Disclaimer: lawyers are such suckers… and so, I don't own Naruto. So go away! (flings tomato at policeman)
A/n thanks a lot for the reviews! I'm glad you liked it. I realized… Naruto is so cute! I may be a bit late on that, but you know lazy people… and, sorry for the late update! School is finally here, and studies comes first, right?
Enjoy, yall!
A bunch of thanks to: Slytherin prince, Snow wind, krista, Doctor Meowzie, animelious, Anime Senko, nixxie1430, iluvsasuke, cocoa-latte, ori, shy-lil-dreamer, iluvanime493, December jewel, animEvivvErz, trigemini, ang3L-blue, neu chi ho naiu (thanks for reeadin y other stories!)
iluvanime493, soon enough, you will see the reason why Kakashi cannot save our little trotting Uchiha runt!
Summary: The prince of Konoha was taken captive of an opposing country. Not one knight in the royal army was worthy of retrieving the hostage. But it seemed that they found a strong warrior in a simple peasant. But wait… she's a girl! (sasuke x sakura)
By the Sword
By: ang3Lix
Chapter title: territorial problems
" Come out, Rei!" she called from a distance.
Her small smirk fell into a sullen frown. Being her older brother, Rei knew that Sakura never liked stealth in combat. She liked close-ranged fighting, thrashing head on with the opponent. Having her wait for him to appear was a big advantage.
" Reeeeeeeei! This isn't hide and seek, you dork!" she shouted, her one hand cupping the side of her mouth, hoping that her voice can be carried all the way to where he was. Her other hand gripped the hilt of her weapon. When she received no reply of any sort, she pouted childishly. Thrusting the sword deep into the soft soil, she settled on the grassy land, her arm supporting her body.
The sky bursted of a soft yellow color, as the sun neared its setting. She had always admired the soft tinges of the sky during this time of the day. Sakura sighed. She reached out her fingers to tuck away some stubborn strands of petal-like hair. Settling her hand back, her touch came upon a fairly-sized dent on the ground. Out of curiosity, she turned her head to where it was, and saw a small, yet narrow gap on the earth. It was very familiar to her.
Somebody must have jabbed a sword in this spot… but who?
She knew it wasn't possible for both Rei and herself to produce that kind of hole with their swords. Their swords were dull and worn out, and pieces of metal had already been chipped off the blade, due to its constant use. It should have produced a rougher kind of dent on the soil. But in this case… the weapon used was sure to be new.
Somebody had been training in our lands…
This part of the town was known to be in the Haruno family's possession. Sakura never knew how her family, who barely had any money, managed to get a vast piece of land such as this.
It was a wide stretch of grassy land. A variety of flowers blossomed at every corner, while during the dusk; they had an amazing view of the setting sun. Sakura and Rei would spent their time together, whether it be training or just hanging out, before he would go to the village streets and meet his friends.
Her family was a very simple one. Simple, yet very happy. Sakura lived on a small house, enough for her family to settle in. Her mother, Haruno Yukari, had the responsibility of doing household chores, while once in a while, both Rei and Sakura would help her around the house. Yukari was calm and collected, what a mother was supposed to act like. She cleaned, she cooked, she sewed, and she knitted. She was a pure woman at heart.
Sakura's father, Haruno Daisuke, had already passed away when Rei was eight years old, while she was one. She never knew anything about her father personally, for she was not at the right age to even talk straight sentences when he died. Rei was a mother's boy. All she knew was that Kiriko taught Rei a lot about what he knew about fighting with weapons. She was aware Rei knew some details, but he never shared it with her. Her mother simply didn't want to talk about the whole ordeal.
While Rei was attached more to their mother, many men who knew Daisuke told Sakura that she was just like him: fiery and full of energy. Her physical aspects may have come from Yukari, but her attitude was sure to be her father's.
Rei taught her about handling the sword with their father's teachings. At first, Rei never knew that Sakura had an immense liking on fighting. So when he began tutoring her, he was positively amazed at how she excelled in the art of swordsmanship. She improved a great deal, sometimes with the Rei's help, but most by herself.
