Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… (is anyone else getting slightly depressed from repeating this cold, hard truth over and over again?) XD
A/N: Sorry for the delay! Please read and review! (As of 7-26-07, I have revised a few things, but like the first chapter's revisions, only minor technical changes such as the addition of story rulers/dividers were made.)
Same Key as last chapter.
-------------Chapter 2: An Untimely Mistake (or Rather, a Series of Them)-------------
At 3:47 AM, a certain rosy-haired kunoichi arrived at Apartment Building Number 5, located in the outskirts of Konoha and approximately 15 minutes of travel from the Hokage Tower. The kunoichi eagerly bounded up the stairs of Building 5 to the third floor, on which her two-room rental was located, and unlocked the painted metal Door Number 14, swinging it open to reveal an undecorated and moderately-sized living room stacked to the ceiling with cardboard boxes and clear plastic cases filled with a gallimaufry of objects.
Dark shinobi boots were hastily slipped out of, and a heavy weapons pouch was tossed carelessly to the ground by the shoe rack as Sakura made her way down the hallway on her left to her bedroom where her toasty thermal night robe awaited her. As the weapons pouch 'thumped' weightily onto the fluffy carpeting, the flap flew open and released a multitude of kunais and shurikens, causing a small pile of weapons to lay treacherously eight paces away from the door.
Sakura grunted and ignored the sharp and pointy mess in the middle of the hallway behind her as she passed the open study on her right and entered her bedroom.
-sigh- I'll clean that up later and… sharpen the kunais too, I guess. They're still pretty sharp and in fairly good shape, but I haven't had the chance to clean and repair them since my last mission two weeks ago.
A beige chifferobe's drawers and doors were flung open as an impatient kunoichi shifted hurriedly through the scattering of clothing inside once, twice, and finally three times for the elusive nightrobe, but alas! The darn thing was nowhere to be found. It was probably still hiding in one of the boxes in the living room, unpacked and sniggering.
Sakura then proceeded to look for a change of clothing to wear to bed when she groaned and slumped onto her butt, remembering.
Kuzo! I forgot that this was my last set of clean clothing! The rest are probably all either in the laundry pile, bloody, dirty, or sweat-drenched, or in the boxes somewhere in the living room, and unless I want to go to bed in only my underwear, tights, socks, and chest bindings I've got to hand wash and dry something to wear!!! Damn you, procrastination!
The dismal kunoichi peeked at the cute little kitty clock tock-tock-tocking away on the dresser and noticed it was already 3:59 AM. She sighed and got up, retiring from her bedroom and heading over to the study next door.
At least before I go do the laundry, I think I'll just go and study the scrolls a bit.
If anyone had been out taking an early morning walk or perhaps mugging some innocent Konohan citizen near the Hokage Tower at 4:01 in the morning, he or she would have seen the rare but comical sight of their Most Honorable (but hopelessly soused) Hokage struggling to climb out of her office window in her stilettos. Then, if that person stayed to see the spectacle for a little while longer, he or she would have been able to witness their Most Honorable Hokage precariously teetering on the Tower roof and just barely managing to avoid slipping off the Tower's icy topside covering.
Tsunade: Kuzo! When did the main avenue get this slopey-ish and filled with tiles? The bathroom's gonna leak, and the street's gotta pay for it. Gotta get someone to fixes it, the damn street… urgh, stop moving, dammit… Okay, Saruka-chan's address should be 5139 Nottori Street, 33421, West-Northern district of Honoka Downtown…
The amber-eyed Head Medic lurched across to the brink of the Tower roof and sloppily leaped onto the rooftop of an adjacent dango restaurant, her stiletto heels clacking loudly and errantly against the brick shingles. She then paused for a moment and stood frowning and looking down at the alleyway between the Tower and the brick-and-wood establishment she was now tottering upon.
Tsunade: When were there such big gaps and pottyholes (A/N: potholes) in the main avenue? Strings fit into the picture stuffs, but then there's some. When I get back from Suna-no-alcohol, heads are gonna to roll in the Konoha Infrastructure and Road Maintenance Department, and dammit, stop moving!!
The muddled Hokage on the roof resumed her journey to her apprentice's apartment, scowling at all of the laundry she found being dried in the "main avenue" (which was, in actuality, just the linear path over the rootops that the Godaime took). Samples from the offending clothes lines were taken as Tsunade reasoned she would later fine all of the names she found on the tags of all the bras, panties, and jockstraps she now carried with her.
