Leyndell's Underground Sewer System.
The Abyssal Steps.
A Random Tunnel.
"Whatever deity within this world decided gigantic crustaceans was a great idea can die via Tailed Beast Bomb, cha!"
An irritated Sakura, currently attempting to draw a somewhat useful map of the maze-styled sewer systems upon a blank scroll, stood victoriously atop a miniature mountain of Giant Crab carcasses. The enormous crustaceans were apparently hellbent on removing the Pinkette from the underworld section, which they perceived as their rightful territory. However, the Medical ninja's experiences against deadly opponents during her career and overwhelming physical strength always resulted in the Crabs' brutal death.
The grumpy, cheery-horned Kunoichi hopped off the corpse mountain and used a small amount of Chakra to stand atop the sewer water. "Seriously, these dumb Crabs seem to multiply faster than Naruto's shadow clones." The whiskered Shinobi's clone technique was far more versatile and dangerous than a bunch of territorial monster crustaceans, primarily thanks to the cloning Jutsu's unique ability to transfer the clone's memories back to the original upon receiving enough damage to cause the copy's death.
While drawing as much detail of the tunnels she's explored thus far upon the scroll, Sakura understood a lot about how the shadow clone Jutsu worked, thanks to having Naruto as a teammate. Kakashi sensei was happy to fill whatever blanks within the whiskered ninja's knowledge of the highly Chakra-demanding technique. The Sharingan user even taught Sakura the technique during the last few days before the 4th Great Ninja War began. Unfortunately, she didn't have Chakra's reserves to endlessly spam the Jutsu as Naruto regularly does.
After the Medic-nin was done detailing the tunnel's interior, she rolled up the scroll and placed it within her medical pouch. "At least these Crabs don't share any similarities with Naruto's talent towards battle strategies." Sakura didn't want to imagine the number of headaches she would've experienced within the underworld if the crabs had become skilled in strategy or ambushes. Heavens forbid the enormous crustaceans suddenly adopt the blonde Jinchuriki's love for pranks since she'd have hunted them to extinction if that ever happened.
The cherry-horned Kunoichi shelved the thoughts regarding her team to the back of her mind whilst walking further down the tunnel. She reflected on how the Elemental Nations might be fairing after the events of the 4th Great Ninja War. The ninja from the five Great Shinobi Countries, plus their samurai allies from the Land Of Iron, were probably hard at work preparing those who died during the war for ceremonial burial. The Kage were undoubtedly busily organising the necessary repair work for the areas most affected by the final battle.
Sakura honestly didn't envy her mentor since Lady Tsunade would not only have to oversee the reconstruction efforts of Konohagakure but also watch out for Naruto and Sasuke's usual antics. The horned Kunoichi knew those knuckleheads well enough to know they'd attempt to battle each other behind the current Hokage's back. The petite medic swore those two would visit the hospital for an entire year should she return to the Ninja World and discover they've caused further trouble for the ninja alliance.
"Cha, the hospital's going to need a lot more staff and experienced medic-nin's after what happened during the war." Sakura absentmindedly thought while lazily punching a mutant rodent, attempting to sneak attack the slender ninja into a gory shower of bone fragments and brain matter. The amount of injured during the final battle for the Shinobi World hadn't been small, and the shapeshifting White Zetsus weren't shy about assassinating the skilled medics from the villages when the opportunity presented itself.
"I'll have to recruit a lot of medics to replace those we lost to the Zetsu," Sakura wasn't looking forward to the sleepless nights spent analysing records from various Leaf Ninja in order to find those with talent in the noble art of medicine. "On second thought, perhaps I can pin the paperwork on Lady Tsunade and train the recruits myself." The Pinkette's rosy lips twitched upwards since the Hokage would never agree to do another's paperwork, especially as the infamous gambler rarely ever did her office work.
The cherry-horned medic sadly sighed while exiting the tunnel, which lead out into another carven, albeit slightly smaller than the area where Sakura's camp was located. The Kunoichi terribly missed Konohagakure and the comrades she gained throughout her ninja career. Sakura understood reopening the gateway to the Elemental Nations wasn't going to be done within a short amount of time nor particularly easy to accomplish. Still, for the sake of those counting on her, Sakura will never stop searching for a way home.
