"Medusa Javelin"
By Nes Mikel
Acknowledgment;
I herby acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. Most of the story, characters, place names and other etc stuff in this fiction are copyright Naruto, Kishimoto Masashi, Weekly Shounen Jump, and any others I might have forgot.
For non up-to-date readers, this fiction contains characters and events introduced post-timeskip and spoilers up to Chapter 293. I also humbly suggest reading Garden of Sanctuary first before reading this fiction. Although not a requirement, many things in this fiction will not make sense unless that has been read beforehand. The link to Garden of Sanctuary is in my profile.
With that said, enjoy.
"Medusa Javelin"
"Once again mine."
- Second Entry -
"Moderation"
Reign of the Fifth Hokage, Third year. November 5th.
15 years old.
Ironic as it may seem, accidents were the very things that allowed knowledge to move forward and advance.
Accidents were usually something that was not desirable. It was an action that was not meant to be, often accompanying itself with chaotic, negative results. However, there were the odd times where something different happened as a result of the accident, something unexpected, something… new. Not always something positive, mind you, but it was something new.
Let's take one such casual urban legend as an example: the discovery and invention of popcorn.
The legend goes that once upon a time a farmer stocked some dry corn and some animal oil in his barn to sell for later in the market. A storm came that night, and a bolt of lightning hit the farm. A spark was lit, and the previously dry barn quickly caught on fire. In a fit of panic, the farmer dashed out from his house and attempted to put out the fire, but is then met with a strange sound that sounded like pop! After the fire was out, he then discovers some strange cotton-like white substance. The farmer eventually finds out that the 'substance' was his stocked corn; only it had changed into something different and was, despite his belief, quite tasty especially if accompanied with butter and salt.
So you see? Accidents were sometimes a good thing. After all, accidents contributed to many things. Such as the birth of the stars, creation of life itself, the evolution, the rise of humanity – even the advanced bloodlines like the Sharingan were a result of an accident between one drunken Hyuuga clansmen and a renowned female Leaf Jounin that went by the name Uchiha ages ago during the First Ninja Wars. But that's another story for another day.
What mattered was that accidents were no exception to Haruno Sakura.
In her case, however, the accident, her consequential discovery, and the circumstances surrounding that accident was nowhere as peaceful as the one the farmer in the urban legend had gone through.
It was baptized with blood and death.
Winter was approaching. The nights were getting longer and colder as the days passed by. If duty didn't keep her here, all she wanted to do was go home, snuggle up to a warm, comfortable fireplace, wrap her body around a blanket and maybe drink a cup of hot green tea in this dark early morning. At least she would get to do just that pretty soon…
"Ugly, pay attention."
But until then, she was stuck with this irritating little prick that was unfortunately her boss.
"I am so sorry fukutaichou-sama. I humbly beg you for your forgiveness." She shot back, her voice sarcastic in every menacing way. "And I do have a name, you know. Maybe I'll actually be appreciative for a change if you use it."
"Why use any other name when this suits you better?"
Sakura growled. "Why you little-"
A sigh interrupted her curses. "Will you two please knock it off…"
"Sorry Yamato-taichou." Both voices chorused. Sakura shot one last menacing glare back at Sai that he promptly ignored. She huffed once as she sharply turned her head away from the offending man and returned her attention to her surroundings.
Her team was currently running through the thick forest, on their way back home after completing their mission to settle a skirmish on the borders of Fire Country and Sound. The sworn enemies of the Leaf were showing increasing signs of hostile activity recently, and today was no exception. They had seen their share of action during the mission, and Sakura was there to assist her three teammates and a few other teams. They had emerged victorious and forced the enemy to retreat in the end. Thankfully, causalities were low, so her job was rather easy.
As expected of the Hidden Leaf's Elite Ninja Squads: the ANBU.
With Sai's recent promotion to vice-captain of the ANBU squad Yamato lead, it was only a matter of time before the only female and remaining member of Team Seven was to be reassigned. Kakashi was – well, he took the news of Naruto's imprisonment very hard, and after he had been released from the hospital from overexerting the use of his eye (in order to… well, whatever he did to prevent that Akatsuki member from self-detonating) he immediately requested the Hokage to reinstate him into the ANBU. With the Hidden Leaf being rather short in capable men and women, he was instantly accepted. Last Sakura heard, he was busy occupying himself with the most dangerous of missions, as if trying to get away from the pain and anguish of it all. Although it wasn't his fault, Sakura was sure her teacher felt responsible for letting the whole team fall apart like that.
Sakura's first thoughts about team reassignment were something akin to Kakashi. Her mindset wasn't that far off from her teacher's – she wanted to do something, anything to keep herself occupied and distracted from the sadness that enveloped her. Sakura knew that the Hidden Leaf were lacking in capable Medic-nins in the field, so she had begged and reasoned with her shishou Tsunade-sama to reassign her either to the front lines or perhaps even a place in an ANBU squad so she could maybe see and help her teacher who was somewhere out there risking his life everyday for the sake of the village. It took a lot of convincing but eventually Tsunade had caved. Sakura was now officially listed as an ANBU Medic-nin.
