Uncharted Seas

by xokatherine229

She was fascinated by their legends and lifestyle. When the most notorious Pirate crew attacks her home, she and two others find themselves hiding on their ship. Soon, she finds herself entering a world of adventure, bloodshed, and mystery as she becomes the key component in finding one of the most sacred treasures that has been hidden for centuries. What will she do to survive?

3. Discovery

Author's Note: I'm glad to see that everyone is enjoying the story! I apologize for the delay; I have been very busy and it has prevented me from posting this chapter. I made the chapter a little bit longer to make up for the long wait.

Anyways, enjoy!

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"I'll take that book," she pointed to the light brown tattered spine that rested, isolated, on its own self.

The merchant eyed the small 13 year old pink-haired girl with confusion. He turned to the lonely book and roughly pulled it from the dust-covered self, "this thing?" He rotated the title-less brown book with maggot-bitten holes that decorated the very edges of the cover. This useless thing has been here since I opened this shop, he thought to himself as he stared at the young girl standing on the other side of his pinewood desk.

She stood at the other end of the table, one hand held the tight linen rope that rested against her shoulder while the other hand grabbed a small hickory arrow and began to tap the stone tip against his table. The merchant narrowed his eyes as the young girl stood in his shop, unaware of the dangerous people that continued to eye her innocent physique. Maybe I can swindle this naïve girl, he thought as a sickening smile spread across his face, revealing his remaining four golden teeth.

"Twenty gold," he told her as he leaned his dirty elbows against the table and waved the fragile book back and forth against the air.

"Not many people know what that book is," Sakura thought to herself as she met eyes the smiling merchant. Her determined emerald eyes didn't waver as she held his stare with matched determination.

"Twelve gold," she said.

"Ho, ho," the merchant slammed the book down on the table as his smile grew wider. "Do you even know what this book is little girl?" His darkening brown eyes continued to evaluate the unmoving girl as he jumped over the table and stood within arm's reach. She will reconsider her price now, he thought with a mental grin as he reached inside his knee-long brown leather coat and revealed a jagged seven-inch long iron blade. "20 gold," he restated while he moved the ice-cold knife and placed it against the right side of her red dress towards the midline of her body.

Is this guy serious? Sakura's determined eyes watched as the grungy man placed his weapon against her favorite dress. She pivoted sideways to face the merchant; her eyes trailed down to the knife that still threatened to stab her, and then returned her attention to the nearly toothless smiling man.

"Do we have a deal?" He snickered as he waited to see fear in her eyes.

Sakura said nothing as a bright smile appeared across her face. "12 gold or no gold," she told him as she grabbed the arm holding the knife and placed her right thumb against the inside of his elbow.

"20 gold little girl, and that's final." The merchant glared at the stubborn girl, not intimidated by her sudden touch.

This little girl is… Before the merchant could complete his thought a shooting pain circuited through his entire arm, causing him to release his menacing knife. The iron clanged against the cobblestone ground, its sound reached their ears as the air thickened. "What the hell?" He bellowed as he took several quick steps away from the girl, making sure to cradle his arm with his other hand.

"What the fuck did you do you twit!" He screamed at her as he tried to wiggle his unresponsive fingers.

"Twit?" Sakura raised a well-groomed pink eyebrow as she flashed the merchant another innocent smile. "Ha, ha, I have never been called that before!" She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed the eight by eleven inch book off the table. Sakura reached into her quiver and pulled out a small cotton sac, "here you go Mr. Merchant, twelve gold just like I promised. Thank you!" She finished as she lightly placed the sac on his table and walked out of the small shop, leaving the flabbergasted merchant behind.

---

"Finally I tracked you down!" Sakura told the book as she ran her left hand over the aged cover. Who would have thought that Zabuza was right? A satisfied smile spilled across her face as she fanned through the object of her affection. I can't wait to read all about them, she looked to the dark night sky and nodded towards the full moon, I'll have to thank Kakashi for telling me about these pirates, she thought to herself as she began to skip through the crowded Black Market.

"Hey there little gir' wanna come home with me?" A man, dressed in only brown leather pants, with an iron chain belt wrapped around his waist, called out to Sakura. Attached to his studded belt were three different types of copper spiked maces that hung loosely against his wide hips. His towering figure looked down at the cheerful Sakura with scheming eyes as his callused hands continued to juggle nunchucks that possessed razor-sharp spikes, casted in bronze-metal that gleamed in the moonlight.

"Oh," Sakura stopped skipping and bowed towards the six foot tall man, "sorry sir but not today. Thank you though!" Her eyes momentarily stared at the glistening nunchucks before she skipped off towards the only exit and entrance of the secret gathering.

The man stood dumbfounded by the girl's response. "What the hell?" He scratched the back of his head as he watched other men, carrying death-dealing weapons, try to entice the naïve girl towards them. What's a girl doing in the Black Market anyway? At first he took a moment to assess the odd appearance of the young child but shrugged his shoulders and continued on with investigating the market for new illegal maces.

"Finally!" Sakura turned towards the sinister alleyway she had emerged from and stared in the shadows at the well-hidden, highly illegal, Black Market. If another guy asked me to come home with them I was going to slam my book on their head! Sakura shouted at herself as her temper began to rise. Deep breath Sakura, deep breaths, do what Tsunade taught you, and within seconds Sakura's temper had receded.

She turned her back to the secret alleyway and began to walk towards the center of Konoha. I better get home soon. Dad will know I'm missing. Sakura lengthened her stride and allowed the full moon to illuminate a path for her to follow back towards her home.

Her agile feet carried her through the city, making her nimble body slip in and out of the small stoned paths that littered Konoha. Her mind effortlessly instructed her body to turn down familiar streets, her mind taking a moment to stare at the iron gated community where the Hyuuga's lived, before she sprinted towards the wooded area that protected her country. While she sprinted towards the forest, a strong scent of blood and fire entered her nostrils. Where is that coming from? She stopped running towards the forest and sprinted down one of the longest street paths of Konoha. Her muscles began to tense as the smell of blood grew stronger and the sound of ear-piercing screams echoed in her ears.

I need to be careful, she told herself as she came face-to-face with another gated community. Her emerald eyes stared at the menacing black clouds that hovered around the area. I have to see what's going on! Sakura turned her back on the iron gate and ran towards one of the brick-made homes that resided eighty feet away from the gated area.

With all of her training from one of the most elite knights in Konoha, Sakura effortlessly climbed the home and firmly planted her feet on top of the wooden roof. She turned her attention to community that was covered in flames. What the… she stood on top of the roof, speechless, as she watched a black blur soar across the small pathways. Bodies began to drop to the ground as the blur sprinted off into another direction.

Having the desire to see more of the destruction, Sakura looked around her surroundings to find a possible entry-way. Maybe down this way, Sakura took off running towards the east, flying through the air, and slamming on the neighboring rooftop. She continued to circle around the segregated collection of homes, searching for a way to jump over the stoned wall without placing herself in the middle of the massive bloodshed, and the longer she threw herself against rooftops the more she started to realize that the screaming had stopped.

A sudden rustling of the forest caused Sakura to freeze in her position. Crap, the anxious girl crouched down low, pulled out her bow and arrow, and attached the awaiting weapon to the linen rope. Her calculating eyes scanned her surroundings, left, right, behind, and above but she could not find any indication that someone was near. Suddenly, a softer sound came from the forest, causing Sakura to put her bow back around her shoulder and her arrow back into the quiver. I wonder, Sakura climbed off of the rooftop and entered the forest. Her nose quickly identified the scent of fire and death and she began to soundlessly maneuver her way towards the smell.

Just a little closer, Sakura encouraged herself as the smell intensified. Maybe working with Tsunade's potions were not the best idea, Sakura held her sensitive nose with her thumb and pointer finger. Who is that? Her attention suddenly changed when her eyes caught sight of a person's back. I need to hide; she quietly slid her body into a nearby bush, praying that the mysterious person did not sense her presence.

As soundlessly as possible, Sakura pushed a few leaves out of her line of sight, her curious pea green eyes watched as a black-clothed person stood in the middle of the small forest opening. What are they doing? She found herself unable to remove her gaze from the mysterious individual before her.

The black-clothed person stood with their back towards Sakura, staring off into the direction of the gated community. The mysterious being stood in the mix of the darkness provided by the shadows of the trees and the light that shined from the moon, frozen from their current location. Sakura found her body automatically inching closer to the human, her burning desire to know what was going on grew more and more as the seconds passed.

"Come out," the mysterious person stated smoothly.

I was so quiet! How could they have heard me? Sakura's eyes began to widen as the statement hung in the air. She sighed and slightly smiled at her predicament, I guess there is no turning back now, she though with excitement.

"I didn't think you heard me," Sakura said as she walked through her hiding spot and stood thirty feet away from the mysterious person before her. "Who are you?" Sakura asked.

The mysterious human said nothing to her response. A girl? The black-clothed human recognized the higher octave voice and against their better judgment, the human quickly turned around to face the sudden intruder.

Emerald clashed against crimson red. Sakura stood as still as stone as she tried to take in the full appearance of the person before her, but the opaque lighting around his face made it difficult. She took a step closer, while narrowing her eyes, and raised her hand, "come closer," Sakura ordered.

Who is this girl? The mysterious person thought as they made no indication of responding to her request.

Sakura noticed this and shook her head, "fine if you don't come here, then I'll just come to you."

As the sudden change of rules, the mysterious human took a step closer. I will not allow this girl to have control. I don't need another fan girl following me, not while the plan is in motion.

Sakura smiled as she watched the human's body bathe in the moon light. So this must be that black blur I was seeing, she concluded. Her curious eyes analyzed the black leather boots that had small miniscule spots of crimson red blood, with the sudden discovery Sakura found her eyes slowly scaling up the person's body. Their long black skin-tight breeches started to hug their slim calves and thighs, the once small spots of red began to increase in size and frequency, and soon the pink-haired teen's eyes came to an abrupt stop. Oh my god, right in the middle of the person's skin-hugging black shorts sleeves shirt was a colossal smear of blood. The mix between the dark shade of black and the dripping wet blood caused the shirt to sag, causing bare skin to be revealed.

"Leave," a slightly deeper tone emitted from the person's mouth as they watched her study the blood stained body. They could feel her staring at the massive amounts of blood that had collected on the front of the shirt. Good, she will go away.

"Uh…" Sakura looked away from the pool of blood and moved her eyes towards their slender arms. So he is a boy, Sakura concluded. The dried blood coated the person's fingers, palms, and forearm, where the thick trail of blood stopped at his bony elbow. Sakura found her eyes traveling towards his neck and face, where droplets of scarlet red scattered across his skin.

Unconsciously Sakura took another step forward as her vision drifted from his small flawless neck towards the start of his face. She stared as the soft summer breeze touched upon his ivory skin, the strong outline of his jaw bone never shifted as her eyes studied his wrinkle-free heart-shaped face before meeting his emotionless crimson red eyes. "So you're the one that set that housing complex on fire…"

The young man stood his ground. There is nothing keeping me here, even though he could easily slip away and disappear into the forest he found himself slightly intrigued by her. She sees the amount of blood I'm covered in and yet she moves closer. Normal people shutter away from the sight of blood.

Her emerald eyes probed his blood red colored orbs as she waited to see a reaction elicit from the young man. He looks like he's my age. Sakura turned her head to the side and studied his facial features a little longer. The skin around his eyes was tight and the corners of his expressionless mouth did not possess any age marks. She looked down at the brown book she had been tracking down for months and then stared back at the unmoving boy.

"Judging by your lack of emotions, I'm assuming whatever you did isn't good."

His body slightly tensed as she raised her right hand and extended the older book into his personal space. She is giving me a book…to help me escape…she doesn't even know me… Every action she committed made the young boy irritated.

"Although this book took me a couple months to find in the Black Market, I think you need it more than I do," she flicked her wrist and caused the book to push a small wave of air towards his revealed bare skin. "It lists every single pirate group sailing the seas. You might want to disappear and become one."

Wordlessly, the young boy took the book, his eyes never left hers. It goes against my better judgment to take this…but I'll need some type of lead to find the Akatsuki.

"Well, I'll let you go then!" Sakura flashed him a pearly white smile as she spun around on her sandal's heel, causing her long pink hair to sway sideways across her back.

"Who are you?" His eyes narrowed as he stared at her pink hair. No one in Konoha has pink hair.

Sakura turned her body to the side and stuck her tongue out, "sorry, my Dad told me to never give my name to strangers." Without looking back at the silent boy, Sakura turned her back to him once more and took a step towards the path she came from.

However, she was only able to walk a few feet before the blood covered male stood in her path. She gracefully came to a halt and waited to see what he would do. The young boy grabbed her arm; his bleeding-red eyes stared into her dark emerald eyes as his grip began to tighten around her arm. "Wake up," he said.

"What?" Sakura stood her ground as she raked her brain trying to understand his confusing order.

"Wake up!" The boy's voice screamed louder this time, but it was no longer the low emotionless tone that she was used to hearing, instead, it transformed into a higher pitched tone that held a sense of urgency.

"WAKE UP!" The sudden shout echoed through the forest. Both of his hands grabbed onto her arms and started to shake her violently.

---

"WAKE UP SIS!" A young boy's voice shouted towards the sleeping Sakura's face. His small body straddled her sleeping form as his petite hands grabbed the tops of her shoulders and began to shake her. "Come on Sis!"

The violent shaking caused his sister's body to begin moving side-to-side underneath him and abruptly her eyes opened. Her emerald eyes met wide cerulean blue as they stared her down, waiting for her to respond.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura's raspy voice filled the room as she rubbed her eyes trying to banish the troublesome eye crusts that resided in the corner of her eyes.

"Sarutobi is making ramen for breakfast! Hurry up!" His energetic body bounced up and down on Sakura's stomach, trying to convince Sakura to get out of her queen-sized bed.

"How can I get up if you're on me Naruto?" Sakura giggled as the young boy stopped his bouncing, his eyes widened even more before he withdrew his body and throw himself to the opposite side of Sakura's bed.

"Sorry Sis!" Naruto rose to his knees and flashed his typical cheesy smile, "you're coming right?"

Sakura sat up in her bed and nodded her head, "I'll be right down."

"YAHOO!" Naruto stood on top of her mattress and launched himself into the air, securely landing on his feet, and began to sprint down the long hallway.

Sakura felt a small smile appear as she watched her adoptive brother sprint downstairs. Only Naruto, she told herself as she gently pulled back her navy blue silk blanket and placed her petite feet on the cool cherry wooden floors. The young woman sat at the edge of her bed as she absentmindedly stared out of her fifteen foot long window that overlooked the forest. That dream…I haven't dreamt about that night in over a year. Sakura placed her hands on the side of her body and lifted her small frame off the feather-filled bed.

Soundlessly, Sakura walked away from her bed and towards the closed-in area on the other side of her forty-foot room. I wonder what ever happened to that strange boy in the woods. He definitely wasn't like the typical school boys in my class. Her fingers subconsciously traveled down to the yellow gold pendant that rested against her neck as she opened a light blue painted door to reveal a smaller room that stored various dresses, shoes, pants, and shirts. I have never seen anyone with eyes like his, the red in his eyes…it was intense…it was almost like he could see right through me. She entered the small room and began scanning the long isle of clothing that filled both sides. Her hands lightly brushed against the simple colored dresses before her hand grabbed a gold satin gown. Oh well, I better hurry and get dressed before Naruto comes running back in here, she thought with a giggle as she grabbed a pair of small heeled leather shoes and her white undergarments.

She walked back over to the giant window and gingerly placed her clothing on her favorite side of the bed. Maybe this time I can get Zabuza to take Naruto and me on an adventure. Effortlessly, Sakura untied the corset-like design on the back of her white cotton nightgown and the clothing fluttered into a pool around her feet.

The sun's rays shined through the window, shining down on Sakura's purplish red diamond that was guarded by the yellow gold octagon-shaped pendant. The sudden change of light caused a collection of colors to shine against the painted teal walls. Sakura watched as a rainbow of colors that ranged from bright red to deep purple scattered across her walls. Without looking away from the vibrant colored wall, she grabbed her undergarments and covered her most sacred woman body parts. It's funny…sometimes these specs of light from this diamond look like a picture. Sakura stood in front of the wall, staring at the illumination before her. She turned her head to the side in hopes of trying to figure out exactly what was outlined on her wall. Oh don't be silly Sakura, it's just the sun's trick she told herself as she turned her back on the teal colored wall and swiftly grabbed the golden dress.

"Sis come on! You're taking forever!" Naruto's booming voice traveled up the stairs and towards Sakura's closed door.

"I'll be right down!" Sakura shouted with as equal amount of sound. She quickly untied the corset back and slipped into the figure-emphasizing dress. The golden sleeves hugged against her toned upper arms, stopping right before her elbow, while the corset body was tightening against her slim stomach. With years of practice, Sakura blindly tied the golden silk lace that crisscrossed against her back, causing the corset to become secure around her waist. In another fluid motion, Sakura grabbed her heeled leather shoes and slipped them onto her feet, the small additional height caused the long dress to just skim the bottom of the floor. She looked down at the stitching embroidery that outlined an intricate swirl design around her mid-section and fanned towards her well-displayed breasts. Sometimes I wish I could just wear my training clothes around town. She watched as the slightly flared dress took up more space than she liked. But then I would really make Dad look bad. With a shake of her bubblegum pink shoulder-length hair she easily slipped out of her room and down the stairs towards the kitchen.