Tsunade: Argh, citizens, it's dangerous to leave stringy clothes out here with the pottyholes. Too many weirdos and heads and paperwork, come hither, mice! And—ooh… see-through…!
Since dragging around a pile of shirts, towels, pants, or other large articles of clothing would be burdensome, the Godaime just picked out the smallest things with names written on them that she could find drying on the lines (which just so happened to all be women's intimates and jockstraps) and tucked them under her arms.
Rooftops after shingled summits after tiled awnings, the Hokage leaped to and from, jumping over the wide pottyholes and pouncing on whatever laundry that came her way as she continued traveling towards 5139 Nottori Street, 33421. A huge pile of assorted intimates and athletic gear soon started to form under Tsunade's arms as she ran, and eventually, the Head Medic, still not quite fully conscious of her illegal behavior, was forced to take off her overcoat and use it as a make-shift sack.
It was getting cumbersome and unwieldy toting around twelve or so (and growing) pounds of lace, leather, and spandex, but the devoted Hokage kept up her noble duty of keeping the streets of Konoha safe and laundry-free. Not many of the villagers may have noticed, but the Godaime truly did hold dear her native hidden shinobi village—despite all that had transgressed within its sturdy walls and her appearance of hating the paperwork, her Hokage duties, and nearly the whole Council—and would always strive to protect its inhabitants whenever the necessity arose. Like how she was protecting Konoha right now from the perils of misplaced underclothes in the main avenue, drunk.
-----
Click, clack, click, clack…
Some more laundry was swiped off their clothes pins and stuffed into the coat before the blonde burglar quickly leaped onto the next rooftop, already eyeing a few nether-wear with large tags bearing neatly-written names.
Click, clack, click, clack…
Ooh, it was a leather thong this time! Strappy!
Click, clack, click, clack…
The stilettos maintained their noisy tirade against the shingles and tiles as the Godaime lost herself again in another one of her dazed bouts of mental incoherency.
Click, clack, click, clack…
Tsunade: Stiletto bottles, stiletto bottles… Hmm… if I hung this netty-bra up on my door slab, would Mohura and Hokaru and the rest of the teetotaler's club stay the kuzo out? Maybe should try so, yeah, cups, cups, cups…
Click, clack, click, clack, click, clack… … …
-----
A good twenty-six minutes of raiding the village laundry in the frigid morning air had elapsed before the blonde Hokage came to an abrupt stop on a cemented roof also with laundry lines, the make-shift sack colliding against her leg at the sudden lack of movement. Sobriety and her senses, due in part to being in the profound cold for so long wearing nothing but a thin, sleeveless top and slacks, seem to have at last caught up with the Head Medic, and said Head Medic finally remembered that her student no longer lived at 5139 Nottori Street, 33421 in the north-western district of Konoha Downtown. In fact, she lived on the other side of the village now.
----
Flashback (four days ago)
The unconscious shinobi on the surgical table groaned in pain as Tsunade and Sakura finished mending the fractured clavicle, cracked pelvis, and eleven square inches of severely burned skin. Recovery was imminent, and all the patient needed now were some chakra-infused Ointment VII on the seared areas and hospitalization for a few weeks before being discharged, good as new.
Mentor and apprentice began the post-surgical clean-up and last-minute touches while the nurses and anesthetist came in to re-administer the anesthesia. Dirtied, brown bandages were discarded into the nearby trashcan, and other surgical tools were placed on trays to be cleaned and repaired (if need) be later on. The nurses too bustled about, taking away blood-stained lancets and empty glass containers with residues of their previous contents to be sterilized, while the anesthetist headed to his next appointment in a room right down the hall.
Tsunade quickly rummaged through the medical supply kit for a few minutes before giving up on looking for the wanted ointment in one of the kit compartments. The nurses must have forgotten to restock the darn thing after the last major healing/surgery session (Tsunade—mentally seething: Someone's going to get fired soon… Carelessness can't be afforded at any time in a hospital, dammit!). Perhaps there could be some in the extras cabinet…?
(Sakura)
'Tsunade-shishou?'
(Tsunade)
'Hm? What is it, Sakura-chan?'
The elusive jar of ointment could not be found even amongst the various bags of pills and pouches of mysterious-looking fluids stocked in the extra supplies cabinet. Drats.
(Sakura)
'Ano, I apologize for not notifying you earlier, but I am going to be moving out of my parents' house today. My new address is Door Number 14, Floor 3, Apartment Building Number 5, located in the south-eastern district of the Konoha Outskirts. The apartment complex is called Leaf Aspires and is only about fifteen minutes away from the Tower.'