But out of all the squads she had to land in, did it HAVE to be this one?
Now, Sakura didn't hate Yamato. In fact, her opinion of her squad captain was rather favorable. Despite the sometimes-scary aura he gave off in order to make the men and women in his squad listen to his orders, he was a caring and compassionate man. He was the even the temporary leader of Team Seven in its last days; she later learned that he had actually saved Sakura from falling to her death when she hit her head and lost consciousness when Naruto went berserk and the bridge collapsed on that Team Seven's last, and failed, mission. At the same time she also learned that Sai had actually ignored her as she fell and left her to die and only because of Yamato's interference she was even still alive.
In fact, it was this vice-captain of the squad that she had a problem with the most. She absolutely hated Sai, as he was the very reason why Naruto was imprisoned in the first place. Granted, he was only acting under orders, and had somewhat of a redeeming quality because he had eventually turned against his leader. He had even assassinated Danzou himself personally to prevent that corrupt village council leader from gaining too much power to eventually ensure a political takeover of the Hidden Leaf. The act proved his loyalty to the village, which was why Tsunade trusted him, which in turn forced Sakura to trust him as well. Still, why did he have to continue act like an asshole to her in every possible way? What made Sakura even infuriated was the fact that she learned that he was the one who had a hand in which ANBU squad she was assigned to, and even made her the personal guard of the vice-captain – which, of course, meant him! If she didn't know any better, she would've thought that Sai was keeping an eye out for her and maybe even actually cared for her well-being. She snorted at the thought. Was she was considering was totally inconceivable.
Unfortunately for Sakura, what she didn't know was that it wasn't that far off from the truth. Sai was just keeping his promise to the only person who made him feel like an actual human being. When he gave his word to Naruto, he meant it and so looked after Sakura in the only way he knew how by taking her under his wing. That, of course, didn't mean that he couldn't continue to piss her off with his words anymore. It was one of his most favorite hobbies, and he thoroughly enjoyed the swirl of emotions the rosette-haired woman threw at him. Hey, at least he wasn't making her cry, right? On the contrary, he was doing the exact opposite, which should be a good thing.
The small four-man cell squad continued their trek through the woods wordlessly when all of a sudden the four of them heard a startled cry for help. The voice was faint, but their trained ears had instantly picked up on the distress call. Yamato raised a gloved hand signaling his team to stop. They immediately stopped jumping through the branches and paused to listen.
"…Yuugao. How far?"
The last member of their little group, a violet haired woman that went by the name of Uzuki Yuugao titled her head forward a bit as she seemingly concentrated her mind to listen. "…Not that far away." She answered her captain's question. "North-northwest. Distance… no less than 20. We can get there in two minutes."
Sakura was for once thankful she had the cat-shaped mask obscuring her face that came with the ANBU uniform she wore, because otherwise a look of disappointment would have clearly be seen on her face for all to see. They were so close to home; the last thing she needed was a detour that kept away from her cozy date with the fireplace.
"Should we go assist them?"
Not like she needed to ask. A curt nod from her captain was all the reply she needed. Within seconds, the team was well on their way to assist whoever it was that called for help. Meh, it was probably some old merchant who tripped on a log or something…
She was quickly proven wrong when the all-too familiar smell of blood wafted over from their destination.
The first time Sakura ever acted as a battlefield medic was almost a year and a half ago, early in her apprenticeship under Tsunade. She, along with the Fifth Hokage herself, was dispatched to a makeshift hospital a little behind the front lines, close enough to hear the sounds of battle but far away enough to not actually experience it first hand.
For Sakura, the experience was surreal – men gasping for breath, women desperately trying to cry out their pains of anguish only to find themselves slowly drowning in their own blood – and the smell, the smell! The stench of death was thick, almost suffocating. The air was rotten; blood, guts, sometimes even organs and pieces of brain carelessly dumped on the ground floor, the blood, the suffering, the blood, the blood, the overflowing blood…!
Then came Tsunade's sharp voice from behind.
"This is the reality, Sakura. Is this the path you really wish to take?"
"Well shit…"
Sakura's thoughts echoed Yamato's words. The scenery the team stumbled upon was a bloody mess.
It was still early and the dusk light wasn't enough to make out the clear details, but a quick glance over had told her more than enough. It was a supply convoy, and they appeared to be ambushed. The horse that pulled the cart had its head cleaved off, the massive muscled body lying dead sideways on the dirt road creating a river of fresh blood that poured out from the open wound. Sakura jumped down from the tree branch and approached the cart and stole a quick peek underneath the white blankets and confirmed it stripped of goods and items. She sat the cloth back down and took a more detailed survey of the scenery. She counted… six bodies. Two of their necks were bent at a too much of an unnatural angle, while the others had kunais and shurikens embedded in their vitals that probably ensured their immediate deaths. The ambush was clean and effective and left no trace. The job was without a doubt a work done by ninjas.