It was only now that Rei discovered Sakura's interests in joining 'tournaments' such as the one yesterday. She just loved beating her opponent into a pulp, then winning, then surprising everybody by revealing her true gender. As an older brother, Rei hated it when Sakura goes off doing things that he didn't know. But as a normal, level-headed person, he honestly admired her for doing so. Rei never told their mother about these things Sakura did. She already promised not to do it again, and he trusted her. But really, he thought wearing a mask and an over-sized cloak was enough for Yukari to rampage on how Sakura was dressed so unwomanly.
Only in a mere three seconds did she feel a lingering presence behind her.
Grabbing her sword by the handle, Sakura brought the blade infront of her, blocking the thundering strike. She winced at the force used by the man. She was sure he wasn't Rei, for his brother wouldn't have exerted too much energy on practices like these. So now, she had an official opponent, and an official match.
Right on time! I was about to get bored by waiting for Rei to come out.
" Hey, you, little girly, watcha' doin' here? Dontcha' know this lands is Sasuke-sama's? " the man, who looked much like one of the soldiers in the royal army, drawled at her, which startled Sakura immensely. His sword was now positioned upon his shoulder, and he was chewing a piece of bubblegum.
Her small grin turned into a furious frown. She did not know what the jack ass was talking about, because first of all, she perfectly knew that her family owned this land. And second, she did not know who this 'Sasuke-sama' is! She did not give a rat's ass to anyone treated so superiorly. She did not have the time worshipping the ground they stood on. Third, he just called her 'little girly', which was not in her vocabulary.
" What do you mean, 'Sasuke-sama's' private lands? My family owns this place!" she retorted with the same aggression, which made the soldier stumble a few steps backward.
" Oi, girly, dontcha' know? Sasuke-sama already owns this part of town! He's takin' a li'l stroll later, ya hear? So scram!" he continued, shooing her away. Sakura herself was not new on that feeling of being shoved. And she did not like it. " And if ya don't, I'll have to use force." A smirk now occupied his round face.
Aah, yes… this soldier is soon to be turned into a very poor soul. Didn't he know? Among all villages in all Konoha, this town is considered as the simplest. Yes, the simplest, and that was the reason why many boys have been trained in the art of fighting. It was to make up for their lack of grace. But, no one knew that there are also certain families who trained their daughters into swordsmanship and such. That is why there are women in this part of town that are simply untouchable. And Sakura was one of them.
Walking a few steps closer, his hand shot out of his side and gripped her chin, tilting her face side to side. " You're really cute. How about you and I go on a da—" his words were interrupted quite rudely when a fist collided with his jaw, temporarily unhinging it a couple of centimeters. The muscles around the area bloated upon the impact, sending him about a few feet away, his back colliding against the ground. She did not even bother with the sword.
A seething Sakura was what he met as he tried to get up gingerly.
" LISTEN. UP." She commanded in a deadly tone. " I. DO. NOT. GO. ON. DATES."
His curses came out muffled against his swelling muscles. Raising a hand, he forcefully swung it downwards. As he did so, ten of the same clothed men appeared out of the thick clumps of trees, surrounding her instantly.
" Die, bitch!" He shouted, earning him a pivoting jolt of pain at his jaw area.
Sakura felt excitement bubbling somewhere inside of her. " Okay, before I 'die'," she did a quotation mark with her fingers, " Let me do one thing first."
" Ha! Go on, go scream for help if ya want!" he shouted, bursting in arrogant laughter. She can see that injured piece of flesh look nastier by the second.
" One more thing, mister?" She answered back, a small smirk fixated on her lips. " I don't scream."
The fallen man blinked up in confusion. Sakura crammed her hand into the pocket of her dust-infested skirt, searching for something. She then pulled out an ivory white mask, very similar to the one she used on the tournament. Slipping the mask on, she straightened out her position.