An over-excited Naruto jumped off a barstool and flung himself against Sakura's body, giving her the biggest hug possible, "finally!"

"I'm sorry Naruto. I didn't mean to take so long. You caught me off-guard," Sakura answered as she encircled her arms around him and tightened her embrace.

"You normally do not sleep this late Sakura," Sarutobi interjected as he placed a pile of ramen on top of Naruto's plate. "Everything okay?" Sarutobi stood on the other side of the bar staring at his daughter with a curious gaze.

"Oh yeah," she rubbed the back of her head as Naruto pulled her to the stool right next to him. "I was just enjoying my dream," she tried to extinguish her father's curiosity.

"It wasn't about Pirates again was it?" Sarutobi asked with a deep huff. I told Kakashi that he shouldn't have filled her head with all of those pirate stories. Ever since Sakura heard about pirates, Sarutobi would find her in his office, reading government documents that pertained to any pirate activities on their eastern waters.

Before Sakura could answer her father's question, a calm yet assertive knock echoed through their home. Sarutobi placed the iron pan on the high granite counter and gracefully walked to the gigantic front doors. Sakura watched her father's footsteps even after they disappeared from her sight. She looked to Naruto to see him already indulging himself in the tower of ramen that Sarutobi placed on his plate only seconds ago.

I wonder what it's about. Sakura stepped down from the barstool, soundlessly stepped away from the kitchen, down the elaborate red painted walls, and stood at the junction between the hallway and the overly large foyer. Her body flung against the wall, in hopes that her father wouldn't be able to notice her presence.

"Governor," a man covered in red breeches and a white long-sleeved shirt covered by a green overcoat bowed towards his superior.

"Why are you at my doorstep?" Sarutobi asked as he motioned for the official messenger to stand straight.

The man with golden eyes stared at the important governor and reached down into his cotton one-strap bag. "News about Akatsuki," the man said as he pulled a scroll tied with a rustic sand colored ribbon preventing the scroll from exposing its important context to the world.

Sarutobi never looked away from the messenger as he quickly took the scroll and tucked it away underneath his large red overcoat that reached just before the floor. "I expect this to be good news?" He asked.

The messenger made no expression, "unfortunately, there is good news and bad news. Tsunade has requested that you come to the tower immediately."

"Of course," Sarutobi nodded his head to the professional messenger and gently shut the door after the man sprinted off towards his next destination. As soon as he closed the doors he could sense his very curious daughter hiding amongst the shadows. Oh Sakura, will this curiosity ever end?

Sakura pressed her body against the wall even more as soon as she saw Sarutobi's attention turn from the door to the hallway. Tsunade is back in town? It has been a couple months since I have seen her! The excitement she felt for the arrival of her mentor caused Sakura to almost forget about the real information that caught her attention. What is the Akatsuki doing? Last time Dad got a report about them, they were just floating around Iwagakure the stone country. What could they be up to?

"I know you're there Sakura, you can't hide from your father," Sarutobi stated in a calm voice as his high-ankle leather boots tapped against the wooden floor as he walked towards the hallway.

I can never catch him by surprise! Sakura thought with an annoyed sigh before she pushed herself away from the wall and revealed herself to her father. "You know me too well," she commented as she rubbed the back of her head.

"You will take Naruto into town today," he ordered as he lead Sakura back to the kitchen were an eating Naruto still remained. Sakura looked away from her father and studied her younger brother as he gulped down the last mouthful of noodles.

"Why are you guys standing?" Naruto asked as he placed down his chopsticks and turned his body around on the stool, staring into the eyes of his family.

"Uh…well you see Naruto…"

"I have been called upon to return to my office. Sakura will be taking you around town today," Sarutobi interrupted Sakura as he gave Naruto a small nod. "Be good for Sakura."

Naruto's back straightened and his two hands gripped the edge of the stool as he gave Sarutobi an appalled look. "I'm always good for Sis!" He shouted, unable to fully comprehend why Sarutobi added such a comment.

"Really?" Sarutobi walked over to Naruto and placed his wrinkled hand on the boy's left shoulder, "so that wasn't you who jumped around the stone faces of Konoha with red paint? I believe Sakura was the person in charge of that child."

At the mention of Naruto's bold stunt, Sakura and Naruto both shivered as memories of that horrid day replayed in their minds. Sakura watched with a heavy heart as Naruto's face fell in disappointment. Naruto remembered that very vivid day and the moment that action was completed he wished he could take it back. His cerulean blue eyes peaked up every now and again, staring at his older sister as the memory continued to play over and over in his mind. I never saw Sarutobi yell at Sis that much. Sis didn't tell Sarutobi that it was me. Stupid Kiba, he said it would have been a funny idea. The night of the prank, Naruto found himself following a quiet Sakura all around the house, afraid to leave her side because of all of the trouble he had caused.

Sarutobi took the silence as an agreement to his statement. He patted Naruto on the shoulder before he turned his body to Sakura's direction and began to walk towards the red painted hallway. "I expect the two of you not to cause trouble," he added as he passed by Sakura and exited the home. With the sudden activity that Akatsuki has shown, it would do no good to have my children causing my army even more trouble. I need my soldiers to be as alert as possible.

Sakura slowly walked over to Naruto's slouched body and placed her two hands on both of his shoulders, "don't worry about it Naruto!" She said cheerfully, hoping to extinguish the sour mood her father placed him under.

"But…I got you in trouble…" Naruto whispered softly as he slowly raised his head to stare into the loving eyes of the only person he adored.

"Naruto, if you knew of half of the stunts I pulled when I was your age you would realize that what you did to the stone faces is nothing in comparison," she finished with a optimistic smile and a quick squeeze of his shoulders to add reassurance to her statement. "I can handle Dad's screams, don't you worry about that," she finished with a wink.

Naruto slowly nodded his head as her words circled around his mind. What did Sis do that was worse than me? "What did you do?" He asked as his eyes grew wide as his mind tried to picture a younger Sakura participating in the same shenanigan stunt he committed several weeks ago.

"He, he, maybe I'll tell you when you're older. Dad would kill me if I gave you any ideas," Sakura watched with happiness as Naruto sprang back to life.

"Awe man, come on!" His hands rolled into fists as he placed them in front of his body, "I can handle anything you throw at me."

Sakura shook her head and walked to the other side of the bar, "I'll tell you what…if you finish this whole pan of ramen we can go run around a surprise part of town."

The sound of the last batch of ramen plopping against the porcelain white china dish echoed in the kitchen before the thuds of Naruto violently shoveling the food into his wide open mouth filled the room. Sakura took a step back to avoid the smaller noodles that were defenseless against Naruto's animalistic eating and grabbed a fresh apple that sat against the bay window behind her. Naruto inhaled his food in record-breaking time. He placed his chopsticks on the side of his dish and flashed Sakura the perkiest smile.

"Alright! All done!" He shouted as he flashed a thumbs-up as she took his plate away.

"Now, if you get dressed fast enough, we might be able to catch all the crazy sailors coming in from sea!" Sakura encouraged, revealing the secret place she was going to show him.

"No…way…" Naruto stood frozen on his stool for a few seconds, his wide eyes grew wider at the realization that Sakura and he were about to embark to a location their father would never allow them to explore. "Okay!" He flung himself off of his barstool and flailed down the hallway, tripping and sliding across the freshly polished floors towards the staircase that would lead Naruto to his room.

Within minutes, Naruto was dressed in his typical orange short sleeved shirt, black breeches, wooden sandals, and a small white overcoat that rested on top of his favorite vibrant colored shirt. He wasted no time and slid down the stairs on the arm of the banister.

Sakura waited at the bottom of the staircase, watching Naruto's act with experienced eyes. I remember when I taught him how to do that. The memory of Sarutobi scolding her and revoking her privilege to train with Tsunade for the next two weeks flashed in her mind. It was well worth the punishment. I made sure Naruto didn't do that trick without me there. Some tricks can never die. She thought with a smile while she remembered Sarutobi trying to banish that very same trick from her arsenal of daring stunts.

"I'm ready to go!" Naruto called out as he reached the end of the banister and jumped off the edge just before the giant metal ball, which stood at the beginning of the banister, could knock him off.

"Okay!" Sakura matched his enthusiasm as she extended her hand for the seven year old to grab. "Now remember Naruto, we have to blend in," an overly excited sixteen year old Sakura instructed him as they exited their home and made their way towards the southern end of Konoha.

---

As they walked through the chaotic center of town, Sakura held Naruto close while numerous merchants approached them and began to entice them with various items. Every time a merchant would begin talking to Sakura, she would politely excuse her and Naruto from their presence. As they continued to walk deeper into the town square, the chaos increased. People ran from all directions of the square, screaming about making a deadline, while others were hastily walking to merchants haggle certain items for food. Sakura watched the collection of people run about their daily routine through the city until a persistent merchant from the shop they just passed jumped in front of them, cutting off the path she was following.

"A diamond for a pretty lady?" The merchant hissed out as he shined a glistening red ruby into the sunlight, nearly blinding Naruto.

"Come on mister!" Naruto groaned as he averted his eyes away from the reflection of the intense sunlight.

The ivory-colored man squatted down and continued to shine the quarter-sized gem in front of Naruto, causing the sun the show-off a less intense sparkle that Naruto did not notice before. "Don't you think this beautiful piece of stone belongs with this beautiful lady?" The man tried to con Naruto as he tossed the stone back and forth between his two hands, trying to hypnotize the young naïve ten year old.

"Uh…" Naruto found himself watching the twinkling ruby shine around his feet against the cobblestone road. Maybe Sis does need something like that…Naruto looked back at Sakura and then back to the ruby.

"Well?" The man flashed the young boy a cunning white smile. Just another push and he will be like putty in my hands.

Naruto slowly reached his hand out towards the gem, "su…"

"Sorry Sir, but we are in a hurry. Thank you, but we are not interested," Sakura stopped Naruto's advancement by grabbing his hand and gently pushing him past the merchant.

"Wait! Come back! I see, you're more of a sapphire woman, I have more than just that ruby!" He explained as he tried to follow them through the crowd.

Sakura slightly bowed to the man before she expertly utilized the passing crowd. From the merchant's outburst, a sea of women overheard about his extensive collection. "Stay close Naruto," Sakura told him as she grasped his hand a little tighter as the herd of women stampeded towards the unaware man. Naruto watched with confusion as he heard women screaming and swearing, racing towards the man's shop.

These women are crazy. Naruto continued to watch them as some dived over the shop, while others began to fight for loose gems that escaped their grasp.

What a perfect distraction, Sakura gently guided Naruto around the remaining stragglers of the fearsome crowd and leisurely walked towards the south end of Konoha.

"Hey Sis, how come you didn't want that ruby?" Naruto asked while he put some space between him and Sakura. I don't want these guys thinking I can't take care of myself. Naruto could see different townsmen from the corner of his eye.

Sakura giggled as she watched Naruto's face battle between anger and confidence. He is a rollercoaster of emotions today. Gently, she placed her left hand on top of his glossy spiked golden locks, "because that man was going to take all of your money."

"Huh?" Naruto stopped walking and stared at her as confusion washed across his young tan oval shaped face.

The sudden halt caused Sakura to turn to her side. That's right…Naruto doesn't know what merchants will do to make money. She looked down and removed her hand from the top of his head, "you see Naruto, that man will sell you anything to make money. He uses the money to support his family, just like Dad does for us. That ruby in his hand was either a fake or stolen." She paused to see Naruto nodding his head.

"Why do they sell something fake? That's lying to people…that's wrong,"

The naïve mind of Naruto caused Sakura to squat down and bring him into a tight embrace, "people do what they need to do to survive Naruto. It's just how life is." She could feel his head nod underneath her embrace as he returned her hug.

"How do you know this stuff?" Naruto asked as they separated and continued walking down the quiet path towards the ocean.

"Uh…" Sakura found herself rubbing the back of her neck. Oh boy, how do I answer this? "I…I have seen it happen a few times," she lied. The Black Market is full of scammers. The very first time I shopped there, a man took all of my money. Sakura could feel her anger slightly rise as she remembered the encounter years ago. He told me the book he gave me had valuable information about pirates…yeah right…all that was in that book was blank pages with nothing written. Before Sakura smashed a hole through a piece of wooden furniture, Naruto's stunned voice disrupted her thought.

"Where!" Naruto asked with eagerness in his voice. How does Sis remember everything? Naruto couldn't remember a time when Sakura forgot any type of information. She's got a giant book in her head!

Do I tell him? I might get in huge trouble if Naruto slips my secret out to Dad. Then again, Sakura couldn't think of a time when Naruto ever revealed an important secret to their father. But then again… She looked down at her curious brother and felt a twinge of guilt shoot through her stomach. I always got mad when no one told me anything…it would be wrong to do the same thing to Naruto. A quick exhale fluttered out of Sakura's slightly opened mouth before she spoke, "you really want to know?"

"Believe it!" Naruto shouted with his typical cheesy grin.

Brilliant green eyes stared deep into his glistening cerulean blue orbs, "can you keep a secret?" She said with importance.

"You bet I can!" Naruto took a step closer to Sakura eager to hear the secret.

"Ok, but this stays between you and me, you got that?" A slightly stern face swept across her face.

"Come on Sis! You don't trust me?" He stared at her with a gaping mouth and pleading eyes. She has to trust me!

A light giggled was Naruto's answer as Sakura nodded her head, "okay, okay!" She waddled closer to Naruto and placed her light pink lips inches away from his small ear. "I've seen it happen at the Black Market." She quickly pulled away to watch his reaction to her statement.

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled out as he stared at his sister with unbelievable eyes, "but Sis, Sarutobi says that place doesn't exist," his voiced decreased in volume when Sakura motioned for him to keep his voice down.

"Dad only tells you that so you don't go wandering around looking for it. That's why it's a secret Naruto," she said with a wink.

At the mention of a secret, Naruto quickly slapped his hands over his opened mouth. His sapphire blue eyes moved left and right just to make sure that no one overheard his outburst. Once he felt that no one was watching him, he removed his hands from his mouth, stuck out his chest, and gave Sakura a curt nod. "Your secret is safe with me Sis!" He exclaimed as he tried to keep his diaphragm raised, but his need for oxygen outweighed his desire to look tough, and his chest quickly deflated.

Sakura lightly giggled at Naruto's actions, "thanks Naruto, you're the only person that knows about it." Sakura smiled radiantly when Naruto started to jump up and down in the air. Suddenly, a booming sound echoed around them, the magnitude of the boom caused Sakura and Naruto to sway back and forth. They found themselves stepping backwards to keep their balance from the magnitude of the blast.

"What was that?!" Naruto managed to stop his body from swaying and began to look around for the source that managed to make the ground shake.

"It's the sound of their arrival Naruto!" Sakura shouted with enthusiasm. "Come on! We have to move quickly if we want to see them in action!" The young boy didn't get a chance to fully recover from the bone-shaking explosion for his animated sister grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the very place were all of Konoha's sailors, government affiliated or not, gathered to empty their ships and begin a new journey out to sea.

As Sakura pulled Naruto towards the coast line, he couldn't help but continue to think about his older sister running around the Black Market. He had never heard much about the market except for what Iruka tells him in class. It's a myth Mr. Iruka says it was a place for something. The young forgetful boy racked his brain for what Iruka said in class, but to his dismay he could not remember. Whatever! All I remember is that Iruka said people are scared by it. But why? The idea that his sister had gone several times to a place of myth was causing him to itch for the chance to see exactly what Iruka was too afraid to tell them. I won't be scared like those people in Iruka's stories! He mentally decided that he would go to the Black Market one day and see why Iruka said it didn't exist.

---

They sprinted towards the coast line, following the smell of the salty sea that would lead them to the always hectic Konoha marina. The marina of Konoha was not like the rest of the country, it was hidden from its citizens to avoid any casualties between civilians and sailors. The harbor was hidden behind the highly recognizable stonewall that supported the engravings of the three great Hokage's of Konoha. As they reached the far right side of the infamous Hokage display, Sakura pulled a few tree branches back to reveal a hidden path within the Konoha forest.

"Step right this way Naruto," Sakura held the tree branches back as she waved her free hand to the forest that was waiting for them.

"Alright, watch out sailors here we come!" With new found excitement, Naruto threw his fist into the air and sprinted into the forest.

"You got that right!" Sakura waited until Naruto had ran past her before she held the branches away from her body and slipped into the forest.

The forest path was full of palm trees and shrubbery that provided a thick shade to hide Naruto and Sakura from the blazing sun that hung high in the sky. They easily danced around the overgrown shrubberies that covered the dirt path. Naruto jumped on top of the bushes fighting with the plants, with Sakura's assistance, to make sure the foliage allowed them to pass through the barrier it placed between them and the marina.

