An overdue update. But it's long, so thats okay! Anyway, it took me so long to update this story because I was busy finishing Encyclopedia Ninja. I really did not expect it to break 1000 reviews, but wow! Anyway, fighting against the rules, response time!
Yami no Katon Karura: I am a guy. I'm pretty sure I stated that in my profile...
Anime Lance: Yes, I sure hope so.
Bandit666: If you think Sakura's OOC, wait until you see the Naruto I have planned for this story. It will blow your mind. BLOW YOUR MIND! I had to change him so he can fit the story line as well as add some depth into the plot.
Anyway, I plan on releasing another fic.But that will take some time, so its okay!
Also, I remember that one of my reviewers for one of my Naruto stories wanted a SakuSasu lemon. I might work one into this fic, but I'm not too sure.
I do not own Naruto or Fire Emblem.
Onward!
Chapter 3: Always a First Time for Everything
It was a wonderful shower. There was no way that Sasuke could deny the fact. He felt cleaner than he had in days. As he stepped out of the shower stall, he began to dry himself off. Afterwards, he turned on the ventilation, which was rather loud, to remove the steam in the bathroom. Walking over to the mirror, he began his routine of making himself look nice.
Normally, that would consist of doing his hair, making sure he looked all right, and putting on his clothes. However, instead of making himself look nice, he was focused on the cut on his cheek. A scab had formed over the cut. Sasuke stared at it in disgust. It reminded him all too much of his brother. He growled. Then he heard a knock on his room door.
"Uchiha-sama, are you there?" it was his bodyguard/teacher.
"Yes, just… give me a moment," Sasuke half-heartedly said. He was too self absorbed on the scar on his cheek. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he quickly made sure that he looked presentable and tossed on a fresh set of clothes that he bought from the store. Walking out of the bathroom with his hair still damp, he opened the door.
"Yes, Haruno-dono? Is there something you want?" He tried to sound as nice as possible. She was also dressed in the clothes that she bought from the store. Her crest was pinned on the sleeve of her shirt.
"I was thinking that we could perhaps go out into the village," she humbly suggested.
"Why? Wouldn't it just put us into even more danger of being found?" Sasuke retorted.
"Well, since you plan to overthrow your brother and become king, it would be wise to see how your country works, firsthand. You could think of it as a… as a…" she suddenly seemed to be at a loss of words.
Sasuke, however, knew that he was in deep trouble. He looked at her eyes. They seemed glazed over, almost as if struck by an epiphany. He quickly tried to back away, but, thankfully, he wouldn't have to.
"I know! We could bring the two Hyuugas that will be accompanying us. You know, get to know them a little better before setting off," she smiled at her own idea. Sasuke felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. For a moment, he was afraid that she would go into her sensei mode and start acting like a child. "So…" she trailed off and regained her composition, "May we do so, Uchiha-sama?"
"I don't see why we shouldn't. Let's talk with Hiashi-sama first though."
Sakura bowed. "Of course, Uchiha-sama. Should we leave now?" Unfortunately, Sakura's shirt was a bit loose around the neck and gave him a clean view down her shirt. Immediately, Sasuke looked away with a small blush on his face, ashamed of his actions. Sure, she would never know, but the feeling still lingered with him. He was supposed to be a prince and soon a king. He couldn't appear lewd, especially in front of his bodyguard.
"Uchiha-sama? Are you all right? You seem a bit flustered," Sakura asked.
"Y-Yes, I'm alright," Sasuke looked up towards his still damp hair. Then he looked back at Sakura. "Just let me dry my hair and get my crest and we can meet with Hiashi-sama." He closed the door. He could not let that happen again. No way. Quickly drying his hair, he attached the Chidori to his belt and pinned his crest proudly on his shirt before he opened the door.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Haruno-dono."
"It's okay, Uchiha-sama," Sakura looked over at his crest. "Uchiha-sama, it may be wise to put your crest in your pocket for now." Sasuke agreed before putting it away.
Suddenly, Sasuke had a question. "Haruno-dono…" Sasuke looked around at the long corridors. "Do you know your way around here?"
She put on a gentle smile. "Don't worry, Uchiha-sama. After I took a shower, I walked around this place. I know my way around here."
While Sasuke did his best to not envision her taking a shower, he came to the conclusion that either A) she took very fast showers and was able to walk around the Hyuuga mansion once to memorize the place or B) he spent too much time taking one.