(Tsunade)
'Hn… wait, what?! You're moving out already?' Where is that darn ointment?!
Sakura nodded as she deposited a few straggler tools onto an already loaded tray being whisked away for sanitization and came to stand by the surgical table, unraveling the tightly-wound gauze from the patient's arm.
(Sakura)
'Hai. My parents, who are both civilians, worry excessively over their one and only child and constantly lecture and try to persuade me to seek a safer career, preferably one without sharp, metal knives, dangerous jutsus, or regular encounters with enemy ninja males leering at my body. For the past eight years, my choice to be a shinobi has always been a conflict of interest in the family, and my parents had only put up with my decision because of my agreement to refrain from going on dangerous missions as long as I was living under their roof.'
Tsunade stopped looking for the ointment for a moment and directed her attention to her apprentice, who was still talking while healing a few minor wounds and bruises that had not yet been taken care of. The Godaime had been quite aware, for the past two and a half years, of Sakura's reluctance to go on missions that would greatly benefit her and improve her skills as a ninja but had never really known the reason why. The roseate kunoichi's skills were quite impressive (for a Chuunin, of course), and she could undoubtedly handle B to mild A-Rank missions adeptly.
(Sakura)
'Lately, though, as I saw myself improving within Konoha's walls, I found it stifling to just practice my jutsus on lifeless targets and to spar without the possibility of death at my heels. No matter how much I tried to pretend each of my training and sparring sessions with the others were like real missions, I couldn't.
'The mandatory B and A-Ranked missions I was required to complete as part of my medic training curriculum were few and far between but were, at the same time, also some of my most contented times in life. I longed to freely take on missions actually ranking over C and missed the thrill and fear of danger so abundant in particularly difficult assignments. Even though I am a medic and usually prefer to heal over kill, I still have times when I seek a purpose to fulfill using my skills as a deadly ninja. Shinobi blood, I suppose, courses through my veins despite the utter lack of shinobi in the Haruno family for the last five generations, and the agreement I made with my parents was making me restless. My parents, as much as I loved them and appreciated their attention and care, were stifling, my lack of dangerous missions was stifling, my circumstances were stifling, and it just became really hard for me to deal with it all.'
The search for the elusive jar of chakra-infused liniment continued, but it heralded no results. Tsunade let out a frustrated sigh and roughly ran a blood-speckled hand through her blond locks while the pink-haired apprentice at the surgical table finished treating the cuts and bruises on the shinobi's arm.
(Sakura)
'My salary from the regular medic missions—especially the ones to the tributary villages—has risen over the past few years and become enough to allow me to live autonomously in my own apartment, so I just decided to finally move out of my parents' house after years of putting up with their daily three-hour lectures and nagging. I had at last saved enough money to rent a small, two-room apartment for about six months plus a little more for bills and other needs—D and C-Ranked missions don't provide much to live off of, so it took me a few years to save up—in the case that I wouldn't get paid for a while in the times ahead and told my parents of my latest decision.'
The ointment, the ointment, the gosh-darn ointment! Where is it?! The blond Head-Medic decided to just call one of the careless nurses for another jar when something under the metal tray holder caught her eye. Her apprentice, who also just happened to notice the object, paused her narrative to fetch the petite jar from where it was lodged in between the bars and handed it over to her shishou, and within a minute, the unconscious shinobi's chest was slathered with Ointment VII and tightly rewrapped with clean bandages. Mission accomplished.
Orders were barked to roll the patient out of the operation room, dress him in itchy, uncomfortable hospital garb (of course, the Head Medic didn't actually say those exact words), and place him in Room 201 of Ward 19, and the two medics headed out to the medics' washroom to cleanse themselves of the blood and sweat that had accumulated in their clothing, skin, and hair.
(Tsunade)
'You were saying?'
Now that the surgery was over and the next one would not be for quite a while, a serene atmosphere blanketed the Head Medic and her second-in-command as they quietly strolled down the deserted corridor. Sunlight from the late afternoon sun streamed in peacefully through the wide windows dotting the wall.
(Sakura)
'Ah, hai… When I notified my parents that I was going to move out, an argument of apocalyptic proportions broke out, but I eventually won in the end. My parents promised to keep their worrying and noses to themselves, and I promised to keep in touch often and to stay safe.'
(Tsuande)
'I see… Well, then I hope your transition goes smoothly. If you need any help with the moving, just tell me, and I'll have Izumo and Kotetsu assist you.'
Sakura made a slight bow before murmuring a soft 'Arigato gozaimasu.'