Sakura nodded with resolve whilst pulling out the sewer map from her medical pouch. The cherry-horned medic carefully drew the carven's beginning sketch while keeping a lookout for any wandering Crabs. However, when the sketch was half done, the familiar sounds of battle suddenly echoed from a tunnel on the far side of the carven. Frowning at the unexpected discovery, Sakura ran across the sewer water and, upon reaching the tunnel, placed a petite hand against her ear to better listen to the echos of battle.
"Hm, sounds like a lot of people down there," the Kunoichi expertly deduced from the different sounds thundering through the tunnel thanks to her Shinobi training. "A large group perhaps running into a dangerous animal? Or some wanders encountering something rather unpleasant?" Sakura's emerald orbs steeled whilst pocketing the scroll containing her incomplete map of the Abyssal Steps. The Kunoichi understood getting involved would most likely cause her trouble down the line. Yet, Sakura's ninja way wouldn't allow her to leave innocent people to suffer.
"Cha, why are shitty situations always happening around me?" Sakura sarcastically asked the sewer air while blasting off down the tunnel towards the source of conflict. The local wildlife, at least the ones too stupid to realise a much deadlier predatory was sailed towards them, attempted to block Sakura's path, which, as expected, resulted in many smashed into oblivion via contact with her dainty fist. The intelligent beasts ran into other tunnels as their primitive brains knew fighting the cherry-horned Omen would only lead to their end.
Sakura Haruno was on the hunt.
Meanwhile, Within Another Cavern.
"Yes….blood…..so….much….filthy….Omen….blood!"
The raven-masked Omenkiller madly shrieked with delight as they gazed upon the terrified group of Omen children; most of these Omen stood around an average human adult's height which meant a fair amount of them were nine years old. The oldest Omen, nearly twice the size of the others, stood protectively in front of the travelling group. She possessed raven hair, raggedy clothes scavenged from the surface, crocodile scales protecting her vital areas, emerald horns piercing outwards from her forehead and elbows, and razor crocodile teeth which could tear through almost anything.
"Dammit, how could I've allowed an Omenkiller to get so close to our caravan!" Ezrotheg, the Omen with the appearance of a crocodile, harshly berated herself whilst never taking her amethyst orbs off the constantly twitching Omenkiller. Ezrotheg was chosen by the majority of the caravan to lead them through the Abyssal Steps to build a new community within the more secluded sections of the underground sewer network. However, fate decided to be a little bitch today since the travelling caravan ran into this lunatic.
Ezrotheg understood how bad the situation was since the caravan's guards, fellow Omen wielding whatever weapons or armour they could scavenge from the surface, were terribly wounded by the Omenkiller's massive meat cleaver. The masked bastard was surprisingly skilled with, for a human at least, an oversized weapon and had taken many of the caravan guards by surprise with how swiftly they manoeuvred the cleaver to bite into their flesh and armour. The others received horrible burns once the Omenkiller started breathing fire.
"The children need an escape route," the crocodile Omen breathed deeply whilst readying the gigantic wooden club, which served as her personal weapon. "So I'll keep the Omenkiller focused on me while the guards escort them away from here." Ezrotheg was determined to save the children entrusted to her care, and if staying behind to delay this lunatic achieved that purpose, she'd happily do it. The eighteen-year-old Omen subtly told the guard captain of the new plan, and once the caravan was ready to run for it, she charged the Omenkiller.
The raven-masked madman paused their twitching as Ezrotheg ran towards them with the club raised high. "Omen….running…towards….me….ha…ha…ha!….how…..fun!" The Omenkiller roared with insane glee since they desperately wanted those emerald horns to adorn their oversized cleaver. Upon meeting within the centre of the cavern, Ezrotheg immediately attempted to smash the raven-masked killer's skull, only for them to jump back to avoid the hit, thus causing water to sail upwards from the force behind the impact.
