Chapter 17: Insight
The town of Sorano lay embedded in forest covered hills along the Lightning Country coastline. After a final night on Yoshitaka's boat, the trio could finally see the area clearly. The town had a watercolor painting appeal to it; white paper lanterns hung crisscross over the cobble stone encrusted streets. Cherry trees, full of burgundy fruits, bordered each causeway like soldiers.
"This place must be really pretty in the spring, with all the cherry blossoms." Sakura said as she watched birds peck at a fallen cherry.
These side streets led to a bustling main market place. Traditional two-story buildings on either side held mother's yelling down to their children and store clerks sweeping their thresholds with wooden brooms. These buildings housed all kinds of shops: noisy pet stores, vibrant candy vendors, delectable-smelling restaurants, tacky souvenir stands, all kinds.
"We need to find a place to stay." Sasuke was saying as they crossed through the streets.
"But we need money too." Sakura pointed out. "Yoshitaka-san only paid us with the trip."
"That rules out a hotel." Sasuke added. "Maybe we can rent an apartment. We'll have to look for jobs again."
"It's going to be harder this time around. This country has child labor laws outside of ninja services and those are handled through the Raikage and the Hidden Cloud Ninja Registry."
"No Freelance Bureau?"
"None what-so-ever."
"Ah, I don't care." Naruto put his arms behind his head, Shodaime's necklace swinging freely over his yellow shirt. They turned down a precariously empty street. "I'm hungry. Let's eat something."
"Sure, you like cherries?" Sakura shrugged.
"What?! I want ramen!"
"No money means no ramen."
"Awww..."
They continued down the bizarrely deserted street, talking of dinner when someone called out to them.
"Children!" A hunched figure, hidden in the shadow of a draping purple cloak, sat on a light picnic blanket on the side on the cobbled street in front of a dark alleyway. The form sat behind several objects: a deck of cards, a cup of tea, and, most notably, a large crystal ball.
"I'm sorry." Sakura smiled sheepishly, holding up her arms apologetically, "We don't have any money for fortunes."
"I know that, of course." The voice was feminine but wrinkled with age. "Come closer."
The three exchanged questionable glances and cautiously approached the veiled woman.
"All three of you, put your hands on the crystal."
Naruto in the middle, flanked by Sasuke on his right and Sakura on his left, reached down and place his hand on the crystal ball's cold smooth surface. The old woman hovered her own wrinkly hands over theirs. Naruto's spine tingled.
Suddenly, an intricate seal-like design began to glow under the sphere. The crystal itself grew warm and shone like a star.
Naruto tried to pull his hand back in alarm, but he was somehow transfixed to the bizarre yellow light.
There was a flash and Team 7 fell backward onto the cobblestone street.
The woman chuckled. She waved her hands around the glass once more as the three picked themselves up and leaned in to see.
"Yes," the woman muttered, "You three have an interesting future, but you will have to get there to learn about it. While you are here in Sorano, however, many things will happen. You and you..." She pointed first to Sasuke, then Sakura. "... will both find something. And you..." She pointed at Naruto. "... will lose something precious."
Naruto gulped.
"What?" He exclaimed. "That's not fair."
"Maybe Sasuke or I will find what you lose, Naruto." Sakura suggested.
The old woman cackled.
"No possible."
"Why not?" Sakura pouted.
"Because boy..." The woman turned to Naruto. "... what you will lose is irreplaceable and will be gone forever. You..." The woman looked at Sasuke. "... You will find something of great importance, but you will not realize how important until it is far too late." She let the warning linger in the air before turning to Sakura.
"As for you, I believe you already know what you will find. But beware, because, as they say..."
The old woman looked up. Erie golden eyes fixed on Sakura from the darkness of the woman's face.
"...'Curiosity killed the cat.'"
An ominous shiver traveled down Sakura's spine. The woman's unblinking stare seeped into her self doubt. A few moments passed as the trio soaked in the premonitions.
"Sorry, lady." Sasuke stood up. "But it sounds like a load of crap to me." He began to walk away.
"Ah, Sasuke!" Sakura called, then turned to the mysterious woman and bowed.
"Th-thank you very much." She stuttered, before grabbing a sulking Naruto and running after Sasuke.
"Sasuke! Wait for us!"
-
The golden-eyed woman watched the three children leave, then leaned back slightly.
"So what do you think?"
The black alley behind her stirred. The dark silhouette of a man shifted amongst the void.
"Interesting..." He rumbled.
"That boy... He had-"
"Yes, it was most definitely that thing."
"Why does he have it?"
The man grinned evilly.
"You want me to find out, Kiki-chama?"
"Since when have you needed my permission?"
The man chuckled.
"Okay, I'll investigate. I have plans for this boy anyway."
"Plans? That's rare."
"Yes, there's something about him. He reminds me of that man."
"Do whatever you want, Ro-kun." The old woman picked up a card from the deck beside her and slashed it through the crystal ball. The translucent globe exploded into vapor.
"This is going to be an eventful couple of weeks."
-
"Here it is." A burly landlady pointed to a little flat as she handed Sasuke a ring of keys. "No idea why a bunch of kids like you would want to live around here. Oh well, if you die, it's not my problem."