The hospital was quiet today, and only a few harried nurses and medics passed mentor and apprentice on their walk to the washroom. The only sounds audible in the hallway were the muted beeps of monitors from rooms passed by, the distant sound of shuffling feet, and the clacking footsteps of two contented medics going in for a quick shower after doing what they loved the most.
End Flashback
----
Tsunade: Kuzo! And after I made it all the way out here!
Tsunade looked at the elevated scenery around her and finally noticed the bulging overcoat she gripped tightly with her right hand, colliding against her thighs as the gelid wind blustered over the rooftops.
Tsunade: And what the heck was I doing with my coat?
The Godaime apparently had been in a state of what could almost be considered sleep-walking during her time as a drunk laundry-filcher and could not recall (at the moment) the crimes she had been committing for the past twenty-seven minutes or what could possibly be in her topfull overcoat. Curious but somewhat worried at what she might find, Tsunade hesitantly peered into her make-shift sack.
Tsunade: … … …
Sakura flipped on the light switch as she entered the scarcely furnished study in which resided a spacious cherry wood desk and matching chair, windowless walls, a few scrolls and books lying about here and there on the ubiquitous cardboard moving boxes, and several bookcases not yet filled with its former occupants.
The cushioned chair was pulled back out of its dark recess as the kunoichi plopped down onto it, leaving her hip pack on as she did so (it was sort of like a second butt to her…) but fishing out the Time-Travel no Jutsu scroll, wallet, and green mission details scroll out of it.
Sakura: I wonder how much Tsunade-shishou gave me for my mission budget. If it's under 2000 ryou, I may have to bring a little more from my account to make up for any possible financial deficiencies…
The curious pink-haired medic-nin seated at the cherry wood desk peeped into the wallet and softly gasped at the hefty 5000 ryous' worth of bills folded snugly inside. Most mission budgets fell around the 800 to 3000 ryou range, depending on their rank, length, and number of participants, and Sakura was a little taken aback at the generous funds her shishou had provided her for the assignment.
Sakura: Er… wow… Shishou must have been really worried about me starving or sleeping out in the snow or something … I'll have to remember to thank her when I get back.
Recovering from her initial surprise, the kunoichi placed the wallet onto the desk next to a small stack of medical files and picked up the green mission details scroll, peeling it open and examining it.
Sakura reviewed her shishou's instructions and details, taking mental notes on which assassination ninjutsus and techniques would be helpful to practice in the morning later on and which medical supplies and other ninja apparatus she would pack for the bound-to-be difficult journey up north into Lightning Country, where rogues and missing-nins thrived and abounded in the thick, dark forests she would inevitably have to travel through.
After eight minutes of mental note-making, rereading, and poring over it, the green mission details scroll was placed onto the desk next to the wallet and medical files, and Sakura stretched out her arms and her back a little before slowly picking up the Time-Travel no Jutsu. The best had been saved for last, and studying the Time-Travel no Jutsu was the thing that would finally top off Sakura's rather interesting morning before the darn laundry would be done.
Sakura: -ba-bump!- -ba-bump!- This is it…!
The Time-Travel no Jutsu scroll was oh-so-gradually and torturously slowly unraveled as each and every inch of abstrusity that appeared with every gentle tug was deliciously savored by almost predatory-looking emerald eyes.
Those same gleaming orbs held a slightly maniacal glint as the Time-Travel no Jutsu scroll exposed a quarter… a third… a half… and finally the whole of itself and settled out obediently onto the cherry wood desk.
Awe came over the scroll's sole audience as she swept her eager and excited eyes back and forth from corner to corner and end to end, mesmerized by the maze-like diagrams and complex symbols drawn so carefully upon the rice paper. Certainly, in all her fifteen years, she had never seen such an intricate-looking jutsu or scroll, let alone have the opportunity to actually perform what was written upon the paper.
Sakura: SHANNARO!! I am SO going to try to memorize and master all of this tonight! It'll be my own personal challenge to see if my mind is as sharp as it used to be in the Aca—
Suddenly, the pink-haired kunoichi creased her brow as she noticed the blurred appearance of the 'Thirty Days' that had been brushed into the 'Jutsu Duration Length' kanji circle. After some examination and thought, she concluded that her shishou's sake must have gotten the scroll wet as the poorly-stoppered bottle and mission items were hastily shoved into the hidden drawer of the Hokage desk right before Mitokado-san's entrance. The beautifully calligraphied 'Thirty Days' was now a messy ink stain on the otherwise-perfect paper, but Sakura did not mind. She figured she could remove the ink blot and rewrite the words later on when she was going into the past for real. For now, she would try her utmost best to memorize all 107 hand signs on the scroll and, eventually, practice the master hand sign sequence until she got it down absolutely perfectly.