"I actually went through the path from our rooms to the Main Roomseveral times already," Sakura added.
Sasuke had a feeling that it was the latter rather than the former. It wasn't his fault that he enjoyed taking long showers, right?
"Please forgive me if I am stepping out of place but… I really think that you should stop taking such long showers. I highly doubt that we will be able to have such a luxury during our… trip," Sakura said.
Maybe it was his fault.
"I'll take it into consideration," Sasuke said coolly. Looking out of the edge of his eye, he saw that Sakura seemed a bit… dejected. He felt compelled to say something.
"In other words, I'll try, Haruno-dono," Sasuke said to her. She let her lips curl into a small smile. The rest of the walk was done in a comfortable silence. They approached the main chambers. They opened the doors and walked in before humbly bowing before Hiashi.
"Is there something you wish for, Uchiha-sama?" Hiashi-asked.
"I was hoping that we could take the heir and her bodyguard with us into the city. Perhaps get to know them a bit before we embark on our journey," Sasuke asked. Hiashi thought for a moment before answering them.
"I don't see why not." Hiashi called over a young servant, "Bring me my heir and her bodyguard." The servant gave a small bow before disappearing through a door. Shortly after, the servant returned with the pair in tow.
"You called, Hiashi-sama?" Neji asked. He was very weary of the pair in the throne room. From the news he had heard, Sasuke had killed his entire family save his brother.
"You and Hinata are to join Sasuke in his mission to defeat his brother and reclaim the throne," Hiashi answered.
"Help them?" Neji raised an eyebrow. "If I'm not mistaken, aren't they wanted criminals?"
"Thankfully, you are Neji," Sakura answered. She pulled out the two documents. "These documents prove our innocence." She gave them to Neji who silently read it before handing it back.
"Very well, we shall accompany you on your journey then. Now if you would excuse me, I would like to return to my room."
Sasuke had a feeling that Neji wasn't a very social person. Sure, he wasn't shy of everyone, but he seemed to push everyone away. However, he dressed in a very fashionable manner: he had his hair down to the middle of his back where he tied it off; his shirt and pants were of a design he had never seen before. He pinned his crest over his heart, as was standard in the world. The Hyuuga crest was a white circle, representing the Byakuugan. Perhaps he wasn't as unsociable as he thought. Sasuke turned his eyes to the heir. As soon as she noticed that he was looking at her, she almost seemed to shrink a bit. Sasuke could definitely see why Hiashi wanted her to go on this trip. She was too modest. She even dressed modestly, wearing a large beige sweater and pants that had no logo, not even the Hyuuga family sign. She wore her crest over her heart as well.
"Neji, I did not excuse you from my presence," Neji turned around to face his uncle, Hiashi. "These two are your travel mates and have decided that, to get better acquainted, they would go out into the city with you two. Show them around."
"Hai, Hiashi-sama," Neji bowed.
"Now you are excused," Hiashi bowed back as the group of four retreated from the room. "Hinata, please stay." His daughter stopped walking and turned around as the other three left the room. Hiashi walked over and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
"I know that this is rather sudden, especially being assigned as an accomplice for the prince. But you must stay strong."
"I-I know, tou-san, but… I-I…"
"You're just scared?" Hiashi finished for her. She nodded, ashamed of revealing her weakness.
"Do not worry. Every head of the Hyuuga household has gone on a journey to prove themselves to the Hyuuga clan. This is yours," Hiashi held his daughter close to him in a hug. "If that cannot help you, then do this not for the clan, but for your mother." He felt Hinata stiffen under his arms.
"H-Hai, tou-san," she mumbled before she bowed and turned to leave. When she left the room, a tiny poof was heard.
"That was the most wonderful piece of bullshit I have ever heard, Hiashi."
"I will do whatever it takes for my daughter to become great, Hizashi. I don't want to see her like this."
"I know that, but honestly, the whole journey thing was just so lame."
"I can see why you didn't become the head of the clan."
"As if I'd wanted to be the head of the clan."
"Well you didn't do a perfect job of raising Neji either."
"Hey! If I wasn't so-"
The group of four stepped out of the Hyuuga Manor and into the sunlight. Sakura immediately did a Henge, looking exactly the same except that her hair was brown instead of pink.
"So what do you have in mind, Haruno-dono?" Sasuke asked.