"We must destroy the plants that block our path," Naruto ordered. He reached down on the ground and placed a strange leaf on the top of his head. The olive green leaf covered to top of Naruto's head, the two halves of the leaf met at the middle and the stem created a slight point. He fumbled with the leaf to get it in the right position before he pointed his right hand towards the twelve inch tall slim plants that rested on the side of the giant lime green three foot tall plant that stood in the middle of their path.

"Yes sir," Sakura played along with Naruto's adventure. Her leather heels carried her towards the small plants as she gently held back the fragile vegetation. Eager emerald eyes looked back to see Naruto scrapping his foot against the dirt while another leg was stretched out in front of his body.

"Ready…set…go!" Naruto counted down. His right foot stayed firmly planted on the forest ground while his left foot pushed off and took the first step towards the enemy. I'm knocking that plant thing down. The pace of Naruto's sprint increased as he continued to get closer to the object that would receive his brute force. "Ahh!" a loud battle cry escaped Naruto's throat as his legs pushed his body into the giant vegetation. A mix of orange, green, white, and yellow was all Sakura could see as the small boy's body tackled the unsuspecting plant and sank it to the ground.

"Naruto?" Worried eyes watched Naruto's unmoving body as it laid face first on top of the weighted down plant.

"Mmhm," a small muffle of words was all that was heard.

"You want some help?" The still standing Sakura effortlessly jumped over his laying body and bent over getting ready to pick up her brother. Sometimes he doesn't truly think everything through, her hands waited patiently above his body while she scanned his body for any injuries. And yet he never gets injured.

"Yahoo!" The sudden scream caused Sakura to back away from Naruto. The small young lad pushed off the ground and hopped to his feet. Blazing azure eyes beamed towards his awaiting sister with pride, "told you I'd handle the threat," he finished as he stepped off of the plant and watched as the plant remained limp on the ground.

"You never disappoint," Sakura pulled his body with her arm, placed her knuckles on the top of his head, and gently rubbed his scalp.

"Oh man, come on Sis! Do you have to do that?" Naruto fussed around in her hold until she let go.

"He, he, sorry," she answered while Naruto pulled his vest back into place and made sure his orange shirt was still intact.

She always tries to do that, he thought with slight annoyance. Are we there yet? Curious eyes traveled from the ground to the path in front of them. Silently, his small feet took a few steps forward wanting to see what was on the other side of the six foot tall wall of grass that stood in front of him.

"We're here Naruto," Sakura answered his unasked question as she walked past him and separated both sides of the obnoxiously tall grass.

Wordlessly, Naruto followed Sakura's lead as she pushed past the slightly thick grass. As soon as they cleared the maze, the smell of the salt water intensified. With anticipation flowing through his veins, Naruto looked into the horizon, his mouth slowly dropped in surprise at the sudden change of surroundings.

The shape of Konoha that Naruto once knew had abruptly changed. It was no longer the forest-thriving area in which he grew up with, instead, the land slowly stretched into a long peninsula, wrapping around the ocean that surrounded the entire east side of Konoha. The orange-yellow sun shined brilliantly over the ocean water, as if it was presenting this new territory to Naruto's amazed eyes.

"Let's go!" Naruto shouted and proceeded to sprint towards the giant wooden boats, casted in iron, which rose and sank every time the ocean's waves rolled into port.

Within a mile down the peninsula, the rough dirt path that rested under their feet turned into silky soft sand. They walked further down the point, watching as other sailors worked feverously on carrying crates from one location to another. Soon, the soft sand they had grown to enjoy subsided and was replaced with dark red cedar wooden planks. The dark brown planks possessed a slight cherry colored tint every time the sun's rays brushed across its surface. Suddenly, the small amount of planks transformed into an enormously large boardwalk, where wooden pillars held the wooden planks above the fussy ocean while miniature paths branched out from the center of the walkway. The small paths narrowed and led to endless rows of ships. Numerous amounts of vessels, ranging from a simple row boat to extravagant Konoha government crafts littered the marina. Some attached to floating pieces of wood that were anchored to the ground, under the sea, while others were floating feely with only iron anchors thrown over the side.

As they continued to walk down the main center of the boardwalk, the population and noise amplified where it was just a whirlwind of conversations that flowed into their ears. It was if their father had called a state of emergency and all of Konoha had to evacuate. All around them merchants were launching themselves towards the wandering sailors, trying to scam them in buying their good luck charms that help with the success of a voyage. Sailors howled at them to get away, while some threated to throw them across the boardwalk others actually tossed them into the sea. Sailors of all different sizes and shapes traveled back and forth between boats and other small shops that rested at the edges of the walkway, hoping to trade in a small amount of coins for a single piece of fish.

Sakura tightened her hold around Naruto's arm as her eyes scanned the area with caution. They are livelier than the last time I came here.

"Sis, look over there!" Naruto managed to scream out as he pointed towards the giant pine wooden booth that stood at the very end of the boardwalk.

The booth possessed a sign that said "Supply" in big red letters plastered on a piece of faded oak wood. Four Konoha government officials dressed in the typical black breeches, leather shoes, black long sleeved shirt and forest green vest, sat at the other end of the booth. Giant scrolls oozed over the wide booth and traveled on the wooden planks. They sat there, with a feather and ink bottle ready for the rush of sailors that began to line up in front of the booth.

"What are they doing?" Naruto asked as he pushed Sakura closer to the line that continued to grow longer and longer.

"Hey fuckin' move it!" A rough sailor screamed out as he slammed into Naruto and sprinted off shoving his way into the line.

Sakura swiftly caught Naruto before he hit the ground, "are you okay Naruto?" She asked him as she watched him clutch onto his arm.

I will not show pain! Naruto closed his eyes for a few seconds before he opened them and swallowed down the pain that erupted from the sailor that ran into him. "I'm fine," he said quietly, hoping Sakura wouldn't stop their adventure.

"Good," Sakura rubbed his arm gently. Her scheming eyes stared at the line that was getting closer and closer to them before she turned her attention back to Naruto. "You want to see what they are doing?" She asked him.

Naruto nodded his head eagerly, "yeah!" He turned to the line but then turned his attention to his sandaled covered feet, "but how are we going to get through?"

"Why Naruto!" Sakura squatted down to meet him at his eye level and gently grabbed his chin, making him lock eyes with hers, "we just push our way through!"

The idea of pushing their way through the intimidating sailors caused Naruto to gulp in nervousness, "but Sis….they're huge!" He threw his hands out as far as they could go to emphasize just how enormous they seemed. Sis and I can't push through them!

"Exactly Naruto," she watched as his mouth dropped to the floor, "just listen to my plan okay?"

Naruto slowly nodded his head. What does she think that we can do? She's small and I'm small!

"The one way to get through a crowd as rough as this one is to be as rough as them," she stood up and reached under her dress to pull out the two knives that she kept in case of emergencies, "you remember how Kakashi told you how to hold one of these?"

Naruto nodded his head as Sakura gingerly handed him the smaller knife, "yeah," his eyes grew as wide as tomatoes at the realization that he was allowed to hold the object Kakashi rarely let him hold.

"Here is what we do, we simply shove our way through, if a sailor gets in the way you just hold out the knife like you mean business," Sakura demonstrated as she extended her knife in front of her and jumped back and forth, acting like someone was arguing with her.

"Y-you sure?" Naruto's voice cracked slightly at the realization that he might actually have to use the weapon Sakura.

Sakura patted his back and nodded her head, "you're my backup Naruto, don't be scared."

At the mention of being scared Naruto snapped out of his astonishment and changed into his more normal, determined, overenthusiastic self, "you better believe it! I'm not scared! I'll back you up Sis!"

"That's the spirit Naruto," she looked towards the line that had grown past where they stood and continued to wrap around towards the very end of the boardwalk. She looked at the solidly built men, with bad hygiene, which stood behind Naruto, "are you ready?"

"Believe it!" Naruto shouted as he turned around to face the men Sakura was staring at moments ago.

"Remember, only show your knife if I say so okay?"

"Okay!"

The two of them took a step towards the chaotic line, stared at each other, and exchanged positive enthusiastic smiles before Sakura took Naruto's hand and began to slip through the small spaces that existed between each sailor. At first the men did not know what to do, they watched in slight astonishment as a teenaged girl and young boy effortlessly slipped past the first couple of sailors that carried nets full of fish on their backs. However, their seemingly easy mission came to a crashing halt when they slipped past a less tolerant sailor.

"You brats! No one dares to cut me!" He screamed as he grabbed onto Sakura's shoulder and pushed her behind him.

Sakura released her hold on Naruto as she bounced off the back of another perspiring shirtless sailor with bad body odor. Naruto stood as still as stone as he watched Sakura regained her composure and started to push past the few sailors that carried a large mahogany chest. The colossal-sized sailor looked at the stiff Naruto and chuckled darkly.

"Ha, ha, what's a squirt like you standing in my way?" His sinister brown eyes scanned the shaking Naruto, which caused a bone-chilling grin to spread across his face. At the sound of the sudden conflict, several other sailors turned around and formed a circle, in hopes that the infamous sailor would start another fight and give them a good show.

"Oh shit, Spike's at it again!" A sailor yelled to his buddies as they brought over their small cotton bags full of gems and entered the circle.

"That's the seventh one this week," another whispered to his partner as they reached into their linen bags and pulled out a few coins.

"Maybe we will get rich off of this one!"

"It's a kid!" Another screamed to the crowd.

"Throw him to the ground!" A sailor screamed as he took one of his octopuses and tossed it into the circle, nearly missing Naruto's body by a few inches.

Spike smirked at Naruto's entire body as it continued to shake uncontrollably, "I have never beaten a kid senseless before…but there is a first time for everything."

Naruto felt his mouth go dry and his legs threatening to collapse. Sis, where are you? His petrified eyes looked around trying to find his sister, but the sudden formation of the circle made him unable to see anything but sailors screaming and throwing rocks, fish, and other sea mammals into their circle.

Sakura watched from behind the wall of sailors as she plotted a way to interfere with the sudden fight. Naruto…what have I done? She could see her brother threatening to fall apart, his pure fright the only thing that kept him standing in front of the six foot tall bald headed man. I need something better than just this puny knife. Pea green eyes looked around the sailors that dropped their boat-sized bags on the ground. Glass…iron…anything! She quietly slithered around every sailor's bag until she came across an opened chest full of imported swords. It's better than nothing, she thought to herself as she effortlessly grabbed the first sword that caught her eye. I better hurry. She attached the leather strap that was connected to the handle of the sword and tied it around her waist.

"Okay! I hear 3 salmon on the kid, who wants in?" a tiny sailor with long shoulder-length hair traveled around the circle extending his hand out towards the twenty foot long chest that was held by two other sailors. The five foot tall man tossed fish, squid, gems, trinkets, and even raw materials that other sailors found during their voyages into the chest. "Alright, anymore wagers?!"

"Fuck no!"

"Shrimp, start the battle already!"

"Kick the kid's ass Spike! I need all that booty to get a bigger boat!"

"Hell no! I'll cut your throat if you get ahold of it! This battle is all mine!"

The rising voices caused Sakura to hurry with her plans. They are about to start, Naruto is too frozen to move, he won't last a few seconds! Sakura watched as Spike circled around Naruto. Remember what Kakashi and Tsunade taught you Sakura, always try to assess your opponent before you jump into battle. She watched as he casually leaned more towards his left side as he extended his pointed ax out towards Naruto. His body slightly tipped to the side that held the ax from the shire weight of the object. That's the answer right there…hopefully it works, I don't have my usual weapons…but that shouldn't matter! Tsunade and Kakashi didn't train me to make excuses. Don't worry Naruto, I'm coming!

"Okay, I have 10 pounds of fish, 2 pounds of squid and 50 gems on Blondie! Spike has 50 pounds of squid, 2 pounds of octopus and 60 gems! First to be knocked out cold wins!" Shrimp explained as he jumped on top of the closed chest, which was still being held by his henchmen, to acquire a clear view of the match.

Naruto felt his sweat trail down his neck as the six foot long ax stopped right at the end of his nose. What do I do? He watched as the man shuffled the ax back and forth between his hands as Spike circled around him in a tight circle. The image of the muscular man hurling an ax at his head caused Naruto to feel sick to his stomach. Someone help! For the first time in Naruto's life he felt helpless, alone, and scared.

Sakura watched the sailor circle around her brother with a sinister grin on his face. Oh no you don't! She took a step forward but was stopped by the length of her dress. The golden satin material slightly fluttered against the small summer breeze, its invisible barrier made it impossible for Sakura to move her legs as freely as she wanted. Sorry Dad, but this is dress has to go. Without a second thought, Sakura grabbed her knife and cut the ankle long dress at the top of her knees. With one swift movement the dress fluttered to the red cedar planks, freeing Sakura from its clutches. She looked down at her revealed black leather heeled boots and effortlessly kicked them off her feet. Nothing will get in the way of me saving Naruto. Before Sakura ran into the middle of the fighting circle, a soft thud caught her attention. What was that? She looked down at the golden remains of the dress and lifted it up to reveal a small linen bag sitting against the ground. I'm a genius! Sakura swiftly grabbed the small bag and kissed it with her lips. Thank you surprise attacks from Tsunade! This puffball will be my ticket out of this mess. With a flow of adrenaline coursing through her veins, Sakura gently tied the linen bag to the sword's handle and sank down into her heels. No one puts a finger on my brother, she thought darkly as she narrowed her eyes at Spike, waiting for the right time to pounce.

"Prepare yourself kid, maybe next time you won't be pushin' people bigger than you," Spike cackled out as he swung the ax in the air.

Naruto watched the ax slice through the air centimeters in front of his body. The fast movement from the ax caused a wave of air to crash against his body. The sudden change in pressure caused Naruto to take a step back, where he nearly tripped on the slippery squid that had been thrown minutes ago. "I…I…" Naruto found brain unable to form complete words as the towering man began to walk closer to him. Why can't I act normal?! The frustration of his scared body not responding to his demands to move was evident on his face, but yet his body continued to shake and made no effort to move. He tried to order his body to pull the knife Sakura gave him from the waistband of his black breeches. Hand! Move! Even shouting at his extremities was futile.

Spike brought his ax down towards Naruto's still form but stopped inches at the top of Naruto's head. He revealed his pearly white teeth as he smiled and winked at Naruto. "Sailors of Konoha," he turned to everyone in the circle and twirled the ax around in his hand as he continued to take in the attention he was receiving, "this kid represents the cruel government that tries to control our movements!" The sudden sailor extended his ax towards the red "Supply" sign, "they are in charge of our money…they didn't go and die for these items. They didn't slit people's throats or drown people for these treasures. We did all the work and yet they can tell us how much money we get!"

Sakura listened to the insane man as he turned his attention back to Naruto. She ducked even lower into her heels, just a few more steps closer and I'll be right by your side Naruto.

"I will slit this boy's throat and pour his blood over their heads as retaliation towards the shit pay they give us!" Spike's sudden declaration caused many of the seamen to cheer at the encouraging words. Naruto felt a huge knot in the back of his throat at the declaration of his throat being sliced into pieces. I don't want to die! The mere thought of Spike's ax hitting his throat caused Naruto to place both hands around the body part of interest.

"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!" Was the chant that formed amongst the sailors as Spike turned his attention back to Naruto and extended his ax towards the scared child once again, "It's time to die!" He shouted as he pulled the ax over his head and used his massive upper body strength to throw the heavy iron ax down towards Naruto's head. Naruto stood as still as ice, watching the ax come down on his head in slow motion. Body…move… now! No matter what he tried, his body refused to move.

"Naruto! Move!" A voice cried out just as Naruto felt his body being pushed across the rough planks.

A clash of metal echoed in Naruto's ears as his body crashed into the red cedar planks. Sis?! The sudden connection between the voice and the push caused Naruto to jump to his feet and scramble to turn around to see what was happening behind him. To his relief, Sakura had skillfully dodging the giant ax. Whoa! Naruto's mouth slightly opened as he watched Sakura use the sword in her hand to deflect the ax away from her body. The sudden force offset Spike's throw and caused his accurate aim to avoid Sakura's body.

"What the fuck?" Spike withdrew his ax as the pink haired teenager jumped in his way.

Sakura jumped back towards Naruto while Spike tried to recollect himself. She slightly turned to Naruto while her eyes never left Spike's body, "are you okay Naruto?"

Naruto slowly nodded his head, "yeah…where did you go Sis?"

"I'm sorry Naruto. I was getting prepared to fight this guy to make sure he didn't hurt you. I'm sorry I left you for that long, I hope you aren't mad at me," she explained as she shot him a quick apologetic look.

Naruto feverishly shook his head from side-to-side, the idea of ever being mad at Sakura sounded impossible in his mind. "No…I was just…" he looked down at his feet ashamed to admit how scared he was.

Sakura lightly patted his golden spikes with her petite hand, "don't worry Naruto, everything is going to be okay now."

"How?" Naruto looked at the fuming Spike with apprehension.

"I'm going to make him wish he never messed with my little brother," she turned to Naruto once again and flashed Naruto her very own cheesy grin.

"But Sis…" Naruto stared at his small sister and then stared at the massive man that began to twirl his ax around his body, "that guy is huge! How can we compete with that?"

"Don't worry Naruto, just sit back and watch," Sakura reassured him as she patted his head one last time before she began to walk towards the center of the circle.