Sakura: Heh heh… here I go!
4:27 AM
Tsunade: … … … shit.
As the Godaime stood there in the cold on the tiled rooftop, stupefied and staring dumbfounded at the surprising contents of her ulster, the memories of her drunken pillaging came roaring back, and Tsunade's mouth became a taut line of quiet humiliation and mortification. The Head Medic was at a slight loss at what to do as returning all of the lingerie and athletic gear would be troublesome, not to mention time-consuming. And then there was still the matter of giving her apprentice a few iotas of information that she probably wouldn't need but would do good to know.
Several dusty breezes whooshed around the inanimate Hokage on the rooftop still staring at the insides of her sack. A long, whooshy minute passed, and the Head Medic slowly swung her carryall over her shoulders and began the twenty-five minutes-long trek back to the Tower. She had concluded that the smartest and most time-efficient way to handle this situation was to just drop off the clothes—coat included—under her desk where hopefully no one would notice them, run over quickly to her apprentice's apartment, tell her what she needs to know, come back to the office, and, if lucky, have enough time to somehow take care of the questionable items hiding underneath her mahogany desk before her diplomatic mission to Suna.
Nodding resolutely to herself and tightening her grip on the ulster pendulating over her shoulders, Tsunade picked up the pace and hurdled over the rooftops, mind alert and determined to make it back to her office—whether it was from her current but ever-changing location on the rooftops of Konoha or Door Number 14 on the third floor of Leaf Aspire's Building Number 5—as soon as possible.
Tsunade: Argh, what a pain. Maybe I really should stop sneaking sake into the office…
5:03 AM
Sakura: Yes! I think I've finally got it!
Dragon, Rabbit, Monkey, Boar, Ox, Rabbit, Dog, Dog, Boar… (Only five more repetitions left!)
…Ox, Snake, Snake, Rat, Tiger, Rooster, Monkey, Dragon… (Just a little more…!)
…Rabbit, Horse, Tiger, Ox, Ram, Rat, Ram, Ox, (And finally…!) Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, and RABBIT!!
Sakura: YES!!! I've done it! I've at last managed to repeat the sequence twelve straight times perfectly!
The pink-haired medic-nin apprentice at the cherry wood desk slumped back into her plushy seat in exhaustion, excitement, and pride. She had surpassed her own high expectations and goals for memorizing and mastering the Time-Travel no Jutsu, merely taking 32 minutes to commit every hand sign of the 107 listed on the scroll to memory and 21 minutes of intense focus and rehearsal to be able to perform the Time-Travel no Jutsu's master hand sign sequence perfectly twelve straight times.
Of course, Sakura had made sure to heed her shishou's stern instructions to not practice the jutsu without deliberate mistakes and had added the three tigers and a rabbit—a sequence that would cancel out the jutsu being performed if the jutsu's last hand sign was an ox—to comply. The canceling sequence seemed very unnecessary, though, as it was common and fundamental shinobi knowledge that no jutsu, due to its nature and scientific properties, could be activated without some chakra having been molded already for its use prior to the performance of the hand signs.
Sakura had known that concept since Day 1 of the Academy and slightly scoffed at (but followed anyway) the Hokage's illogical orders. The medic-nin apprentice never stored molded chakra in her body unless the time for its use came, so she knew there would be no harm in trying out the Time-Travel no Jutsu sans mistakes. Inner Sakura heartily agreed and had often wryly urged her to just practice without the useless annulment sequence, but Sakura remained true to her shinobi obedience and ignored the dark whisperings of her mind, solely focusing on drilling herself in the jutsu execution as perfectly as her instructions allowed.
But now…
Now, Sakura was finished with her initial goal of mastery, and a restless silence reigned over the inoperative study.
Tic… Tic… Tic… Tic…
Tic… Tic… Tic… Tic…
The goalless pink-haired kunoichi, somewhat slouching in her chair, lightly bobbed her head in time to the casual ticking of the study clock chattering away diligently on its little slice of the wall. The memorization objective was met, the jutsu was mastered, instructions were sturdily followed, and now what…?
Inner Sakura took this chance to make herself heard once more.
Inner Sakura (in a sly tone): You know, Sakura-chan, now that you've got the whole hand seal execution part of the jutsu down to every last detail, what will you do now?