" There!" she chirped happily, " I don't really like fighting in public…" She reached out for her sword—
Sakura felt the presence of her upcoming attacker on her right side. Growling menacingly, she side-stepped, and landed a powerful kick in the side of his head, knocking him unconscious. She quickly grabbed her sword from the ground, as she surveyed the unconscious man lying on a heap beside her.
" Oh great, I have to fight snotty little cheaters! This is sooo lame!" she groaned out, scratching her mop of pink hair. Apparently, this statement about 'snotty little cheaters', and her knocking out one of their comrades, angered them all. With that, they charged at her at the same time.
" So, you're attacking at the same time?" she questioned. Positioning her sword infront of her, the pink-haired girl grinned childishly. " No problem!"
Flashback…
In someone else's point of view, this room was vast. The high ceiling and wide area of space was enough proof for that. A long table stretched from one end to another, where several men where seated. A tall stained-glass window was situated on the front wall, where the sun's soft rays passed through, creating a myriad of colors. The velvet curtains that covered the porthole were tied together. A cloth in the shade of crimson and onyx bore the symbol of Konoha, which was hanging on one wall.
This room was the assembly chamber. Every time there were matters to be discussed, the king sends for the knights of the royal army, and of course, the queen and the two princes of the country.
So far, Shizuke-sama was already present, sitting on a far end of the table. Beside him was Queen Suzuki, who sat beside her husband. The knights of the royal army sat on their respective places, as they waited for the last three to arrive. Among all the soldiers in the army, these men are the most elite of them all, not to mention exceptionally gifted in their abilities in warfare. Most of them are in their early twenties. But what was more amusing, was there were also a handful of fifteen year olds that managed to grasp one of the top positions in the circle. Six of them, to be exact.
A load groan of boredom erupted from one of the group.
His cerulean orbs were hazed by a thin layer of idle, his golden hair came up as spikes on his head. Groaning once more, he lifted his two feet and settled it on the surface of the wooden table with a loud 'bang'.
" You should not have sent Kakashi to fetch those two bastard brothers! All of Konoha knows about his tardiness and lame excuses!" he shouted angrily, pointing a finger at the King.
" Naruto, you idiot, stop that." another boy hissed from his seat, his clear pearly eyes flashing dangerously.
Naruto stuck his tongue out. " Shut up, Neji!"
Of course, all people knew about this hyperactive boy. Uzumaki Naruto was one of the younger members of the circle. Yes, he may act like an over-sized five year old, but you should not judge him by only that. He possesses great power, and like all men in the room, he also had the dexterity in his fighting skills. He may be dull, but surely not weak.
" Kakashi should be here any minute, I'm sure." The King told all of them loudly.
There was a loud gurgle, and it came from Naruto's stomach. He groaned once again, massaging his aching belly. " I really need to eat. Really badly."
" Stop complaining dobe, it's your fault you got an endless pit for a stomach." Someone along the doorway sneered at the blond.
Naruto took his attention away from food and to the person on leaning on the door. " Took you long enough, bastard!"
Sasuke simply grunted, then took his seat beside him. Itachi soon followed his lead, taking his place across his younger sibling. " Good afternoon, father." Itachi greeted.
Shizuke nodded in acknowledgement. He paused for a while, his sight directed to his younger son. The king thought maybe a simple greeting from the boy may be a bit appropriate. But Sasuke sat there, trying to glare holes on his shoes. Heaving a soft sigh, he intertwined his fingers with its twins, placing it against the surface of the table.
" I assume you have all heard about the Sound country's dire intentions towards Konoha." The King started in a firm tone. It came to all of their attention that this was not a laughing matter.
" I, along many advisers, have been thinking about one thing for the past days. Of what the extent of these intentions is. I know you are all aware that Oto and Konoha had formed a great rivalry in almost anything, and that is what I fear. I am starting to think that Sound will perform something more complicated than trying to beat us in everything."
