Sakura's Point of View

I was so fucking hungry.

I didn't like to cuss, even if mentally, so the fact that I am shows that I'm really hungry.

God, I just want some food. All they've given me the past two days are bottles of water and a few supervised trips to the restroom by one of the female "nurses" here.

Seriously, the thought of how many vital, significant medical contributors could be out on the front lines fighting for the better good that were cooped up in here by their own will made me sick. They could be saving lives. Instead, they're messing around with those who had already lost theirs.

I hope they sleep terribly at night knowing that they're holding a 14-year-old girl hostage in an underground cellar and refusing her any water or proper care.

I hope that damned pillow is extra warm, no matter which way they flip it.

While my thoughts grew more vengeful and immature, footsteps began growing closer to my door. They weren't calm and feminine like I'd remembered from the lady that came to me for my bathroom breaks.

Oh my god, maybe Kai finally has an update…

As soon as my thought finished, the door swung open and a large gust of mildewy wind sprayed my face. I sniffed a few times, trying to rid my poor nostrils of the scent. Regardless, I was still extremely relieved to see an ugly, scarred-handed, manure-smelling man standing before me, two hands resting pleasingly on haughty hips.

"Finally," I breathed, wiping sweat and dirt off my brow. I glared at kai with expectant eyes.

He smiled and bent down. "Well, little miss, seems you're right. Sakura Haruno, huh? What a pretty lil' name you got. The same one that's on pretty much every missing person's poster in the nations," he said, his grin growing.

I huffed. "Yeah, you jerk. I told you I wasn't lying. Now I'm malnourished and impatient. When can I get out of this stupid room?" I asked, feeling gross just remembering my shower at home and my lack thereof practice. The memory made me frown.

I miss Konoha so, so much.

I miss my team.

I miss my home.

I hugged my knees a little tighter, a little sadder.

Kai sighed and whipped a key out of his pocket. "Not that I like your sass or anything–and don't expect you get to keep it up–but I'm letting your spoiled ass out now. We've got work to do," he said exasperatedly.

It was as if he was scared about something. His eyes kept darting all over the room and he kept subconsciously checking behind his back like something was coming for him.

"You seem like you're in a rush," I offered, eyeing him carefully.

I was slightly taken aback when he made eye contact with me and frowned. "Let's just say your village treasures your dainty ass. A couple of my men have been followed by your ANBU members and the only way we haven't been caught is because they had no choice but to return to their subjective homes instead of here. Thanks to your disappearance of whatever sort, we've lost a lot of needed employees here. That's the only reason I'm using your assistance and not killing you. We need more workers and I'm praying the "medical lessons" you've been receiving from that Hokage of yours are accurate and sustainable to this operation."

My face dropped. Are they looking for me that hard?

Admittedly, the urgency from my village warmed my heart a little bit.

However, that meant I was now on very thin ice with these freaks. Meaning no more snarky remarks. I just need to do what they say until I can get out of here.

A few hours ago I had devised my long-term plan. I always kept several paper bombs taped inside my spandex, no matter the mission. Yesterday I used jutsu to transfer them to the base of each foot. Whenever I make a certain hand symbol, one gets placed right where I step.

I'm hoping that I make it around enough of the perimeter of this place to set off enough to send it to shit. I have only 20.

When I conjoin my hands to another symbol, they all go off as chakra strings release. Yes, the days in that room were boring and painful, but I managed to store up just enough chakra to make this work.

Please work.

My shackles were undone and, to my surprise, Kai reached a hand down and helped me to my feet. I'd barely been standing during my time in here. I can count the number of times I've stood up on one hand.

Trying my best to ignore the screaming pains that were coming from the muscles in my lower limbs, I hoisted myself up and followed Kai out of the cellar.

The smell outside the room wasn't much better but it was different and it was fresher so I immediately flared my nostrils and inhaled a huge intake of the new air. As I exhaled I took note of the hand now situated on my forearm. I eyed Kai carefully as we took a turn to the right of the dim corridor, heading to my new destination.