"Sis…" Naruto stood at the other end of the circle watching his sister enter the scariest situation he had ever seen. Sis really thinks she can win. Naruto knew of Sakura's training with his soon-to-be mentor Kakashi and their family friend Tsunade, but he had never seen her spar with anyone.

"A turn of events!" Shrimp shouted out as he jumped up and down in growing delight. "A teenaged woman has taken the kid's place!" His spectating eyes scanned Sakura's body with interest, her dress was shorter than usual and she revealed much more skin than the town whores. Her dress is pretty fancy…yet she is barely dressed… more money here I come! He flipped off of the giant chest and motioned for his minions to follow him around the circle once again. "Bets? How many of you think this hot woman will thrash Spike to the ground! How many think Spike will win? Put up your fish and gems and gamble it all away!" His eloquent words caused more sailors to throw even more trinkets into the chest, by the time Shrimp had finished his round around the circle the chest was exploding with items from the sea.

Shrimp climbed to the top of the chest and forced the items to fit back inside, managing to close it by using his weight to shut the top. "Spike vs. Pinkie! Again, the rule still stands, first one to knock the other one out wins!"

Spike stood in front of Sakura, looking down at her petite body with a chuckle, "I think the kid would have been a better opponent. You're not even worth my time." He looked around to see all of the sailors cheering for the battle to begin, "but with all of this attention I can't say no."

Sakura placed the sword in front of her body and smiled at the arrogant man, "whatever you say Sir," she felt her body growing more excited about the sudden battle. Naruto has never seen me fight before. She looked behind to see Naruto standing there staring at her with wide eyes, now Naruto can see exactly what Kakashi will teach him.

"Die woman!" Spike screamed out as he extended his ax and sprinted towards Sakura.

Sakura stood her ground as she watched the way Spike's body began to tilt towards the right side, to help accommodate for the massively heavy ax that was being held. That weapon is huge. No matter how skilled someone is it's hard to mask a weak spot. All I have to do is throw off his balance and use my little secret weapon and Naruto and I are out of here! She looked down at her linen pouch and smirked, time to show them Sakura!

The iron casted ax was swung and swiftly cut through the air towards Sakura's unmoving body. The excited teen tilted her body to the opposite side of the ax's path. She twisted the sword towards the point of attachment, where the ax's blade met the top of the pole, and used her body weight to slightly offset Spike's throw.

"You little bitch," Spike grunted as he felt his ax being forcefully pushed away from his target. She deflecting my ax with little force. This sudden realization caused his rage to surge.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Sakura said with a giggle as she jumped onto the pole and placed her sword inches away from his face, "if you call off this fight and let my little brother and I walk away freely, I will not have to embarrass you in front of everyone," she tried to reason with him.

Spike's long arms reached out and forcefully grabbed Sakura by the neck, "sorry squirt but there is no way you can beat me," and to prove his point he launched Sakura to the opposite side of the circle. His forceful throw caused Sakura to thump onto the wooden planks, causing her to receive several scraps from the protruding nails that stuck out from the wood. Well I wasn't expecting that, she thought to herself as she used both of her hands to push herself off the ground into a standing position.

"Sis!" Naruto shouted as he began to run towards her, the sight of her arm bleeding worried him even more. We should just run for it!

"Naruto do not move!" Sakura shouted to him as she held her hand out as a motion to stop him from advancing closer to her.

"You're bleeding!"

"I…"

Before Sakura could finish her sentence Spike spoke again, "just shut up and fight!" His temper began to escalate. He forcefully pulled his ax out of the planks, leaving a large gaping hole in the middle of the boardwalk, and began to gallop towards Sakura.

Come on Sakura think. She looked down at her katana sword, wishing that it was longer, I need something to throw him off balance long enough so I can knock him out. His pounding feet slammed against the ground, causing everyone to feel the vibrations that accompanied his stride. I need something fast! Sakura watched as the man continued to run closer and closer towards her. Sage green eyes hastily looked around the area for anything that could stop the large man from coming in her direction. He's coming fast! It surprised her at how fast Spike was able to run with the heavy ax that sat in his hand. Wait a minute; she caught sight of a twenty-four inch long squid from the corner of her eye. Perfect! Wasting no time, Sakura quickly jumped to the side and picked up the freshly deceased sea mammal. Here goes nothing, quickly she recoiled her arm and tossed the slippery mammal across the ground.

Its body was still encased in a slimy, slippery, film causing it to slide perfectly in line with the stride of the blindly running Spike. Sakura sank down into her heels, sword extended, as she waited for the man to step onto the dangerously slippery squid. Spike, however, was too recklessly running towards Sakura that he didn't notice the squid that rested lifelessly against the wooden planks. As soon as his foot connected with the body of the squid, his opposite leg rose up and his body began to fall backwards.

Now's my chance. Sakura sank down into her heels and launched herself above his falling body. Her sage green eyes stared at his baggy linen pants as she raised back her sword in hopes of throwing the sharp weapon in-between his legs. If this sword hits right in-between his legs and if it goes deep enough into the wood, he won't be able to move.

Spike watched as the young woman flew over his head. Her slender legs caught him off-guard, momentarily, before more anger began to fully cloud his mind. "No you don't you little gypsy!" He roared as he pulled his ax above his head and swiped at her tantalizing legs. I'm not going down!

Got cha! Sakura thought with eagerness as she used all of her force to throw the sword in-between his legs before she missed her only opportunity. As soon as she threw the sword, a roaring pain shot up her spine. "Gah!" she shouted out of surprise as she found her body slamming, once again, into the planks below.

"Told you I'd…" Spike watched as the girl stayed on the ground as his body slammed into the boardwalk. I won't let her get away. The infuriated man tried to pull himself up from the ground but found that he was unable to lift his body. "What the…" He reluctantly looked away from Sakura's fallen body and saw a sword frighteningly close to his precious manhood. "AHH!" He screamed as the realization that the teenager could have dismembered him.

"It looks like the girl has some skill!" Shrimp announced.

"That sword is close to your nuts Spike!" A sailor began laughing at the idea that Spike was blindsided by a woman.

"The almighty Spike has been caught off-guard! Yet the girl is down on the ground! Anyone wish to raise their bet!" Shrimp began to entice more sailors into the bet.

"I raise 10 fish!"

"Make it 3 more squid!"

While the bet continued to grow in size, Sakura found herself clutching onto her bleeding thigh. He cut me pretty deep. She watched as the deep gash continued to ooze blood. I need to stop this bleeding. Emerald eyes scanned all around her fallen body, hoping to find any cloth to stop the bleeding, but when she couldn't find any material her eyes fell to her already revealing dress. A girl has to do what a girl has to do. She grabbed her small knife that was attached to the very top of her thigh and proceeded to rip off as much material as she could. By the time Sakura was done, her dress had shortened to her mid-thigh. I have to tie this quickly! With skilled hands, she tied her golden dress around her injured thigh. Now to finish this, she thought as she jumped to her feet, ignoring the way her body protested against the sudden movement.

"She's up!" Naruto shouted as he watched his older sister, with pride, stand to her feet and walk towards the struggling Spike. Come on Sis! You can do it! His sister's skills were slowly amazing him more and more he continued to watch her fight.

Spike stopped scrambling when he heard someone shout that the woman had risen from the ground. Fuck, I need to get out of this! He glared at the sword for hindering his movements and stared at his pants that refused to escape the clutches of the sword. Fuck it, was his last thought before he untied the string around his waist and wiggled his burly legs out of his pants.

"You're clever…for a girl," Spike said as he stood up revealing his white sweat covered underwear to the world.

"Yo Spike put that dick away!"

"No one wants to see that!"

A few other sailors jeered at him as they covered their eyes at the display of Spike's male anatomy. Spike glared at them but picked up his ax and held it in front of his body, "now I'm not playing around!"

Sakura raised a slim pink eyebrow in his direction, "and I was?" She momentarily stared at his nearly see-through underwear before she turned her attention to her sword. I need to get that pouch. Her eyes watched the small pouch sit innocently on the handle of the sword. If he runs at me again I can manage to slip past him.

"This battle is over!" Spike screamed at the top of his lungs as he made another attempt to sprint in her direction.

Just like I hoped, she thought with a hidden smile. Sakura waited until Spike was within twenty feet of her before she ran towards his body.

"And Pinkie is running right towards Spike! What will happen?" Shrimp narrated as everyone watched the scene unfold.

Spike continued to run, she is just trying to make me stop running…that will not happen! The anger mixed with embarrassment that he was feeling overpowered his ability to think straight, which forced him to continue running towards the irritating teenager.

Now! Sakura slightly stepped to the side of Spike's body that held the pole and swiftly brought her body to the ground. The small thump echoed in the air as her body slammed against the walkway. Without losing her momentum, she managed to position her body and slid underneath the small opening between his legs.

The sudden stunt caused the crowd to cheer with excitement and anger. Her short dress started to rise towards her hips, causing other sailors to see more of Sakura's well-toned thighs. Her legs easily slide past the sword and Sakura managed to tear the linen bag off the handle.

The irate man stopped running and turned towards the sliding Sakura. "Oh no you don't!" He pivoted on his toes and sprinted faster than before towards Sakura's still laying down body.

Crap! Sakura could feel his steps coming closer. I don't have time. I just have to use this now. With speedy hands, she untied the linen bag and dumped out a fist-sized fungus. The brown fungus possessed a slight hole in the middle of the circular body, while the outside of the small fungus was covered in small spikes. The vibrations of Spike's footsteps increased with every second. By the time Sakura managed to pull the puffball out of its bag, Spike was right above her, ax over his head, eyes clouded with bloodlust and resentment.

"Die!" He shouted as he motioned for his ax to come falling on her one last time.

"No! Sis!" Naruto shouted from the sidelines as he sprinted towards her unmoving body. Run faster! He demanded his body as he tried to close the distance between him and Sakura.

"Oh man, it was getting so good!"

Shrimp nodded to the sailors below, "it looks like Pinkie couldn't keep…"

"Sorry Spike, but your time is up!" Sakura shouted with a happy smile as she squeezed the fungus in-between her hands.

As soon as Sakura squeezed the spiked ball, opaque dark brown smog escaped out of the hole at the center of the fungus' body. She watched as the spores sprayed at Spike's face. The spores danced around his face and eyes, rendering the man blind.

"Ah! You bitch!" He shouted as the spores entered his eyes.

---

From the distance, two men were walking towards the boardwalk with their fishing tack shoved in two linen bags. They easily slipped through the crowd, making their way to their ship that rested in the harbor. As they passed the merchants and got closer to the main square of the marina, they noticed a huge riot that blended within the extensive long line of sailors that waited for their turn to be judged by the head Konoha officials.

"They're at it again," a teenaged boy with long black hair that was held back into a small bun stared at the mindless sailors with an unfazed expression.

A deep sigh came from the taller older male with spiked brown hair and bandages that wrapped around his face, only revealing the bridge of his nose and his dark almond eyes, "with Spike, there is always something worth fighting about." I'm surprised none of the Konoha officials are stopping this. Almond eyes rolled in the back of his head. Why would they? He continues to fight no matter what they tell him.

With a shrug of his shoulders the teenaged boy turned his attention from the fight and began to follow his older partner towards their boat.

"Ah! You bitch!" The sudden shout of agony caused both the adolescent boy and his partner stopped walking.

"You hear that?" The boy said as he tilted his head in the direction of the fight once again.

"We should check it out, it might be interesting," the older man commanded as they leisurely walked towards the commotion.

---

Sakura rolled to the side as Spike dropped his ax and brought his hands to his eyes, hoping to push the uncomfortable smog from his eyes. Now that he is distracted, I need to knock him out, but how? She looked around their area for some type of weapon that would be heavy enough to knock Spike to the ground. Wait a minute… The sun shined high in the sky, allowing the entire country to feel its high temperature rays. While Sakura scanned the circle for anything useful, the powerful sun illuminated down on an object ten feet to her right.

Quickly, Sakura sprinted towards the mysterious object while she continued to look over her shoulder to watch Spike deal with the thick smog that still clouded his vision. When she reached the object an joyful squeal escaped her lips. Who would have thought a lionfish would be here! She grabbed the brightly brown stripped fish by the tail and stared at the protruding baby blue spikes that decorated his dorsal and side fins. I'm sorry to do this to you lionfish. With her knife, Sakura quickly cut of one of the spikes and dropped the fish to the ground. I have no more time to waste! The teenager held her knife in one hand and the spike in the other as she sprinted to the hysterically running Spike.

"Water! Someone give me water!" He shouted in urgency as the smog started to slowly vaporize into the air.

Sakura stood to his side as the smog slowly receded from his vision. With the return of his vision, Spike came to a slamming halt, the feeling of relief washed over his body. He placed his hands on his knees and began to wheeze; he had not noticed how exhausted he was while he was parading around the circle of sailors.

"Finally," he said with a sigh.

"Sorry Spike, but it looks like I win," Sakura interjected as she twirled next to his right side, watching his body try to gather the necessary oxygen that was in high demand, and gave him a stunning smile.

Spike froze in his place as her smile hypnotized him, "what?" Before Spike could bring himself back to his senses, Sakura took the lionfish's spike and stabbed it into his thigh. Her eyes traveled from the protruding spike and traveled to the man's face, waiting to see his reaction.

"Sis!" Naruto came dashing to Sakura's side. She didn't get hurt; to say he was relieved was an understatement.

"Naruto!" Sakura pulled him to her side and motioned for him to watch Spike, "watch what happens."

"It's just a little spike it can't do…" Naruto and Sakura watched as the viciously exasperated man lost his train of thought and his body become limp. With the sudden loss of feeling, Spike slowly slammed down onto his knees and within seconds his upper body fell forward, smashing the clean shaven man's face square in the middle of a wooden plank.

Shrimp stood at the top of the chest, mouth opened wide, "it seems like…we have a winner! Pinkie!"

Some sailors moaned while other cheered. Shrimp jumped to one of his minion's shoulders and motioned for them to take him to his side of the boardwalk. "I will split the profits, those who won, it's a good pay for you! Sorry losers, it looks like you get nothing!" Once Shrimp spoke those words the crowd split in half. Some followed the man with the overstuffed chest while others stormed off in a fit of rage, back into the long line. As fast as the crowd of Konoha sailors came, they left.

Naruto watched with surprise as the sailors suddenly forgot all about them. "Sis…what did you do?"

"Oh Naruto!" Sakura bent down and engulfed Naruto into an overwhelming hug, "I'm so sorry for everything! Are you okay?" She lifted his body into the air and twirled him around in a small circle. How could I have ever let this happen to him?

"Yeah…I'm fine," Naruto hugged her tightly, afraid to let her go. Why couldn't I have done more to protect Sis…why did I have to freeze like that! He hugged her even tighter as the anger he felt towards himself began to rise. I will protect Sis no matter what my body says!

"I will never let something like that happen to you ever again okay?" Sakura stopped twirling and gently placed him on the ground, but as soon as she did she felt his little arms were still glued around her shoulders. "No one will ever hurt you," she slowly separated Naruto from her and placed a soft caring hand on his sun kissed face, "you hear me?"

Naruto slowly nodded his head, tears threatening to fall, "Y-Yes…"

"I had a feeling you were behind this chaos," a deep voice came from behind Sakura, interrupting their intimate conversation.

Naruto looked away from Sakura's eyes and stared at the two men that stood behind her. He gently separated himself from Sakura. I could ask him to teach me to protect Sis!

"Zabuza!" Naruto screamed as he leaped and attached himself around the older man's ankles.

"You little squirt, I hate when you do that!" Zabuza grumbled as he lifted his leg and began to shake it violently.

"What brings you here to our side of town?" The teenaged boy on the side of Zabuza walked over to Sakura and flashed a welcoming smile.

"Hey Haku!" Sakura greeted him with a giant hug, "it has been a while!"

"It has," Haku returned her hug.

"I give up," Zabuza grunted out as Naruto reluctantly stayed attached to his leg. "Mind explaining why the attention absorbed Spike is knocked out in the middle of the boardwalk?" Zabuza looked to the pink haired teenager with anticipating eyes. She never changes.

Sakura broke her hug with Haku and rubbed the back of her neck, "uh…well you see…"

"You're injured Sakura," Haku interrupted as he noticed the golden material wrapped around her leg had begun to change to a deep maroon red color. His oval shaped light brown eyes stared at the many cuts and scrapes that covered her arms and legs, trying to assess just how badly she had gotten hurt.

Naruto detached himself from Zabuza's leg and stood up tall, "that's because Sis kicked that guy's butt!" He proclaimed proudly.

"Did you now?" Zabuza took in the battered Sakura and noticed that her typical royal clothing had become nearly nonexistent, "I guess that slim ball Kakashi taught you something useful."

Sakura giggled at the rival her former mentor and Zabuza shared. When I first met Zabuza it amazed me how Kakashi and Zabuza knew each other. I guess being an elite Knight for Konoha allows you to meet all kinds of people. "Don't worry Zabuza I used what you taught me about fish to bring down Spike as well, I won't give Kakashi all of the credit, only the credit he deserves."