Outer Sakura (already starting to feel the stress): -sigh- The laundry, I guess. Argh, I really hate doing laundry by hand. I don't mind if a machine does it for me, but said machine is broken right now and probably smugly laughing at me…
Inner Sakura: Hmm… then why don't we treat ourselves a little and put off the laundry for a while? Why don't we… practice the Time-Travel no Jutsu as if we really were going into the past, meaning there should be no mistakes, deliberate or no, in our performance?
Outer Sakura: …! Tsunade-shishou, expressly instructed us to not d—
Inner Sakura: Bah, you and I already know that no jutsu, according to the Law of Jutsu Activation, can be triggered without the presence of pre-molded chakra already there and available for its consumption!
Outer Sakura: But—
Inner Sakura (now exasperated): Oh, just do it! It's just one practice, and then it's off to do your beloved laundry as you seem so eager to get to it.
Outer Sakura:… … … you're so pushy.
Inner Sakura: No, we are pushy. Now get going. Time's not standing still for us, you know!
The pink-haired kunoichi abruptly pulled herself out of her inner self's clutches and glanced at the clock on the wall.
Sakura: Hmm… only 5:04 AM?
The ink-sodden and labyrinthine scroll lay limply on her desk, daring her to just try and deviate from her inner self's forcible decision. When Sakura still hesitated, though, the Inner Sakura returned, murmuring suggestively again on how much and for how long they had both yearned to practice the Time-Travel no Jutsu as if it was the real deal.
Tic… Tic… Tic… Tic…
Tic… Tic… Tic… Tic…
No sound was audible in the study except for the quiet, background ticking of the clock and the soft breathing of the contemplating, pink-haired kunoichi seated at the cherry wood desk, but then—
Sakura: -deep breath- Alright, let's do it! I'm sure Tsunade-shishou won't mind if I just practiced it once the right way!
Inner Sakura cheered as she saw the oh-so-familiar hand signs appear once more, flitting through delicate porcelain hands ever so quickly.
Dragon, Rabbit, Monkey, Boar, Ox, Rabbit, Dog, Dog, Boar …
…Ox, Snake, Snake, Rat, Tiger, Rooster, Monkey, Dragon …
…Rabbit, Horse, Tiger, Ox, Ram, Rat, Ram, and Ox! (Sakura: Repetition one completed!)
… … … (5:05 AM)
(Sakura: Repetition two completed!)
… … … … … … …
(Sakura: Repetitions three, four, five, and six completed!) (5:06 AM)
… … … (5:07 AM)
…Rabbit, Horse, Tiger, Ox, Ram, Rat, Ram, and Ox! (Sakura: Repetition seven compl—)
CHIKA, CHIKA, BANG, BANG!! OH, YEAH, BABY, BANG ME UP, BANG ME UP! CHIKA, CHIKA, BANG, BANG!! OH, YEAH, BABY, BANG ME UP, BANG ME UP— (Ten)
Sakura nearly fell out of her seat, her intense focus and concentration completely shattered as her demented and broken doorbell shrieked its ear-grating song throughout the whole of her apartment and probably through a few floors above and below hers as well. The previous owner of Door Number 14, a man renowned for his unique sense of humor and revenge, had held a deep rancor against the landlord of Leaf Aspires and had tampered around with his doorbell before moving out, changing the previous, pleasant 'Ding-Dong!' ring into the hideous noise it blared now.
Sakura had not been aware or informed of her apartment's rather interesting bonus feature until she had moved in, and then it was too late to change things. The landlord had been lazy about fixing the doorbell, and unfortunately, Sakura also had not found the time since her move to Leaf Aspires four days ago to call up a handyman to fix the darn thing. The only way to shut off the doorbell—which would continue its raucous clamoring until switched off—at the moment was to press a small, green button (conveniently labeled 'Doorbell Off') near the shoe rack, and Sakura had every intention to do so right now.
But first, as the living room and bedroom would be inappropriate places to receive and entertain guests, whether it be due to the presence of too many boxes taking up too much space to allow guest and host to sit anywhere comfortably or just the plain inappropriateness of the surroundings, the study had to suffice as a temporary parlor (in the case that this early morning caller had the occasion to be invited inside).
Sakura bolted up from her seat, distraughtly rolling up the Time-Travel no Jutsu scroll (Nine) and grabbing the wallet and green mission details scroll from the desk while trying to ignore her second butt's smacking against her first as she frantically moved about and as her doorbell bled the ears out of all within two floors of Door Number 14.
