"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"
"However… these memories generate suffering…"
- Fifth Entry -
"Fortitude"
Reign of the Fifth Hokage, Eighteenth year. April 2nd.
30 years old.
A wall of blinding heat. Bone-crushing light. The immovable, thunderous roar.
Hell was erupting all around her.
The explosion had wrenched from where she hid and flung her out into the open clearing of the otherwise dark forest. Her body rebounded against the dirt ground only to end up colliding headfirst against a solid trunk of a tree. The impact left her with a sharp pain on her forehead where the diamond-shaped purple seal was engraved, leaving her little doubt that she was bleeding profoundly from that new wound.
Not good.
At the very least her limbs were still attached to her body. She felt her arms locked around her head and her knees were clenched against her chest – an instinctive reaction – but she quickly found out that she couldn't move them. The skin on her face felt as if it was burning. And there was no doubt that the flash of light had blinded her. She hoped to the gods that it wasn't permanent. She opened her mouth to breath in but no air reached her lungs.
This wasn't good at all.
Screaming in her mind not to panic, she tried to force her eyes open to at least assess the current situation. She couldn't see a damn thing. She blinked and squinted, and after god knows how many times she realized that she could manage to see from the corner of her watering eyes. When the images registered in her brain Sakura immediately regretted she even tried to open them. Her vision had welcomed in a gruesome sight – the torn hands, the severed feet, the arms and the legs, the bodies, the dead, the causalities – the consequences of war. It took everything she had to resist the urge to cry out. No matter how many times she had seen it, it was one of those things she could never, ever, get used to.
Allowing herself some time to calm down, she pacified her initial shock as her bodily functions slowly submitted themselves to her control. She gasped as her lungs finally allowed passage to much-needed oxygen. Although the ordeal couldn't have lasted more than thirty seconds, she felt as if it were years since she breathed.
Suppressing a groan, she attempted to right herself up only to fall right back down on the ground. The wound on her forehead had probably shaken her up quite badly. Her forehead protector… where was it? Had she had that on the proper spot she wouldn't feel this dizzy. Damn wound. Damn forehead. Damn it, damn it all.
She slowly turned her head from one side to the other, trying her best to ignore the deceased as she scanned the nearby forest floor. Her blurred vision then spotted a strip of rectangle that could be her protector lying not too far away. Ignoring the protest of her own body she mustered as much willpower as she could to command herself to slowly crawl over to the object. There was no way she could lose that protector. It was the forehead protector Naruto once wore; the protector Naruto gave her.
Another explosion ripped through the ground not too far away from her. The shockwave launched Sakura into the air and threw her off course from her precious item. When it passed, she was shaken but undeterred, ignoring the new stab of pain that screamed her from her right waist as she continued. Her outstretched arm lashed out, grabbing the metal and cloth from the seemingly distant dreamy landscape. When she pulled it close, she turned the protector over and startled herself by staring into her own warped reflection in the dull silver metal of the protector. She studied the image of her own battered self for a moment, allowing herself time to reminisce on what her older self would've thought of her now.
She was no longer young, but she still retained the appearance of her prime through a special jutsu only she and Tsunade knew. It was a subtle but clear indication to the outside world that they hated aging, and would fight it out until the end, kicking and screaming all the way. But now – that false youth appearance of hers – was battered, broken, and almost… deathly. The irony was laughable, if she could have laughed, that is. She stared at the image a little while longer before raising her tired arms and tied the symbol of the Leaf around her head again.
Her simple yet difficult task done, she rewarded herself by breathing in another batch of air. The dry, sterile air smelled sweet of springtime rain but tasted like blood. It still hurt to breath. She didn't need to be a medical ninja to know that one of her ribs was probably broken. She continued to lie on her back for a moment before turning her head over to the side and blankly looked at her previous hiding spot. It used to be a small medical shack she operated on the front lines to treat the wounded. Although she was relatively close to the front lines she had confidence that she wouldn't be attacked – the brunt of the battle was taking place quite far away from where she operated, and, as insurance, she had camouflaged the tent using some semi-complex Genjutsu just in case.
She never expected the main battleground move to where she was.
She tried her best to evacuate the wounded. She was met with some success, but the harsh reality was that some of her patients didn't make it. Heck, she should've considered herself lucky that she was still alive when the explosion tore through the entire tent. She attempted to stagger up to her knees. She needed to get as far away from here as quickly as possible. There was no telling when the next explosive jutsu would be coming her way.
She sensed the foreign presence almost immediately. Alarmed, she sharply turned towards the right expecting the worst. The explosion that killed her patients was most definitely not friendly, and Sakura wondered if they were here to finish the job. What she saw beneath the bright shifting overgrowth, however, was not her enemy. Moving in utmost stealth and grace, a dark figure silently jumped down from the branches and crouched down in front of her.
"I already took care of your assailant. You alright?"
Oh how she wished she had the strength to slap him senseless right now. "…What… does it look like?" She replied, her voice in tatters.
"So you're okay then."
"…Sai… fuck you…"
"As much as I would love to make do with someone like you, this is not the place nor time."
Sakura didn't know if she should be happy or angry that the ill-mannered commander of the ANBU had for once acknowledged her looks. Granted, the contents were laced with sarcasm, so staying angry would probably have been the better choice.
"…Why are you… here anyway…?" Sakura questioned, her voice still shaky. "You should… be… assaulting the fortress… not caring for your… sub-commander…"
His face was indifferent. "We already have assaulted the fortress, Sakura."
She hated it when he called her on a familiar basis. "…Don't… you dare… call me like…"
"Like I said, this is not the place nor time." Sai cut her off and offered her a gloved hand. "Can you stand?"
