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Hi guys! My apologies for the extremely late update!... ughh... its taking me longer and longer to write new chappies these days. School's been hectic lately, but thankfully, the Christmas break is just around the corner. Yay! Finally, a chance to kick back and relax after a hard year of schoolwork!... haha:-D
A heartfelt "Thank You" to all the people who have taken time to write reviews for my previous chapter. You guys are the best! Thanks for staying with my fic. I didn't expect to get this much! Really! I hope this new chapter earns as much reviews from you guys... )
So, on with the fic... Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, I am not the luckiest guy in the world who owns Naruto. That guy is Masashi Kishimoto.
... Dedicated to Michelle ... (who's probably smiling right now, reading this... :D)
Chapter 5: The Vanquished
It had been two weeks since Kakashi's team had left the hidden village of the Leaf…
Village gates; 2 : 09 am.
It all happened three days ago. In the dead of the night, two ninjas came to the village gates. Upon sensing an unidentified presence at such an ungodly hour, the guards on duty armed themselves and approached the pair cautiously.
"Who goes there…" One of the guards called out.
A grunt and a loud thud were heard in reply.
Another guard shone a light at the source of the strange sounds and gasped in horror. There, on the ground before them, lay a couple of bloodied ninjas. Their clothes were shredded, stained with soil and dry blood. The faces and arms showed severe cuts and gashes, reflecting the physical torment that they had gone through. Their legs were riddled black and blue with lumps and bruises from days of traveling on foot. Dark red blood gushed out from an open wound, slowly tainting the green grass that spread underneath them.
Now, this scene was gruesome enough, but it was not what surprised the guards. Believe me, they have had more than their fair share when it comes to this sort of thing. What startled them the most were the rectangular pieces of metal that they saw on each of the shinobis' heads – forehead protectors that bore the symbol of Konoha.
Those fallen ninjas were their allies.
One of the guards immediately sped back to town to get help while the others moved to assist their injured comrades. As they came closer, labored breathing was heard. This was good. It meant that both of them were still alive, but it was becoming increasingly evident that they wouldn't last long if something wasn't done soon.
The medic nins arrived in a flash. Expertly, they began treating the wounds of the injured Leaf shinobi. Their eyes widened as they recognized the identities of these two, unable to believe that they had been wounded so badly. Eerie light emanated in the darkness as hands flared with green healing chakra.
One ninja was apparently unconscious so they had wasted no time in rushing him to the hospital. The other, however, flinched when the medics touched his fractured leg and let out a sharp cry of pain, his handsome face contorting in agony. He was still screaming as they carried him away, gritting his teeth and tugging at his raven hair to somehow distract himself from the pain in his limbs.
The guards stepped back, giving the medic nins room to move about. They buzzed in confusion, greatly distressed over what happened. How could it have happened to them? Them, who were among Konoha's best? Tomorrow the whole village would know about it. About how two- no, three of Konoha's most brilliant minds had fallen.
Tsunade's house; 2 : 16 am.
The Godaime Hokage was awakened by the sound of knuckles rapping loudly on the door of her house. She groaned and cursed, apparently waking up from a drunken spell.
"Tsunade-sama, please wake up! We have urgent news!" The guard cried, a mixture of fear and confusion in his voice. He shouted repeatedly until someone from the inside answered his call, sliding the door open.
It was Shizune. She fixed a fierce glare at him, irritated at having been roused at such an early hour.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" She asked, yawning. "Hokage-sama is not pleased."
The hazy form of Tsunade appeared behind Shizune. A white robe was wrapped around her, loosely tied at the waist. The neckline of her garment drooped lower than usual, revealing more of the long cleavage that divided her chest.
"This had better be damn good." She muttered.
"Tsunade-sama! Two of our ninjas have just arrived outside the gates. They are both in critical condition, and appear to be members of the special reconnaissance team you sent out two weeks ago. The third member is missing, and-"
"What? Out of the way!"
The guard had no time to finish what he was saying. Nor did he have to. Upon hearing the shocking news, Tsunade took off along with her aide, Shizune, in the direction of the village hospital.
Hospital; 2 : 37 am.
A myriad of doctors and nurses were swarming over the two wounded chuunin, determining the gravity of the damage and deciding on what to do. Every step in this stage was crucial to the survival of both, for they were almost out of breath. Mounted on stretchers, the pair was rushed into a vacant operating room while the army of physicians followed suit.