"Nice…try….filthy…Omen!" The Omenkiller screeched madly while throwing several daggers at the eighteen-year-old Omen, who sacrificed an arm to prevent the small blades from hitting anything vital. The insane murderer wasn't deterred by the small amount of danger they inflected upon Ezrotheg and instead wildly slashed for the nearest area of flesh within reach. The caravan leader barely blocked multiple slashes. However, a few did manage to get past her defences and deliver nasty wounds to her chest.
"They're more skilled than I initial believed," Ezrotheg grimly noted as the Omenkiller's cleaver slammed into her wooden club, thus creating slash marks upon its surface. "However, I must hold on until the children leave the cavern." The emerald-horned Omen grimaced as the wounds caused by the daggers embedded within her left arm flared up with pain. Yet, Ezrotheg was grateful for the pain since it indicated she was still among the land of the living.
Grasping the club with both hands, Ezrotheg began pushing the raven-masked lunatic back. "It's gonna take more than a few scratches to kill me, Omenkiller!" She furiously roared whilst the supernatural strength gifted to all Omen slowly overpowered the bloodthirsty killer. Sensing how the battle was shifting towards their opponent's favour, the Omenkiller hurriedly breathed an inferno of blazingly hot flames at Ezrotheg's reptilian face, thus forcing her to backoff lest she is burned by the magical flames.
While the crocodile Omen stepped backwards to a safe distance from the boiling hot flames. The Omenkiller noticed from the edge of their vision the Omen caravan attempting to sneak into the tunnels leading away from the battlefield. It didn't take long for the Golden Order agent to piece together the group's scheme to escape justice. A rage-filled scream echoed from the raven mask as the Omenkiller ducked underneath Ezrotheg's massive club and proceeded to race towards the fleeing children and caravan guards.
"No!"
Ezrotheg attempted to stop the Omenkiller from attacking the children. However, the insane hunter of Omen reacted to their pursuer by throwing their deadly cleaver at the caravan leader. The crocodile Omen naturally responded by blocking the metallic cleaver with her wooden club, which was what the Omenkiller wanted. The added weight from the cleaver, now deeply embedded within the wooden club, made it near impossible for Ezrotheg, even with her Omen-gifted strength, to raise her own weapon.
Wicked laughter escaped the depths of the Omenkiller's masked as they rushed towards the frightened Omen children, pulling a set of smaller twin cleavers from behind their back. The caravan guards, all slightly older than the children they're protecting, stood defiantly as the Golden Order lunatic hurriedly closed the distance between them. Meanwhile, Ezrotheg abandoned her chosen weapon and ran after the Omenkiller since the guards were far too injured to put up much resistance against the trained killing machine.
"Yes…now….I…..spill….Omen….Blood!" The raven-masked Omenkiller energetically sprang into the air with their twin cleavers ready to gut the caravan guards protecting the filthy abominations hiding behind them. However, before they could satisfy their bloodlust, a tiny object swiftly blurred past the frightened caravan protectors and violently slammed into the Omenkiller's raven-crafted helmet. A startled cry was ripped from the lunatic's lips whilst their body was soaring across the cavern until they crashed into the dirty water.
The now temporarily safe Omens felt their collective jaws drop with disbelief when the object which sent their attacker flying was revealed to be a small stone around the size of a coin. The item in question disappeared into the watery depths shortly after introducing the Omenkiller to the local sewer water.
"Cha, that'll teach the jackass not to threaten random people!"
Ezrotheg, along with the rest of the caravan, robotically turns towards where the stone originated. They're surprised to see a strangely dressed female Omen with smooth cherry blossom horns aborning her skull, standing next to another tunnel entrance. Lazily flipped more stones between her fingers. The crocodile Omen never saw this particular inhabitant of the sewer network before today, and her style of dress was eerily similar to those unusual visitors from the far-distant lands of Reed.
"Perhaps she is from Reed," Ezrotheg quietly muttered as it would make some sense since Reed was known to be far less prejudiced towards her kind than those who inhabit the Lands Between. The fact their saviour was dressed in a smilier clothing style to Reed civilians, which she sometimes saw on the surface, supported the theory of where the, admittedly very beautiful, Omen originated from before living within the sewers. Sadly, Ezrotheg's pondering on the newcomer would've to wait since the Omenkiller chose that moment to burst out of the sewer water.
