Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
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The axe hit the bark of the tree with precise, calculated force, and in only a few strokes the tree fell to the ground. Sasuke staightened his back and looked around.
He was travelling through lightening country, and arrived at a local farming village three days ago. The village's sole inn was undergoing repairs and a local farmer, noticing his fit physique, allowed Sasuke to stay in his shed in exchange of some help around the farm.
Wiping sweat off his brow, more from the heat than physical strain, Sasuke walked towards his lodging that was a dingy old shed at the edge of the farmer's property. But Sasuke wasn't one to complain. All he wanted was some shelter from Lightning's unprecedented thunderstorms. Plus the farmer's wife was a good cook and they didn't ask too many questions.
Still, it was time for him to get moving again. With the work allotted to him done, Sasuke head out towards the village marketplace to stock up on supplies. The village was far detached from any ninja village so he had no hope of finding any weapons, instead he browsed for medical supplies and food.
Moving through the dried foods aisle, he overheard two old women talking in the next aisle.
"I heard Tsukishima is heading out to Tohuko."
"Yes. There's been a breakout of some sort of disease, they've called in neighboring villages to send help immediately."
"Aa. Tsukishima is a doctor, ne? Is it contagious?"
"I don't know about that. But I know they have contacted neighboring ninja villages for help too, so it must be serious."
"This is indeed worrisome. I heard there was an epidemic at Suna a few months ago. I bet this is another sort of ninja tomfoolery and we civilians are caught in the crossfire."
"Aa. I agree. We never should have adopted shinobi villages, those pests are nothing but trouble!"
Sasuke frowned as he moved away. Walking towards the clerk, he pondered over his next course of action. His initial plan was to cross Lightning country and go to Shimogakure, but then again his plans were never concrete. He was a wanderer, there was nowhere he had to be.
Furthermore, it seemed to him that the old women might be right in their suspicions. Given the recent epidemic in Suna, it was possible this was some form of biological warfare. Placing the right amount of ryo on the counter and picking up his goods, Sasuke left the store deciding the lead was worth investigating.
He arrived at the farm mid-afternoon, and walked up to the farmer's house to inform him about his intention to leave by nightfall. The farmer's wife insisted he had lunch with them instead of at the old rickety shed, and he found no way to refuse without being impolite.
Sitting down with his feet folded under him, Sasuke let the boisterous old woman construct a small mountain of food on his plate. Nodding in thanks, Sasuke picked up his chopsticks and ate in small, dignified bites.
"So where are you headed, Sasuke dear?" the old woman inquired.
"A town called Tohuko." Sasuke replied after swallowing.
"Oh dear, maybe you should wait. I heard there's an epidemic of some sort going on over there."
"Aa. I'm aware. That is what I'm going to investigate."
Finishing his meal, the farmer stood up.
"You are a sturdy young man, look after yourself over there. Don't be reckless."
Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement as he watched the farmer exit the room and retire into his den. Finishing his own meal quickly, Sasuke thanked the woman for the meal and cleared the table.
Walking back to the shed, Sasuke's thoughts wandered to the conversation he had heard at the store.
'They've called in neighboring villages to send help immediately'
There was one medic in the hidden villages that was revered by all. Every time an epidemic broke out, villages scrambled to get her assistance. She was the one who was personally requested by the kazekage to treat the outbreak in Suna.
Would she be there, too?
Sealing all his belongings into a scroll, Sasuke left the shed and took the path that lead out of the village.
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It took him two days to travel to Tohuko, a small seaside town at the edge of lightning country, and immediately upon his arrival he sensed a familiar chakra in the vicinity.
Composed, collected, calm, unlike the turbulent chakra of most shinobi. He had years of familiarity on his side, but even a stranger could pick out Sakura's chakra from countless other ninja's.
Following the chakra signature, Sasuke found himself at the doorstep of an old, but well maintained two story building. Upon entering it became clear that the building was a house converted to a makeshift hospital. Beds lined the walls, mattresses were laid out on the floor and the far end of the room housed two desks and a massive shelf filled with vials.
"Ah, Sasuke. What brings you to Tohuko?"
Turning around, he spotted Sakura coming down the stairs from the room above, wearing her doctor's coat with her hair tied up in a messy pony tail.
"You don't seem very surprised."
"I sensed your chakra when you entered the village. That doesn't answer my question, though." She replied, walking towards the scroll covered desk.
"Hn."
"Chatty as ever, ne Sasuke-kun? You must've heard about the disease breakout. Are you here to investigate if it's a tactical strike?" She said, answering her own question.
"Is it a tactical stike?" Sasuke countered in a way of answering.
Frowning, Sakura skimmed over a scroll she had picked up from the desk.
"It might be. When I arrived here, I thought I was encountering the same disease I treated in Suna. All the symptoms were the same."
She pulled out a chair, turned it to face towards Sasuke, and sat down.
"But when I carried out the same treatment I did in Suna, it didn't work. It's only been a few months and it's already developed resistance. The chances of that occurring naturally are slim."
"So you think someone is testing out a new biological weapon?" Sasuke frowned.
"Possibly. The disease in Suna took a lot out of the patient, but it wasn't fatal. But this-"
She sighed.