Uchiha Sasuke tried to open his eyes, but was instantly blinded by the strong lights above him. Wincing, he sealed them shut. Above him, he heard a sea of voices murmuring words that he could hardly make out. They sounded as if being spoken through fabric.
… His chakra is almost entirely depleted…
… Careful, some parts of his skin are badly burned…
… He suffered a leg fracture here…
As he lay listening to these sounds, an excruciating pain seared through his body. He cried out in pain and struggled, but found that he was strapped to the surface he was lying on. He felt several hands holding him steady.
… He's going wild! Quick, administer the anesthesia…
Shortly after, he felt a slight prick on his arm. That was nothing, however, compared to the pain that his leg was causing him. Thankfully, the hell that he was going through didn't last long as he quickly drifted away into the comfort of blissful sleep.
As soon as she arrived, Tsunade burst into the operating room. All heads turned in the direction of the doorway, and upon seeing her, a myriad of nurses began blocking the way, well aware of the Godaime Hokage's violent tendencies. She paid no heed to the medics who were pleading with her to let the patients recover before bringing them in for questioning, and brushed them aside impatiently.
She spotted the cluster of doctors on one of the operating tables, and immediately moved through them. One of the male nurses tried to restrain her, but only received a huge lump on his face for his effort.
She grabbed the unconscious Sasuke and shook him vigorously, trying to wake him from the effects of the drug.
"Sasuke, wake up! What happened?" She demanded. "Where's Kakashi?"
It was no use. The boy's head swung limply from side as she shook him, oblivious to everything happening around him.
After locating the Hyuuga prodigy and getting the same results, Tsunade stormed out of the hospital, walking hastily through the chilly morning mist. She would do the next logical thing, and that was to assemble an emergency meeting among the ranking officials of the Leaf.
Briefing room; 3 : 08 am.
Thirty minutes later, the briefing room was alive with the confused buzzes of its inhabitants. The jounins were first to arrive, having leapt out of their beds upon hearing the news. Then came the venerable members of the Council. Gai and Kurenai were talking, a troubled expression etched on each of their faces.
As the Godaime Hokage entered, the room fell into a hushed silence. Dressed more appropriately now, she took a seat and faced the waiting throng of people. She paused for a second, mentally scrolling through the list of things she would need to tell them. She cleared her throat to catch everyone's attention, although doing this was obviously unnecessary.
"My friends," She began, "As you all know, the Mist is rapidly becoming a potential menace to Konoha with each passing day. Our peaceful relationship with that hidden village hangs on a thread, and war could break out at any moment. Both parties are already preparing for the eventuality of it."
The people in the room held their breaths and shifted uneasily in their seats. Tsunade sighed and looked away, breaking free from the probing eyes of her audience.
"But after an unfortunate turn of events," She said, lowering her voice, "I am now certain, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that war will indeed break out."
A collective gasp was heard from the listeners as they exchanged anxious looks with each other. The room started buzzing again, this time louder. The Hokage turned and whispered something to Shizune, who nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
She sighed, looking out the window at the starlit sky. Part of the lower horizon was hued a different shade of blue, and she knew that daybreak wouldn't come for a few more hours. The villagers were still asleep, unaware of the impending danger that loomed above their heads. Soon, it would be time to tell them, but not now. She suddenly felt wholly responsible for putting the lives of these people in dire jeopardy. Uncertainty followed as the gravity of the situation settled in. She closed her eyes and clutched the jewel that hung around her neck, silently praying to her grandfather, the first Hokage, for guidance. She needed him now more than ever.
Hospital room; 4 : 01 am.
The rhythmic beep of a machine echoed inside a dark hospital room. The sound was short, standard, and occurred at a regular interval. It seemed to be coming from an electronic device with an LCD display, which showed the movements of a thin red line. The line moved horizontally, jerking upward abruptly every time the beep resounded. It formed an odd angle, and then cascaded back onto its original horizontal path.
Somewhere inside this same room, a young girl was vigilantly watching, her eyes already puffy from crying. On any other evening she would have dozed off, but tonight, she did not dare sleep a wink. Her greatest fear would be to see the thin red line flattening out forever, the sound turning into a perpetual beep. She gazed at the unconscious boy on the bed, observing the rise and fall of his chest. A steady heartbeat. This was good. For every short beep she was thankful, for each one of these brought her lover closer to seeing the sunrise once more.
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