"Filthy…Omen….you'll….pay…for….that!" The raven-masked madman shrieked furiously while twisting the twin cleavers within their leather-gloved hands in an intimidating fashion. However, the intimidation factor was lost on Ezrotheg since the Omenkiller had a comically sized dent on the side of their raven mask. The entire caravan saw tiny droplets of liquid life flowing between the gaps of the raven-crafted mask, indicating that the stone caused much damage to the Omenkiller even with the helmet acting as protection.
"Yeah, I'm afraid that's not happening." Ezrotheg watched in stupefaction as the cherry-horned Omen confidently walked until she stood in the middle of the cavern. "Now, normally, I'd offer you the chance to surrender," the crocodile Omen felt a chill run down her spine as the newcomer's emerald orbs froze over into an unforgiving blizzard. "But, since you've no problems with assaulting innocent people for no good reason, I'll just proceed with kicking your ass to the afterlife." The Pinkette took a combat stance while gesturing for the Omenkiller to bring it on.
The Omenkiller's twitches intensified as the mere insinuation that a filthy Omen could kill them infuriated the Golden Order Agent to unimaginable heights. A roar of madness thundered from the damaged mask as the Omenkiller charged for the Pink-haired Omen. Upon crossing the distance, they wildly swung the twin cleavers in order to inflict as much pain as physically possible on the defiant Omen. However, each swing was met with only open air since the cherry-horned Omen gracefully dodged every strike the Omenkiller attempted to land.
Meanwhile, the spectating Omens felt like this was a strange dream as none of them held the ability to play with the dangerous Omenkiller like the cherry-horned female was doing. "Whoa, that one almost hit something rather than air!" The caravan withheld the urge to snort at the Pinkette's teasing tone as she expertly manoeuvred around the cleavers whilst making silly faces at the raven-masked lunatic. Unbeknownst to everyone present, the cherry-horned individual was using a key part of her teacher's fighting style: infuriating the enemy until they couldn't think straight.
The tactic was especially effective on the Omenkiller, whose swings became more chaotic as the evidence on which combatant was better grew clear by the second. The cherry-horned Omen danced around the swings for another few minutes before flicking one of the stones within her petite hand at the Omenkiller's exposed front. The sicking sound of bones scattering underneath an unrelenting force echoed throughout the cavern as the trained killer was sent sailing backwards until their back collided with the water.
"Damn….Omen….can…not….die…..here," the Omenkiller hissed in pain since their opponent broke a few ribs with that stone throw. "Most….live….for…..Queen…..Marika." The raven-masked individual attempted to rise once more. However, their efforts were halted when the cherry-horned Omen appeared above them with remarkable speed; thinking quickly, the Omenkiller hurriedly breathed a wall of mystical flames, hoping it would force the Omen away long enough to escape through the tunnels.
"Cha, that won't save you!" Behind the raven-crafted mask, the Omenkiller's eyes widened with shock when the petite Omen performed some weird hand signs for a split second before unleashing a massive amount of water from her lips. The two elements violently collided in a war for dominance over the other, but it was apparent to any outside observer the water element was overpowering the Omenkiller's mystic flames. After the fire was reduced to mere steam, the Omen soared downwards with her dainty fist held at the ready to end the madman's life.
"Shannaro!"
The Omenkiller quickly raised their cleavers across their chest to block the cherry-horned Omen's strike. However, it proved to be a wasted effort as her fist smashed straight through the cleavers, reducing them to metallic fragments. The Golden Order Agent faired no better as their chest was crushed inwards and the shockwave generated pulverised their internal organs into a liquid paste. The surroundings trembled from the power behind the cherry-horned Omen's strike, much like how events leading to the Great Quake did a few days ago.
"Impossible….Omens…..can't…..learn…..magic…..down….here." the Omenkiller painfully coughed out while death slowly calmed the maniac's soul. The Golden Order Agent tried to understand how an Omen learned water magic since the holy church kept a close eye on any texts regarding the mystical arts. Even the fabled Raya Lucaria Academy, known for its freedom concerning magical research and development, was heavily monitored in secret by the Golden Order to prevent such a scenario from ever becoming a reality.