Sasuke snorted. " Like they have ever beaten Konoha in anything. That snake king of theirs should just back off before he gets whopped on."
Naruto shivered in the prospect of the ruler of the opposing country. " That Oro dude is freaking me out. He's just… freaky."
Another fifteen year old decided to join the conversation. What were prominent in his features were the red markings in his cheeks. " Yeah, he's a sick deranged bastard, that's what he is." He said dully, propping his elbow in the arm of his chair.
" And so, before Kiba give off any more curses," the King shot the boy a sharp look, " I want the army to be prepared. Make sure every single person in Konoha doesn't get in danger. Set a defense force at Konoha's gates. A group of soldiers will patrol the whole village nightly. Now, of course, the knights should have some kind of job to do as well."
" Troublesome…" a boy in a lazy position sighed, his hair tied up in a high ponytail.
Ignoring the comment, Shizuke continued. " There is only one simple task I have for you all. Check every single village. Make sure everything's under control, and if still attainable, gather more men to join our forces. We do not want to be outnumbered. There are only five villages under Konoha, and I do know this will not take too much of your energy. Am I understood?" he said sternly.
" Yes, Shizuke-sama." They all murmured at the same time. Only Itachi and Sasuke remained silent.
" What do you need us for?" the younger of the two asked, clearly irritated.
The King stared at him for a few seconds. " Oh, yes, of course." Shizuke murmured. He was indeed getting old… his memory was getting worse.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. It was a pretty pathetic thing to do, especially for the king.
" I want you two to be escorted in every place you go." Shizuke stated. It sounded more of a command, which he had every right to do.
Sasuke's dark orbs narrowed at this. What was he, some kind of weakling that didn't know how to protect himself? He was clearly capable of doing so! Hasn't his father even watched one of his training sessions? He was a prodigy in battling; he can take out ten men in a single straight attack. Having bodyguards will shatter his ego into bits.
Itachi, on the other hand, was calm at the outside. But when you get into his thoughts… it was holding warfare. Damn it, he was already in his twenties. He wasn't a mere kid holding a toy sword. He had the skills to protect himself; he was much like a fighting god. What in the world was going on with his father? Was he not thinking seriously?
" What?" Sasuke hissed.
" Sound will do anything. They are formidable, they use stealth. They do not care about fighting fairly. They sabotage, Sasuke! They might come for you and your brother!" Shizuke snapped. He was displeased with the reaction he received.
" Father, do you really think we cannot protect ourselves?" Itachi questioned curtly. He too was against this idea, though he fully understood his father's intentions.
Shizuke sighed. " You two are entitled to be the next ruler of this land. But only one of you can be king. But still, I cannot risk the lives of my only sons. Especially if I lose them in pure carelessness. You all are dismissed."
The only man standing was trembling with fright. He just witnessed his comrades being beaten into a bloody heap. She didn't even used her sword! No stabbing or any of such. She just used her weapon for defensive purposes. He was quite sure that thirty-two seconds had passed with him standing in the background. It only took that pink-haired girl thirty-two seconds to take out all her opponents. He could almost faint. The man held his sword firmly, the blade shaking with his tremulous movements. He tried putting up a braver expression, but he felt as if she already knew what he really felt. Scared.
Sakura stared blankly at the man before her. She can only watch him drop his sword on the ground. He raised his arms up in defeat. She sighed. " Look here, mister, just tell me who this Sasuke is. Right now."
His words came out like a fast-forwarded song. " He's the prince of Konoha he took this land away from your family he's heading here this very instant please don't hurt me—"
Her emerald eyes narrowed in aggression. She felt anger surging through her body in an instant. " Did you just say… he took our lands away? From my mother?" she asked in a deadly tone that made the man want to wet himself.
He nodded nervously.
" As in… took it without any consent?"
Another nervous nod.
" And he's heading towards this place?" she asked yet again.
He nodded once again.