Sakura nodded weakly, although she doubted if she could stand up like she claimed. She grasped the hand and rolled onto her feet. Sai handed her a small round pill. Hyourougan. Soldier pills. She took the supplement and gulped it down her throat. A soft, pinkish glow surrounded her body as the chakra stored in the food slowly started to integrate into her systems.
"Better?" Sai offered.
"…Yeah."
Strength was flowing through her already. They were like adrenalin shots, only better. Some versions were quite addictive through. She reminded herself to one day get rid of that flaw in the medicine. Sakura opened and closed both of her fists to rid herself of the sluggish feeling in her fingers.
"Not using the souzou saisei?" He asked.
"Rather not… where is Hanabi?"
"Letting your apprentice doing the healing for you?"
Her eyebrows creased, a clear sign of irritation. "Souzou saisei – genesis rebirth is dangerous, Sai. If I can get other methods of treatment then I wi-" She suddenly coughed, red blood escaping from her lips. Trickles of new pain washed throughout her body. She crouched low, clutching her side. "Shit…"
Sai was besides her in an instant, offering and supporting her with his shoulder without even asking. "Very well. I'll take you to Hanabi."
"…Thank you."
It was one of the very few times when Sakura had genuinely thanked him.
Tsunade woke up with a start and noticed two things immediately. One, she cursed herself for letting her guard down in front of that bastard – she should've known that idiot man would pull off some macho stunt like that. And two – her hands and legs were bound to the chair she sat in by tight medical wires reinforced with chakra. She instantly recognized the chakra works.
"…Are you awake, Tsunade-sama?" The culprit's voice drifted to her ears.
Her head rose to meet the voice. "Shizune." Tsunade spat out.
The black-haired apprentice of the Fifth Hokage looked regretful. "I'm sorry." She said.
"If you are sorry, then you will untie me now!"
"I cannot."
"You will!" Tsunade yelled. "I am issuing a direct order as the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf to untie me this instant!"
Shizune's head hung low. Droplets of water started to hit the ground. Tears. "I-I'm sorry… I cannot… I can't…"
Tsunade squeezed her eyes shut, shutting herself away from the emotional spill. She considered yelling outside of her help, but being inside the hastily build but durable command center located in the heart of Sound Country to lead their final assault, she doubted if anyone could hear her voice with the soundproof seals embedded in the four walls. Even if she wanted to resort to good old brute strength Shizune had paralyzed her muscles with her needles and wires by applying the right pressure points. Her options were limited and there was only one solution to her immediate problem. And she didn't like it, not one bit. Especially not if it was forced like this. She opened her eyes again.
"…Shizune?"
"Yes?" Shizune's voice was quiet like a mouse. She was probably afraid of further verbal lashes from her master.
"Situation."
"…Pardon?"
"Report me the goddman situation I said!" Tsunade yelled, loose in her temper.
"A-ah! Yes!" Ever the clumsy one, she hurriedly scuttled to the nearby wooden desk and scooped up a stack of loose papers, full of notes and scribbles reporting the situation around the battlefield. She picked up one such scroll full of those reports and began to read out loud. "Um, okay. Most of the ANBU squad reports indicate that the simultaneous attacks against the final strongholds of Sound were met with success. Squad 'Ri' led by Captain Shiranui Genma and Vice-Captain Akimichi Ino report that Base Six is secure but resulted in causalities of one Leaf Jounin and the entire Genin Team Thirty-two that were acting as the supply and medical lines during the assault.
"Squad 'Re' led by Captain Hyuuga Tenten and Vice-Captain Aburame Shino, collaborating with the Wind's ANBU Squad 'Chi" with Sand Jounin Nara Temari as acting commander report success on capturing Base Nine, Thirteen, Fourteen and Nineteen, along with the complete destruction of Base Four. In the case of Base Four the enemy had self-detonated the fortress before they surrendered. They report causalities are heavy – among the deceased are Leaf Jounins Kamizuki Izumo, Yamashiro Aoba, Tobitake Tonbo, Inuzuka Tsume and Inuzuka Hana. Also reported are the destructions of three four-man cell Chuunin teams from the Leaf, two four-man cell Chuunin teams from the Sand, six three-man cell Genin teams from the Leaf and nine four-man cell Genin teams from the Sand…"
"Shit." Tsunade cursed. That was a lot of good men and women's lives lost. She knew a lot of them personally too.
"…Tenten-san is offering her resignation as the Captain of the 'Re' ANBU Squad." Shizune reported, sadly.
Tsunade scowled. "Request denied. What of the 'Ru' Squad on Base Seven?"
"As expected, it was a trap." Shizune answered. "Causalities are, yet again, heavy, and both Captain Mitarashi Anko and Vice-Captain Umino Iruka are reported missing in action."
Tsunade cursed again. They knew the risks. But the squad led by the two Jounins was too stubborn. Anko and Iruka both held personal vendettas against the Sound, and they always volunteered for the most dangerous missions. She hoped at least one of them were still alive.
"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune looked at her worriedly.
"Just go on with the report, dammit. Before I change my mind."
Shizune nodded and dutifully submitted to her master's request. "…The survivors of the 'Ru' squad report that they only managed get through the ambush alive thanks to Squad 'Tsu' from the Wind. They were led by the Kazakage himself and came to their assistance when they sent the distress flare. They report that the traitor Yakushi Kabuto are among the killed."
So it wasn't a total loss at Base Seven, then.
There was still one lingering problem through.
"Shizune."
"Yes?"