"Huh, guess you're not as durable as I first thought," the Omenkiller glanced towards the approaching cherry-horned Omen with resignation shining within the raven mask's depths. "For the record, that wasn't magic water which doused your flames." The raven-masked lunatic ignored her words since it wouldn't matter to them within a few minutes; instead, they faced how the Omen pronounced her sentences and noticed a slight accent which sounded familiar to some travellers they met from the country of Reed.
The Omenkiller relaxed as the puzzle finally came together. "A….foreigner…from…heretic….Land…Of….Reed." It made sense since the heretics from that waring country still treated the abominations with respect and even taught them a little magic to empower those who wished to join whatever army was paying the most at the time. The raven-masked Agent figured this Omen must've travelled to the Lands Between via boat and then took shelter underneath the capital once they realised that Omens were not wanted on the surface world.
A few seconds later, the Omenkiller soul abandoned its mortal shell.
Time Skip, A Few Seconds After The Omenkiller's Death.
"So people with a combination of horns and animal traits are called Omen." Sakura quietly reflected on the dead Omenkiller's final words whilst rummaging through their belongings for valuable items since it was obvious they wouldn't need them anymore. The Pinkette already found multiple throwing knives, some chemical firebombs, and a journal written in a language Sakura had never seen. A whetstone to sharpen the cleavers to a razor's edge and some food provisions that she immediately stuffed into the lunatic's former supply bag.
"Omens aren't too liked around here either if this asshole's reaction to me was of any indication." The cherry-horned ninja grunted as she recovered more objects from the freshly made corpse. "And apparently magics real in this strange world." This explained the odd energy signature Sakura sensed when the Omenkiller summoned the blazingly hot flames. She'd have to perform some research later on how this so-called magic functioned and what its limits were compared to the life-giving energy known as Chakra.
"I guess going to the surface will also have to wait for now." Sakura sighed with frustration since the locals on the surface probably won't react positively should the kunoichi attempt to visit their cities or villages. Sure, the cherry-horned medic-nin could try casting a basic genjutsu to disguise herself as some random civilian. However, without completely knowing how Chakra interacted with certain types of magic, it was best not to risk accidentally exposing herself to the enemy while exploring their territory.
Whilst Sakura took inventory of the deceased Omenkiller's possessions, the Omen caravan cautiously approached their saviour. Ezrotheg, naturally leading from the front of the procession, stepped forward after her group reached the crouched Pinkette and, without hesitation, bowed her reptilian head in gratitude. The others happily followed their leader's example since they'd be rotting corpses if Sakura hadn't chosen to intervene in the fight.
"M'lady," Ezrotheg began as Sakura gazed upwards to stare into the Omen's amethyst orbs. "Our caravan can't thank you enough for saving us from the Omenkiller." The crocodile Omen's tone was genuinely thankful, while the other caravan members said thanks for dealing with the ranging lunatic. "Please ask for any reward you desire, and we shall gladly do everything within our power to see it done." Sakura blinked at the proposal since she hardly believed a reward was necessary for dealing with a madman hellbent on massacring innocent civilians.
However, before the cherry-horned ninja declined the offer, her emerald eyes wandered to the three daggers still embedded in Ezrotheg's arm. "Cha, what the hell are you thinking, walking around with an injury like that?!" Sakura suddenly grabbed the reptilian woman's hand and, without hesitation, used her overwhelming strength to pull the startled Ezrotheg until she was kneeling next to the Pink-haired Kunoichi. Once close enough, Sakura carefully removed the daggers while the caravan leader winced from the pain.
"M'lady, please, my injuries are only minor," Ezrotheg protested towards her saviour's goal of treating the dagger wounds since Omens, regardless of where they came from, weren't well learned in the arts of medicine. "Besides, my natural healing ability will close the wounds within two days!" And yes, Ezrotheg counted the slash wounds upon her chest among her capabilities to heal without much issue. Unfortunately, the Omen's protests fell on deaf ears as the Kunoichi easily manhandled the crocodile humanoid into compliance.