"Damn right," Zabuza smirked as he walked over to Sakura and ruffled her hair in the same manner Kakashi always did. "Stay out of trouble. Haku, let's go, we have fish to catch," Zabuza removed his hand from the top of Sakura's head and tilted his head towards their small row boat that blended in the harbor amongst the other more elaborate vessels.

"Zabuza, Sakura is injured, we should address her wounds," Haku never brought his eyes away from the bleeding thigh that continued to hold his attention.

"Whatever, bring her along with us, we have fish to catch," Zabuza waved his hand in the air and began walking down one of the smaller narrower paths.

"Wait Zabuza! I'm coming with you!" Naruto shouted as he sprinted off towards the fisherman.

"You're not going to stop him?" Haku asked, already knowing the answer to his question.

"Today was about Naruto having fun. He can do whatever he wants." I owe him that much.

"Come this way," Haku slipped his slightly toned arm around her back and began to slowly walk with her towards their row boat.

While Naruto bounced beside Zabuza, Sakura hobbled her way to the uncharacteristically long rowing boat that rested innocently on top of the calm sea. The ends of the wooden masterpiece curved towards the sky, its dark mahogany sharp edges held a sense of intimidation amongst the other smaller vessels within the port. The middle of the craft possessed a small seating area with wooden oak benches that stood parallel from one another. In-between the benches laid an opened, foot long, chest that stored various medical and fishing supplies. Around the edge of the boat were several circular holes that held a few fishing poles, which faced outward towards the deep blue sea. Along the outside of the boat were carvings of waves and Zabuza's favorite fish, the shark. The majority of the boat was eloquently decorated with carvings but there were only a few left unfinished.

Zabuza looked towards the thick linen rope that tied the boat; he made with his two hands, and smirked at the object that was being held against the oak pole to insure its spot against the harbor. There is my pretty lady, he swiftly pulled out the seven foot long sword and attached it to his back. With one hand he chucked the bags into the middle of his boat and allowed the rope to slither into the water.

"Hurry up, the boat is leaving," he effortlessly jumped into his ship and positioned himself in his typical seat at the right end of the ship.

"Yahoo!" Naruto shouted as he took a running start and jumped into the boat, legs flailing. When his feet connected to the wooden benches his balance swayed and he found himself face first on the boat's floor.

"Careful there Naruto," Sakura giggled slightly as she gracefully jumped next to him and offered a hand to his fallen form.

"I meant to do that," Naruto grumbled as he refused to take her hand and turned his body around in order to stand up like a normal human being.

"Of course," she said with a smile as she patted his head and took a seat on the bench.

"Haku give us a push," Zabuza ordered as he pulled out four ores and tossed one to Sakura and Naruto. "Be useful and push this boat," he ordered as he dipped his ore into the sparkling blue sea.

Haku wordlessly grabbed the same end that Zabuza sat in and pushed the heavy boat effortlessly away from the harbor. Zabuza motioned for Naruto to push on his side of the boat while Sakura used her ore to help push the left side of the ship. As soon as the boat started to drift away with the current, Haku grabbed onto the curved end of the boat and used the tip of the boat to twirl his body onto the moving vessel. Haku grabbed an ore and began to help Sakura push the left side of the boat while Zabuza and Naruto pushed the right side. Within minutes, the coast line of Konoha was no longer visible and all they could see was the crystal clean water that surrounded them.

"Here," Zabuza grabbed a small pole and tossed it into Naruto's hands, "sine Haku is patching up Sakura, you're going to learn how to fish."

Naruto's face lit up as bright as the sun, "cool!" He held onto the pole and waited for further instructions.

"Take the pole, like this," Zabuza leaned his fishing pole to the side while he placed Naruto's hands around the grip of the classic wooden pole. "This is a handle," Zabuza pointed to the iron handle attached to the wheel that held several feet of light flexible iron. "The handle helps pull in this iron line," he bent over to his linen bag and pulled out two small pine wood boxes. "See," he opened one box to reveal a copper hook, "take this and attach it to the end of your wire."

"Okay," Naruto took the hook and dropped the pole on the ground. He sat on the ground next to it and feverishly attached the hook to the surprisingly thin wire. "Like this?" He asked after several seconds of fighting with the wire to slide through the eye of the hook.

"Yeah," Zabuza took the rod and tied the wire to prevent the hook from slipping. He motioned for Naruto to stand and felt a smirk fan across his hidden lips. Now comes the fun part. The fisherman placed one box on the ground while he pulled out his other pine box. His dark brown eyes stared at Naruto as he placed his callused hand over the cover, "you ready?"

"You better believe it! Nothing can scare me!"

Zabuza chuckled as he opened the lid to reveal ten worms inching around in his box.

"What is that?" Naruto shouted as he subconsciously pulled away from the weird creature.

"It's a worm, put your hand out," Zabuza saw Naruto hesitate at first but he slowly allowed his hand to move close to Zabuza.

"What are you…" Naruto watched with wide eyes as Zabuza effortlessly grabbed the creature and placed it on top of his hand. "It's slimy!" He screamed scared to move a muscle as the creature slithered around the palm of his small hand.

"Shove its head on the hook," Zabuza said enjoying every minute of Naruto's discomfort. Sakura was not as entertaining to watch. He remembered the first time Sakura snuck away from her side of town and ended up at his doorstep. I should have known a worm wouldn't scare that child. He mentally chuckled at the image of a small Sakura playing with a small worm before she shoved it on the hook without a second thought.

"You're kidding right!" Naruto's shout caused Haku and Sakura to look in their direction momentarily before they laughed and turned their attention to the medical kit by Haku's hip.

"No. Do it," Zabuza watched the young boy with narrowing eyes waiting for the kid to throw the worm into the ocean out of retaliation.

"Eh ha ha ha," Naruto let out a loud gulp as he grabbed the worm with his other hand and pinched its body with his index and thumb finger. This is so weird! He told himself as he used his other hand to grab the copper hook. With a deep sigh he closed his eyes and quickly shoved the worm onto the point of the hook.

"Not so bad was it?" Zabuza smirked at Naruto.

"Uh…?" Naruto looked at the unmoving worm and began poking it. "And this weird thing gets fish to come?"

Zabuza nodded his head, "we take the fishing rod, toss it over your shoulder and as you throw the pole towards the water, use the handle to release as much wire as you want. The more you have the better chance you have of getting fish. Just don't let go of my pole or I'll throw you into the ocean to go get it," he threatened.

Naruto shook his head violently, "don't throw the pole into the water, got it." God this guy is scary! Within a few releases Naruto was able to throw the wire forty feet away from their boat. He sat on his wooden bench and stared at Zabuza from the corner of his eye, "now what?"

The bandaged-face man tossed his line into the water and sat in his spot, wedging his back against the back of the boat, "we wait."

"For how long?" Naruto asked already squirming around in his seat.

"Until you feel a pull on your line," he answered emotionlessly as he proceeded to close his eyes.

"Oh…" Naruto sat quietly looked out at the ocean. His attention began to turn towards his older sister who was receiving medical attention from the boy her age. Do I ask Zabuza? He looked back at the silent, intimidating, muscular man and then stared at the biggest sword he had ever seen that sat against the man's back. I have to ask!

Zabuza could feel Naruto staring at him and his sword. He's more curious than I give him credit for. He opened one eye and caught Naruto staring at him. "What?"

Naruto quickly averted his gaze to the water but found himself looking back at the staring Zabuza. "Um…Zabuza…why…why do you have a sword if you are a fisherman?"

"I wasn't always a fisherman," Zabuza gave Naruto a slight smile. I guess he is just as curious as Sakura.

"What were you?"

"I used to be a fighter," Zabuza explained as he stared out into the ocean reminiscing his younger days. "I traveled between all countries completing missions their elite Knights wouldn't accept. It was dangerous, fun, and exciting," he finished as the sun beamed down on his sun-kissed skin.

"So you can protect your family?" Naruto asked staring at Zabuza with hope in his eyes.

The question caught Zabuza off-guard. He turned his attention from the peaceful ocean and stared at Naruto's hopeful cerulean blue eyes. "I guess…why do you ask?" His curiosity about Naruto's question caused him to dig deeper into the child's mind.

"I…" Naruto looked away from Zabuza and glanced at Sakura before he brought his eyes down to his sandals. "I don't want to be weak! I want to be able to protect Sis no matter what happens."

The determination in his eyes caused Zabuza to smirk. Ah, so the little squirt was scared shitless around Spike. He looked to injured Sakura and allowed the pieces to fall into place. He saw Sakura fighting and was too scared to do anything about it. "Don't worry about it kid," Zabuza slapped his back and ruffled his hair. "Your time will come when you will be old enough to save Sakura. Trust me, she is a breeding ground for trouble."

Naruto felt a small smile begin to crawl across his lips. "Really?"

"She will wear you out," he said with a shoulder shrug.

"Bring it on!" He shouted as he jumped to his feet and waved the pole around in the water.

"Be careful with that you squirt!" The shouting from Zabuza and Naruto caused Haku and Sakura to stop their conversation to see what exactly what was happening on the other side of the boat.

"It seems like they are getting along," Haku said with a smile as he watched Zabuza dance around the swaying Naruto, trying to guarantee his pole's safety.

Sakura giggled and nodded her head in their direction, "it's funny how Zabuza and Naruto get along."

"Zabuza won't admit it, but he likes Naruto," Haku turned his head away from the duo and brought his attention back to Sakura's propped leg that rested on top of the wooden bench. "What did you do Sakura?"

"I…was introducing Naruto to a part of town he had never seen before," she murmured to Haku as she watched the teen's pale fingers untie her stained golden cloth from around her thigh.

"Why the marina? You know it's dangerous," he quickly tossed the rag drenched in blood, buried his hands into a small box that possessed several pieces of cotton, and placed them on the wooden bench beside him.

A small sigh escaped her mouth and her shoulders slouched, "it was a place that he had been asking to go see. Whenever he would ask Dad, he would cut Naruto off and tell him it was forbidden. I figured since it was just Naruto and I today, that it was the perfect time to show him the marina."

Haku reached into the small box in the center of the sitting area and pulled out a bottle of rum and a small cotton bag. He unscrewed the top of the square rum bottle and held her calf still, "this might hurt," he warned as he poured the alcohol over her open wound. Her muscles tensed as the alcohol flushed through her opened wound. Haku held her calf steady, waiting for her to kick out in pain.

"O-Oh you weren't kidding," Sakura stuttered as the stinging pain caused bumps to crawl up her arms. She held her leg as still as she could as the pain escalated through her body. Scratch that, this really hurts.

"Sorry about that," Haku's voice traveled to her ears as he quickly covered the liquor and untied the cotton bag. "I didn't mean to hurt you," he explained as he pulled out four forest green long, thick, oval shaped leaves. Haku grabbed each stem and snapped it over Sakura's gash from the top of her thigh to the top of her knee. The clear, musky smelling, liquid rand down her leg relieving Sakura of her gut wrenching pain. As soon as her leg muscles relaxed in his hold, Haku took his free hand away from her calf and gently rubbed the liquid up and down her thigh, making sure to cover every inch of the gash.

"Don't worry about it," Sakura gave him a smile and placed her hand on his broad shoulder, "I did this to myself, you're just fixing me. There is no harm in that."

Haku looked up from addressing her wound and gave Sakura a genuine smile, "how did you get this wound in the first place?"

Sakura placed her hands behind her body and leaned back, taking in the bright sunlight as it hovered over her skin, "Naruto wanted to know what the line of sailors was for, but as soon as we tried to get close they knocked us out of the way." Sakura watched as Haku drained the last herb of its liquid and wrapped two long pieces of cloth around her thigh. "Naruto was disappointed that we couldn't get through…and that's when I had the stupidest idea."

"I'm sure it…" Haku was cut off by a tearing Sakura.

"No Haku, don't try to save me this time," she looked up from her wound and stared at her childhood friend with guilt written all over her face. "It was my decision to try to push our way through the crowd to see what was happening, it was my fault we ran into Spike, it was my fault that I couldn't save Naruto before everything got out of hand," she sat up and returned her hands to her lap, clenching them as she explained what happened to the patient Haku.

The concerned teenaged boy quickly chucked the medical supplies into the wooden box and scooted close towards Sakura. His slender hands wrapped around her clenched fists, "Sakura you can't be this hard on…"

She interrupted him again, "It took me long enough to prepare to tear Spike to shreds that Naruto was nearly close to death Haku!" She gently shouted at him as she tightened her clenched fists even tighter, a slight pain pulsed through her palms at the intensity of her squeeze.

"But you didn't allow that to happen Sakura," Haku removed on hand to wipe the silent tears that began to drip down her cheek bones. "You saved Naruto, isn't that all that matters?"

Sakura looked deep into the light brown caring eyes of her friend before she blinked away the tears from her eyes, "I guess you're right," she said with a sigh. I just wish I never put Naruto in that position. He was so scared.

"See?" Haku gave her a gentle smile before he used his other hand to slightly squeeze her fists for assurance.

The two sat in silence as Sakura repositioned her body to look out at the ocean. The ocean breeze gently brushed through her long strawberry pink locks as the salty smell filtered through her nose. Haku sat by her side looking out at the wonderful view he had always loved. Sakura watched the sparkling ocean dance against the small ripples that were created as the boat rose and fell against the ocean, "I don't want to lose him Haku," she whispered, breaking the silence between them.

"I don't know if you haven't noticed Sakura, but Naruto doesn't look like he wants to leave you," Haku tilted his head towards Naruto's jumping form.

"I just…" Sakura looked down at her hands before she looked back at Haku.

"Just what?" Haku sat on the edge of his seat, waiting for Sakura to confide in him like she always did when they were younger.

"…have you…have you ever felt like you lost something dear to you?"

"What do you mean Sakura?" Haku held her gaze as he searched her dazzling emerald eyes for a clue into what was happening inside her mind. I have never seen her like this before. Normally she is never this frustrated when something goes wrong…she is normally laughing about it…

"When I saw Naruto almost become headless from Spike…I had this feeling…"

"It's okay Sakura, you can tell me," Haku took her hands once again and encouraged her to speak her mind.

Sakura could see the encouragement and reassurance in Haku's eyes, "it was almost like I had seen something like that happen before. I don't know how to explain it. I saw Naruto in danger and I felt like I was going to lose him, like if I didn't do anything he will vanish before my eyes," she paused to make sure Haku was following her train of thought, "it almost felt like I had lost something close to me before…but I don't know how that's possible."

"You're not alone Sakura," Haku reassured her as his eyes slowly slid to the wooden floor beneath their sitting bodies.

"What do you mean?" Sakura pulled her hands away from his and placed them against his cheeks, lifting his face to meet eyes with her. Is he talking about his parents?

"I felt that same feeling when my mother was killed by my father. I watched him from the shadows, too afraid to save my mother."

"But you were only a child; you can't blame yourself for what your father did. He had what was coming to him!" Sakura hated to see her friend reminiscing about his horrible past. The day Haku told me about his mother and killing his father, I wanted to prove that not everyone is like his dad. The feeling of respect and admiration entered Sakura's eyes as she thought about what Haku had endured at such a young age.

Haku watched a ray of emotions flashed across her face as he tried to relate to her feelings. And here we are, her trying to make me feel better when she is the one who was upset. Sometimes Haku could never understand the thought process in Sakura's mind.

"Hey look!" Naruto's voice cut through their sentiment moment like a knife.

"Squirt if you fling that pole one more time, I'm going to hit you over the head with it," Zabuza grunted out as the young blonde tossed the pole into its resting pole and proceeded to jump up and down on the wooden bench hoping to get a better view.

"What do you see Naruto?" Sakura asked as her and Haku walked over to the back end of the boat.

"I…I…" Naruto continued to jump feverishly, "I can't see it!"

"There is nothing out there," Zabuza said as he sat back in his seat and began to pick up his pole for the third time.

"But I saw…" Before Naruto could finish his sentence a giant push caused the boat to rock to its side.

"Easy Naruto," Haku said as he reached out and grabbed the boy by his black overcoat to prevent him from falling on an irritated Zabuza. "I don't think you want to fall on Zabuza," he finished with a smile.

"I could have handled it!" Naruto shouted as his face turned bright red in embarrassment.

"What was that?" Sakura asked Zabuza.

"Probably a sea creature passing by," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Then why didn't we ca…" Naruto was cut off again by another violent push from the sea.

The reoccurrence caused Zabuza to stand from his sitting position. He stared at Haku as he grabbed his seven foot long sword, "Haku, get the rope."

"Right," Haku effortlessly jumped over the wooden benches and headed for the opposite side of the boat, where a giant pile of rope was stored. He grabbed the rope and wrapped it around the curved tip of the boat.

In one hop, Zabuza was on the other side of the small boat, staring at the crystal clear water, looking for the creature that dared to mess with his ship. "Hook the rope. When I give the signal dive into that water and tie that creature."

Naruto and Sakura joined Zabuza's side watching the water as well, looking for any type of movement to help them catch the animal that could essentially send their boat sinking to the bottom of the sea. Naruto stood on his toes, trying to bring his face over the banister and closer to the water, "where did it go?"

"The key is to be patient," Haku whispered as he balanced on the edge of the boat, waiting for the right moment to pounce.