"-this is much more aggressive. Almost like it's tailored to kill."
"Hn." Sasuke's shoulders stiffened. "Have you found a cure?"
Sakura sighed once again. "Not yet, no. We thought we were making some progress, the first patient that was brought in had a tremendous improvement and we thought we were onto something, but this morning he suddenly began convulsing. We tried to save him, but it was in vain."
Her shoulders sagged.
"The worst part is, I still can't pinpoint what induced the convulsion, and now all the other patients are beginning to deteriorate too."
Sasuke frowned. It had been years since he had seen Sakura look so defeated. These days she was so self-assured, not arrogant, but confident in her abilities. Seeing her this way almost sent him six years back in time.
His mind was a flurry of questions; how did the patients catch the disease, what was the incubation period, was it contagious, what were the symptoms. But before he could voice any of them, a medic ninja came sprinting towards them.
"Sakura-san! Come quickly! Another one of them is convulsing!"
Without sparing Sasuke another glance, Sakura shot out of her chair and ran up the stairs.
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Sasuke lingered downstairs for a while, unsure if he should follow or not, but eventually decided on the former.
Making his way upstairs, the first thing he noticed when he reached the second floor was how all the patients on this floor were in a far worse condition than those below.
The second thing he noticed was a young man writhing violently as medics on all sides pinned him down and Sakura let her chakra flow through him.
He watched as the man's face contorted in expressions of pain, the tips of his fingers and toes darkened, and blood leaked from his nose and ears. His screams of agony ricocheted off the pale white walls of the room.
Until suddenly they stopped. The screaming died down, the man stopped twisting and turning, the medics around him stood agape.
Sakura, too, had a look of surprise on her face. She stared at the body for a long time, and then she frowned and declared "Time of death, 3:30 PM. Open up the body and look for what might've caused the convulsions to begin."
She lingered by the bedside for a while, then turned around and walked in the direction Sasuke was standing.
"Does he have any family?" she asked the medic standing a little behind Sasuke.
"Uh, yes ma'am, uh. A wife. She was here in the morning." He stammered.
"Send someone to fetch her" Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose.
"H-hai, taichou!" said the medic as he scurried down the stairs.
Sakura and Sasuke also followed him downstairs, although at a far more relaxed pace.
When they arrived at the base of the stairs, Sakura spoke.
"Well Sasuke, I have to go help with the autopsy to see if I can find something. I'm sorry I can't answer your questions right now, but you can look through my notes, they're over by the desk." She said, nodding in its direction.
Sasuke said nothing as he made his way over to the desk and settled down in a chair with the scroll.
He squinted, trying to decipher Sakura's hurried notes. Some of the technical terms made no sense to him and for a minute he was almost intimidated. But then again, even in the academy, Sakura's intelligence was unparalleled.
He was only twenty minutes into his reading when he heard a commotion outside, and soon after the door burst open to reveal a hysterical young woman and the medic Sakura was speaking to earlier. His brain connected that she must be the wife of the man whose death he just witnessed.
The medic tried, and failed, to console the woman as she cried and demanded to see her husband. Sakura must've heard her too, because she suddenly appeared from a room at the back.
Sakura walked towards the woman, and Sasuke noticed the roseate's eyes soften a bit. Standing in front of the woman, Sakura spoke in a soft voice-
"I'm sorry for your loss, we did everything we could but-"
Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw Sakura's head whip to the side and the echo of a slap resonated through the room.
"You bitch! Aren't you the best out there? Isn't that why we called you?! Then why couldn't you save him?" she screamed through tears.
Slowly, Sakura straightened and looked at the blubbering woman in front of her. For a moment, Sasuke thought she was going to cry, but instead she spoke in a steady voice.
"I assure you I did everything I could, but I couldn't save him. I'm sorry, but I'll make sure his death is not in vain."
And with that, she stalked back to the room where she came from, gait as steady as ever.
The sky outside had darkened when Sasuke saw Sakura again. He was still sitting in the same chair she last saw him, and she walked up to him and asked him if he'd like to accompany her for dinner. Nodding slowly, Sasuke followed her out of the temporary hospital.
They arrived at a modest, dimly lit restaurant and placed their order. For most part of the meal, neither of them said a word. When it was time to leave, Sasuke turned to her.
"You should not have let her slap you, I know you saw it coming. It wasn't your fault."
A frown creased Sakura's forehead. "I know it wasn't my fault. But it made her feel better, so it's all right. People get hysterical when they lose someone they love, it's hard for them to think clearly, I guess you wouldn't know."
As soon as she said those words, her head whipped around to face a stunned Sasuke.
"Shit. I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun, I didn't mean to say that! I should not have said that."
But Sasuke wasn't thinking about the loss of his family.
He was thinking of a twelve year old girl crying on his chest in the land of waves, abandoning all the rules that had been drilled into her head, because she thought he had died.
'People get hysterical when they lose someone they love'
He stood up and walked away.
A/N: And that winds up chapter two. Over 2k words, yasssss! Let me know what you thought of the chapter in the reviews!
ALSO! Make sure you check out the new oneshot I posted on my profile!
PS- If you see any stray full stops before line breaks, it's because I was having some trouble making the line breaks appear without them. Gomen!