(Eight)
Finally, after clearing out some space within one of the several desk drawers jam-packed with medical files and other documents, Sakura unceremoniously crammed the Time-Travel no Jutsu scroll, wallet, and green mission details scroll inside when came—
(Seven)
—a light knock (whose sound had been mostly subdued by the hollering of the malfunctioning doorbell) on the door and a faint…
"Sakura-chan, are you in there?"
(Six)
Sakura: Shishou?! Ack! Maybe she's here to talk to me about the Time-Travel no Jutsu!
Sakura hastily pulled the red, black, and white scroll back out of its cramped hiding place with the other mission essentials and bolted for the study door, taking the jutsu along with her in case her hunch was right.
(Five)
Sakura yanked the closed door open, wincing at the feeling of the wooden slab swinging a little too freely now, and scrambled down the hallway with fingers just itching to smash that damn, green button. She dearly hoped her neighbors would not complain in the morning (or, heck, just come and complain right now) and unreasonably fine her for not having fixed the doorbell as soon as she moved in.
(Four)
The agitated kunoichi noticed that her pile of weapons was still lying in the middle of the hallway several yards ahead but decided quieting the 'CHIKA, CHIKA, BANG, BANG!!' was a bigger priority than making the house tidy for her shishou. If she received a lecture on the dangers of leaving weapons about on the floor where they could get underfoot or inadvertently hurt someone, then so be it.
(Three)
As Sakura ran towards the quickly approaching weapons pile, preparing to leap over it and get to the door and button, she felt her body suddenly go helplessly limp as nearly all of her chakra unexpectedly disappeared in an instant. As a result, her legs could not support her weight due to the lack of chakra circulating through them, and Sakura toppled over…
(Two)
…tumbling… falling…
(One)
…and landing chest and abdomen-first onto the jagged, piercing weapons pile—
CLATTER-CLASH!
(Zero)
5:05 AM
Tsunade sighed with vast relief as Leaf Aspires Apartment Complex finally came into view.
It had been approximately 16 minutes since she had concealed her coat and its contents under her desk at the Hokage Tower, and Tsunade was growing slightly anxious at the possibility of Homura or an aide stopping by the office to retrieve a document from the desk. She just wanted to tell Sakura-chan what she needed to know and get the hell back to the office ASAP before her reputation would forever be tarnished.
Stairs were ascended three at a time, and within two minutes, Door Number 14's pretty, painted face manifested itself in front of the Hokage.
Tsunade hurriedly pressed the doorbell—
CHIKA, CHIKA, BANG, BANG!! OH, YEAH, BABY, BANG ME UP, BANG ME UP! CHIKA, CHIKA, BANG, BANG!! OH, YEAH, BABY, BANG ME UP, BANG ME UP!
The Godaime's thin eyebrows became level with her slight widow's peak as she listened to the shrieking (Tsunade—thinking wryly: Nice doorbell, Sakura-chan. Trying to convey a message to your male visitors…?) for a few more seconds before knocking firmly on the door and calling out (even though the chances of being heard over the bellowing were quite slim) to her apprentice.
"Sakura-chan, are you in there?"
Tsunade waited for a response, but none came.
The 'CHIKA, CHIKA, BANG, BANG!!' was still in full effect, and the Head Medic decided to tune it all out and quickly run over what she would say to the pink-haired kunoichi once the door was opened.
Tsunade: Alright, Sakura-chan, sorry to wake you up if you were sleeping, but I came here to tell you a few more things about the Time-Travel no Jutsu. You probably won't need to know the information I'm about to give you as I trust you will follow each and every one of my instructions carefully and thus avoid any danger to yourself, but I just thought, for safety's sake, letting you know would be wise.
First up, the Time-Travel no Jutsu is unique in the fact that it does not require the presence of molded chakra in the user's body to be activated as the jutsu will just consume 99 percent of the user's chakra by itself, molded or not. Yes, I know it's supposedly and theoretically impossible for a jutsu to be able to do that but then, so was the concept of time-travel. If there's anything I learned during this jutsu's development, it's that nothing is impossible anymore, Sakura-chan.
Second, the jutsu will take approximately ten seconds to fully activate, so don't worry or panic if you don't feel any changes or black out immediately after you perform the last hand sign. Just keep still, don't repeat anything, and wait for it.
And lastly, about 96 percent of your chakra will disappear from your body on the third-to-last second before you go into the past. Another percent of chakra will disappear on the second-to-last, and the final 99th percent will go on the last.
But as you will be lying down on the bed, you shouldn't have to worry about keeping yourself upright or—
CLATTER-CLASH!