"Why do we always have to wait?" Naruto whined.

"Come on Naruto," Sakura placed her hand and ruffled his hair, "it's not that bad."

"But Sis…" his attention drifted away from Sakura as bubbles began to rise to the surface, "guys! Look!"

"Get ready," Zabuza said as he slowly pulled his sword over his head.

The four of them watched with anticipation as the air bubbles began to increase in number and size. Naruto leaned his face closer to the water while Sakura held onto the back of his shirt to make sure he wouldn't fall into the seawater. Zabuza stood tall as sweat poured down the back of his thick neck, waiting for the right moment to stab the beast with his sword. Haku, however, wrapped the thick, tough, rope around his hand waiting to hook the animal in his line.

"Ready…set…" Before Zabuza could finish the order, a small wave splashed over the ledge of the boat. The sudden invasion of water caused Zabuza to take a step back from the ledge and caused Haku to lean backwards and balance on the balls of his feet.

"Whoa!" Naruto shouted in amazement as the water came crashing down onto him. Sakura and he stood their ground as the sea drenched their clothes from head to toe. The laughter from Naruto echoed across the quiet sea.

"Fuck it, go get it Haku!" Zabuza commanded as he used his sword to point towards the ocean.

Haku looked over to the sea as soon as the wave turned into a puddle inside their boat. Well this is different. What he saw caused him to jump off the ledge of the boat and gently place the iron hook and rope back to its corner.

"Well I'll be damned," Zabuza said in surprise as he retracted his sword and placed it against the side of the boat.

"They're…." Haku began to say as he walked over to the other side of the boat.

"Sea turtles…" Sakura finished Haku's sentence as the four of them stared in astonishment at the massive size of the dark green turtle's shells.

"What are they doing so close to shore?" Haku asked as he stared into their dark transparent black eyes.

The two sea turtles stared at the humans, unaffected by their presence. Their larger than normal eyes scanned each human until they subconsciously stared in Sakura's direction. Sakura watched as they continued to stare at her. She admired the size of their dark brown shell covered in bumps, it's almost like a person can sit on their shells. It was in that moment that Sakura had another feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Naruto," she called out as her eyes never left the turtles.

"Yeah Sis?" He looked away from the huge turtles and stared at his sister waiting for her to speak. These turtles are huge!

"Try to sit on them."

"WHAT?!" Naruto screamed as he looked between Sakura and the turtles. Is she crazy?! They won't let me get close to them!

"Try it," she encouraged him as she turned away from the turtles and flashed a smile.

"Are you sure?" Unfortunately for Naruto, Sakura didn't give him a choice, for she lifted him by his shirt and placed him at the edge of the boat.

"Just walk on their back, you'll be okay," as she watched Naruto timidly walked over to the turtles her mind was racing with questions. Why am I having Naruto sit on these turtles? Why aren't they running away?

"Hey…this is kinda fun!" Naruto flashed them a thumbs-up as he managed to step on top of one of the turtle's shells.

"This is odd, sea turtles don't come near humans," Haku exclaimed.

"Look at me!" Naruto finally had gathered enough courage to jump from one turtle to another, enjoying the feeling of their shells against his sandals.

Sakura smiled as she watched her younger brother have the time of his life. He jumped back and forth between the turtles; at one point they began to separate from each other allowing Naruto to jump a further distance. As long as Naruto is having fun, I can be happy for that. A loving smile spilled across her lips as Naruto stopped jumping and began to pat the head of the turtle he stood on top of.

"Thanks Sis! This was an awesome idea!" Naruto shouted to her as the turtles rotated in the water and brought Naruto back to the boat.

"No problem," Sakura answered as she grabbed his hand and helped him back into the boat.

As soon as Naruto's foot left the turtle's shell, the two mysterious sea creatures began to swim into the horizon. Haku and Zabuza watched with perplexed looks while Naruto waved as they left, "thank you turtles! That was cool!"

The pink haired teen watched the strange sea turtles leave her eye sight. She gently waved at their backs as a sudden feeling of familiarity swam in her gut. Bye sea turtles, she said in her mind, thank you for showing Naruto a wonderful time.

"Now that that is over, let's get back to fishing," Zabuza said as he slipped into his seat and grabbed his pole once again.

"Are you kidding Zabuza? We aren't done yet?" Naruto complained as he obediently sank into his seat and grabbed his fishing pole once Zabuza gave him an intimidating glare.

"Unless you want to be swimming with sharks, shut up and fish squirt," Zabuza explained.

"No, no sharks!" Naruto said as he quickly sat up straight, staring at the ocean and waiting for a fish to bite the dead worm attached to his hook.

---

The brilliant orange sun began to descend into the horizon, casting an amber hue on the back of Zabuza's boat. Zabuza sat in his seat while rowing towards the coastline of Konoha, admiring the way the darkening ocean danced around the reflection of the sun, trying to engulf the light into its darkness.

"I see Konoha!" Naruto shouted with an upbeat smile across his face. This is so cool! His energetic blue eyes watched as the large wooden ships from earlier began to emerge into his view. Why are there two people standing at the edge? Naruto stood on top of the wooden bench and narrowed his eyes towards the two standing figures that waited at the edge of the port.

As everyone, except Naruto, began to push and pull the ores faster through the water Naruto's vision began to identify the figures in the distance. Oh no! We're in trouble! Naruto jumped off of his bench and sprinted towards Sakura, who was sitting on the right side of the boat rowing in sync with Haku and Zabuza.

"Sis! We have a problem!" Naruto exclaimed as he waved his small hands in the air frantically.

Sakura continued her rowing motion while she examined Naruto's worried expression, "what's wrong Naruto?" She looked into his eyes hoping to find the answer to her question.

"They're waiting for us!" He shouted, giving her no indication of what he was referring to.

"Who is waiting for you?" Haku asked, analyzing the situation.

Naruto looked behind him as the marina began to move closer and closer to their boat and then back towards a very calm Sakura, "bushy brows! Bushy brows and that weird guy with white eyes are standing there!" He pointed to the east.

"Bushy brows?" Zabuza had to control the blunt laugh that wanted to escape his mouth. The nicknames this squirt creates never fails to amuse me.

Sakura looked towards the direction of Naruto's finger only to see a tall bright green blob and an even taller but less colorful blob standing next to each other. Oh crap, was the first thought that entered Sakura's mind as they continued to get closer to Konoha.

Within minutes, Sakura and Naruto found themselves face-to-face with a very infuriated man dressed head-to-toe in the color green and a more emotionless man dressed in the typical black breeches and green vest with a light tan undershirt underneath. Haku stared at the two young men with guarded eyes as he quickly jumped out of the boat and tied the rope that floated in the water around the curved end of the vessel. Zabuza stood up, dropped the anchor over the side of the boat, grabbed his intimidating sword, and jumped onto the boardwalk. Haku joined Zabuza's side as the two of them stared at the two unwelcomed teenaged boys.

"You guys are on the wrong side of town," Zabuza said as he placed his sword on the side of his body, showing off its massive size to the young boys. "Standing on my port is not a smart move to make."

"I would listen to him if I were you," Haku warned as he reached inside his grey linen shirt to reveal a short bladed katana. "We don't welcome unwelcomed guests."

Sakura and Naruto sat in the boat, watching the scene unfold before their very eyes. Naruto poked Sakura's elbow, causing her to turn her attention towards him, "Sis…what do you think Zabuza and Haku will do?"

"I'm not sure…but it's more fun to watch, don't you think?" Sakura giggled lightly as she turned her attention back to the tension-filled encounter.

The man dressed in head-to-toe green apparel began to shake with anger. His thicker than normal black eyebrows began to meet at the center of his face, while his white bandaged hands began to curl into tight fists, "we are the unwelcomed guests?" His beady black eyes looked behind Haku only to stare at the nearly naked Sakura, "you are the ones who have captured my innocent flower! Look what you did to her!" He pointed to Sakura as he continued on, "she has wilted thanks to your rough handling!"

Zabuza stared at the weird teen with an imaginable expression, "what?" Did this weird teenage boy just scold me? He suddenly felt the need to thrash his sword deep into the annoying boy's gut to rise with each passing minute.

"Lee, shut up," an emotionless voice called out.

"But Neji! You can't tell me you agree with how they handed our dear Sakura!"

Neji watched with calculating white eyes as the older muscular man and young teen stood between them and Sakura. He could see Sakura out of the corner of his eye, watching the exchange with enjoyment written on her face. You never know when to quit, huh Sakura? He could feel the taller man's annoyance escalade with every word that passed through Lee's lips, if he doesn't shut up this man will feed him to the sharks. With a short sigh, Neji placed his hand on Lee's shoulder and pushed him backwards, "we are here for Sakura, nothing more."

Zabuza paid no attention to Neji and turned his back on them. He looked in the boat to see a smirking Sakura and a nearly laughing Naruto, "you know them?" His eyes narrowed at Sakura, highly annoyed by her inability to prevent his meaningless encounter.

"Oh don't get angry Zabuza," Sakura rose to her feet and jumped out of the boat, "I didn't have the heart to interrupt you."

His black eyes narrowed down at Sakura as he raised his sword over his head. The sudden motion caused Lee and Neji to stiffen.

"Sakura, watch out!" Lee was about ready to pounce on Zabuza but Neji's tight grip around the back of his vest prevented his movements.

"You're more trouble than you're worth Sakura," Zabuza finished as he slipped his sword around the manmade holster tied against his back.

"Sorry Zabuza," Sakura said as she placed her petite hand against his shoulder, "thanks for showing Naruto and I a great time!"

Zabuza sighed as he patted the top of her head, "yeah, whatever," he finished as he watched Naruto jump out of his boat and follow Sakura towards their new arrivals.

"Yeah, it was awesome Zabuza!" Naruto shouted as he shot the man his cheesy smile.

Haku stood still as Sakura and Naruto stopped by his side. He looked down at Sakura as she engulfed him in a hug, "thanks for everything Haku, hopefully Naruto and I can visit you again soon," she softly said as Haku returned her hug.

"You can visit any time you like Sakura," he told her as Sakura separated from his embrace and walked over towards Lee and Neji.

"See ya around Haku!" Naruto gave Haku a jumping high five.

"Likewise Naruto," Haku smiled as he watched Sakura and Naruto disappear into the sunset.

---

Lee was the first to speak as soon as they entered the forest path back to the center of town. "Oh Sakura what happened to you?" He ran to her side and grabbed her unsuspecting hand into his own. His eyes could not stop staring at the amount of skin she was revealing. My poor flower! What did they do to make you suffer?

"It's nothing Lee," Sakura reassured him as she placed her free hand over his. "Naruto and I got into…a little bit of a scuffle, but we came out fine. Isn't that right Naruto?" Sakura called out to Naruto, who was walking beside Neji.

"Oh yeah! Sis kicked some major butt!" He exclaimed as his eyes stared at Lee's hands holding onto Sakura. Now can he stop holding Sis's hand?

"It was those sailors wasn't it?" Lee didn't allow Sakura to answer his question before he came to a slamming halt, holding Sakura's hands tightly against his own, "I will go back there and defend your honor!"

"No, no, no! Lee it wasn't them!" Sakura tried to explain to him but the desire to defend Sakura burned too deeply in his eyes for him to register anything she said.

"Wait here and I will return!" The energetic teen was able to walk two steps before Sakura placed her hands around his upper arm. This sudden change in contact caused Lee to stop in his place, the feeling of her soft warm hands against his bare skin nearly caused his face to burn tomato red. She's touching me…it feels…it feels so comforting…so warm.

"Lee please don't attack Zabuza and Haku, they are my friends, they didn't do anything to hurt me," her soft voice tickled against his ear, causing the teen to grow weak in the knees.

"I-If that i-is your wish Sakura," Lee managed to speak regardless of the rushing emotions and feelings that had suddenly invaded his body and mind. Don't look her in the eyes, don't look in her eyes, he tried to prevent himself from growing weaker but his body couldn't resist turning his head to stare deep into her glistening emerald orbs. Oh she looks like an angel! Lee found himself hypnotized by her eyes, finding himself easily getting lost in the pools of green that looked back at him.

"Thank you Lee," she removed her hands from his arm and spun on the balls of her feet, "I'm assuming my dad asked you guys to come find us?"

Neji watched with an emotionless expression and nodded his head, answering Sakura's question, as he took the lead and followed beside Sakura. "You're father ordered us to find Naruto and you."

Oh how dare you steal her away from me Neji! Lee watched with pain in his eyes as his ultimate rival stole his one and only love away. I will battle you for Sakura's heart Neji and my youthfulness will allow me to beat you. With determination flowing through his veins he followed the two of them while making sure Naruto was close by his side. I must make sure Naruto is safe as well, he is someone Sakura holds very dear, if I want to stand a chance I have to do things Neji would never do. His mind began to scheme of ways he would sweep Sakura off her feet.

"Is he mad?" Sakura asked Neji as they passed Konoha's center of town.

Neji remained quiet for a few moments before he spoke, "mad would be an understatement Sakura," his eyes quickly scanned her beaten body before he continued, "and it will increase once he sees the condition you're in."

Sakura sighed, "I had a feeling he would find out where I took Naruto."

"Good luck trying to charm your way out of this mess," he told her as he watched Sakura stick her tongue out in-between her small pink lips.

"It's going to take a lot more than charm to calm him down…I don't get it…we were having fun…" Sakura looked down at her bare feet as they pounded against the soft grass.

"Your definition of fun differs from everyone else's," Neji said as he placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to make her feel better.

She looked up from the ground and gave Neji a thankful smile, "if I remember correctly, you also enjoyed my adventures," she reminded him.

"Hn," was all Neji allowed himself to say.

"You can't deny it Neji," Sakura smirked as she lightly punched him on the shoulder, "you were the only one that would try to catch the flying dragon with me."

The emotionless teen looked at Sakura through the corner of his eyes, refusing to admit to the games she managed to con him into playing during their school days. She made school bearable and more interesting, but if I admit that I will never live it down.

"Come on Neji, don't…"

Before Sakura could finish her sentence Lee happily interrupted their conversation, "it looks like we have arrived at your home."

"Finally!" Naruto cried out, "I can't wait to eat some ramen!" As quickly as Naruto spoke, he slammed open the door and sprinted into the home looking for Sarutobi's cooking. Ramen here I come!

Sakura turned her back on the opened door and smiled at her two friends, "thanks for walking us home guys, I'll see you later!" She waved at them before she turned around and sprinted off into the home. "Wait for me Naruto!"

Neji and Lee stood outside the house even after Sakura shut the door behind her. Lee looked to Neji as a small shiver rolled down his spine, "how much trouble do you think Sakura will get into?"

"A lot," I have never seen the Governor as irritated as he was this afternoon. The image of Sarutobi's red face and slightly shaking hands caused Neji to feel slightly uncomfortable around the normally calm leader of their country.

"I hope she will be okay."

"Let's leave before we get dragged into the argument," Neji ordered as he turned his back on the house and proceeded to walk back towards town.

"Right," Lee commented as he followed Neji back towards their side of town.

---

I have never seen Dad that angry before, Sakura told herself as she grabbed long black skin-tight pants and shirt out of her closet. His entire body was shaking…even Naruto was a little freaked out by Dad's mood. She grabbed onto her necklace as she thought back to earlier that evening. He even went as far as assigning me an escort until he "trusts" me again. The annoyed teen pulled off the remaining piece of her golden dress and slipped into her training clothes. She gently placed the left pant leg over her bandaged wound and slowly slid the pants around her waist. He was even more furious when he saw my dress…or lack thereof. Emerald eyes looked down at the black shirt and pulled it over her head.

"You were told to never go to the marina," she said in a deep tone, trying to mimic her father's words. "It's unsafe for women and young boys, you could have been seriously hurt," Sakura groaned out in frustration as she stomped over to her mirror and grabbed a small circular piece of rope and tied her hair into a high ponytail, allowing her side bangs to just barely skim across the top of her left eyebrow.

"Whatever Dad," Sakura sighed as she slipped on her navy dyed sandals. "At least the Black Market is in town tonight," she walked over to her giant bay window and pushed it open. "I'll be able to find out more about the Akatsuki, I heard from Shikamaru that there are new books that have recently been put on the market." The idea of a night full of illegal exchanges caused Sakura to slowly forget about the tension between her and her father.

"Goodbye room," Sakura called out as she flung one leg out of the window.

However, before Sakura could get both feet out of her room, a small knock came from her door. Crap. Sakura pulled herself back into her room and shut the window. She quickly ran over to the door and opened it just a crack.

To her surprise, Naruto, who dressed in a bright orange satin pants and night shirt, stood outside her door. Sakura opened the door wider and squatted down to his eye level. "Naruto, what are you still doing up?" She watched him as he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes and clutched onto his stuffed fox.

"I…" he rubbed his eyes with his free hand one more time before he continued, "I wanted to see if you were okay," he whispered.

"Oh Naruto," Sakura pulled the ten year old child into her arms and held him tight, "you don't need to worry about me."

"I have never seen Sarutobi mad like that before," Naruto said into her shoulder as he wrapped his small arms around her neck. "It was scary."