"You were in the middle of reporting me the situation of Orochimaru's main fortress - Base One." Tsunade said. "Before you and Jiraiya decided to tie me up into this chair." She stressed the word, making sure the displeasure was noted.
"…Yes."
"What of that?"
She was hesitating. "Um, well…"
Tsunade was never a patient woman. "Just tell me goddamnit!" She exploded.
"Y-yes… I was in the middle of the report of the attack launched by the 'Ro' squad. Under Sai and Sakura, they were successful in penetrating the defenses of Base One and we have had reports that Orochimaru had been seen fleeing the scene. Uhm… was that right?"
Yes, that was. Which was precisely the reason why she wanted to get out of this scruffy place and put and end to Orochimaru herself once and for all. Which was also the reason why she was tied to this stupid chair because Jiraiya had knocked her out cold when she was about to step foot outside the Commanding Tent, and most likely went after Orochimaru himself after convincing her very own apprentice to not untie her until one of them were dead. Great. Just great.
"Well, what happened to them?"
That, however, Tsunade soon found out – much to her worry and discomfort – was something Shizune could not answer. Nobody knew what fate befell the eternal rivals Jiraiya and Orochimaru, the Hermits of Frog and Snake. Nor did anyone knew what happened to Sai and Sakura, the two ANBU Commanders who had been partners for over ten years – who were also the best of the best the Hidden Leaf had to offer in strength and quality. It wasn't like they just simply disappeared after the assault; it was just that the battlefield was so chaotic out there nobody knew what precisely was going on anymore. In fact, there was a high likelihood of chance that the reports Shizune read out were wrong. It would take days, maybe even weeks or months, to actually sort through this mess of a war and write a clear report that was actually accurate. Heck, maybe even years. What they had in here were merely scraps of information hastily woven together in a form of a scroll.
The only thing she could do was wait. And she didn't like waiting at all.
The warning had come just in time. It helped that everything in the place was flame-resistant – he would have to check up on that later on how the hell the Sound-nins managed to pull that off – so after the initial blast there was no fire. Nevertheless, it was a bad moment. The blast knocked them both off their feet. Hot debris, the heat generated from intense friction, rained upon them. It was a big piece of something, perhaps once part of the structure, and soared past overhead only to slam into another sound structure. The resulting sonic noise was deafening.
"Close one there." His partner muttered besides him.
He shot off a quick reply. "Thanks." The least you say to the person who just saved your life by pushing you out of harm's way. Then he turned his head skyward, from where the attack had come. He found not a trace of the attacker anymore.
"He is gone." The voice came from the side, its tone grim.
At first, Iruka did not reply. He couldn't comment. How could he? They just let Orochimaru slip out of their grasp. "Let's believe Jiraiya-sama would take care of him." He eventually said. "Have Faith."
"Sorry, but Faith is something that I gave up long time ago, Iruka." Anko said.
"…Do you want to go after them?"
"You know the answer to that."
He did. They wouldn't go after them. The two Sennins were on a whole different level. He knew that fighting alongside Jiraiya, or even simply watching the battle, would prove itself a distraction for the Toad Hermit. They knew they shouldn't burden the old man if they wanted him to win. They would only get in the way if they helped. The realization only made things more difficult.
The rest of their allies arrived within minutes and started to pick up the injured and any enemy survivors they felt were strong enough to go under the hands of the torture-master. Other units showed up and sprayed water and chemicals to prevent the possibility of a fire on what remained of codename Base Sixteen, the base where they had originally perused and fought Orochimaru before Jiraiya showed up and interrupted their fight with the evil overlord. Actually, more like saved them from impending doom, Iruka realized. Never before had he hated himself for being so weak. He was sure Anko felt the same. Looking at her, he realized that she had been clutching her neck. The cursed seal was acting up again.
"Anko-san. You okay?"
"Yes." She hissed. "Just fucking peachy, thank you."
It was her subtle way of saying no.
The building was demolished. It was in smoking ruin, signified by the large cloud of smoke forming overhead. As they slowly walked away from the building to see the entirety of the base, his first thought was that there had to be at least twenty or thirty dead. Even the late arrivals were staggering around in a daze. Everyone was in shock, no doubt doubting their own eyes and the awesome display of power they had witnessed take place here.
Iruka soon found out that when he had dodged the debris he twisted his knee and collected a couple of burns. Nothing major, fortunately, but it hurt. Anko started complaining her jacket was torn, something Iruka didn't want to hear from a woman who was so scantly clad. But otherwise, she seemed okay. Even her curse seal started to recede, no doubt thanks to the distance Orochimaru now put himself in between him and her.
The place was boiling with confusion, people – mostly young, inexperienced Genins – screaming and crying, searching for friends, tying to figure out a way home, asking one another what had happened. Amidst the confusion, he found a familiar face. It was one of his students from so long ago: Udon.
"Iruka-fukutaichou." He said, wide eyed.
Iruka waved his palm in front of him, a dismissive gesture. "Please, Iruka-sensei is fine. It feels weird when you call me like that."
"Right. Sensei, it is a relief to find you here. We feared the worst when we have had reports that you and Anko-taichou went missing after the attack on Base Seven."
Iruka glanced back at Anko, but she ignored him. He turned back to Udon and sighed. "Yes, well, my apologizes."
"Care to elaborate on what happened?"
He expected that question. "Simple version, after we defeated Kabuto with Kazekage's help, Orochimaru showed up and trashed the place. We went after him and pursued him here. Fought him, then Jiraiya-sama showed, words were exchanged, and the two started fighting. They have since moved off. Still fighting, I would suppose."