Over the still on-going howling of the doorbell, the Godaime, startled out of her previous train of mental activity, thought she had heard something metal clanging around inside and waited impatiently for her apprentice to open the door…
Two minutes went by, and the painted metal Door Number 14 stayed shut. And the doorbell continued to wail on, giving the otologists of Konoha a lot of good business later on in the day.
Another minute went by… (in the background: CHIKA, CHIKA, BANG, BANG!! OH, YEAH, BABY, BANG ME—)
And another minute… (—UP, BANG ME UP! CHIKA, CHIKA, BANG—)
And another minute until the Godaime finally snapped and decided to take matters into her own hands. The Hokage Master Key that could open any locked door in Konoha was quickly whipped out of the back pocket and inserted into the keyhole, unlocking the door and revealing a brightly lit living room stacked to the ceiling with cardboard boxes and clear plastic cases.
Tsunade slipped inside and immediately noticed and forcefully slammed down on a small, green button that apparently seemed to be the end of the wretched racket.
The hellish doorbell shut up at last, but as the immensely relieved but very irritated Godaime turned her attention and line of sight onto the living room, expecting to see a certain pink-haired medic-nin running up to her with a damn good explanation for the delay at the door, she froze and felt her blood run cold.
Before her, lying prostrate and bleeding profusely on the white, fluffy carpeting eight paces away, was her apprentice, slumped chest and abdomen-forward onto a pile of ninja weaponry, grasping a very familiar red, black, and white scroll in her left hand, and staring unseeingly with a glassy, dead look into the eyes of her horrified mentor.
Author's Notes and Comments: Haha, did everyone catch the series of untimely mistakes that led to Sakura's unfortunate fate? It just shows to tell us that we shouldn't leave sharp knives around on the floor, disobey your shishou's orders (because there was an actual reason that those orders were given, even if you don't know what that reason is), and let yourself be pushed around by that evil, tempting inner voice we all have (er… at least, I think we all do).
And, ah, yes, before the complaints start, let me say that the acts Tsunade-hime committed were not just there for filling up pages. Those clothes under that mahogany office desk will eventually play a part in the story (albeit a small one).
And I apologize if anyone was confused by any typos or other incorrect usages of the English language in the story. I spent hours editing and revising chapter two (because the first few drafts of it were pretty…mediocre), but it's very likely that I forgot to correct a few things. Oh well, heh heh.
The title for this chapter originally was going to be either 'How Everything Went Wrong' or 'Too Late,' but I thought it might give too much away even before the readers started reading anything (besides the title, that is). Eventually, after just tinkering around with several alternate title candidates, 'An Untimely Mistake (or Rather, a Series of Them)' became chapter two's official name. Huzzah!
Ah, and Itachi will be appearing in (I think...? No promises, though) the chapter after the next. (Sorry! But no romance for a while either! I believe a good romance fic takes time to develop its relationships and plot!) :D
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all those who reviewed in the last chapter! You wonderful people are my driving inspiration! If I wasn't so shy and not the type to admit such personal things, I would have admitted I often read the reviews to mentally motivate myself to write! Haha, good thing I'm the shy type, though…
My thank you list of all those awesome, awesome readers who reviewed 'A Mission to the Past' during its debut: Phantasque, furryhatlover2543, psalmofsummer, Hikari Adams (yatta! It's Kari-chan!), A Sinners Curse, wonderful anonymous girl/guy (at this point, I have no knowledge of your gender either :D), les-liaisons-dangereuses, The Raven Haired Angel, Rachel9493, Avincenna, squall8final, Goatis, DarkAngelRakell, and Hiei's Cute Girl. Oh, and another HUMONGOUS thank you to all of those who added An Untimely Mistake to your Story Alerts and Favorites Stories sections! I'm so honored!!!
Please, please, please review! Reviews are my inspiration and the main, driving forces in getting these chapters out in a timely manner! Arigato gozaimasu!
Alright then, I guess I'll sign off and get going on the third chapter now. That last paragraph wasn't a really good place to stop the story (I actually had a better place to stop the chapter, but in order to get to that point, I would have had to double the current length of 'An Untimely Mistake, (or Rather, a Series of Them).' ), but I had no choice.
Random Tidbit: Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Oy.
--stoic-green, signing off! Yatta! Pockies and time-travel, un! Please review! (:D)
August 7th, 2007 update: Why hasn't An Untimely Mistake been updated in so long? You might want to check out the eleventh update to my profile for answers...
--stoic-green, signing off! Sayonara! See ya next year and much thanks to those who review!