Thanks for the compassion, Sakura muttered to herself. She had to agree with the muscular woman. In the late afternoon light, the neighborhood looked like something out of a "Save-the-Children" advertisement. Grimy, dirty streets, paved with plastic bags, NinCola cans and sewage water, ran across the pathways like road kill. Gang insignia, painted in a variety of colors and even carved in places, covered the weather-stained, once-white walls and high, broken fences of the neighborhood's residences. The whole place smelled like piss. But it was the cheapest place listed. It would be their palace while they were in Sorano.
"Let's go check it out." Sasuke swung the keys on his finger as he moved toward the apartment complex.
Sakura nodded.
"C'mon Naruto."
"Hai..." He sulked.
"Are you worried about what the fortune teller said?"
He nodded.
Sakura smiled. Could someone like this house a horrific power? Seeing him pout adorably like a four-year-old made her second guess her eyes. She had seen that seal, hadn't she? She shook her head to clear it a little. Of course she's seen it, clear as day. But what it was for still plagued her.
"Don't worry about it, Naruto." Sasuke sighed as they climbed the stairs to their flat. "Fortunes are for shit. They don't mean a damn thing. No one can see the future."
"That's awfully pessimistic, Sasuke." Sakura mumbled as they reached the first landing. "and I thought you could see the future."
"Of course I can't. Seeing the future and reading movements are different things, Sakura. What will happen, will happen; we'll deal with it when it comes to us."
Naruto stopped on the landing and grinned.
"Yeah! Screw you, future!" He cried.
"That's... not what I meant..." Sasuke sweatdropped as he scaled the last leg of stairs. He came to the door and waited for his friends to join him, before sticking the key in door knob. The door swung inward, revealing the most pathetic one-room living space they'd ever seen. Floorboards were water-stained and missing in places. The dirty walls were smeared with discoloration. A grime encrusted stove sat in a corner and a bathroom, which all were too scared to look at, behind a door on the left-hand wall.
"Uhhhh..." Naruto groaned.
"It may not be a castle, but it's ours." Sasuke sighed as they all tiptoed in.
Sakura bravely peered into the bathroom, and quickly shut the door again, wincing disgustedly.
"We're using a public bath until we get this place cleaned up." She announced.
"First things first." Sasuke put his backpack against the wall and sat in the middle of the room. "We need to get jobs."
"And we need to find this Kouji person." Sakura said as she and Naruto joined him. "But that'll be easy, so we should focus on this job thing for now."
"We need to find a way around Child Labor laws." Sasuke muttered.
"Henge no Justu?" Naruto suggested.
"I don't think any of us can hold it longer than a couple hours." Sakura said.
"What we need is to look older. Yoshitaka let us on as crewmates even though he asked for people over 18." Sasuke sighed. "If only one of us looked old enough."
He realized his teammates sat unusually still, staring at him with wide eyes.
"What?"
Naruto and Sakura grinned evilly. Sasuke was taken aback.
"W-wait a minute."
"Sasuke! It's perfect!" Sakura squealed.
"Me?! But I don't look-"
"Oh, yes you do." Naruto chuckled.
"But what about you guys?"
"Please, Sasuke. Naruto is so short he barely looks his own age."
"Hey!"
"and no one's going to believe I'm 18; my chest hasn't grown out enough."
Naruto and Sasuke turned bright red.
Sakura blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.
"... but I guess you didn't need to know that. C'mon Sasuke! It doesn't have to be a big job; it won't take much to afford this place. And Naruto and I will look for Kouji. Don't be such a crab!"
Sasuke grumbled.
"Whatever."
"Alright!" Naruto and Sakura cheered.
"But I really don't think I look 18."
"Hmmm..." Sakura stood up. "I can fix that. Here, stand up." Sasuke did as Sakura walked over to her backpack and pulled out bandage wrap. She walked over to Sasuke and roughly pulled his hair back.
"Ow!"
"Just one second." She ripped a piece of bandage off with her teeth and tied Sasuke's hair into a tiny ponytail at the base of his neck.
"There." Sakura stood back. "That should help. You'll still have to pass as a young looking 18 year-old though."
Naruto nodded and yawned.
"We'd better get some sleep." Sakura stretched. "We've got a big day tomorrow."
-
"So... You're name is Aoi?" A burly, felon-looking man glared at Sasuke over the bar.
"Yeah." Sasuke felt a little self-conscious, like a hundred eyes were watching him.
"It's probably best to work at some place a little shady." Sakura had suggested. "You'll attract less attention."
Sasuke sighed. Is that why I'm in a bar? He'd been in a bar several times before; a couple times looking for various people with Kakashi-sensei during his probation (when he wasn't allowed out of the village) and one painful time when he tried to stop a drunken Lee from destroying the establishment. (Bad idea, very bad idea.), but this place was a little different than the others. It was full of what looked like a prison break, huge, chunky men shook the place and it was clear you had to be tough to get over the threshold. From what he could tell, most of them were travelers, merchants who stopped here for a beer and to give and take news of the outside world. Sasuke had been attracted by the Help Wanted sign in the dusty window; only a few blocks from their dingy apartment, it seemed like the perfect work enterprise.