I was too busy observing different surroundings that I almost forgot to release a bomb from my foot. We were about 2 minutes away from the room so I decidedly used the hand by my thigh to sign a symbol and stepped bluntly on a corner of the floor with my right heel.

The sudden movement was abrupt and I nearly tripped. Kai halted and glared. "What the hell are you tripping for? We've got shit to do," he said and yanked me forward.

I released the breath I had sucked in, thanking Kami he hadn't suspected anything. "Sorry.."

10 minutes later, we had traveled through countless hallways and were now approaching a white area of the base, two metal doors, and a lingering smell of iron coming from them.

Throughout the walk, I successfully placed 18 more bombs.

The layout, from what I've observed, seemed like this. Past my room, there were two hallways. The shorter one, to the left, held the bathroom I used and a sink on the side of the wall. The one to the right led to the rest of the lair.

That hallway took approximately 2 minutes and 43 seconds to travel down. I placed a bomb in it about halfway through.

We then took a left turn, the only one possible in that corridor, and suddenly I was walking along a steel, hollow bridge that lay across pipes and what seemed to be the generator, piping, and electric area of the base. It took one minute to pass. I placed three bombs. My mindset was that that place held all the power. I needed to send it to shit.

To my relief, we took a left of two turns once exiting the bridge and walked into a red door. I placed one bomb before walking into the room.

Kai stood me against a wall and ordered me to stay in the area while he got me some food. I nodded and slowly made my way around what was presumably the kitchen. Next to the oven and stove contraption, I hid one bomb. Same with the water heater and sink that were on the opposite side. That brings me to 7 bombs so far. We stayed in there for about 2 minutes and 5 seconds and then Kai shoved an apple and sandwich meat into my hand, and yanked me out, continuing back to the right option of the hallways exiting the bridge.

This corridor was one of the longest. 3 minutes and 53 seconds. As we passed, I placed 10 more bombs.

I made this risk of wasting them quite harshly. I assumed that the contents of the hall–rooms of computers and workers at work in what seemed to be labs and filing rooms, testing strips, and chemicals–were closest to the main part of the base: the operating room. I situated a bomb by each of the 10 doors. And it left me with one more to place.

A right turn, the only one available, led us to a hallway that was seemingly wider and empty, that is until I noticed a round gap in the middle.

I saw an "exit" sign taped to the wall to my right with an arrow pointing to the narrow space and made the hand sign right as my foot became parallel with the ladder leading up to stairs and soon what I presume to be the actual exit.

I smiled as we exited the 30-second hallway, and turned left into a 32-second corridor which finally led me to those two doors.

I had made my way around the entire base, placed 18 paper bombs, and still had two left to spare.

We walked into the room and Kai led me over to a chair, situated in front of several computers and filing cabinets. I raised a brow as I analyzed the rest of the room.

Several men and women in scrubs and masks were talking, eyeing me narrowly as they began to pull out medical equipment. They were standing close to an operating table and I nearly gagged as my eyes caught sight of a white box labeled "biohazard" with two stray drops of brown gunk streaming down from the lid.

How much do I wanna bet that that's a decapitated head?

I grimaced at the layout until Kai grabbed my jaw and forced me to look at the screens in front of me.

I clicked my tongue. "God. What are we even doing?" I spat, seething at him.

Kai sighed and sat down next to me, pulling a few papers out from a folder and handing them over to me. "Scan over these as I explain what we need to do," he ordered, intertwining his fingers on the elongated desktop.

I frowned and started to stare at the diagrams, observing the contents, waiting for him to begin.

Kai huffed and finally spoke. "You see, there's an unfair contrast in our world between those who contain the ability of chakra control, and those who don't." This caught my attention and I met his eyes.

He continued. "Recent research between me and a few old colleagues of mine has found that chakra, in certain cases of delicate care, can be extracted from cells of chakra-controlling persons. It's something we've been theorizing about for years, and have finally had a breakthrough with. You following?" he asked abruptly.

"Yes," I mumbled.