Iruka could see Udon looked a little skeptical. Most likely thinking that there was more to his story than that.
The truth was that was all there was to it. Yes, they should've stayed behind and helped the survivors of his squad after the hell they went through, but Orochimaru was something personal to both him and his female captain. If it weren't for him, his famous student of all time would never have been imprisoned in the dungeons far below the Hokage Tower. And for Anko, she was forever Orochimaru's prisoner, bound eternal to the chains of the cursed seal. She could never truly be free until he was dead. But even with their combined efforts, Orochimaru swatted them away like two annoying insects.
Udon's skepticism faded away from his eyes as Iruka explained a little more. Iruka, nudging his ever-so reluctant captain in the gut with his elbow, moved towards to the ruins and assist Udon and his team in the painstaking but needed-to-be done cleanup work.
Sakura once told her students that one's perspective on a lot of things changes once you get the idea that somebody's out to kill you. It's bad enough, she supposed, if you were caught up in a war and they want to take you out just because you're wearing the wrong forehead protector. But when the situation comes down to where you're a personal first-name up-close target, not to mention accompanied with an even more so high-profile figure, you just didn't rest well anymore. Knowing that she was carried bridal-style in the arms of someone you detested was no help, either.
Sakura closed her eyes and focused on herself. Breath in, and out. In, and out. The only sounds she could hear were the winds and the rustle of leaves as Sai tirelessly carried her through the thick forest and back to Konoha. Hanabi, as it turned out, was running the hospital back home, and Sai had no idea where her other two apprentices were. Besides, the war was almost over, and Sai convinced Sakura to return to Konoha to recuperate and rest before she herself tackled the task of tending to the injured who were going to be shipped home. She opened her eyes again. It was nearing nightfall, and the distant golden stars were slowly illuminating themselves in the burning red sky.
Right now, she was weak. Even with the boost the hyourougan provided her, she could not move as she wanted, and left herself little choice but to accept Sai's offer to carry her across the landscape. She could only wait within the comfort (and disgust) of Sai's arms. It felt like years passed already.
Slowly, Sakura grew aware of a general brightness that filled the sky. For a moment, she thought that the sun was just setting and choking out the last rays of its light, but then the distant sound of explosion soon followed. She heard Sai mutter a tsk. Enemies. Sound ninjas. Close by.
Sai came to a stop and carefully sat her next to a truck of a tree before he withdrew a kunai from a pouch attached to his uniform. "Stay here." He said.
"To hell with it. I don't need pampering." She replied as she struggled to get up. He shook his head but didn't protest. He knew better.
From another pouch, he withdrew a scroll and skillfully broke the paper seal as he unrolled it carefully in front of him. With his kunai, he punctured his thumb and let the blood flow freely from his wound. He placed his thumb on the blank papers of the scroll, and skillfully drew several pictures using his blood as ink. His signature technique, the choujuu giga.
Four blood-color lions soon manifested out of the scroll and prowled around. Each of them sprinted off in different directions, scouting the position of the enemies as they went by. Two lions never got the chance to take even a dozen steps before it exploded in a puddle of red. Sakura managed to catch the glimmer of two metals, needle thin, passing through the counterfeit animals before succumbing to their grimly fate. Senbon needles, Sakura realized. The enemies were close. Sakura patted the pouches stitched in her own clothes and silently cursed. She had nothing to use as a weapon.
"There are at least two." Sai whispered under his breath, loud enough for Sakura to hear but quiet enough to avoid being overheard by the enemy. "We will attack swiftly. Use my scroll. When I signal, activate the remaining contents. You could do that much, right?"
"Hn." She grunted her acknowledgement.
Having been partners in ANBU for over ten years, the two of them shared an awkward but professional relationship. The confided each other in improving their strength and speed, and taught a few advanced techniques to each other. Although Sakura was nowhere near good when it came to using Sai's choujuu giga, she could at the very least activate the drawings and manifest them into shape provided it was written in Sai's blood. It was a common tactic they used, since the enemy always expected only Sai to use the technique of the ink and all-too often underestimated her own capabilities.
"Go."
Sakura quickly surged forward and snatched the scroll away from the ground. She jumped, quietly landing on the branches above – or at least, she tried to. When she landed on the branch a pulse of pain shot through her legs. Stubborn and determined to not let this get in her way, she grit her teeth and reclaimed her balance. She felt the presence of Sai nearby, using simple body flicker techniques in order to move in speeds invisible to the naked eye. Then his presence vanished. That was the signal. Tightening one of her hands into a fist, she used her other to form a simple one-hand seal as she spread out the scroll out in the air.
"Ninpou: Choujuu Giga, Gaiden!"
The scroll glowed a bright red as the rest of the lions emerged from the scroll. A ferocious roar sounded before they dispersed into a single direction, chasing enemy chakra signatures. She counted ten lions before she decided it was wise to hide her presence amidst the chaos of distraction. She faked a body flicker to fool the enemy that she had moved elsewhere, but instead she retreated deeper into the leaves of the tree.
Metallic flickers soared through the forest ground as the enemy ninjas threw the acupuncture needles at the counterfeit animals out for their blood. Sakura didn't miss the locations of the origins this time. She saw three of them, all tall, clad in camouflage uniforms. Two of them were behind shrubs carrying large bags – supplies, she guessed – in close proximity to each other. The third one was actually near Sakura's current position and was hidden inside the entwined branches of the tree next to her. Her fake body flicker had worked. She had confidence that the enemy ninja hadn't spotted her.
