Chapter 2
In the road ahead of Sakura, the sun was setting on the horizon. She had walked all day until she reached the region of Kawaguchi, and now she needed to find out if Sasuke was still around. The region was almost all covered by a forest, with some small villages dotting the area. Since she had left Konoha, Sakura hadn't crossed anyone's path, the region just seemed empty. The road was almost always flat, but now she was ascending a small hill that was hiding the sun beneath the horizon. When she reached its top, she saw a big house at the roadside. Above the door, there was a sign where it read "Genshirin Inn". She sensed a strong and inviting smell of food and decided to make a stop for dinner. When she entered the inn, she realized it was practically empty it wasn't for a lady that warmed herself near a fire.
"Goodnight, young lady," the old woman said, bowing to greet her.
"Goodnight," Sakura answered, returning the gesture. "I'd like to have dinner, if possible, and a room to spend the night."
"Oh, of course! Dinner is almost ready. And we still have many rooms available, the guests must start to come after the sunset. As you were the first to arrive, I will give you our best room. The bed is wide and soft, and there's a huge tub where you can have a hot bath and relax. You look exhausted."
Sakura looked at herself. She hadn't taken a bath since the last mission. Yet, she couldn't afford an expensive room.
"I'm looking for a simple room."
"Don't worry, young lady. This time of the year the inn is mostly empty, and we charge almost the same price for all rooms. Take this card, here you can find all room prices. Do you want to look? I believe you will like it."
Sakura took the card the old woman was offering her, and she was surprised by how low the room prices were. Traveling to the countryside had its advantages.
"Why not?" Sakura said, after thinking for a while. "You have convinced me, I'm taking the room". The old lady took a key, handed it to Sakura and walked to a door, beckoning her.
"Do many people come here?" Sakura asked.
"It depends on the time of the year. But we are the only inn in the region of Kawaguchi. If someone is travelling around this area, will probably sleep in here."
Sakura's eyes gleamed, although the ambiance was poorly lit.
"Have you seen a boy with black eyes and hair these days?"
"Are you expecting someone? The room I'm putting you in is the couples' favorite."
"I don't—" Sakura blushed at the thought of staying there with Sasuke. "Actually, I—"
She was elaborating and appropriate answer when a boom interrupted her. The ground started to shake under her feet. She saw as the old lady leaned against one wall not to fall and did the same, focusing on the sound to discover where it was coming from. It looked like and explosion not so distant.
"Are you ok?" she asked the old woman.
"Yes, I am. That's strange, this region normally doesn't—"
A second wave of tremors hit the house. This time, she could feel a very strong chakra, one she'd never felt before. But there was another thing. She could feel a small chakra swallowed by it, a little weaker, a cold and familiar chakra. Suddenly, she knew where to go. The enemy was already there.
She ran out of the house. When she passed through the door, she felt another tremor and could see a sudden flash far away, above the trees ahead of her. The source of chakra was a few miles north there, it was a matter of minutes if she jumped across the forest. She decided to enter it.
She jumped as fast as she could, while the flashes and tremors intensified. As she progressed, she felt the weight of the enemy's chakra becoming stronger upon her body. Every jump was more difficult than the previous one. She hadn't recovered from the last mission, and occasionally her legs almost failed her when landing. She remembered Kakashi's words. She didn't want to be a burden to Sasuke. She would approach him silently. She would intervene only if he was about to be defeated. If he was standing, she would lie in wait. An attack strategy was imperative. Sakura considered what she would do while measuring the enemy's strength, a power that looked scarier as she approached them.
She continued to jump until she saw a glade that seemed to have been opened by force. The broken tree trunks were still attached to the treetops fallen on the ground. She stopped on the top of a tree by the river that ran across the glade. Its waters brought the debris of the fight to her direction. On the right river bank, a man on his back projected a spear of chakra in front of a tall rock, that had been smacked in the center. The blow had left a hole covered with shrapnel, from where a big blood stain dripped. When the man walked ahead, Sakura could see that he was facing something on the ground, in front of the rock. It was Sasuke, that was severely injured. He seemed to be unconscious.
The man approached him slowly, swaying his trunk as if he was laughing, even though she could not hear anything from where she was. On the ground, Sasuke wouldn't move a muscle.
Fight it back, she thought. Get up.
The man got closer to the body on the ground and raised his arm holding the spear.
As Sasuke remained motionless, Sakura released a little bit of chakra under her feet and jumped towards the enemy. In the air, she concentrated her chakra on her right fist and prepared to hit him on his back, but she was surprised by the enemy's mocking face a few millimeters from hers.
First, she felt an excruciating pain. She had received a punch in her stomach, which had thrown her body backwards. Next, she felt when he hit her back so strong that she was thrown to the ground, smashing it when she fell.
From inside the hole that had formed around her, Sakura could see the enemy approaching, holding the spear in front of him. The man's eyes were bursting with craziness when he pointed her the spear.
"First you, because I don't like to be interrupted. Then, it will be his turn."
"Sasuk—Sas—" she murmured before losing consciousness.