Sakura bent down in front of one corpse and examined the body. She recognized the forehead protector of the Hidden Leaf. These people were from her village. A mixture of anger and sorrow silently boiled within. They had arrived too late to save them.
"Survivors?" Yamato asked. He was standing behind her.
She shook her head. "I don't think so…"
"Sakura!" A sharp voice cut through the dim atmosphere. It was Yuugao. "Come here quickly!"
She broke into a quick dash and approached the woman who was hunched over the body that was lying face down next to a trunk of an oak tree. Even before she approached the fallen man she saw the man's chest rise up in down, a sign that he was still breathing. He was still alive. She hastily pulled out some morphine from her tool pouch and carefully injected the substance into the man's arm to ease his pain. She then slowly turned the body over, careful not to disturb him too much in an attempt to get him into a more comfortable position. She went through a few seals as her hands began to glow pink with her chakra, and was prepared to administer the curative technique when the man suddenly came to and violently coughed up some blood.
"Easy there. Don't move too much…" Sakura reassured the man as she pressed her hands against one of his largest wounds.
"Ugh… fuck…" The man managed to open one of his uninjured eyes just a crack. "ANBU… thank god…"
Sakura nodded. She didn't tell him that she was only still a mere rookie in the elite squad. No need to make the patient feel uneasy over something so trivial.
"Izumo, what happened?" The woman with the bird mask that stood behind Sakura asked the injured man.
"…Yuugao…?" A hint of recognition became evident in voice. "That you…?"
The ANBU woman nodded as she took off her mask. Seeing her face, the injured man relaxed a little before but not before he went through a series of short but bloody coughing fits. Only then he opened his mouth and continued to speak. "Was… escorting convey… Sound bastards… attack from nowhere… me and Kotetsu, we tried… wait…" He suddenly attempted to right himself up, but instead cringed in pain and sunk back down into the ground "Kotetsu… where is Kotetsu…? Is he-" He looked at Sakura with pleading eyes.
Sakura had a sinking feeling she already knew the answer to that question. She turned her head to her vice-captain. "Sai?"
Sai normally would've corrected Sakura when she failed to add the vice-captain suffix to his name, but he let it slide this time. He stood after he finished checking the pulse of the last one. "No." He shook his head. "Nobody else."
Her patient's shoulders slumped at the news of his partner's fate. "Dammit… dammit… Kotetsu…"
"I'm sorry." It was all Sakura could say.
"Don't let your guard down." Yamato announced as he walked over towards Sakura and Yuugao. "They could still be-"
He never had time to finish the sentence when he was quickly proven right. Without prompt, a shower of kunai rained upon the group. Sakura had barely enough time to deflect two shuriken that was intended for her with the metal armguards she had strapped over her arm while still trying to heal the wound of her patience with her other hand. Her three other teammates fared a lot better, kunais passing through their illusions as they vanished either in a flurry of ink, splinters of wood or puffs of smoke. Metal clashed against metal as the furious sounds of battle eerily echoed in the otherwise quiet Konoha forest this early morning.
The patient tried to struggle up when he heard the commotion. "Goddamnit… the enemy…!" He coughed some more.
"Don't move!" Sakura almost shouted as she gently shoved him back down. She pressed some more healing chakra to his still-bleeding wounds. "You're in no condition to do battle."
"The bastards killed Kotetsu…!" The patient tried to protest, but made no further attempts to get up when he looked at his own wounds. He must've realized that he was of no use and only would make matters worse if he tried. Thank goodness. Now she could…
She immediately picked up the hint when her patient's remaining eye suddenly widened in surprise. He opened his mouth, trying to shout out words of warning but Sakura was faster; she spun around quickly to see a shadowed figure towering over them, a katana blade high over its head prepared for a vertical slash that would've cleaved both of them in half if she didn't detect the enemy presence fast enough.
Now, if she were much more calm-minded at the time, Sakura probably would've realized that her hands were still glowing pink from the healing chakra. However, given the fact that her current state of mind was full of panic, a natural instinct to protect her from harm had taken over and clouded her judgment. But had she punched the man with her current hands, it would've actually healed the enemy instead of damaging him and would have resulted in her grimly fate. By the time she realized this it was too late; she had already punched the enemy in the chest.
It was an accident that would have cost Haruno Sakura her life.
Well, that's what should have happened at least. The enemy screamed in pain when her fist connected as a sickening crack echoed the premises accompanied by a bright flash of crimson light. The Sound-nin dropped the katana he was holding and the weapon clattered to the ground, useless. The body followed and slumped over Sakura. It didn't move. She gave a startled yelp as she hastily shoved the offending body away from her. It didn't protest as it wordlessly fell to the dirt floor.