Without warning, Sai's presence immediately reappeared. Sakura looked down in time to see Sai twisting in the air, aiming and throwing the kunai in the direction of the two Sound ninjas. His mark was true: a direct blow in the head and one of them was down. She looked up again and saw the surprised expression on the face of the third Sound ninja, and the ninja jumped out of his hiding spot to assist his comrades under attack. Sakura listened to the pounding of her own heart until she swung back into the open air of the forest and pounced on the third ninja from behind.
Perhaps her timing of emergence was bad. It seemed that the Sound ninja remembered Sai was accompanied by another, and so took a casual glace behind to see Sakura's attempt at a gravity and chakra-enhanced punch. He touched the ground first and immediately spun around and raised his needle weapons in the air, no doubt intent on making a target practice out of her.
Instinct shaped by experience took over. Sakura tucked her legs and twisted her torso to avoid the incoming barrage. The force imparted by her spin made her feet impossibly heavy. The muscles in her abdomen clenched and she choked down a painful yelp. She watched with clarity as the Sound nin released his cache weapons. She managed to avoid all but one as she felt a needle puncture through her lower-right calf muscle. Fresh blood gashed out of her leg when she hit the ground.
Using her willpower and blocking the pain in her head, she forced herself to act. She needed cover again. Before the Sound nin could throw a second barrage she forced her knees up to her chest and kicked off the ground and retreated backwards. Catching a branch and holding it with fingertips, she swung herself around the wood and shifted her momentum upward and disappeared into the sleek comforts of the cover the leaves provided. It would only buy her a second, but that was enough. Focusing chakra in her arms, she pushed herself down against the thick trunk and aimed for the enemy and erupted right back out. The enemy didn't look as if he expected this and clumsy released his third barrage. The needles passed centimeters above her.
In desperation, the enemy swung his arm down, but not in time; Sakura slammed headfirst into his chest. Surprisingly, he held his place, but not without damage. Blood dripping from his mouth, the enemy pulled a kunai out of his pouch and attempted to kick her in the thighs. Sakura recovered faster though, and grabbed him around his waist with one arm and caught the weapon in the other before he could bring it down towards her. She struggled with him, and she forced the weapon inwards toward his chest. Through he was no doubt trained, he was no match for her raw, desperate strength. The tip of the kunai touched the enemy's chest.
Sakura glanced up and looked into her enemy's eyes and nearly let go of him. It was as if his terror-stricken eyes told her everything he knew. Sakura could almost see through his eyes the shouting and jumping around a playground, playing in the sandbox with his brothers, his father's burning, fierce pride on the event of his initiation into the ninja ranks, the awe he felt the first time he was assigned a mission outside of his native village. Sakura could almost feel the pounding of his heart mingled with her own, and his sudden shameful stab of doubt about whether the afterlife really existed. His back arched and his legs kicked her chest, desperate now.
Sakura shoved the kunai forward.
She heard his sharp cry, seemingly faraway. His eyes opened wide and fluttered, and before it began to glaze over Sakura turned her head away. She pulled the weapon out. A small river of blood gushed out through the fatal wound. She could see the strengths of his legs failing as he fell to his knees, and finally the entire body slumped into the ground.
"Not so bad, considering your current state." A voice behind her said.
She turned. It was Sai. He had already finished disposing the other and was rummaging through the supplies the enemy carried, looking for anything that proved useful. It didn't take him that long until he took something out of the bags and accurately tossed it into her hands. "Here."
It was a small medical kit. She bent down and unsealed her boot. Her calf throbbed and burned, and she saw a long cavity in her calf muscle when she rolled up the leg of her uniform to inspect the wound. She opened the medical kit and took strips of white bandages and wrapped it up around her injury. The pain was numb already, but for good measure she injected herself with painkillers. Sakura began to relax, and her thundering heart began to slow.
Her foul mood returned soon thereafter. If she wasn't injured in the first place, she could've taken down all three of them without breaking a sweat. Instead it took almost all of her effort to even put one down, and she even allowed herself to get injured yet again.
Sai soon finished with his plundering of the supplies. "Good work." He said. "I have to admit, I didn't see the third. He would've caught me by surprise."
Sakura nodded at the compliment and said nothing for a moment. Then, "Why were the Sound nins here?" She asked. "We're so far away from their bases now, why would they be here, so close to Konoha?"
Sai shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps maybe-"
"You are correct, ANBU Commander. It is because I ordered them all into a final assault."
A new voice sounded. A one she recognized.
She turned.
"It has been a while, hasn't it? Sakura."
Never would she forget that voice.
Sakuke-kun… no… Orochimaru!
Jiraiya groaned loudly once before he fully came to. He felt utterly uncomfortable and found that he could barely move. Then his head cleared, and he realized that he was indeed wedged into the dirt ground by at least a few good centimeters. That bastard had knocked him a good one.
He knew it was reckless to think that he could take on Orochimaru one on one. If he was at his prime, he was confident that he could match him blow to blow, but what made the difference now was that he was old, whereas Orochimaru retained his youth through his forbidden techniques by taking over the bodies of prodigies. And this newest body of his, the body of Uchiha Sasuke, was too damn powerful. With the Sharingan in his possession Orochimaru not only could predict his movements, but also capitalize on every single opportunity. In battle, what separated the winners from the losers were the numbers of mistakes he or she made: less mistakes, higher chance of victory. With the Sharingan now, Orochimaru didn't make mistakes anymore.
Well, except for one. And his gamble had worked.