"He wasn't mad at you Naruto, he was mad at me for putting you in danger," she pulled away from him and lightly patted his spikey golden hair. "I don't want you worrying your pretty little head over me, okay?"

Naruto stared at Sakura with a worried expression, she isn't allowing that guy to follow her forever, is she? His azure eyes admired Sakura's new attire, causing him to completely loose his previous train of thought. "Where are you going Sis?"

Sakura froze as he continued to stare at her all black clothing. "Hurry, get in," Sakura lightly pulled Naruto into her room and gently shut the door, to prevent their father from hearing anything.

"You're going somewhere we aren't allowed to go aren't you?" Naruto watched as Sakura fidgeted in front of her. Where could she be going? His eyes flickered to the darkness outside her windows, it's so dark out, is there anything out there she can do?

"Please don't say anything to Dad!" Sakura begged as she got down on her knees and prayed to Naruto, "I will do anything you ask!"

"Anything?" Naruto stroked the bottom of his chin as he watched Sakura nod her head continuously.

"Yes, anything!"

"Take me with you," Naruto said with a cheesy smile.

Is he serious? Sakura felt her body sit onto her butt as she watched her younger brother blackmail her to take him along for the ride. He doesn't care where we are going and he wants to come along? The idea of Naruto walking around the Black Market caused Sakura to feel a little uneasy. After what happened today, if I take him along I will have to be extra prepared. With a defeated sigh, Sakura stood onto her two feet and nodded her head, "okay Naruto I'll take you."

"Yahoo!" Naruto cheered as he tossed his fox into the air and caught it in his two hands. "Wait…where are we going?"

Sakura walked over to her closet and pulled the door open, "are you sure you want to know?" Sakura asked with hidden excitement as she pictured Naruto's scared or stunned facial expression in the back of her mind.

"You can't keep it from me Sis," Naruto told her in a factual manner as he waited for her to come out of the closet.

When she emerged from the closet she walked over to Naruto and placed a small black shirt and pants in his hands, "put these on, this way no one will figure out that we are the governor's children."

"Oh, oaky," Naruto grabbed the clothes and quickly dashed into her closet, changing into the attire she ordered him to wear. He stepped out of the closet and stared at the mirror near Sakura's bed. I look…he reached out to touch the skin-tight material and pulled it away from his body. I look so weird! His hand quickly released the material and watched with fascination as it recoiled and suctioned back against his skin. "Are we going somewhere top secret?"

Sakura giggled as Naruto dropped his fox and began to sprint around her room, rolling around the floor, acting like he was hiding from criminals. "You could say that. Remember that place I told you about?"

Naruto stopped his advances on the imaginary enemy as he tried to recall the place Sakura was referring to, "uh…you mean the place…"

"What's that place where merchants try to get people to buy their things for a lot of money?" Sakura asked, trying to help Naruto figure out exactly where they were headed.

"The place with merchants…" Naruto tried his hardest to remember the name of this place and then, suddenly, it hit him, "THE BLACK MARKET!" He cried out in happiness. Yes! Wahoo!

"Shush, shush Naruto!" Sakura tried to decrease the level of shouting that was managing to bust out of his mouth, "if we want to make it out of this house without Dad noticing we have to be quiet!" She told him as she raised a finger to the middle of her lips.

"Oh!" Naruto immediately closed his mouth and nodded his head obediently, "yes ma'am!" He whispered as he stood up straight and waited for her orders. "When do we leave?"

"Now," Sakura said as she waved for Naruto to follow her to one of her bay windows.

She pulled her window back to allow the cool night breeze to fan across their faces, "just hold onto my back okay?" Sakura bent down and allowed Naruto to climb onto her back.

"Okay!" Naruto tightened his legs around her waist and his arms circled around her neck, securing himself for the unknown.

"Hold on tight," she whispered to him as she climbed onto the window. The spry teenaged girl sank deep into the back of her heels and placed both hands on the side of her body. "Ready…and…go!" she encouraged herself as she sprang from the window sill and soared through the air.

Whoa! Naruto watched with excitement as Sakura landed gracefully on the gigantic oak tree a few feet outside her window. "That was awesome!"

"We aren't done," Sakura told him as she placed her hands under his thighs and began to slither down the many tree branches until her feet came in contact with the ground. "And we're out," she finished with a smile.

"How did you do that?" Naruto easily climbed off her back and stood at her side, his eyes sparkling with admiration and curiosity. I have the best sister in Konoha!

"I'll teach you the trick when you're older," she stuck her tongue out as she began to walk down the dirt path away from their home.

"Awe! Come on Sis! Why not now?" He cried out as he followed her down the path and into the town of Konoha.

"Because, it requires a certain skill," Sakura informed him as they weaved in and out of the many tree branches that covered the pathway that would lead them to Konoha.

"What kind of skill?" Naruto asked as he lifted an oak tree's branch away from the top of his head while watching the roots that threatened to wrap around his feet.

"Hm…" Sakura placed her small index finger and thumb at the bottom of her chin as she thoughtfully tapped her index finger against her chin, "…I guess it's…" the rustling in the trees caused Sakura to stop talking.

"What was that?" Naruto unknowingly walked closer to Sakura's side.

It came from over there. Sakura pulled out a long thin iron knife and placed it between her index and middle finger, her body looking towards the east where the sound came from. "Naruto, stay close," she ordered, not allowing the same incident, that happened earlier, to happen again.

Narrowed jade eyes scanned the east, looking for another movement within the trees. Come on, I know you're out there. Her body became tense as her trained eyes caught a slight shadow that shifted between the trees. No you don't. Sakura pulled her arm and hand back towards the side of her body, her eyes never left the slight shadow she was tracking. She patiently waited as the shadow continued to travel west before she swiftly spun on her left foot and used a mixture of momentum and force to throw her knife into the trees.

"Did you get it?" Naruto asked as he continued to stand close to Sakura while he stared off into the forest waiting to hear some type of noise.

"You should fix your aim," a slightly deep voice came from the woods as the sound of snapping tree branches followed.

Sakura felt her stiffened position relaxed. She looked down to Naruto to see him taking a few more steps away from her with his hands crossed over his chest. "It's only you Neji," she said with relief. "Wait…what's wrong with my aim?" She raised her voice.

The hidden man emerged from the shadows, his long black hair reached the middle of his back in a loose ponytail, his bangs framed the boarder of his face, while his well-built muscular body was covered in a tan skin-tight shirt and baggy, blue dyed, linen pants. His wooden sandals lightly echoed in the forest as he came to a graceful stop in front of Sakura and Naruto. "You missed my face," he told her as slight anger flashed in his eyes.

"Oh did I?" Sakura nearly smirked as she understood exactly where her knife landed. "I think I was accurate with my throw," she told him as she walked up to his side and grabbed his hair. "I always wanted this hair to be cut," she used her other hand and grabbed her own shoulder-length strawberry colored hair, "it's longer than mine!"

"Ha, ha, ha! Sis is right Neji! You look like a girl!" Naruto began to laugh out loud as he saw the comparison.

Sakura could feel his hidden anger radiating off his body as she continued to gently pull his precious hair away from his body, "I mean really Neji, how do you manage this thing?"

The normally quiet, calm, Neji could feel his anger rising. She can never take a hint. Faith is cruel. He turned to his side and captured her hand with his own, "let go," he said as he face was mere inches away.

"Are you afraid I'll cut it?" Sakura teased as she took back her knife from his other hand and slowly brought it to his hair.

"That won't happen," his white eyes with specs of lavender stared into her playful orbs before his body tensed slightly as the closeness of the knife.

Does he really think I would cut his hair? Sakura could feel Neji tense beside her and withdrew the knife, "you're lucky Naruto and I are on a top secret errand," she returned the knife back to her side pouch and took a step back, putting space between their close bodies.

"You're going to the Black Market," Neji commented as he continued to hold Sakura's attention.

Naruto stopped laughing at Neji's blunt comment and ran in-between the two teens, "how did you figure it out?" He looked to Sis with worry in his confused azure eyes, "what do we do now! Our cover is blown!"

"You can't stop us," Sakura told him with a wink.

"Hn," Neji averted his gaze to the path ahead of them and took the empty spot next to Sakura's right side, an action he had done countless of times.

"You're going to let him come with us?" Naruto whined, annoyed that Neji intruded on their special event. Stupid Neji, always ruining the fun.

"Don't worry Naruto, Neji will be a good boy," Sakura patted his head and took the first step towards the border between her property and the beginning of Konoha.

---

Naruto walked in silence as Sakura walked through the empty streets of his home town. The massive square that always possessed endless amounts of citizens either running home, away from merchants, or merchants running after customers were nonexistent. Houses that lined the center of town were pitch blac inside. The typical noisy, chaotic streets that he could hear from his school playground were as silent as death. This is kinda spooky. Naruto could feel his stomach twist and turn at the unbearable quietness that haunted them. He looked up at Sakura, watching her bravely walk through the vacant roads, is she sure this Black Market thing is even here?

"Oh my young flower!" An energetic voice echoed loudly through the streets, causing an unsuspecting Naruto to jump.

"Ah!" Naruto yelled as he spun around and attempted to punch the loud man.

Neji and Sakura turned around to see their childhood friend Lee, still dressed in his leaf green leather pants and cotton shirt, easily catch Naruto's punch. "Now Naruto, although you show much youthful spirit, you don't need to punch me. I am protecting the same flower you are protecting," Lee calmed down the exasperated Naruto by patting the top of his head.

Naruto glared at Lee and quickly withdrew his hand away from his fist. Having bushy brows here is even worse! Why can't they leave Sis and me alone?

"Lee," Sakura smiled in his direction, "what are you doing out here?"

The boy in question quickly walked over to Sakura and grabbed her hands, "what am I doing?" He looked down to see her covered in her classic mischievous-making black clothing, "what are you doing here? It is not a fit time for a young youthful woman like you to be roaming the streets."

"She's not," Neji interjected, watching with hidden amusement as Lee glared in his direction. "We're going to the Black Market."

"WHAT?!" Lee took a giant step back as he pulled Sakura back towards the way she came, "that is not a safe place at all! You must go home before the Governor finds you there! He will get so mad at me if he knew I let you go in harm's way!"

"Lee," Sakura placed her hands on his bare arms and slammed her feet against the stone path. The sudden action caused Lee to halt mid-stride, "I need to find a book. You have to let us go. Please?" Sakura begged him, "you can come with us too," she encouraged.

"Uh," Lee felt his body heat increase as Sakura inched closer towards him waiting to hear his answer. His black beady eyes shifted towards Neji, who stood calm and collected. He's always calm. He looked down to see Sakura's hopeful eyes staring back at him. I can't say no to her youthful face. The sudden spell Sakura had placed over Lee had him unable to say no. "Sure, I'll come," he said in a near whisper.

"Yahoo!" Sakura grabbed Lee and pulled him into a tight hug, "thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Uh huh," Lee stood there unmoving at the realization that Sakura's body was pressed up against his own. The warmth of her body he could feel through their clothes, and with her strangely strong embrace he could feel her breasts press into his chest.

"Are we ever going to get there?" Naruto asked as he continued to glare at Lee.

"Of course Naruto!" Sakura quickly unhooked her arms around Lee's neck and positioned herself in-between them. "The Black Market is…" she turned her back and stared off into the dark narrow alleyways that stood between Sarutobi's Tower and a stonewalled area full of abandoned homes. "…right through here!" She grabbed onto Naruto's hand and proceeded to skip towards the portentous alleyway.

"Sakura, wait for us!" Lee shouted as he ran off to catch up with the spontaneous woman.

Neji wordlessly walked after his more energetic friends. This will be interesting. He looked up at the dark clouds that draped over the city, causing the darkened town to become even more ominous.

---

"Whoa!" Naruto stared at the end of the dark alleyway with an opened mouth. This is so cool! He looked back at the dark alleyway Sakura pushed him through and felt confidence surge through his body. Take that dark scary alley, I wasn't afraid of you! He stuck his tongue out quickly before he turned himself around to stare back at the intense sight before him.

The young boy watched as merchants sat against moveable wooden built shops. They were not like the merchants he was used to seeing at the Konoha square. These merchants carried strange sharp weapons he had never seen before. They did not lunge at people as they walked by, instead they would continue playing with their weapons paying no attention to those who walked past their shop. Naruto even recognized some of the sailors from the boardwalk walking around from store to store, carrying linen bags full of merchandize.

"What's that?" Naruto pointed out as he watched a hefty, stout, sized man walk past them carrying a copper mace with iron throwing stars that protruded from the very top of the malicious weapon.

Sakura watched in fascination as the man-made weapon passed them. "The Black Market is a place where merchants gather illegal items to sell to anyone that might be interested. Most of the time merchants are blacksmiths that create their own weapon that are considered illegal in the government's eyes. Other things like royal gems, banned books, and even illegal food are sold in a place like this," she recited the exact definition she learned from a book she found on Zabuza's desk. That was the first and only time he allowed me in his store by myself.

"Thugs," Neji interjected as he listened to Sakura's definition of the scum-infested market. Governors from all nations frown upon markets like this. It feeds into pirates and their mindless tactics. He watched as Sakura pulled both Lee and Naruto towards a vendor that sold sharp weapons that caught her eye. To this day, I haven't figured out why Sakura is interested in them. They are brainless thugs that kill for treasure. He began to walk towards them, but kept his distance, his eyes never stopped looking around at the men that passed between him and his group of friends.

"Yous wanna buy some swords?" The seller pulled several different maces from his wooden barrel and laid them out for Lee, Naruto, and Sakura to see.

"Oh no, we are full of youthful weapons just like those," Lee tried to politely decline.

"You sayin' my swords ain't unique?!" The merchant yelled.

"They are!" Lee tried to recover from his comment as he placed his hands up and waved them in front of his body, "we just have too much to carry!"

"You scrawny pretty boy, I show you how much you can carry!" The irate seller submerged his callused hand into the barrel and pulled out a large five foot long copper mace with sharp knives protruding all around the top. The long sandy blonde haired man waved the weapon in Lee's face as he continued to scream, "let's go you littl' snot!"

Sakura watched as the merchant began to advance towards Lee. Now's my chance to get away from these two, she looked back to see Neji walking over to the screaming man, as long as this guy can keep Neji and Lee distracted for a few more minutes I'll be in the clear.

"Should we…help bushy brows?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Come on Naruto," Sakura grabbed his hand, "now's our chance."

"Chance for what?" Naruto looked up at his older sister with a perplexed expression.

"This is our chance to sneak away from Lee and Neji," Sakura could feel his questionable stare; she quickly looked down at him and gave him an encouraging wink.

"Sweet!" Naruto said with excitement as he tightened his grip on her hand and prepared his body to run.

"Alright, then just follow me," she told him as she felt his hand wrap around hers. Without a second thought, Sakura and Naruto vanished into the crowd of sailors before Neji or Lee figured out they had vanished.

"What are we looking for?" Naruto asked as he danced around random men that crossed his path.

"I'm looking for a book," Sakura told him as her eyes scanned the all-too-familiar layout.

"A book…?"

"It's about pirates," Sakura began to explain as she gently guided Naruto towards a small wooden shop at the very end of the market covered in dark shadows, "but not just about any type of pirate, it's about the most notorious group that has ever sailed the ocean."

"What group is that?" Naruto had never heard much about pirates before, every time Sakura would begin to tell him a story Sarutobi would suddenly appear and yell at her.

"A group called Akatsuki," she finished right as they walked up towards the entrance of the small shop.

"Akat…" Sakura placed her hand in front of Naruto's body, trying to discontinue his statement.

Naruto looked up to see Sakura shaking her head in his direction. Why can't I say there name? Naruto followed closely behind her while they weaved around the small stand. What are pirates?

"Aye, little lady and boy, what can I do for you?" An elderly man, who was hunched over, shuffled towards the pair and flashed them a toothless friendly smile.

"We're just browsing," Sakura answered with a friendly smile.

The elderly man leaned against the side of the small wooden stand and watched them circle around him. What they looking for? His quiet-self observed Sakura as she thumbed through various books that rested against his shelf.

Her hands fanned across spines of books ranging from paper-thin to inches thick. Emerald eyes scanned pages with intense speed. There is no time to waste; I have to find that book. Sakura thought as she closed the dusty book and placed it back on the pine shelf. One more look around and I'll move to the next shop, she told herself as her anxious hands grabbed another book and cracked open the ancient writing.

" 'Cuse me miss, but whatcha lookin' for?" The old man asked as curiosity continued to grow inside. She's looked throu' all my books.

Sakura looked away from the book that rested in her hands and stared at the inching man. His bald head possess a dull shine while his wrinkly body rippled towards her, each section of skin dangled and swayed with each step he took. "I'm looking for a book," she began as she placed the book down and turned her body to face him, "it's one that has just recently entered your Market." She stared intently at his aged grey eyes, searching for a sign of recognition.

"Hm…a new one?" The man brought his warped fingers to his hairless chin and began to stroke the sagging skin intently, "what's it to ya?" he finished with narrowing eyes.

"Maybe we should try another place," Naruto told Sakura as he pulled at her black shirt.

Sakura shot Naruto a small smirk before she patted him on the shoulder, "just watch what happens," she told him as she sidestepped around him and gave the man a positive smile. "What's the book to you?" She said back.