"Well, Uchiha-sama, I'm not the one in charge of leading us around the town. These two are," Sakura answered, gesturing towards the two Hyuugas. She turned towards them, "So do you have anything planned for today?"
"Nothing really. I was supposed to be training today," Neji answered. Hinata meekly nodded in agreement.
'Oh god no…' Sasuke thought. 'She did not say training…' he fearfully looked at Sakura. There was no hope for Sasuke. She had already changed.
"Oh my god, I forgot about your training, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled out. The two Hyuugas were taken back by the sudden outburst before staring at the pair. They were asked to help his bodyguard protect her prince. Her being a teacher and him being a student was not part of the contract. Where had the formal Sakura gone? "Come on, Sasuke-kun," she grabbed his wrist, "we have to continue your-" she was cut off by a grumble from her stomach.
She retracted her hand and placed it over her stomach. She gave off an embarrassed blush. "I guess we should have lunch first…" she trailed off. She turned to the Hyuugas once more "Do you know anywhere good to eat?"
"Well, there is a place that I usually go to take my breaks at but…" Neji trailed off and looked at his cousin.
"But…?" Sakura asked.
"It's a bar. I'm not too sure if I should bring the prince and the heir to such a place."
"Oh that's fine!" Sakura ecstatically said. "He's my student, so there's no problem. So where is this bar?" Sasuke felt mortified beyond belief.
Neji just sighed and led the way. He turned to Hinata. "I really don't think we should tell Hiashi-sama about this…"
"Y-Yeah…"
Eventually, they arrived at the bar. It turned out to be a rather classy one. There were no rambling drunks and the place was fairly clean. They had a regular bar along with some booths and tables for eating. It also had some pool tables that could be used for free. They sat themselves down in a booth with some menus. However, Neji wasn't feeling very hungry. He eyed the pool tables.
"I'll be right back," Neji said, standing up and walking over to the pool tables. He grabbed a pool stick before grabbing the triangle and set the balls in formation. Taking the white cue ball, he placed in the very center and took his time aiming. Then, when he felt it was right, he struck the cue ball and sent it straight at the triangle, breaking it apart.
He took a look back at the group. They were chatting among themselves. Even Hinata was brave enough to get in a few sentences. Returning to his game, he hit each ball into a pocket with finesse until there was only the eight ball left. Focusing only on the ball, he took his aim. 'Eight ball, corner pocket…' he thought to himself before hitting the cue ball. It was headed straight for the black ball, a perfect shot.
However, a feminine hand reached down and stopped the cue before it hit the eight ball. He looked up in annoyance. The woman who had stopped his shot had brown hair and was a bit shorter than him and looked about his age. She had brown eyes that matched her hair that was held up in two buns. Her looked soft and she wore a pink Chinese-style shirt with pants that matched her eyes. "You're pretty good. Perhaps you'd like to play a match with me?" her voice was playful, almost taunting.
Hyuuga Neji wasn't one to step down from a match, whether it was training or pool. "…Best out of three?" he asked.
"Wouldn't have it any other way," unbeknownst to Neji, many of the patrons at the bar now had their eyes on the pair the room had gone almost silent, except for those small groups that were too absorbed in their own conversation. Taking his time, he set up the balls before placing the cue ball down.
"Ladies first," Neji said.
"After you then," the woman answered. There was a small chuckle from the crowd. Of course, Neji paid no attention.
"So be it." Taking aim, he let the cue ball fly and break the triangle. A striped ball immediately fell into a corner pocket. 'Stripes then,' Neji thought as he took aim once more. With each hit, Neji was able to knock a stripe ball into a pocket. Now there was only one stripe left.
Taking his time, he hit the cue ball towards his stripe. It hit it and sent the ball towards a center pocket, but the ball bounced off the edge.
"Tch," Neji scoffed. "Your turn."
The woman needed no further prompting. She quickly took aim at one of her balls and let her pool stick fly, hitting the cue ball and hitting the ball into a pocket. With just as much skill as Neji, she pocketed each of her balls until there was only the eight ball and Neji's stripe ball left. However, Neji was smiling. The eight ball was blocked directly by his striped ball.
"Eight ball, corner pocket," the woman said, surprising Neji. There was no way that she could make the shot. It looked impossible to him. The woman just smirked. Taking aim, she hit the cue ball aimed at the side of Neji's ball.
