This story will never be my main focus but it will never die, I love it too much.
This was a much missed story.
"EarthStyle- Mudslide Jutsu!" Rooku called out, and beneath the two wannabe samurai the ground turned into a stream of mud, knocking them down. Moving with a grace that only a medically trained Ninja could, Rooku grabbed the blade from the dark skinned Samurai's hand and charged it with chakra. Twisting his wrist, he sliced through their throats with methodical ease, just as if he was dissecting a rat. They both clawed at their bleeding throats, looks of horror on their faces, blood spurting onto his clothes as they did so.
The urge to vomit was strong, but he barely withheld it, hearing Tsunami and Inari screaming in shock from behind him. Breathing deep, he turned around and faced them.
"I told you to barricade the house or run... you did neither, why?"
Inari pointed at his bloody front. "How aren't you freaking out?"
He sighed. "We are ninja, killing for our clients is a big part of what we do. Now go inside and do not let anyone in, not unless I tell you otherwise."
Inari frowned. "No... we... we have to fight! We have to stand up to Gato, you were right, our suffering can only end when we take back our power. So let's do that, take back our power!"
Sighing, he nodded. "Fine, but I lead the charge, you lot are too weak and have no concept of combat. Now... let's get to the ass-kicking. I'm keeping the samurai's blade, it's pretty dope. Finely made and really expensive...what a fool like that was doing with it is beyond me."
""
It took nearly an hour to gather a crowd of pissed people, Inari was good at riling them up. Many of them owed Rooku for healing them so they came too. After the hour passed, they moved to the bridge where Rooku saw a horror show, coated in a thick mist. Sasuke was on the ground, covered in Senbon, Sakura was crying uselessly over his presumed corpse. Naruto was watching with Kakashi as Zabuza was tearing into a short man ( Gato, Inari screamed) with only a kunai in his mouth. The Hunter ninja they mentioned before was dead on the ground, a hole in his chest. There was a crowd of armed thugs around Gato, looking on in horror. With a medic's eyes, Rooku noticed that Kakashi had all the signs of low chakra and looked ready to drop.
'This isn't good... I guess I came in time, We can scare them away if nothing else.' Twisting his new blade, Rooku called out as Zabuza, finished with his attack, collapsed onto the cold ground. The look on his face, hopefully, and soft, tugged on something in Rooku's heart. 'What could have invoked such a look...' Sighing, he shot forward, leaping to Kakashi. "Any injuries I need to-?"
"Heal them! Heal Haku, please!" Naruto screamed, tears coating his face. He was pointing to the Hunter Ninja, unmasked to reveal a young, stunningly beautiful face.
His eyes fell onto the injury he had. "Naruto, his heart is visible and torn, I do not have the skills to heal him or the chakra levels... even Tsunade could not save him."
Naruto shook his head, shaking. "No, you can do anything, why won't you try?"
Kakashi sighed. "Naruto, he is right, I know a lot about healing from my time as a ninja. Haku's life is over... but Zabuza's could be saved." Naruto perked up, turning to the injured man, eyes wide with hope.
"Don't." The man, Zabuza called out. "Let this be my atonement, for how I treated Haku..." the Man said as he lay there, bleeding out on the bridge.
Tears prickled at Rooku's eyes, hating how utterly helpless he felt. Turning to the thugs, he swiped his new blade. "Leave or we will kill you all." He turned his sword to the mad group of Villagers, just as the mist faded into nothingness. The sight of the Angry Mob was enough, with Inari wielding his crossbow, that the thugs turned and ran away in terror, leaving Rooku the chance to do this job. "Kakashi, do you need healing?"
"No, nothing major, just bruises and cuts and low chakra. I will be fine, go and check on Sasuke."
Nodding, he hurried over to Sasuke, kneeling by Sakura he took in the boy's injuries and sighed sheer relief. "He will be fine, Sakura, he was only pricked in places that cause temporary death, he is in no danger." He slowly started to take out the senbon, and the boy started to revive, groaning and moaning, and looking entirely put out.
"What happened?"
Rooku sighed. "We'll tell you later but for now let's focus on recovery, shall we? I know you'll be too stubborn to listen to rest, so just be careful and rise slowly and be careful." He helped Sasuke to stand. Turning he walked over to Naruto, just as Kakashi carried Zabuza to Haku... and snow started to fall, and with it a great sadness filled the air. Like killer intent only not, it was pure, sad and filled with a depth that made tears fall down Rooku's face. He walked over to Naruto and grabbed his shoulder, the boy turned to him, appreciation on his face.
"I am sorry, Naruto, for whatever is making you cry so much."
"I met him in the woods, I came out early to train after you showed me waterwalking... his name was Haku and he told me that where he was from it was always snowing." Naruto said, his heart clearly broken.
Pulling out a rag, he wiped the tears and snot from Naruto's face and pulled him in for a hug. "Life isn't fair, people die, but their memories remain. Hold on fast to the memories and they will never fade."
"""
For the rest of the next few weeks, Rooku was bust. He helped heal countless people, organize the medicine into it's proper places and treated countless wounds. He helped organize the intake of food, passing along supplies and so many other D ranks his brain hurt. He only wished he had more skill to really do the place true aid. Still, they seemed to appreciate all he did.
By it's end they returned to the Leaf after two weeks, where the Old man, after the mission report was given, asked him to stay back.
"So." Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe. "You saved a great many lives, and served many more as a medic. You saw true death in the field, felt the helplessness of losing a potential ally and had to comfort Naruto after losing a friend. Can you say, with all you have been through, that you regret being a healer?"
"Not in the slightest. Even after killing the two Samurai, I do not regret it. I am not happy about losing Zabuza or this Haku, had I more skills I could have helped them... or those in Wave, suffering from infections and other wounds that could have been saved through the Mystic Palm or whatnot. Still, I do not regret my choice. All I regret is that I did not have the means to serve them better."
The man smiled. "Good, now since you have more experience and have sharpened your skills in the real world, having done essentially dozes of C and D Ranks and a single A rank as a healer, I have a proposal for you... how would you like to work a shift or two during the chunin exams?"
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was a blast to write, I missed this story.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.