"Well, it's still a few years in the making, and successfully not only extracting but utilizing this chakra is something that could help a lot of people out. Both physically and economically. The man who has been overlooking and supporting our work is a member of your precious village. Unfortunately, I can't give any names, but this breakthrough is not only going to provide individual protection for several people that need it but a source of income greater than anyone could have imagined. Equality all the same as well," Kai breathed, his eyes growing with more anticipation per word.

The gears started to work in my head and my jaw dropped slightly. "So you're telling me that you're breaking several of our nation's conjoined laws to illegally extract chakra from past shinobi to what? Make use of it yourself?" I asked in awe, disgust, and awe.

Kai only nodded proudly. "That's right. You said you want in, and whether you like it or not we need you now," he explained, starting to stand up.

It was so inhumane and revolting to me. I swear when I finally blow this place up I'm making sure it's when Kai is extra close to the last bomb. "How exactly am I going to help with this?" I added, careful to tone my words not too suspiciously as to add to my act of wanting to assist them.

"You mentioned you studied under the Sanin, Tsunade, is that correct?" he inquired of me suddenly.

I swallowed. "Yes."

"Do you happen to know anything about the 100 healings Justu, Sakura?" he then said, making everything click in my head all at once.

I stood up, sending the chair flying back. "Wait, you think I'm able to dig into this person's chakra reserve? That's what you take the heads isn't it?" I gasped, walking up to meet him.

Kai grinned. "Well, I hope you can, otherwise your dead. We've been trying to figure out how to do this for months and we keep rotting the corpse's head altogether instead of accomplishing anything. Regrettably, that's why we keep having to dig up bodies upon bodies: failed attempts."

I grasped at both of my arms and shook my head in disdain. God, it's so fucked. So, fucked.

Suddenly I wasn't hungry anymore. I just wanted out.

I seethed, glaring up at him while he continued his explanation. "Tsunade has mastered the process of storing chakra. Now, every shinobi may not actively save and track theirs like those who possess the 100 healings Jutsu, but they all have reserves. Who better to attempt the process of digging into it than the lady's apprentice herself?" he said.

I had to pretend I knew what I was doing. I needed to leave this place as soon as possible.

To go home.

I breathed, once, twice, and sighed. "Okay," I managed, watching in disgust as two men opened the box and started to pull out the head of a red-headed woman.

I nearly threw up as I stared at the bone and mush coming from the cut neck. Not to mention the shriveled-up skin and matted hair that stuck to the said skin from an orange goop plastered throughout the face. I was used to studying medical operations. I didn't mind blood and guts, but the ethical imbalance and gore presented to me were astounding.

"Good girl. Come here," he gestured as he placed a hand on my upper back and guided me to the end of the table. I was handed a mask which I threw on immediately, eager to avoid the stench in the room, and two pairs of rubber gloves which I also dressed on myself with gratitude.

Kai came and stood behind me. "Now. Theoretically speaking, you can use your chakra to connect to whatever waves of chakra remain in the DNA of the cords of the brain. If you can do that for us, maybe you can achieve finding some remaining parts of that reserve in this head." Kai pointed to the temple of the woman, visualizing his words.

I was shaking. I placed a bomb right next to Kai's foot in a split-second decision and shook my head. "I don't know if I'll mess this up," I whispered, fear coating each syllable.

I don't want to mess around even a little bit with this poor woman's head.

Kai, impatiently, leaned down and muttered in my ear, "Well you better try."

I gulped and looked down into the eyes of the poor woman. I then closed mine and breathed. "Okay. Let me channel my chakra. One moment."

Kai allowed me my moment as I reinstated my plan in my head.

I brought my hands together. Forming the same symbol that would set off the bombs.

Slowly and carefully, while pretending to get at someone else's, I began to coat my own body in a thin layer of protective chakra, sealing myself as much as possible from the pain I was about to endure.

I stepped back three steps, as far away as Kai let me go before he halted my movements with a hand on my shoulder and nodded away, my eyes still closed.

I channeled my chakra strings to my hands and breathed out, in the faintest of whispers, "Jiěchú."

"Release."

A loud boom blasted through all my senses and everything went black.