To Neji's astonishment, the cue ball did not travel in a straight line, but in an arc, curving around his ball and hitting the eight ball, sending it into the designated pocket.
He cocked an eyebrow.
"Well don't just stand there. Get the next game ready," the woman said. Taking the balls out of the pockets, he set them in a triangle and set the cue ball in place. He got ready to break when the woman put her hand on his shoulder.
"You broke last time. It's my turn." Once again, the crowd gave off a chuckle. She took his place and she quickly broke the triangle. A solid ball went into the side pocket. She then took her place by the cue ball and prepared to hit again.
However, this time she put the pool stick behind her back before aiming. She leaned back and almost threw out her chest at him. Neji watched as she knocked in solid. She walked over to the cue ball and then, instead putting it behind her back like last time, she put her foot on the table before aiming under her leg. She hit another solid in. The process continued with the strange woman aiming at the cue ball in a different yet subtly seductive manner. She even arched backwards and took aim upside down, almost asking him to gaze at her.
But why was she doing all this? It made no sense at all to Neji. Through all her strange movements, he was only able to come up with one thing.
She was damn good at pool.
"Looks like I win," the young woman said to Neji as the eight ball went into a side pocket. Although he didn't show it, he felt his ego drop to the floor. She had trounced him in a game of pool. Twice.
"So what do you get from winning? Bragging rights?" Neji asked.
She scoffed. "You wouldn't understand the pleasure that I take in my pool games."
Neji had opened his mouth to question what she meant by that when a man had appeared by the doorway. "Everyone, hide!" he frantically yelled. "It's Mizuki's Bandits!" Immediately, everyone tried to leave the bar by any means necessary. The bartender ran upstairs and locked the door. Within thirty seconds, only Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Hinata, and the mysterious woman remained.
"Mizuki's Bandits?" Sasuke asked. "Who are they?" he turned to Neji.
"They're nomadic brigands. They travel around and loot towns for money, supplies, and women," Neji answered. He turned his eye onto his cousin.
"The plan is simple then," Sakura said, no longer showing her childish manners. "We go and stop them."
"That's not all though," the mysterious lady said. Her voice had gone cold, no longer conveying a playful tone. "They're also low-rank Missing Nins."
"How can they be shinobis? Where would they have received the training?" Sasuke asked.
"Apparently," the lady began, "the founder was a Missing Nin. First, he rounded up many low-ranking criminals and trained them in the shinobi arts. Then, he began to recruit the average person. Those who joined him trained to become shinobis. Therefore, anyone who is a Mizuki Bandit is considered to be a Missing Nin. The nomads themselves practically make up a city. They have families, people who specialize in medicine, etc."
"S-So we're dealing with M-Missing Nins…" Hinata wearily said. Neji turned to face the young enigmatic lady.
"You seem to know quite a bit about these bandits. Who are you?" Neji asked.
"My name is Tenten."
"No surname?" Sakura asked.
"I don't have one. The only thing I remember when I was young was playing pool." At this point, Sasuke intervened.
"We have a bigger problem than trying to figure out Tenten here," he said. "What are we going to do?"
"Same as before, Uchiha-sama." Sasuke thanked whoever was out there. Sakura had changed out of her sensei mode.
"So we're still going to stop them?" Sasuke asked.
Sakura changed out of her Henge, "Yes."
"But we can't reveal ourselves to the public, Haruno-dono."
"But we can't just let the people suffer either," she walked up to him. "Right now, you're viewed as a convict. However, if you can prove to your people that you aren't one, then you can win their favor. This is an opportunity for you. This is also your training for today." Sakura walked out the door. The rest of the group quickly followed after.
As they met outside the bar, Neji realized that Tenten was still with them. "Tenten, you should not be here. Please go and find somewhere safe to hide."
"I'm not as useless as you think I am," she said, tightly gripping her pool stick.
Neji raised an eyebrow, "You intend to use your pool stick?"
"You have a problem with that?"
Before Neji could answer, Sakura had already begun to give orders. "Neji, you and Tenten will go and try to help the people that are being attacked by bandits. Uchiha-sama, Hinata-sama and I will try to find and deal with the leader. Let's meet at the village square in an hour." Without another word, she sped off, followed by Sasuke and the Hyuuga heiress.
Tenten turned to Neji. "Aren't Uchiha-sama and Haruno-dono criminals?"
