Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto
little late for the disclaimer I know
Blood greeted the arrival of dawn. Blood on forest leaves. Crap, well this is some wake up call, Thought Naruto Uzumaki as he examined a crushed plant in the middle of the forest clearing he, Sasuke and Sakura had been called to look at. It had happened at nine 'o clock when Lee hopped in Naruto's window. "Naruto wake the heck up the council wants us to see something!" "Huh... who... ..where RAMEN!!! Lee watched the Jounin and sighed. "Naruto the Council wants us to see something." Naruto looked quizicly at Lee "Why are you in my window?" "The door was locked."
"Sasuke did you find any thing?" "Sakura that's the fifth time you've asked me that this morning." The search yielded only a few crunched leaves and some blood plus the corpse of a Chunin mangled beyond recognition. "Who ever it was took the Headband and the head with it." Tsunade said coming up behind them. This was the third murder that month. "Hey Naruto." Hinata Huuga had walked up to Naruto and surprised him "Woa-o-o-o" Thunk! chunch! bonk! Thud! Naruto had fallen out of the tree he was in and landed in a tangled heap at Hinata's feet. "Owwwwww. Oh hey Hinata did you get called up here too?" "No I came looking for you I...I I was wondering if you wanted to get Ichiraku tonight?" Sasuke and Sakura smirked at exactly the same time. "Why do you want to go to Ichiraku and not somewhere more fancy Hinata? Hoping Ramen will stimulate romance in Naruto?" Sakura said sliding down the tree and landed next to Hinata. "No Sakura it's not a date it's just two friends having dinner." Naruto said exasperated. Sasuke landed and grinned. "What else do you call a boy and a girl that has a crush on him eating dinner together."
"Damn it Sasuke it's not a date!"
"Aw I give up."
"Yeah there's nothing here let's go."
"Hey Sasuke want to go out for dinner tonight?" Asked Sakura "Now who's on a date eh Sasuke?" "Naruto I'm gonna kill you!"
Lightning lashed the forest as three silent figures sped through the forest, One tall and lean, the second was shorter but he was of skeletal appearance, the last one was of heavy build. The first one called a halt and they rested on a tree trunk about thirty feet from the ground. "Ssssssso", The thin one said in a hissing voice, "Who's the next target?"
The lean one the leader of the group smiled, "We have different targets this time. I hear Tsunade will be leading a party of ANBU here, we'll take Tsunade together but the ANBU we can have some fun with."
Tsunade was in a bad mood. She had lost another Chunin to the forest killer and she had a monumental amount of paperwork to do so she had no time for ceremony. "Naruto Uzumaku, Sasuke Uchiha, Rock Lee, Hinata Huuga. You four will comprise ANBU team one. Neji Huuga, Tenten, Shikamaru Nara, Kiba Inuzuka. You are team two."
Neji stepped forward, "Lady Hokage if I may, who is leading this operation?" Tsunade smiled a smile that if you had any sense made you take a step backwards. "I will."
Naruto was happy, he'd had a nice dinner with Hinata and now he was being promoted to ANBU status. Tomorrow he and eleven other shinobi were going out into the forest to catch the forest killer dead or alive. He sat on the edge of his bed in his boxers and under shirt and finished off the rice he was snacking on. He flopped back on his bed and fell asleep.
Sasuke and Sakura walked down the street that she lived on. "Thanks for the good time tonight Sasuke." Sasuke smiled and opened the door to her apartment for her and said, "My pleasure." He turned to go but Sakura put a hand on his arm. "Wait I have something to give you." "What is it?" He was curious now. She opened her medics pouch at her belt and pulled out a piece rose quartz carved in the shape of a cherry blossom but resting inside the petals was the Uchiha crest carved obsidian.