Sakura glared at the Omen whilst removing the last dagger from her flesh. "That's still not good enough," the Pinkette snapped while coating her hands with sea green medical chakra. "The number of diseases or medical problems a person can receive while wounded in a sewer just isn't worth the risk!" Without waiting for a response, Sakura gently touched the bleeding stab wounds, and much to the gathered Omens' shock, the damage caused by the daggers are slowly sealing shut, almost as if time was being reversed by the beautiful green light.
None were more shocked by the miracle healing than Ezrotheg, who stared with wonder as the pain slowly disappeared. "M'lady, you can heal our wounds." The crocodile Omen softly said in awe as she's never encountered another Omen who possessed the knowledge, whether via magical or traditional means, to heal the sick or wounded who aimlessly wandered the underworld. If word reached other caravans, then her saviour would receive many visitors seeking medical assistance for many of their injured comrades.
"Well, I've spent years training to be a medic, so I'm expected to have some skill in the art," Sakura replied while concentrating on Ezrotheg's chest injuries now that the stab wounds were miraculously gone. "By the way, I'm Sakura, Sakura Haruno." The medic-nin introduced herself with a pleasant smile whilst the caravan whispered amongst themselves how amazing it was to witness Lady Sakura's healing skills. And how beautiful she was compared to other Omen females their caravan encountered during their travels.
"A pleasure Lady Sakura," Ezeotheg bowed her head slightly with respect as the last of her wounds sealed shut thanks to cherry-horned Kunoichi's skills in the art of medicine. "I am Ezrotheg, leader of this humble caravan of travellers." Sakura felt a blush appear on her cheeks since nobody had ever shown this level of respect. Most Shinobi, during hospital visits or essential meetings, usually focused their attention on Lady Tsunade since she was Hokage and, thus, the highest ranking authority within the Hidden Leaf.
"Alright, you're officially patched up," Sakura said after regaining control over her blushing face. Ezrotheg stood back up, and the entire caravan was awed by how healthy their leader appeared; it was almost as if she had never fought the deceased Omenkiller in the first place. "So, who's the next person to be healed?!" The Kunoichi inquired as the caravan guards carefully gathered near the Pinkette so she could treat their injuries caused by the deceased madman; the children formed a line behind the others as they'd like to be checked on by their saviour.
For the next hour, Sakura treated the Omens' various injuries, whether recently gained from combat against the Omenkiller or old scars from a lifetime spent fighting for survival within the underworld. The children were fun to talk with once Sakura got over the fact Omen typically grew above the height of humans and were a great source of information on the current state of the world. Meanwhile, Ezrotheg had replaced her heavily damaged wooden club for the Omenkiller's oversized metallic cleaver after she pulled it out of the wood.
"Okay, that's everyone healed!" The cherry-horned Kunoichi happily announced after her latest patient walked off to rejoin the caravan group. The Omen cheered since they'd never felt so good in their lives, and even Ezrotheg felt strangely energised after receiving treatment from Lady Sakura.
"We're eternally grateful for your miraculous healing, M'lady." Ezrotheg thanked the Kunoichi once the caravan calmed down from their celebrations. "And after careful thought, I've realised there is only one reward best suited for your kindness." The crocodile Omen knelt in front of Sakura, whose expression turned startled at the caravan leader's unexpected action. The other Omen simply watched on from the sidelines since the group trusted Ezrotheg with their lives, and she had never broken their faith thus far.
"Lady Sakura," began Ezrotheg with a serious tone while the Kunoichi tried to figure out what was happening. "For the bravery and kindness you've shown today, our caravan pledges its internal loyalty and service to you until the very stars themselves grow cold." Sakura's emerald eyes widened as the crocodile Omen made the entire caravan her loyal subjects. The others weren't displeased by their leader's choice, given how swiftly they kneeled before the pink-haired ninja.
"All Hail, Lady Sakura! Our new glorious leader!" Ezrotheg exclaimed grandiosely while the other Omen excitedly cheered for gaining such a powerful, not to mention highly gifted in the field of medicine leader. Meanwhile, Sakura stared dumbfounded at the sudden shift in events and could only muster up enough strength to say the one word that perfectly encompassed her thoughts regarding her sudden ascension to the leadership position for these travelling Omens.
"Cha?!"