He was dead.
"Ah… ahhh…"
It wasn't the first time Sakura seen death. It was common in the battlefield, and Sakura even had patients she was unable to save and die in her arms. Sometimes their faces would haunt her nightmares, endlessly accusing her of being weak, why she was unable to save them, unable to give them a second chance in life…
"This is the reality, Sakura. Is this the path you really wish to take?"
Tsunade's words would always help her snap back into reality. She was a Medic-nin. She would do anything in her powers to save whatever lives she can. This was the path she had chosen, and she was determined never to take back her words, for it was her ninja way.
But this… this…
She had just killed someone.
Killed someone.
Killed…
Her entire body was shuddering as she horrifically stared at the unmoving body beneath her feet. Her knees buckled, and eventually she slumped to the ground, not wanting to believe what just happened.
It was her first kill.
She barley heard Sai's bored words somewhere not too far away. "Oh great, Ugly is going to pop like a popcorn…"
That farmer in the urban legend had it good with his accident.
Sakura fainted instead.
The voices, sounding ever so far away, slowly arose her from the depths of unconsciousness. Fragments of words drifted over to her ears.
"…This is interesting…"
"…Yes… not sure what exactly she did… but…"
"…All right… good work… I'll have a talk with her when she…"
"…Can you remind her that…"
"…Yes, yes…"
She heard a door shut, and the sounds of footsteps approached her bed. The girl opened her eyes and turned her head sideways to see the woman with large bosoms wearing a caring smile
"…Shishou-sama…"
Tsunade nodded. "Good to see you awake, Sakura."
"How long was I-"
"Six hours. It's an hour before noon now."
"…The patient…?"
"Izumo lost a lot of blood, but he will be fine. Good work on the emergency ops."
Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief.
"You feeling okay?" Her teacher asked. "Sai just came to see you. He asked me to remind you that you have another mission in two days." Tsunade chuckled. "If I didn't know any better I'd say he was worried about you."
Sakura was silent as she continued to lay still in her hospital bed, still clad in the full uniform of the ANBU sans the mask.
"…I heard what happened."
The words flooded her memories back. Sakura lifted up her arms as she stared at her gloved hands still caked with dry blood. Her body silently started to shake. Out of fear or angst, she didn't know.
"I… I…"
Tsunade sighed. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Sakura shook her head sideways.
Her teacher sighed again. "You know, it's inevitable."
"I… I know… but-"
"Everything you learned, from the day you enrolled into the Ninja Academy, the knowledge you have been taught was all for that moment, Sakura. The knowledge – to kill people."
Her teacher's words struck true in her heart. It stung. And it hurt.
"That's what shinobi are, Sakura. And us Medic-nins… heh, we are the most hypocritical of the bunch. You know how they say assassins sometimes make the best of doctors? Well, the opposite is true too, you know. Why, back in them golden ages, of the three Sannin I was the one who scored the highest number of kills…" She trailed off when she noticed her apprentice's unease. "Tsk. Okay, bad example. Here." Tsunade offered her a cup of drink. "Stuff I use to make myself feel better. Don't tell Shizune that I gave you this though."
It was a bottle of sake.
Without hesitation, and much to Tsunade's surprise, Sakura took the cup and drank the alcohol down in one fell swoop.
By the time she went through her fifth bottle of sake, Sakura was feeling a whole lot better. "Tsunade-shishou, what did you want to ask of me?" She asked as she sat on the side of the hospital bed, pouring herself another cup.
"Well, it's about the man you killed."
Her senses were now dull enough that she didn't react that harshly at her teacher's question. "…What about him?"
"Yamato brought back the body to study for the Research and Development division, and they found some… well, interesting things about it."
"Oh."
"…Sakura, what did you do to it?"
Now Sakura was confused. "Me?"
"Yes, you. How did you kill him?"
Her brow creased as she thought hard. "…A chakra-enhanced punch to the chest. Probably broke his ribs into pieces, the fragments piecing his inner organs…" She paused. "Why?"
Tsunade frowned. "Are you sure?"
"…Um, yes?" Sakura answered, sounding unsure herself.
"Well," Tsunade shifted on the bedside chair as she straightened. "There was injury to the chest, just like you said… but that's not what killed him. When Research and Development preformed the autopsy… they found his heart petrified."
"…Petrified?"
"Petrified."
Her teacher was telling that her enemy's heart had turned into stone.
"But that's impossible…!" Sakura protested. "It must because of some kind of bloodline reaction he carried-"
"That's what they thought too." Tsunade interjected. "The result came up negative, no traces of any form of bloodline."
She thought harder. "…I remember… that there was this flash of light, like a spark when I hit him… but… I-I don't know how…"
Her teacher shrugged her shoulders as she stood up. "I should get back to my office before I have Shizune breathing down on my back. Sakura, one thing through."
"Yes?"