Sakura took one last stare at the man, as pity drove into her system. She was not merciless, after all. Yes, Sakura was tough, fiery and energetic, but she also has compassion stacked up inside of her. " Okay. Just… go hide in the bushes or something."
With a relieved sigh, he bowed down deeply, muttering words of gratitude. He immediately ran to the opposite direction as fast as his short legs can, not even taking a look back. He dove into a random bush. Unfortunately, the clump was infested with thorns. Sakura quickly ignored the yelp that issued from the shrub.
Sakura reached for her sword and scabbard, which lay haphazardly onto the grass. Unsheathing her weapon, she picked up the brown clothing and shrouded the metal, protecting it from prying eyes. With the final adjustments done, she trudged towards the other end of the land, where a cobble-stoned path led her to the village streets. It was a simple shortcut. Bro or no bro, she's going.
She had a little meeting to attend to.
And Sakura was making sure that she will be getting back what her family originally owned. Who ever that ass-faced Sasuke was, he should get his ass up and out of the way before she really gets furious. Sakura was known to throw one of the most dangerous tantrums in the village. And it came with a lot of mad sword-swinging.
You messed with the wrong family, you ass-faced royalty!
What are you, an idiot? That 'ass-faced royalty' you are referring to is the prince of Konoha! And he knows how to kick major asses!
You forgot, Sakura retorted to her second personality, I can too.
Oh yeah… well, go for it!
In one street of the village, heaps of girls were squealing in pure delight. They came in all kinds, tall, fat, short, beautiful, ugly. And they were everywhere.
A dark-haired teen contorted his face in a frown of disgust. That was the only major drawback with the land he now owned. It was located inside a village, and villages had the creatures he despised most: girls. They were something that was labeled as desperate. They cling to him; they squeal for him, they even beg for him! It was not one of the fanciest thing to ever happen. It was one of the worse.
Add the bodyguards trailing him behind, then hell has officially taken over his life.
" Must be tough, huh, bastard?" Naruto asked from his side, watching every girl emit high-pitched shrieks as they crossed their paths. " All of them having the hots for you."
Sasuke grunted a yes. No way would he speak up in this kind of environment. Had these people ever heard of personal privacy?
" I mean," Naruto continued, " What's so great about you anyway? Have you ever tried talking? No. It's a really major flaw, and these people are not seeing it as I do! And you never really laughed, or smiled even—"
Sasuke had heard enough. " Shut up, dobe!" he growled out, whacking him hard in the head.
" Ow! Damn it, Sasuke, you're such a bastard!" Naruto complained, rubbing the throbbing spot.
Naruto was one of the few persons that the younger prince trusted. Not only was he a knight in the royal army, he was also the tough rival-cross-best friend of the equally tough Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto had already memorized the prince in everyway. He knew what he hates and what he likes. He knew what annoys him, because he himself was at the top of the very long list. He knew every reaction to every statement. An in turn, Sasuke also knew all the things about him too. In other words, they were much like brothers.
" Anyway, the land you're talking about, I thought it was owned by one of the families in this village?"
" I took it." Sasuke answered simply, effectively ignoring the rampaging crowd.
" You can't just 'take it'! Someone owns it; you have to pay them or something!" Naruto shouted at him. " It's like you're stealing it, you know."
Sasuke snorted. " Don't be stupid, dobe. I wanted to buy it, but the soldiers told me that the woman wouldn't sell it to them. So I stripped the title off their possession."
With that explanation, it even enraged the blond more. " YOU ARE SUCH A BASTARD-THIEF! I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU—"
All the other did was shrug indifferently. " It's not as if someone's using it. Maybe the family's not using it for anything."
Naruto breathed in and out, trying to calm down his rage in a good manner. Sometimes, he just had to take it out on something, or even somebody. " You better be sure about that. What made you want to buy it, anyway? Your father owns a lot of lands."
" Training."
" I know it's not just 'training', you bastard. You can train nearly everywhere. There must be something good about it…"
" Just shut up, dobe, we're almost there." Sasuke said, cramming his hands into his pockets. " You're telling me off as if someone's coming after me. Who will stand up to me anyway? They'll just cower the moment they meet me face to face."