"You look kind of young. How old are you?" the proprietor pried.
"18"
The rough'n'tough man looked Sasuke over suspiciously.
"You look kind of wimpy. I don't think you'd fit well in a place like this."
"Oh give him a break, Kujoh." A rather scantily clad waitress whispered in a husky voice as she passed by carrying pints and entrees. She set a steak down next to Sasuke's left hand neighbor. "I think he's cute." She winked at Sasuke, who tried hard not to blush, but could feel his face burn anyway.
"Wimpy huh?" Sasuke shook off his embarrassment and put his right arm upright on the table.
"You want to arm wrestle me? Well, you've got guts, kid; I'll give you that, but don't run home crying if I break your arm." The huge man put an arm as thick as a loaf of bread on the bar. A crowd gathered as the two clasped hands.
"One, two..." The scant waitress chanted. "...three!"
Sasuke didn't even push back as Kujoh slammed his arm on to the bar. Instead, he reached with his left hand and snatched the knife from his neighbor's steak. As Sasuke's right hand hit the smooth bar, he whirled the knife and slammed it down, stopping just before the shiny tip touched Kujoh's skin. Steak juice rolled down the blade and on to Kujoh's bulky hand. The entire establishment froze.
"There is more than one way to defeat a person, Kujoh-san." Sasuke sneered. "Think I'm too wimpy now?" He stuck the knife back into the steak.
Kujoh leaned back and chuckled.
"I like your style, kid. Welcome to the crew."
-
"Are we there yet?" Naruto wheezed as he and Sakura scaled their 12th flight of stone stairs.
"Almost." Sakura panted. The two trudged up their final step and collapsed on the stone pavement.
"Jeez." Naruto coughed "How do these Sorano Fuuka people do it!?"
The building had the design of a traditional Japanese shrine, large, elegant, rectangular arches stretched over the angular, marble staircases. A long, cobblestone path, lined with trees now separated them from the expansive school rising up in the distance.
"C'mon Sakura-chan! We're almost there!" Naruto jumped up and grabbed Sakura's hand in an attempt to pull her.
"How come you have so much energy?" She muttered.
"Ramen!"
"But you haven't really eaten ramen in weeks."
"I must be like a camel..."
Sakura groaned and got to her feet.
"Great, a crab and a camel. What am I, a zoo keeper?"
They continued down the road until they came to a large circle, upon which the school sat. Upon this circle was engraved many obscure symbols, seals for a school of sealing. Naruto shivered.
"Let's go inside quickly." He hugged himself. "It's getting cold."
Sakura skipped over the intricate pattern.
"What are you talking about, Idiot? It's the middle of May! Besides how can you be cold after that climb? You aren't getting sick, are you?"
She was right, but it didn't make Naruto any less chilly.
"No, I'm fine."
Naruto casually stepped over the designed flooring. Nausea swept through his consciousness. He hit the ground.
"Naruto!?" Sakura dashed to his side. "Naruto, what's wrong!?"
Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth and wrapped the other around his churning stomach. He heaved and threw up all over the pavement.
"Oh, like hell you're fine!" Sakura berated as she wrapped an arm around him and helped him up. "You're sick. I'm taking you home right now." Naruto coughed as she dragged him back across the carved floor and on to the normal road toward the stairs.
"Sakura-chan."
"Hmmm?"
"You can stop. I feel fine."
"What?"
She let of Naruto and he stood, wiping his mouth, as though nothing had happened.
"Yeah, I feel all better now."
Sakura gawked at him.
"What the hell?! You just threw up! Are you still feeling cold?"
"Yeah, a little bit."
"Then we're going home."
"No wait, Sakura-chan, I can do it."
"Huh?"
"You stay here and get that letter to Kouji. I can get home by myself."
"Are you crazy?"
"Honestly, Sakura-chan, I feel perfectly fine now. Besides, we have to complete the mission, right?"
Sakura looked him square in the eye. He seemed to be telling the truth. He wasn't shaking or sickly looking like he was mere moments ago either.
She sighed.
"Fine, but promise me you'll go straight home and into bed. No funny stuff."
"I promise."
The two waved goodbye to each other and went there separate ways.
Author's Note: MWAHAHAHAHA! Can't you feel the suspence? The excitment!? Oooo what's going to happen...? I can't even begin to explain how much fun I had with this chapter. Unlike virtually all the other ones, this chapter went exactly by the outline. Normally, I stick in some fluffiness (like the last part of chapter 16) to make things interesting and fun. (that whole crab thing wasn't in the original storyline, I just stuck it in there for kicks). This chapter, however, had none of that. In fact, I think I did this chapter so well that I don't think I need to explain anything! (Unless you have questions, in which case, feel free to ask me. PLease post them as reviews and I'll answer them as thoroughly as possible next chapter, unless, of course, I don't want you to know...)
Next Chapter: Don't take that! Naruto gets wrapped up in a horrible predicament! Sakura finds something, but was it what she was looking for!?