Sasuke took the carving, it was heavy. "Wow, it's beautiful Sakura, I don't know what to say." She smiled, "How about 'Goodnight'." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek then slipped inside her apartment. As he walked away his eyes stabbed pain and he fell to his knees blood running eyes. The dream flashed again rain, blood, this time he saw a medics uniform tattered and stained with blood, a head band with red cloth, weight and warmth in the cold, and he became aware of cold pain in his chest.
He opened his eyes and picked himself up off the cold wet street and wiped his face. When he got another kind of pain hit him from the back of neck, he dashed to the mirror and sure enough sinuous black marks covered the left side of face. "Dammit!!" He punched the mirror shattering the glass.
He walked into the bedroom and took the stone flower out of his his pocked noticing for the first time time that a small hairline crack ran the length of the piece.
The next morning Naruto pulled on the black jumpsuit of the ANBU and be affixing the matte gray plates to it. When he was done he slung the belt that carried his katana over his shoulder. He looked at mast and smiled it was stylized with fox with red details. He put on but then flipped up onto his head. He walked out of his house. He walked about ten paces when he sensed someone behind him. He turned quickly but relaxed when he the blue raven mask of Hinata Huuga.
"Hey Hinata, what are you doing here?" She slipped her mask off but there was no blush on her pale face only a determined look. "I was h-hoping we could walk down to the forest together." Naruto grinned and then the blush spread across her face. "Yeah, sure let's go." She walked past him and without him meaning to his lips brushed her cheek. She tensed but to his astonishment she kept walking.
He felt his face grow warm and fell into step beside her. He felt cold and silky wrap around his hand, he looked down to see Hinata's hand on his he smiled and the two shinobi walked to the forest like that.
Sasuke slid his sword into it's back sheath and slipped his tiger mask on. He walked out onto the street smelling the cherry blossoms that were scattered on his door step. He felt movement behind him but he didn't turn around. "Hey Sakura you coming on this mission too?" The pink haired kunoichi stepped out from the trees. "Yeah I'm medic in case this turns ugly."
The two shinobi walked down to forest hand in hand. "Hey Sasuke what did you with stone I gave you." Sasuke patted the pouch at his belt and smiled, "It's right here Sakura." She smiled "I wouldn't have pegged you for sentimental Sasuke." He snorted.
When they reached the clearing all of the other shinobi were there. Tsunade was wearing a red robe under plates of blue armor. Naruto had his mask slung on the side of his face but there was no hiding the malicious grin on it when he saw Sakura's hand in Sasuke's. Before he coul say anything Tsunade called them to attention. "Alright people the investigators have a new piece of information for us. The bodies each had a headband in their clothing." The group tensed, "What village?" Neji asked. Tsunade shook her head, That's just it the only marking were three kanji tiger, snake, and spider." Lee frowned, "That's odd it dosn't match and know village." "We think that killers maybe marking their kills. Okay we deal with this in a three prong split. Naruto you take your squad to the east and canvas the area, Neji take west, Sakura and I will take the area between you." "'Naruto's' squad?" Sasuke looked confused. "Yes 'Naruto's' squad." Lee sighed.
"Let's go Sasuke you and Lee take the wast part of the area, Hinata and I will take the other." The ninja vanished into the forest. Tsunade and Sakura jumped from branch to branch with practiced ease. Tsunade held up fist to signal halt and Sakura skidded on the branch to stop. "What is it?" She asked. Tsunade didn't answer she was looking at a long lean figure that had unfolded itself from the tree.
The man had thick reddish hair streaked with black and gold eyes with cat pupils. He spoke with a low soft voice with a hint of a growl. "You are Tsunade the rodiame." It wasn't a question. Tsunade stared in disbelief and choked out "It's you!" before the man lunged at her.
Tsunade jumped aside as the attackers' hands left deep claw marks in the tree. She threw a rapid series of punches and kicks the attackers' preternatural speed allowed him dodge all them even catching the last one. He pulled Tsunade close and struck her in the stomach with his elbow denting the blue battle plate.