"This isn't the first time such a thing happened. Research and Development were digging through the archives looking through anything related to petrifaction and they managed to find some related material in the old medical records. It seems there was a Hyuuga woman who once ago employed a technique that petrified enemies to kill them. If you're curious, why don't you go ask them? You had a Hyuuga classmate didn't you?"
She was talking about Hinata. Sakura nodded. "Yes."
"Oh, and here." Tsunade took a small box from her pocket and handed it to Sakura. She opened them to see a pile of pills inside. "For hangovers." Tsunade grinned. "My greatest invention."
Sakura laughed uneasily. "Thanks, shishou."
Tsunade placed a comforting hand on her left shoulder. "Sakura, you're a good kid… but don't let this get to you. This is what you wanted, right? Don't back out on me now."
Sakura closed her eyes momentarily before she nodded. "I won't."
The Fifth Hokage smiled at her apprentice. "Good. I'll see you at two for your training. Make sure you finish your visits with Naruto before then, okay? You've been using that as an excuse too much to skip my training these days." The older woman said as she playfully ruffled Sakura's hair.
For the first time after the ordeal, Sakura smiled. "Will do."
Sakura was discharged from the hospital thirty minutes later. She had, after all, only passed out from shock, and didn't suffer any serious injuries from her mission. After she took a few of Tsunade's homemade hangover pills (they tasted awful!) she found herself walking down the streets of Konoha, pondering for what to do. She really didn't feel like visiting her parents, so she decided to follow up on her teacher's advice and go pay Hinata a visit. Come to think of it, she didn't really have a chance to sit down and talk with shy girl yet…
"'ey! Haruno!"
Sakura spun around, and saw two familiar figures running up to her. One human and one oversized dog: Inuzuka Kiba and his canine companion, Akamaru.
"Kiba, hey!" Sakura waved as she allowed the two some time to catch up.
Sakura and Kiba had become friends when they both made Chuunin rank on the same exam two years ago. They had squared off in one of the matches during the finals that resulted in both of them getting knocked out and ended in a tie. Kiba had been somewhat of an arrogant jerk to her during the match thinking no mere girl could beat him but he had again underestimated a member of Team Seven and was quickly proven wrong. Since then, he held high opinion of her and they found themselves fast becoming good friends. The bestial-looking man was a bit brash and wild, but so was Naruto. She knew how to handle these types of boys just fine.
"It's been a while! 'sup?" He was grinning from ear to ear by the time he was standing next to her.
"Nothing much." Sakura bent down to pet the large dog that barked happily at her touch. Even now she could still remember the small puppy that had found its permanent residence inside Kiba's jackect, but had managed somehow to grow so ridiculously big in three years. "He's grown again, hasn't he?"
"Really? I'm always with him, so it's hard to notice those sorts of things."
Sakura giggled a little. "You should pay more attention, then."
"Heheh… ah, Haruno?"
"Hmm?"
"You just come back from a mission or something?"
She cringed at the question and lightly bit her tongue. "…It's the smell of blood, isn't it?" She asked. Kiba hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded.
"Sorry." Sakura apologized.
"Nah, it's okay. Just wondering. Oh yeah, never had a chance to congratulate you on your promotion to ANBU, so grats! You look good in that uniform!"
"Haha… thanks…"
"No, really, you do! Looks so awesome! Heh, never imagined you'd be the first one of the rookie-nine to land the job! If anything, I would've guessed that Shino would've been the first. Perks of being the apprentice of the Fifth, eh?"
"Speaking of Shino, how is he?"
"He's away with his pops again." Kiba answered. "From what he's been telling me he seems to be doing some pretty cool missions with the old man. He seems to miss Team Eight sometimes though. With the way Hinata is…"
"Hinata?"
Kiba nodded. "Yeah, was just on my way to visit her."
"I was about to go see Hinata myself too."
"Oh really? What for?"
"Just wanted to ask her something." She stopped ruffling Akamaru's fur and stood up straight. "What's wrong with Hinata?"
"She's… well… she hasn't left her house in a month."
This surprised her. "Why?"
"Hinata… well…" Kiba's face was creased in a deep frown, a rare expression coming from him. "I think she loved Naruto."
Sakura almost choked on her words. "She wha-?"
Kiba scratched his head. "Yeah, well, it came as a shock to me too, you know? But now that I think it about it, all the hints were there. She always blushed red whenever Naruto was around, even fainted in his presence sometimes. I thought it was just a crush or something for the longest time, but…"
An awkward silence fell between the two.
"How's Naruto by the way?" Kiba suddenly asked, changing the topic. Sakura silently thanked Kiba as she welcomed the change. It was obvious that both of them were feeling uneasy about their current topic.
"He's… well, Naruto." She answered, for lack of a better word.
"Naruto, as in, Naruto Naruto?"
"Yeah, Naruto."