"No, they were framed," Neji said, leaving in the opposite direction as the prince. Tenten followed, saving any further questions for later. They hurried down the street, guided by Neji's Byakuugan. It looked like many of the houses were evacuated except for a few. The houses that did have people in them they warned. It went on like that at a fast pace. He was surprised that Tenten could keep up with him.
As they rounded a corner, Neji saw a figure and something that looked like a dog locked in combat with three bandits. Signaling towards Tenten, they headed towards the person. Quickly engaging them, the pair killed two of the bandits with ease, Neji fatally striking a Tenketsu point, Tenten breaking person's neck with a fast swing from her pool stick. The third one was surprised and diverted his attention to the two of them and left himself open for the man to kill him with a kunai. They each grabbed the crest, a skull and cross bone, from the fallen bandits before speaking to one another.
"Thanks for your help, but really, we could have handled them ourselves," the man spoke. He had black shaggy hair and red face paint beneath his eyes, forming a triangle towards the bottom of his face. He wore black pants and had a hooded sweater on with his crest, which was had the head of a powerful looking dog, pinned over his heart. However, Neji and Tenten stared at him.
"What do you mean by 'we?' Are there two of you?" Tenten asked.
The strange man let out chuckle, "It seems that I've forgotten to introduce ourselves. My name is Inuzuka Kiba and this," he pointed to the white dog, "is Akamaru." The white dog gave off a bark. It was a regular-sized, reaching only to the height of Kiba's knee, at max.
"It doesn't matter. Please head to somewhere safe," Neji said.
"Hey! I don't need protection. I'm a shinobi as well," he pointed to his crest. "In fact, I'm one of the best in the Inuzuka Clan."
"I've never heard of an Inuzuka Clan," Neji said.
"Well… I guess we are kind of secretive… But that doesn't matter. I can help you. Besides, safety in numbers, right?" Kiba said.
Neji simply nodded before turning around, "It's been about an hour already. Let's go to the square." Kiba and Tenten nodded and followed Neji to the square.
MeanwhileAfter running for a while, the group stopped by a small cartshop.
"Uchiha-sama," Sakura said, "remember when I told you to put your crest in your pocket earlier today?" Sasuke nodded. "I want you to put it on. If you're going to win over your people, they need to know that it's you."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his crest and pinned it to his shirt.
"Also, in this battle, the enemy is out to kill us. I want both of you to aim for the kill," Sakura said.
Sasuke and Hinata swallowed. Hard.
"I know that you may have qualms with this, but it is either you or them. And seeing as you two are both rather important people, I hope for the latter," Sakura said. Slowly, she stiffened.
Sasuke watched as she drew out her sword. Out of wariness, he drew his Chidori. "How long have you been there?" Sakura asked.
"A while," a voice said. "So, the Uchiha Sasuke…" a poof was heard, "and a Haruno and a Hyuuga." The cartshop disappeared, in place of it a man. "Must be my lucky day. You two," the man indicated towards Sasuke and Sakura, "are worth a nice sum of money. As for you," he looked towards Hinata, who almost shrunk, "I wouldn't mind doing you…"
Hinata blushed. Luckily, Sakura came to her rescue. "You have no time to be thinking about that." Already the sharp end of her sword was poised beneath the man's neck. Sasuke barely saw her move, only her pink tresses. How long would it take for him to reach her level? Slowly, the man raised his hands.
"Why have you come here? Are you just on a raid?" Sakura asked in a harsh tone. "Or is there something you're after?"
"Just a raid," the man said. "But if there is something else we can get," the man quickly did a hand seal before raising it to the sky. "We'll take it!" Immediately, a black smoke rose from his hands, forming a visible pillar.
Sakura wasted no time in cutting the man's head off. Bending down, she grabbed his crest before looking towards the two of them. "It's a signalflare. Within moments, we'll be swarmed here. I'll keep an eye out for both of you. Consider this as your first battle. I expect you to be aiming to kill. And don't worry about crests; we'll pick them up later."
Sasuke and Hinata nodded. His sword drawn, he kept an eye out, watching all corners. Nothing.
He looked up.
They arrived faster than he thought. Tumbling out of the way, he saw three bandits, each armed with kunais, standing in his place. Thankfully, it looked like Hinata had gotten out of the way as well.
'Kill to live,' thought Sasuke. Raising his Chidori, he charged at one, suddenly stopping to parry a knife attack. The technique was common knowledge among those who used the Haruno sword style: to initiate the opponent to attack and then parry and counter. Pushing the kunai away, he stabbed through the man who attacked him. Blood slowly flowed down the sword, staining its splendor with crimson.