Obviously, our little prince hadn't met a certain pink-haired peasant. But, no worries, he soon will.
Very, very soon.
A boy in his twenties poked his head out of the clump of leaves gathered on a tree branch. Rei couldn't hear any more angered shouts coming from the valley where he left his Sakura. Instead, a moan of pain erupted from a distance. His brain linked everything slowly… then he reacted. Completely exposing himself out from the leaves, he stood up, strapping his sword on his back.
But there was a creaking sound somewhere…
In a split second, the branch Rei was standing on detached itself completely from its tree, bringing the boy down with him. Twisting in mid air, he landed on the soft ground with a soft 'thump', creating two deep shoe prints.
Sakura… what the heck are you up to?
Springing out of his crouched position, he immediately made his way towards the bright clearing ahead of him.
But what met him wasn't really that expected. A heap of battered bodies sat on the ground. One by one, the men crawled off of each other, slumping down the cool grass. Rei walked towards one, inspecting his injuries carefully. Just a few major ones, but scratches and bruises adorned each body.
Knowing that they were impossible to interrogate, Rei turned to one of the quivering bushes. He raised a curious brow. Not only quivering, but… whimpering?
Dunking his hand into the shrub, he felt small thorns pricking his arm in an instant. He ignored the pain and searched for the able-bodied man beneath it. Finally, he got hold of a scrap of metal, which he knew was armor. Rei pulled it up, and with it came one of the soldiers in the army. He was covered with small gashes and scratches, probably from the thorns. Aside from that, he was completely unharmed.
The man stared into his emerald green eyes.
" You." Rei commanded. " What did you do to my sister?"
After that question, the man fell into a dead faint. Rei stared blankly at the unconscious body, deadpanned. He pulled the soldier up until he wasn't in the thorny bush's reach, and laid him a bit roughly onto a patch of green land.
Rei sat down and began to think. He was aware that Sakura wouldn't do anything this irrational if not provoked. It was already a clear fact that these soldiers must have triggered her anger. Her sister never had any bloodlust. She trained to protect, not to kill. And judging by the injuries of most men, she didn't even use a sword. So that was a good thing.
His thoughts were soon interrupted by a loud albeit muffled cursing. He turned his head to the direction, and saw a man heaving himself up, trying to stand up. He was surely failing, and every time he tried to get himself up, he staggers and falls on his backside. It went on and on and on…
The man gasped audibly when he saw Rei infront of him in a mere second. His mouth began to open and close, though no words came out due to his astonishment.
" You." Rei commanded once again. " What did you do to my sister?"
But he received a different reaction than the one a while ago. No, not a dead faint, but an angry hiss.
" That bitch?" Rei struggled not to bash the man in the head. " She was trespassing in Sasuke-sama's private lands, and even told me that it was her turf! I even told her she was cute, I didn't know what came into me! She should be thrilled that someone like me, a man of sense, asked her out! She's a big sl—"
The soldier didn't even had the chance to finish his speech, for he received a big blow in the head, knocking him out. His body skidded along the ground, making him look more grimy than ever.
He should not have asked Sakura on a date. Rei thought, pitying the man even more. She doesn't go on one.
With that he stood up, dusted his pants, and walked away.
He'll be meeting Sakura back home.
A/n Sorry for the late update! But it is kinda long, so I hope that satisfied you all… school is soon starting, so updates may be a bit delayed. I am very sorry for the inconvenience! So, that's finished. Hope it didn't came out badly…
Anyway, I would like to clear out something about the 'knight' thing. The royal army is made up of soldiers, obviously. But the men who had a more advanced kind of capability were promoted into a knight. Though in most situations, soldiers are promoted into knights if they do a noble deed or something… but I wanted it to be in strength, because it helps the plot more.
Please read! (and review, if you have time)
ang3Lix.