-lust.

Takeo, a man in his late twenties with sandy blond hair, who seemed to have taken a liking to her, brought her something to nibble on for lunch as they stopped at mid-day. They were walking on a dusty road longing a large lake which she knew to be far from the frontier where most ANBU and top ninjas forces were posted. While they had conducted raids inside Earth's territory, they had kept them to a minimum so as not to alert Earth's authorities and population. Of course, Earth's authorities did know to an extent that Konoha was meddling in their business, but they had been closing their eyes so far since they knew Konoha's interference was in their own best interests so far. Other nations hadn't reacted as well to the semi-violation of the Earth's border, and it seemed as that all that was left was for Konoha's forces to finally bring the Syndicate activities to a stop.

And in order to do that rapidly, with as little casualties as possible after this conflict which had gone on for too long, accurate intelligence was the key, and she could not allow herself to fail.