The one thing, Jiraiya assumed, Orochimaru could not predict was if the opponent was truly dead or not. It was dangerous but easy for someone like Jiraiya to fake a death after a seemingly critical blow to his chest. He shut off his chakra coils and went into deep trance, lowering his body temperature and stopping the beat of his heart. Jiraiya knew the bastard was overconfident, and so counted on Orochimaru to leave his body be after his 'death'. And so he did. Now that Orochimaru thought he was dead, the battle tipped to his favor. He would still need a few more minutes until the sluggish side effects that resulted from his temporary death wore off. He closed his eyes and expanded his mind, reaching out and searching for any nearby chakra signatures. Where was that bastard now? Might as well start planning a strategy before he regained his strength…
His eyes snapped back open when he found the signatures.
"Shit!"
He had detected the evil pulse of Orochimaru's chakra early enough, but Jiraiya soon found out that his adversary was entertaining 'guests'. Jiraiya recognized two other chakra signatures near Orochimaru, both of them familiar. And both of them pulsed weakly. He had no time to waste. Forcing the sluggishness out of his body, he stood up from the ground and dashed through the thick forests as fast as he could.
"Sai, Sakura. Don't you dare die on me…!"
"Sai…!" Sakura's worried voice echoed from far behind.
"Ku… dammit…"
"Hmph. What's wrong?" The Sasuke-Orochimaru hybrid in front of him said. "Surely, this couldn't be all there is to it to the two best ninjas in the Hidden Leaf. I have to say, I am disappointed in you two."
Such taunts were meaningless, but Sai knew better that this Snake Sannin was more than capable of carrying out his threats. The twisted man wouldn't settle for anything less. Which meant that petty attacks would have no effect on this man. He had to use the best if Sai wanted to even scratch the man. Sai bit both of his thumbs and let the blood flow freely through the air.
"I'll show you, then."
Orochimaru crooked his head to the side, still with that sinister smile on his face. "Oh? Show me."
"Sakura." Sai said. "Use it. I can't have you drag me down."
He could almost hear her roll her eyes. "Whatever. But you're right, I can't afford the luxury of Hanabi healing me now." He heard a shuffle of clothes rustling together behind him, no doubt caused by the seals she was going through. Sai's eyes never left from the figure of the smiling adversary in front of him. No telling what he would do if he had his back turned.
"In fuuin, Kai!" He heard her say. "Ninpou: Souzou Saisei!" A surge of new chakra erupted. She was at one hundred percent again.
Orochimaru's eyes widened just a fraction, his smile even more so. "Oho. Tsunade's regenerative technique. I'm surprised she could use it at such a young age."
"I'll be sure to pass along that praise to her."
"You idiot, this is no time to be making jokes." Sakura said as she came up besides him.
Sai attempted to look hurt. "I was being serious."
"Die."
"I could arrange that if you two don't hurry up." Orochimaru said, looking bored already. "Unless you want me to come at you two first."
"Hmph." Sai turned his head just a bit sideways to stare at Sakura's eyes. "Ready then?"
"Anytime, Sai-taichou."
He smiled a little. Although the conversations between them always had, and probably always will, remain sarcastic, he knew that they shared a bond of trust so strong it was unbreakable.
"Well then, Sakura-fukutaichou, let's do it."
She looked a little surprised when he called her by her proper title for the first time ever, but soon her face hardened as she stared her former love's body with determined eyes. Nodding once, he rolled up his sleeves and using his bleeding thumb as the brush, drew simple but strange symbols on both of his arms. Then, quickly forming the necessary seals, he thrust his palms forward. A black scroll materialized in front of him, hovering in midair. It was the final form of his ink-counterfeit techniques.
"The net of black and white." He chanted, as the scroll slowly unrolled itself automatically in front of him, revealing the previously hidden white blank paper. "Footprints, far lightning, sharp peak, form a square and fly through the engulfed land! Dark night, cloudy seas, blue division, form a circle and fly through the heavens! Counterfeit of the heaven's fortress - Giga: Tentei Kuura!"
The floating scroll then, for lack of a better word, exploded. The tiny bits of paper streaked through the air, flying in all directions before they all redirected their trajectory and shot towards Orochimaru in incredible speeds. Before Orochimaru could even evade all pieces found their mark. The paper, now transformed into small, hard blades, impacted the target so fast that an explosion erupted from the heat generated by simple friction between paper and ground.
Sakura besides him then shot forward, her hands aglow with pink chakra, intent on finishing off whatever remained of the Snake Sennin with her own ultimate technique. She thrust her fists through the plumes of smoke and dust at the shadowy target inside.
"Sekka sousho-"
Something caught her wrist, stopping her dead.
"The Medusa Javelin?"
"Wha-?"
"Hmph, never thought I would see it again. You are indeed interesting, winter blossom."
"Sakura!" The man in front of him had been a shadow clone all along! How could they be so careless! The real Orochimaru had emerged now and was holding Sakura by the wrist.
"Oho, this isn't something that I expected out of the so-called emotionless Commander of the ANBUs." Orochimaru noted, amusement laced in his tone of voice as he eyed Sai. "Is she," He yanked Sakura up by the arm. "Someone, perhaps, important to you?"
"Ugh! Let go of me, you monster!" Sakura yelled as she attempted to swat away at the hand that captured her.
"Monster? Monster?" Orochimaru started to laugh. "You call your former love a monster now? How amusing!"
Sakura's eyes went wide. "Wh-"
"Oh yes, it's exactly as you think." The man snickered, obviously taking great pleasure in the moment. "When I took over Sasuke-kun's body, I retained all of his memories. I found that the memories he most cherished were during the times he was with you, Sakura. It was so laughable! After all this time, how does it feel to discover that Sasuke-kun had harbored feelings for you all along?"