The two Chuunins and the one nin-dog that made their way towards the Hyuuga clan compounds shared a good laugh and a cheerful bark at that. Depressing topics temporarily forgotten, they dived into more casual and entertaining conversations as they walked towards their common destination.
Even ninjas needed a break sometimes.
The poor timid girl was given too little of a warning. One moment one of the house servants behind the shouji doors was politely announcing that she had a visitor, and in the next instant the doors were violently thrown open sideways to reveal her wild teammate and his trusty dog as they literally barged into her room.
"Yo Hinata! Surprise!"
"Bark bark!"
"Ki-Kiba-kun…! Akamaru …!"
What surprised her the most, however, was the all-too familiar pink-haired girl dressed in full ANBU uniform minus the mask, complete with the spiral tattoo engraved on her left shoulder standing in the hallway just outside her room.
"Hey Hinata."
"…Sa-Sakura-san…?"
The accused girl waved a little as she entered the room alongside Kiba. "It's been a while." She seemed to notice Hinata's surprise as she pointed at her own uniform. "Oh, this? Yeah, as of two weeks ago."
"Isn't it amazing, Hinata? Our first ANBU member from the rookie-nine!" Kiba bragged as he fawned over Sakura as if she were a trophy.
Sakura lightly bopped Kiba in the head as she blushed at the affection he showed. "Idiot. It's not that big of a deal…"
"Of course it is! That's why we gotta celebrate!" Kiba then made his way over to Hinata and tugged at her arm. "C'mon, let's go out!"
"B-but Kiba-kun-"
"No buts! We're going! You've been cooped up in here for far too long!"
Hinata was all but kidnapped by her teammate right out of her clan compounds.
"…So then, I was like, BANG! Then all of a sudden, the enemy behind me…"
At Sakura's suggestion, the group of three friends settled for eating lunch at the Ichiraku Ramen Stand. Kiba was endlessly bragging in front of his female teammate about his most recent adventures as well as his own overly exaggerated versions of missions Sakura had told him about on their way over to Hinata's house.
"…I thought this was it, you know? You know how they say life flashes before your eyes, right? Well…"
The shy Hyuuga heiress was at first reluctant in leaving the comforts of home, but with Kiba's unending insistence, Sakura's little push from behind, and ultimately the authorization by her father himself had forced her out of the house. Despite herself she found she enjoyed the company of her two friends, and decided that she could use the small excursion out after all. Kiba was right; she had been cooped up in her house for far too long.
"…But you know me, I was going to have none of that! So Akamaru and I…"
Although it was a hard pill for her to swallow, she just needed to accept that Naruto wasn't coming back. What would Naruto think if she saw her the way she is now? He would probably think of her as weak and pathetic, still the same girl he had seen at the Chuunin exams three years ago. She had thought she had changed when she managed to make the Chuunin rank a year ago. She had guessed wrong.
"…But enough about me, lemee tell you about Haruno! She told me on her way here that she…"
Haruno Sakura. Hinata eyed the beautiful girl with the corner of her eye, although the action was rather unnecessary for someone like her who possessed near-360 degree vision. Sakura… she was totally different from her. She was prettier than her, she was most definitely stronger than her, and had even advanced in rank faster than her. In terms of growth, Sakura probably rivaled her cousin Neji in that regard – he had been made Jounin just six months previous while Sakura apparently had been elevated to ANBU status within the month Hinata holed herself up in her home. There was no way she could compete with the pink-haired kunoichi. No wonder Naruto had always sought after Sakura's affections, no wonder why Naruto had chosen Sakura as his only visitor to the dungeons he was eternally imprisoned in. He probably didn't even consider Hinata when he was given the choice. The thought made her feel even more depressed.
"…Hinata, hey Hinata, you listening to me?"
She only broke out of her train of thoughts when Kiba shook her shoulders with the flat of his hand. "S-Sorry Kiba-kun." She immediately apologized. "I was still listening. P-Please do continue."
"Right, so anyway, like I was saying-"
CRASH!
"AIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Shit fuck! Haruno, what was THAT for?"
"Ah, sorry Kiba! I didn't mean to knock over the bowl of Ramen! Honest!"
"Gah, the soup's all over my new vest… sorry Hinata, I'll be right back, ok?"
"O-Okay…"
After reassuring the manager of the Ichiraku he wasn't going to pull off a eat-and-run, Kiba skittered off to the nearest public bathroom to wash the stains off his vest, Akamaru tottered after him. When the two of them were out of sight, Sakura started hollering in laughter.
"Hahaha, did you see Kiba scream like a little girl? God! That was so funny!"
"Sa-Sakura-san, you did that on… purpose?"
Sakura stuck her tongue out a little, looking a little mischievous. "Yep. Well, you have to admit, all his bragging was starting to get annoying."
"W-Well… that's just Kiba-kun's way of cheering people up…"
"…So it's true then?"
"True? I-I'm not sure what you mean, Sakura-sa-"
"You loved Naruto, didn't you?"