The old man chuckled at her antics, "ha, ha, yous clever lady," he waved his misshapen finger at her. "Wait here," he advised her as he quickly scanned the area before he shuffled over to the other side of the small shop.

He repeatedly looked over his shoulder before he began to move around the small pile of books that rested against a small square table. His shaking hands moved a small stack of books onto the other side of the small table. With part of the table revealed to the night sky, the aged man reached underneath the table and pulled out a small butcher's knife. He grasped the handle of the knife and stuck the razor sharp blade into the wooden plank and with every ounce of strength he had left he pried the board loose. The sound of wood cracking filled the air as he quickly hid the knife back under the table and reached into the small dark secret compartment. For a moment, the man stared at the sinister black cover that possessed no title, he looked back at the patiently waiting Sakura and Naruto and then he tucked the valuable book underneath his overly large cotton t-shirt.

"How do you know he has it Sis?" Naruto asked as he tried to stand on his toes to see what the old man was doing.

"I don't…but by the way he didn't immediately dismiss us tells me he has something," Sakura whispered to him as she watched the man begin to slide across the dirt back towards where they stood.

"Yous didn't get it from me," he began to say as he lifted up his shirt and hurriedly shoved it into her hands. "That book was put in my hands four sunrises ago and eva' since…" before the man could finish his sentence footsteps were head. "Fuck, yous must…"

"Father, what did I tell you?" An angered voice shouted from behind.

"Aye sonny, yous were suppos' to be back lata'!" The old man chuckled uncomfortably.

The son looked at his ancient father with disgust, "listen better," he grunted as he stared at Sakura who was holding the book. "Give that book back," he growled out as he placed his hand out in front of him.

Naruto looked up to his sister as he got ready to jump into action. I won't freeze like last time! He told himself as his body grew tense as the man walked closer towards them.

Sakura pulled the book closer to her body and began to wave it at her side, "sorry, but it belongs to me now," she said.

"Over my dead body," the man reached behind his back and pulled out a four foot long katana sword. His amber eyes narrowed at Sakura as his stout body began to crouch down into a more offensive position.

Sakura watched as the man's feet spread wide and his thick legs began to bend at the knee. His sausage-thick fingers gripped around the handle of the metal katana with anger while his eyes never looked away. His bald head matched his father's as he used his other hand to wipe the imaginary moisture off the top of his bare head. "You'll have to come get it," she said with a growing smirk. Bring it on!

The elderly man stood beside his son in horror. She's jus' a lady! As his son raised the sword over his head, the elderly man grabbed his son's meaty wrists, "jus' give the lady the book. It's caused us nothin' but problems!" His grey eyes quickly shifted from his son to the young pink haired woman, desperately wishing his son would not fight the innocent woman. She will die by my son! The idea that his son was about to physically harm a young woman did not sit well in his stomach, the sight before him caused his fragile stomach to twist and turn in despair.

"Back off old man," the son released one hand from the sword and grabbed onto his father's wrists. Without hesitation, the man pulled his father's wrists and lifted him off the ground. "That book's worth money, you stupid old man!" His shouting continued to increase in volume until he pulled his arm back and tossed the aged man ten feet away.

"Hey! You don't do that to elders!" Naruto shouted as he watched the old man's body bounce against the dirt.

"Pipe it kid." The man turned to Sakura once again and brought his sword out in front of him, the sharp blade stood between him and Sakura. "Either give me that book…or…" The dark clouds that covered the night sky began to disappear, to reveal a full moon to shine down on the both of them. Its white light reflected against his sword, his head, and Sakura's body. His amber eyes watched as the moonlight revealed an outline of a piece of jewelry that loosely hung around her neck. Or jewels could work, he thought with a smirk. "How about this," he looked up at Sakura momentarily before he returned to looking at the outline against her collarbone, "give me your necklace instead."

"We won't give that to you!" Naruto shouted as he stood in front of Sakura with his arms stretched out wide, trying to act like a barrier.

"You will," his smirk grew bigger as he slowly brought the tip of the blade closer to Naruto's body, "or I'll just kill the both of you," he finished as he placed the ice cold tip of the blade against Naruto's throat.

A loud gulp emitted from Naruto's mouth, "uh…"

"You want…this?" Sakura quickly grabbed the golden chain that hung around her neck and unclasped it. Her hands quickly pulled it off her neck and brought it out in front of her, showing the bright purplish red diamond to the greedy man.

The man's eyes were as wide as oranges once he saw the type of jewel that resided in the woman's hand. "I've never seen a gem like that," he whispered to himself. "Give it here and the book and I'll let you go free!" He shouted as he pressed the tip of the sword closer to Naruto's throat.

"Ouch," Naruto whispered as the tip began to poke at the soft patch of skin under his chin.

Sakura nodded her head, "I'll give it to you if you let him go," she demanded, her kind demeanor had vanished.

"Sorry lady, but I'm just going to kill the both of you!" He shouted. His arms pulled the sword away from Naruto's neck and moved the katana over his head, "I will be rich!" He exclaimed as he used his strength to pull down the sword towards Sakura and Naruto.

"Sis, we need to move!" Naruto shouted as he watched another sword try to kill him.

Before Sakura could react a gust of wind blew between them and the insane man. "You will not touch this flower!" An spirited voice cried out.

The whirlwind of dirt quickly subsided to reveal an angered Lee skillfully blocking the man's sword with his wrapped hands. "You will have to go through the Leaf's handsome devil!" He easily used his hands and yanked the sword out of the hands of the even more flustered man.

"Bushy brows!" Naruto shouted with delight. He watched in awe as Lee demonstrated impressive strength. I didn't know bushy brows could do that.

"Oh Lee," Sakura giggled at the nickname he gave himself. She placed a protective hand on Naruto's shoulder and gently pulled him to her side.

"Why don't we join in?" Naruto asked as a small blonde brow rose to the sky. I want to fight like Sis and Lee, I don't want to sit and watch anymore! I want to fight!

Sakura could see a burning desire deep in his cerulean eyes, it looks like you're ready to start your training with Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura thought to herself with pride. "It will be more fun to watch," she told him with a wink.

"Ah man," he grumbled as he crossed his small arms across his chest.

"You'll pay for that!" The man screamed as he reached into the leather belt around his waist and pulled out nunchucks with sharp blades on either side of the handle. The chain possessed small sharp spikes that protruded along the outside of the iron chain.

"You should have listened the first time," another voice calmly stated from behind the man.

"What?!" The shocked man turned around and came face-to-face with another man. "When did you get there? I didn't hear anything!"

"Neji! He's my opponent! You cannot take my youthful spirit away!" Lee yelled out in anger. He always steals my opponent!

"You'll always be last Lee," Neji said emotionlessly as he stared at the man in front of him with bone chilling emotionless eyes.

"D-Die!" The man swallowed down the instant fear that crawled through his body, when Neji looked him in the eye, and began to toss one nunchuck towards an unmoving Neji.

The young man made only slight movements as the weapon came towards his head. This man doesn't know who he is challenging. Neji simply twisted his body away from the nunchuck and in one step he was on the side of the irate man. His white eyes shifted towards the side of the man's face, his impassive eyes stared at the man for a second before he moved his hand to the back of the man's head.

"You won't…" The man didn't have time to turn around to defend himself, for Neji forcefully swiped his hand at the junction where the man's neck and the back of his skull connected. The sudden force caused the man to become unconscious and drop to the ground.

"Sakura, what were you thinking? Running off in a place like this is unsafe!" Lee told her as he tried to convince her how dangerous her stunt became.

"Lee, we were fine," Sakura told him nicely. Though I'm really sick of getting yelled at today. She could feel her anger rising, but she made sure to control it, Lee wasn't the person that deserved her outburst.

"Was it worth it?" Neji interjected as he walked back to their small circle. He looked at Sakura as unknown feelings circled inside him.

"Uh…" Sakura looked at the book that rested in her right hand and then back to the two men before her, "maybe?" she told them with a shrug of her shoulders.

"What?!" Lee nearly had a heart attack at the words that flowed out of her mouth. "Sakura, you don't even know what it is that you were fighting for?"

"Drop it Lee," Neji advised him as he watched Sakura stare at the book with a guilty expression. More yelling will make it worse.

"Listen Sakura, you can't just pick fights…"

"Can we just go home?" Naruto noticed the sudden mood drop in Sakura and didn't want Lee to upset her anymore. "Sarutobi might have found out we left."

"You're right Naruto," Sakura said quietly as she turned on her heels, "we should head home."

"Of course…" Lee answered as he suddenly noticed the distressed mood Sakura had acquired.

Everyone followed in silence as Sakura lead the way out of the mischievous Black Market. Sakura and Naruto walked side-by-side while Neji and Lee followed behind them, watching the brute, rugged, strangers look in their direction.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura began to speak as they walked through the dark alleyway.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?" Naruto stared at her with confusion written across his face.

Sakura flashed him a small grateful smile, "for trying to change the subject."

Naruto brought his hands to the back of his spikey blonde hair and showed her the liveliest smile he could muster, "it was nothing!" He began to say as his eyes crinkled from the intensity of his smile, "he, he, I knew bushy brows was annoying you. He was annoying me too."

"You're the best little brother a sister could ever ask for," Sakura said with a raising smile as she grabbed Naruto into a headlock and started to rub the top of his head with her knuckles. "Surprise attack!" She shouted.

"Sis! Let go!" Naruto screamed in protest, but her laughter was all Naruto could hear, "Neji! Bushy brows! Help! Sis is crazy!" Neji and Lee made no motion to help Naruto in his time of need, instead, the two men watched as Sakura continued to torture her little brother.

"I didn't mean to make her upset…" Lee stated sadly as his eyes traveled to the ground.

"Hn," Neji said as he watched the playful interaction between Sakura and Naruto.

"Why don't I ever listen to her words?" Lee brought his hands to his eyes and began to cry, "I'm a horrible man!"

The sound of Lee's over-exaggerated cries caused Neji to walk a little faster, which allowed him to leave Lee to his inner demons. Why do we interact with him? Neji looked to Sakura as she began to skip down the dark road towards the opposite side of Konoha. This isn't the way back to the mansion. His eyes immediately narrowed, "Sakura where are we going?" He was not in the mood for another one of her adventures.

Sakura stopped skipping and looked around. She noticed a familiar stonewall to her left. Why are you so familiar? She took a few more steps up the road and noticed a few town homes that resided on the other side of a fenced in residence. "I…don't know…" she answered Neji as she sprinted over to the iron gates that separated her from the inside of the quiet community.

"Neji, you know where we are right?" Lee reappeared beside his friend with sudden urgency.

"Hn," Neji studied Sakura as she wrapped her hands around the iron bars, "we leave this place right now."

"Right," Lee nodded his head in agreement as they walked with haste in their step, trying to collect both Sakura and Naruto.

"What's in there?" Sakura whispered to herself as a sense of déjà vu washed over her.

"Sakura, we must leave," Neji told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to push her towards the opposite direction.

"Why? Is something wrong?" She looked away from the complex and studied Neji's face. His eyes held a sense of urgency and concern. Two emotions Sakura had never seen before.

"I'll explain later. Lee is getting Naruto and we…"

"Naruto! Wait!" Lee's voice cut through the air like a knife was cutting through butter.

"Naruto," Sakura mumbled under her breath as she pushed Neji aside and sprinted towards Lee's body. "Lee where is Naruto!"

Lee was standing at the end of the path, watching Naruto's blonde hair disappear into the small forest that grew near the strangely quiet closed in residence area. "He said he saw something and started running."

"Did you see anything?" Neji asked as his white eyes scanned the area for any clues.

"No. He ran off too suddenly for me to catch him."

Sakura looked into the peculiar forest. Why is this so familiar? She shook her head violently; no I have to focus on Naruto! He could be running into a trap! Quickly, she reached for the hidden knife in the waistband of her leather pants, "I'm following him."

"Sakura, you can't go in there!" Lee placed a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from leaving their sight.

"Lee's right, we search for Naruto together."

Sakura turned around and glared at her two best friends, "you will not stand here and tell me what to do when it comes to my little brother! If anything happens to that kid I don't know what I would do with myself. I'm going after him, you can follow me," and with that angered filled outburst Sakura turned towards the forest and sprinted towards the direction Naruto disappeared.

"I don't think I've seen her this angry before," Lee commented.

"Let's move," Neji ordered as the two of them raced into the forest, tracking an angered Sakura and a wandering Naruto. Sakura has never shown an outburst like that…something about this place doesn't sit well with me. We need to get out of here. He looked around the forest as Lee and him followed Sakura's footprints in the dirt, although my family and this family were rivals, what happened to them was a cruel hand of fate.

---

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled into the forest as her trained eyes searched in the greenery for any slight movements. "NARUTO!" She screamed louder.

Her quick steps dodged every tree branch and root that managed to appear. Come on Naruto, give me a clue here!

"Get back here you bastard!" a sudden scream caused Sakura to come to a skidding halt.

"Naruto?" She closed her eyes and waited as the sound waves entered her ears. What direction? Sakura waited patiently before the ending of Naruto's scream flowed through one ear and out the other. To the east! She wasted no time and darted towards the eastern side of the forest.

That yell was very…unlike Naruto… Sakura couldn't understand why Naruto would call someone a bastard. Though this isn't the first time I heard him speak with that language. She thought back to a lonely dinner the two of them had, it was a night were Sarutobi had to work late. Dad was helping the Lightning country clean up after the destruction from a pirate raid. She and Naruto were eating ramen at the table when Naruto flung a wooden chopstick at the wall. He was very angry that night and just kept mumbling words. As Sakura tried to piece together the words, she found herself out of the woods and facing the other side of the stone wall. He was saying "that bastard"! But then one question remains…who is this "bastard"?

"Don't hide! Come out like a real man!" Naruto's shout reached Sakura's ears once again.

"It sounds like he is on the other side of the wall," she looked all around the limestone wall, trying to find a way to get in. There has to be a way! Sakura dropped to her hands and knees and began to crawl in the dry soil, brushing the growing bushes away from the wall. There has to be a hole here some… suddenly her hands brushed against a nonexistent brick, where she found herself nearly falling to one side. "Eureka!" Sorry bush, but you have to go, and with the inhuman strength she strangely possessed, she pulled the thick rooted plant from the ground and tossed it over her shoulder. "I'll find you Naruto," she determinedly stated as she ducked into the dark manmade tunnel and continued to try to find her brother.

At the end of the tunnel, Sakura found herself looking out into a giant residence area. It's like its own country over here. Her eyes couldn't believe the amount of houses, shops, and meeting houses that existed behind these walls. Suddenly, the small town like living residence started to seem less quiet and more abandoned.

"What happened here?" Sakura walked along the cobblestoned path, watching the paths split into numerous other paths.

Her feet cautiously avoided the loose stones as she continued to follow the main path, unsure of where it would take her. This place…it's been abandoned for years. She looked around to see lying corpses that decorated the mini-streets. The bodies didn't possess any flesh, and only clothes and bones of the deceased remained. Trails of blood stained against the stone and dirt, the once red color had faded to black. This is…awful… She pressed through the streets, stepping over the bodies that interrupted her path. Homes had no doors or no windows, sometimes Sakura would see remains of other humans hanging out of their windows. The air around her was thick and grim; even the summer breeze avoided the dreadful place.

Sakura continued to walk towards the back of the area, until an eye-catching, marvelous mansion caught her eye. "Oh my god," she felt her mouth drop the floor at the sight of the still painfully beautiful white marbled home. Remnants of shattered glass decorated the path that lead to the red oak wood double doors. It possessed real gold door handles and knocker. Emerald eyes scanned the giant structure with a mixture of awe and wonder. "The streets are littered with bodies and destruction…and yet this home does not show any signs of resistance…"

"Is that all you got!" The sudden yell of Naruto's voice snapped Sakura back into reality.

She turned away from the house and heard footsteps running and objects shattering. It's coming from behind the mansion. Sakura looked around to see a small forest growing on the side of the mansion. "That's my way in," she jumped to the side and ran, shoulder first, into the forest.

The small greenery patch was not nearly as intense as Sakura had imagined. Only a few trees and multiple small bushes obstructed her path before she found herself entering a clearing behind the home. She stopped short when she saw Naruto's back raising and lowering in rapid movement. What the? She quietly slipped towards a life-sized bush and stuck her head through a small hole she created by parting the leaves of the astounding plant. She watched with curiosity as Naruto continued to dodge items that were being thrown in his direction. Who is that kid? She watched the other child continue to hurl small wooden planks in Naruto's direction. Her eyes narrowed, trying to get a better visual of the child Naruto was continuously screaming at.

Come on… she pushed her body closer to the bush hoping the extra few inches would allow her to see the face of the child. Finally, the mysterious child stopped throwing wood at Naruto, and his head began to rise. He walked closer to Naruto, his eyes burning through the blonde child's soul, and that was when Sakura saw it. Blood red eyes shined against the moon's light, causing the child's eyes to possess an even deeper shade of red.

"Those eyes…." She placed one hand over her mouth as she looked into the very same emotionally distant bone chilling blood red eyes she had seen three years ago. Impossible…

---

To

Be

Continued