Sakura was a strong woman, but this was too much. It was painfully obvious to Sai that the confession had broken her heart, as he started to see tears in her eyes. "N-no…"
"And yet, you yourself, you too are so ignorant!" Orochimaru continued to laugh. "Are you not aware of your heritage? Do you not realize who you really are?"
Sai couldn't take it anymore. He took a step forward. "You bastard!" Consequences be damned, he was going to kill this man!
"No, Sai, wait!"
Her shout startled him. He couldn't understand. Why didn't she want to be rescued? Did she go mad?
"Tell me! What do you mean that I'm not aware of my heritage?"
If it was possible for Orochimaru's grin to grow wider, it just did. "So you really do not know, do you? Sister of Hyuuga Hiashi and Hizashi and wife of the Fourth Hokage, Hyuuga Setsuka?"
What…?
"But I have no obligation to tell you anything else, nor do I have any intention of keeping you alive – although I do admit that you would make an interesting pet now that I have lost Kabuto. I have no taste for women, though, feisty you may be. Goodbye, winter blossom. Give my regards to the Fourth, would you?"
Sai saw a glimmer of metal emerging from the Sennin's mouth.
The Kusanagi…! No…!
It was too late. Orochimaru had stabbed Sakura straight through her heart. She crumpled into a bloody heap in the ground.
"Sakura!"
"And as for you, Commander." Swirling red eyes stared him down. Sai didn't even see him move. When did he… "I'll grant you the honor of being my first victim to my new power. Now that I have killed my 'best friend', I am now truly invincible!"
Sai snarled at the madman and reached for a kunai, but Orochimaru's agile hands were faster. In a flash, he had broken all bones in his arms and legs in a single, sickening crack.
"G-gwaaaa!"
"No need to be feisty, Sai-kun." Orochimaru said. "Sweet dreams. Mangekyou Sharingan!"
Nothing happened.
"What? This can't be! I killed him! Why are my powers not working!"
"That's because you failed to kill me, bastard."
Orochimaru tumbled downwards, screaming in pain all along the way. Sai soon saw that the evil Sennin's left leg had been cut under him. It had been sliced off clean, and it soon became clear why. It was Jiraiya, riding on the head of a warrior-toad that carried an oversized sword. Blood dripped from the blade. It was he – 'it', rather – that had done the work.
"Jiraiya! I killed you!"Orochimaru screamed.
"Guess what, you overconfident freak. I'm still alive. And I'm here to finish the job. Gamatarou."
"Gotcha boss!"
The warrior-toad – Gamatarou was his name – heaved his sword and sliced off the remaining three limbs of the now-helpless Sennin, rendering him truly defenseless. Orochimaru screamed obscenities every single step of the way. Jiraiya stepped off from his toad and approached the crouching Sai.
"Are you all right?" He asked.
"They're just broken, Jiraiya-sama. But Sakura… she…"
"…Hm."
She lay in a bloody heap in the middle of the field, the blood pumping out endlessly from her gaping wound. He could see that she was still alive from the way her lungs moved up and down, but just barely. She wouldn't last long much longer, help or not. Unless…
"Jiraiya-sama. Please… take me to her."
"All right."
Sai winced as Jiraiya lifted him off the ground, the pain in his limbs intensifying. But that didn't matter anymore. Not anymore. Jiraiya carefully placed Sai's limp body besides her so their heads faced eye to eye.
"Sakura. Can you hear me?"
All she could manage in response was a bloody cough.
"I'll take that as a yes. Listen, I'm going to use the gyakusaisei on you."
Her eyes widened at the news. "N-n…"
"I order you to live."
"B-bu…"
"Jiraiya-sama, can you please lift my arm so my hand is over her forehead?"
He could hear the Toad Sennin's disapproving tone. "Sai…"
"Please. She doesn't have much time."
A sigh was what he got in return. "Very well…"
"S-sai… w… why…?"
"A long time ago, I made a promise. To Naruto-kun. To protect you, and to not make you cry. I failed to do both today, and I'm sorry."
"N-no… you… you c-can't… mustn't…" She coughed up more blood from her mouth. She was getting weaker by the second.
Sai smiled. A genuine one, perhaps his best smile he ever made. "I always did kind of like you."
"Bas… tard…"
It was the best complement he could ever hope to receive.
"Ninpou: Souzou Gyakusaisei!"
"Are you all right now?"
"………"
Sakura couldn't reply. How could she? Sai was dead. Her captain was dead. Her partner of ten years was dead. The man, who she once thought harbored no emotions within, who had, just now, confessed a sort of love to her before he stubbornly gave his life in order to save hers by using the forbidden reverse genesis – was dead.
"Listen… I don't know what to say, but he-"
"Jiraiya-sama. A kunai please."
"Pardon?"
"We still have a job to do."
She eyed the still-wailing Orochimaru out of the corner of her eye. He was descending into madness, still refusing to believe that he had been defeated in such a pathetic way.
She would finish the job.
For Naruto.
For Sasuke.
For Sai.
For all of them.
Iruka noticed that Anko had suddenly stopped working amidst the ruins of what remained of Base Sixteen.
"Anko-san." He sighed. "Please, stop being lazy. We still have lots of work to do, and…" Only then did he notice that Anko was rubbing the base of her neck. "Anko-san?"
"Iruka… it's gone…"
"What?"
She removed her hand to reveal smooth skin.
"The cursed seal… it's gone…"
"Oh yeah, that reminds me, what were the results?"
"…Of what?"
"The medical checkup! Sheesh, Sakura-chan, are you sure you haven't gone senile?"