Sakura's words hit Hinata like a ton of bricks. It was the last thing she expected to hear from the ex-teammate of her long-time crush. For a while, everything was silent, until she eventually decided on her answer.
"…Yes. I did."
Sakura smiled at this. "You've changed, Hinata."
"…Sakura-san…"
"Manager, one extra bowl of Pork Ramen please, to go." She stood up from the stool as she took out her wallet and left some coins on the counter table. "I should get going before Kiba comes back to kill me." She said. "Well, that and I have some training to do with Tsunade-sama."
"Here's your order, miss!"
"Thanks manager." She received the bowl of Ramen from the manager of the Ichiraku. "It was nice talking with you, Hinata."
"M-Me too, Sakura-san."
Sakura was about to step out into the open road before she paused. "Oh, almost forgot!" Sakura set the steaming bowl of Pork Ramen back on the counter as she turned to face Hinata. "I wanted to ask you something. Hope it's nothing too personal."
Sakura seemed to fail to realize that she had already asked the most personal question she could ever ask from Hinata. Just what more could she ask of her? "W-What is it?"
"Does the Hyuuga clan employ any techniques that petrify the enemy?"
Hinata froze at Sakura's words. She hoped dearly that her reaction wasn't too obvious. She shook her head sideways. "N-No, not that I know of. Why?"
"Well, Tsunade-sama thinks that I somehow managed to come up with a technique that will petrify the enemy with my strike. I think it was just an accident… But anyway, there was apparently some record of someone in your clan using a similar technique. I thought you might've known something about it."
"I-I'm sorry Sakura-san. I don't know anything about it."
"Ah, don't worry about it Hinata. It was probably just a fluke anyway." Sakura scooped up the bowl of Ramen in her hands again. "See you later then, Hinata!" Sakura broke into a small run as she waved at Hinata with her free hand. Hinata waved back as normal as she could. It was at that precise moment when Kiba and Akamaru made their way back towards the Ramen Stand.
"Finally, that should take care of the stains… probably will stink of garlic for days… hey, where did Haruno go?"
"S-She left just a second ago. She said she had some training…"
"Tsk. She should've at least waited for me to say goodbye…" Kiba sounded disappointed as he sat back down on the stool besides her.
"…She… the Javelin…"
"Hm? Did you say something, Hinata?"
Hinata realized quickly that she must've voiced her thoughts aloud. "N-No! It's nothing! Nothing really!"
Kiba looked at Hinata a little oddly, but then shrugged it off. "Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, that time…"
She barely heard Kiba when Hinata found herself lost in her thoughts again, albeit this time it wasn't about Naruto. This time it was about Sakura. Hinata had lied to Sakura just earlier. Hinata of course knew about such a technique… but did the pink-haired kunoichi really perform the forbidden technique that nobody in the clan had been able to replicate since the first and last user had passed away fifteen years ago? The forbidden thrust – the sekka soushou – the Medusa Javelin? But Sakura had no reason to lie to Hinata when she told her that she…
"Hey, Hinata, are you really listening to me?"
"Ah! S-Sorry Kiba-kun!"
It was perhaps at that moment when Hinata truly realized that she would never win against Haruno Sakura.
Sakura made sure to change herself out of her ANBU uniform and into the regular outfit she trained herself in. She also made sure to hide her tattoo on her left arm with some skin-colored powder normally used to dress the face. It wasn't like she was ashamed of her ANBU status, but she was going down to the basement of the Hokage tower to see Naruto in the dungeons before she trained with Tsunade. The last thing she needed was for Naruto to be worrying over her.
Grabbing a small lantern, she lit the devise as she descended down the basement, past the runic threads of paper and into the sealed corridors that led to Naruto's dungeon. For a few dozen minutes she weaved through the hallways before she found herself in a large room. She had arrived. She instantly spotted Naruto's figure lying sideways on the floor. He appeared to be sleeping.
"Naruto, are you awake?"
"…Sakura-chan." A sleepy voice came back.
"You were sleeping? Sorry, I shouldn't have woken you…"
"Naw, it's ok. Sleeping is pretty much the only thing I can do all by myself around here."
She slowly sat down on the cold dungeon grounds in front of him. "Did you… get used to the life down here?" She asked, putting the dimly lit lantern to her side as she stared at him with sad eyes.
"Hmm… how long has it been?"
"Almost a month."
"I guess I got used to it. It's kind of fulfilling, too. Can read books and indulge myself in hobbies all day long without nobody interrupting."
Sakura recognized the sarcasm and laughed uneasily. "Haha, is that so?" She then turned to the side and stared at the strange plants that were growing in the dungeon. "It amazes me how they can grow here… with no light or water."
"My love is all it needs to grow, Sakura-chan!"
She rolled her eyes. "Right, right. Here, I brought some Ramen for you from Ichiraku."