She flew backwards landing feet first on the tree-trunk. She threw a hand full of kunai at the man but he wasn't there any more. Instead was a thin man with green snakes eyes and a long katana with a green hilt. Tsunade gasped she knew the sword well, too well, it had killed her mentor the Third Hokage. That sword was Kusangi, the Grass Longsword. The new man grinned amused at the affect he was having on her.
He didn't so much run at her as flow but whatever he did he was fast. She got one arm up in time block the blow and punched the man in the face he flew backwards recovering in the air. Sakura lunged at him intent on helping her teacher but with out even looking at her he knocked her out of the air, her head hit some thing hard and the world spun.
The he vanished to be replaced a big man with two sets of extra arms. Tsunade was panting but she hadn't used any ninjutsu yet. Her hands moved in a flurry of signs coming to rest on tiger, fire. "Katon gokau no justsu!" An enormous fire ball erupted from her mouth. Hitting the large man head-on. The flames vanished leaving all three men standing there unscathed.
Sakura tried to move but all of her bones felt broken, the last thing she saw was the three men closing in on Tsunade.
Sasuke and Lee had found nothing and after canvasing the area they were heading back to the rendezvous point when they heard movement in the trees both men drew their swords but the person following them was a familiar face. "Sakura what happened to Tsunade?" "I don't know we were attacked by three men but I knocked out, when I came to I was here and I followed you."
Lee and Sasuke exchanged looks and Sasuke said, "Sakura and I will check it out you go ahead tell Naruto." Lee nodded and the two shinobi broke off. They traveled about half a mile before they found the sight of the battle. Blood was everywhere and there was a red and blue shape lying on the ground. "Oh no, oh no!!" Sakura sped ahead of Sasuke towards the pitiful shape on the forest floor. "Wait Sakura!!"
He caught up with her and found her cradling Tsunades' body in her arms. Sasuke felt his stomach dropping out. He turned and punched the tree so hard he left a fist shaped mark in the wood. "How could this have happened? Dammit! Dammit!!." There was a slithering sound off to his left and he drew his katana. Standing there was a pale man with green eyes. Sasuke went numb with shock as rain started pouring through the canopy. This was just like his dream. Then the significance hit him, the crack in the stone, the blood, the sword. Sakura was going to die here.
"Sakura run, go go now!!" She looked scared at the tone of his voice he sounded panicked. She nodded and took off with Tsunades body still in her arms. Sasuke looked at the man with the sword. "Who are you?" The man smiled a cold lipless smile. "I don't give my name to strangerss but sseeing assss you're about to die, I'm Zek."
Sasuke moved faster than ever and appeared behind Zek striking at him with his blade. Zek moved impossibly fast dodging the swipe and slashing Sasuke across the chest. He rolled backwards breastplate cut clean in two a long shallow cut bleeding onto the ground.
Sasuke smiled and slid his mask into place and jumping onto the tree then springing at Zek blade held for a stab. Zek deflected the blow but caught the returning kick full in the chest. He staggered back ten paces and in that time Sasuke closed and cut him across the stomach. Zek jumped backwards and grinned displaying fangs.
"I sssee now it getss sserioussss." He made a hand sign and he shifted. His legs blended together to form a tail and scales broke across his skin. He slid and then he was right there in front of Sasuke stabbing his blade into his shoulder pinning him to the tree. "Tell me what you cherish most, give me pleasure of taking it away." Sasuke tried to move the arm but he couldn't. Zek drew his sword out of Sasuke's shoulder and poised it to finish him but as he stabbed down a red and white blur moved in front him. Instead of killing Sasuke the blade took Sakura through the back exiting her stomach in a spray of blood.
"NOO!!" Sasuke felt like he had taken the sword in the heart. The blade slid out of the wound and Sakura slumped onto him head resting on his shoulder. She raised her head and kissed him full on lips her blood mingling with his. "I....love y-you." she said before Zek stabbed through her and into Sasuke. He knew that his dream had come true and as tasted her blood in his mouth he let darkness claim him.