"…Yeah."
Naruto was bracing himself, but much to his surprise the blow never came. Lowering the arms that shielded his face, he stared at Sakura quizzically.
"There was nothing wrong with you." She said. "It was boring."
"Hey, what's with that? Shouldn't you be more happy?"
She smiled weakly. "Of course I am. It means you're going to live a long life."
At around this time Sakura stopped taking advices from Naruto. It seemed that she was getting more confident with herself and her skills, and in a way Naruto was sad but at the same time was happy for her. Instead, their talks drifted towards him and the garden he grew that blossomed flowers all year long.
Naruto stared at Sakura as she ate a bowl of Ramen she had gotten for the both of them at the Ichiraku. "You know, Sakura-chan, you don't have to eat here with me."
She stopped eating and put down her bowl. She smiled again, this time more genuine. "I figured you'd be lonely. Aren't you?"
"O-of course I am!" He blushed and immediately dived into the ramen, trying to hide his embarrassment. They resumed eating, and finished the remaining meal in total silence. Afterwards, they lay down on the floor, staring at the ceiling's only window and the moonlight that shone through.
"I like this place." She said suddenly.
"Hm?"
"It's like… time has stopped."
A pause.
"…I don't want to go back up." She admitted.
Naruto titled his head towards Sakura, who continued to stare blankly at the ceiling window as if she were in a trance. "…Did something happen?" He asked.
She didn't seem to hear him. "No winter, no summer… an always spring garden."
He shrugged. "Well, it is underground."
Sakura rolled to her side and snuggled up to Naruto. She was crying a little, a tiny tear could be seen in the corner of her eye.
"Naruto, I…"
She barely choked out her words as she cried softly in his chest, and Naruto held her close. He didn't ask what was wrong. He had a good idea.
He had no idea. It was true that it had to do with Sasuke, but the pain she withheld within went way beyond that.
"Every time… I come here… it… it reminds me of back then…"
She was struggling with the pain, all by herself. But eventually, it was time for her to go.
She had a job to do. The work that needed to be done in the aftermath of the war was staggering.
"Good night, Naruto."
"Good night, Sakura-chan."
The rip in the rift of the two worlds only widened.
- Fifth Entry -
"Fortitude"
Reign of the Fifth Hokage, Eighteenth year. April 2nd.
30 years old. Year 15 of Imprisonment.
It was over.
The Sound was defeated, and Orochimaru killed. The War that had been raging for over 18 years had finally come to and ended.
And Sasuke-kun…
I killed him.
I kept on telling myself that it was Orochimaru that I killed, not Sasuke-kun. But he had Sasuke-kun's body. His body. When I stabbed him through the heart with my kunai, I just… I just…
(The next few paragraphs were unreadable; some sort of water smudged the ink writing.)
I went down to visit Naruto. Out of the blue he decides to ask about the checkup I had performed on him 5 years ago. It seems his sense of time was getting slower and slower. Around this time I start to decide to share meals with him. He was the only one I had left in my team. Kakashi-sensei was always busy with missions. Also, I had decided to stop giving Naruto correct information regarding the outside world. Especially now that…
(More smudges.)
The garden. Naruto's garden. They are beautifying things. Whenever I'm there, it feels like time slows down to a crawl. Surrounded by the enciphering flowers that never withered, I thought I was in the garden of the heavens for a few moments. That reminds, Naruto did once say it was a garden closest to hell. The irony is beautiful.
-END-
Author's Notes:
A small disclaimer note should go here since I'm too lazy to edit the ones in the top page. The technique Sai used, the Tentei Kuura, translated roughly into 'Heaven's Fortress', is an actual technique borrowed from a manga-anime series known as Bleach, authored by the great author Kubo Tite – although the contents of the actual technique have been altered. In Bleach, Tentei Kuura is actually a communications spell; its effects look nothing like Sai's technique. The only thing borrowed is the name of the spell and the spell chanting process. As for why I included that… it looked cool? That's really the only excuse I can give. That, and I am a huge fan of Bleach. Consider it cameo. Yeah.
This chapter seemed to be a quite on the Sai x Sakura side. I admit, there's a part of me that's a small fan of that pairing, but like I said way back in the early days, this story isn't really focused on pairing but instead the plot itself. And this story is, overall, a Naruto x Sakura story, so for those in favor of that pairing need not to worry. After all, Sai's dead now! Haha… ha… ha. Okay, bad joke. Sai fans please don't kill me.
Although I usually don't bother giving out explanations and mostly leave the details to the reader's imagination, I felt that this needed explaining. Orochimaru calls Sakura 'winter blossom' due to the name Setsuka – which roughly translates into 'snow flower'. Interestingly enough, the kanji for 'setsuka' can also be pronounced 'sekka', which has the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for 'petrifaction'. Thus, the Medusa Javelin – the sekka soushou, Sakura's signature technique, instead of meaning the 'petrifaction spear palm', can also mean 'winter flower spear palm'. It may not seem interesting to most readers, but I thought it was kind of nifty. This is how I came up with the name Setsuka and her connection to the technique, and, consequently, the title. Since I had given some thought to this when I came up with the title, I didn't want this tidbit of information to be lost since I doubted anybody would get it. So there you go.
Anyway, I am proud to say that this story (or at least the arc that is Medusa Javelin) is half done now! At the pace I'm going, it will only take another four months before I finish this entire story! (smacks self) I really do ought to keep the pace up a little more. Damn distractions always keeping me away from inspiration and fiction writing… damn it all.
Reviews, as usual, are most welcome. Until next chapter, see you all again!
- Nes Mikel