He eagerly accepted the meal she brought with her and gobbled it up as if it were the very elixir of life. After eating in silence for a while, Naruto spoke. "Sakura-chan, don't you have training to do with granny?"
So he was insightful as ever. Sakura laughed. "If shishou ever hears that from you she'll give you a punch stronger than mine! Tsunade-sama knows where I am, don't worry about it." Her smile then died, and her face turned serious. "It's not like you to ask that kind of a question, Naruto."
"Sakura-chan, it's just…"
"What is it?"
"Well… you know… the rest of the village… might not approve of you coming to see me."
Sakura frowned at this. "If you're that worried, maybe I should live here then?" She joked.
"…Sakura-chan, that's not funny."
"I know, sorry. Okay okay, I'll go. I'll admit, though." She flashed a smile. "Tsunade-sama is sometimes really harsh on my training, so coming here to get away from it is sometimes kind of nice."
They both shared a good laugh.
"Goodnight, Naruto." She stood, and picked up the lantern.
"Goodnight, Sakura-chan."
It was too bad her visit was cut off short. She really enjoyed the stays down here. It allowed her to temporarily forget all of the bad things she'd been going through, and allowed herself to relax in his presence carelessly. Her nerves were all but strained from the ANBU missions she accepted and welcomed this little sanctuary that granted her a little inner peace every time she visited.
"No."
"I'm warning you Tsunade, the council…"
"For gods sakes, may I remind you that it was that very same council that approved of the decision of a visitor?"
"Opinions change."
"Decisions do not. You of all people should know that, Miss Village Council Leader. Anything else?"
"The decision was made when Danzou and Homura were in charge."
"It is still valid."
"Perhaps so. That doesn't mean we should respect the decision of a dead man and a traitor."
"I thought you once had hailed that very same dead man as the hero that saved the village from the wrath of the Kyuubi. How ironic opinions change, eh Koharu? Danzou would be rolling in his grave."
"You are treading on dangerous grounds, Tsunade…"
"For the last time, Koharu, I am not backing down. And neither will Sakura."
"Ah…"
It was at that precise moment when Tsunade's apprentice walked through the office doors.
"Will it kill to knock, Sakura?" She glared.
"S-Sorry, shishou-sama. I didn't know you had a guest."
"So this is the girl?" The elderly councilwoman eyed Sakura and scanned her up and down. "She looks like the type of girl that'll easily succumb to the charms of the fox."
"That's it. Get out, Koharu."
"Hmph. Very well, it will seems that I overextended my stay. Good day."
Tsunade slumped back down in her chair, a little exhausted from arguing so passionately with the stubborn old goat of a woman, a little relieved when the said goat went out through the door and closed it shut. Tsunade then turned to her seemingly confused apprentice. "God… I swear, I sometimes just want to strangle them…"
"What was that all about?"
"It was a warning." Tsunade answered. "They don't want you to go down to the dungeons to see Naruto."
"What? Why?"
"They're afraid that Naruto, or rather, the Kyuubi – might try to take advantage of you and maybe even remotely control you, or worse, take over your body. Stupid if you ask me. If the Kyuubi could do such a thing, we'd all be long gone from this world. You should still be careful of the council though, Sakura. That was the third time this week."
"Understood, shishou-sama."
"And by the way, you're thirty minutes late. If you had arrived in time, you would've saved me the headache of having to deal with Koharu."
Sakura had a goofy grin on her face as she bowed down apologetically. "I'm sorry… you see, a black cat crossed my path, and…"
Tsunade groaned. The last thing she needed was a female version of Kakashi. "I'm not going easy on you today then." Tsunade grinned evilly. "Let's begin."
Sakura wondered just how Kakashi got away with being late all those years.
- Second Entry -
"Moderation"
Reign of the Fifth Hokage, Third year. November 5th.
15 years old.
It's been a month already.
There are still some people who ask me what had happened to my teammate, although his records and his existence had been wiped out according to the official records. Naruto seems to be accommodating to his new life in the dungeons and he's growing plants. He seems to be using some sort of special method to grow them.
The Village Council has been constantly harassing and pressuring me and Tsunade-sama, trying to not let me go down to the dungeons to visit Naruto. Apparently they were worried that I'd succumb to the charms of the fox. Pfft. Whenever I'm there, though, I forget all the bothersome things and just relax carelessly. I will not leave him down there all alone. I will go visit him everyday.
-END-
Author's Notes:
My head hurts. Probably burned my brain writing this chapter out.If my readers notice a bunch of grammar mistakes in this chapter, that is because it has not been edited yet inmy haste toupload a chapter by the end of the night.I will get around to fixing them later, but for now, this poor author needs some much-deserved sleep.
I changed the story summary a little so it is a bit easier to understand. I realized that being cryptic about it wasn't really helping to attract new readers. Hope this is better.
Much thanks to the people who reviewed my work. I will do my best not to disappoint with my future works. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Till the next one!
- Nes Mikel