'Kill to prepare yourself,' thought Sasuke as he pulled his sword out and used the sharp side to deliver a horizontal cut across another man's chest. More blood fell on the ground.
'Kill to kill Itachi!' There would be no more psyching up for battle. He knew what he had to do. Turning around, he saw the last man raise his kunai before plunging it down. Immediately, he started the Three Step Cut.
He parried.
He kicked.
He cut.
Sasuke watched as the man's head slowly fell forward, his blood mixing with the others. Time seemed to slow down as he turned around to survey the fight around him.
Hinata was handling herself well, despite her shy appearance, although she could do better. He watched as a man fell and did not rise from one of her attacks.
'Kill to live.'
'Kill to aspire.'
'Kill to rule.'
It was Hinata's mantra as she felled another man. She would have to become merciless if she wanted to survive. She refused to be looked over by the other clan members. Spinning around, she swallowed and struck another man down.
Their deaths weren't dramatic. It wasn't dragged out. No suffering, no pain, just falling before darkness. It almost sickened Hinata how each body just suddenly stopped moving, their eyes filled with surprise before death clouded their eyes. She looked away.
Using her Byakuugan, she tried to find where Sakura was. She could faintly see her fluttering pink hair, the only indication of her presence.
'Kill to live.'
'Kill to protect.'
'Kill to fulfill.'
A simple flash of her long pink hair was enough to indicate where she was. The sound of her blade piercing an enemy was extra. Looking around, she saw several men approaching Sasuke's back, who seemed to have spaced out during the fight and was staring at her. Flipping her sword, she dashed behind Sasuke and gave a horizontal swing, spilling the blood of all three onto the ground. They fell likewise on top of each other. She turned to Sasuke, who looked surprised to see her in front of him. "Uchiha-sama, please do not space off. We are in a battle here."
That was what the world saw.
This was how Sasuke interpreted what the world gave him.
Her hair was like cherry blossoms falling from a cherry tree on a windy day. Everywhere he looked, he could see flashes of pink. Whenever there was a slight pause in her movements where he could clearly see her, she was artistically poised, the positions seemingly to have come out of a piece of poetry. Every movement was fluid, fast, finessed.
Perfect.
He would have loved to enter battle, if just to see her move like that. Her bloodied sword cast a powerful aura around her, belied by her pink hair and graceful features. She stiffened before disappearing again. He saw a brief flutter of pink go by him and turned around to see her, gracefully poised once again. Her sword had pierced through the stomachs of three men.
They looked like chicken scratch writing compared to Sakura's movements. In the same amazing poetic fashion, she turned to him. "Uchiha-sama, please do not space off. We are in battle here."
Here ends Sasuke's interpretation.
"Right…" Sasuke told himself as she whisked away again. God, how he wished he had her skill. She was probably killing the enemies fearlessly. He was overly tense, almost jittery. But the fact that she was there fighting relaxed him. Preparing his sword, he got ready to fight once more.
He killed the next three bandits that crossed his path. As he turned to a fourth bandit, a figure stabbed him from the back with a kunai, killing him instantly. Sasuke suddenly put himself on the defensive. The hooded man raised his hands into the air, a gesture of peace. "Whoa, whoa, calm down there. I mean you no harm." The man threw the kunai, imbedding it in the chest of another bandit. "I came with these two," he pointed to Tenten and Neji, who were suddenly in battle before Sasuke could see them clearly. "My name is Inuzuka Kiba and this," he pointed to the dog next to him, "is Akamaru."
"I guess you came at the right time then," Sasuke answered, staring warily at the dog. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke."
"Wait, as in, the Uchiha Sasuke? The one who killed his entire family?" Kiba cried out.
"It's a long story," Sakura said, appearing next to Sasuke and killing another man, and then disappearing almost instantaneously. She appeared next to Kiba now, striking down another bandit. "We'll inform you after this."
That was when they heard a scream and the bandits backed off, forming a line.
In front of them stood a bandit, his arm around a young girl's neck. Tenten, however was nowhere to be seen.
"Don't move, any of you five. If any of you even sneeze," he shook his arm a bit, jostling the young girl, "I'll kill her. Put down your weapons."
"What should we do?" Sasuke asked Sakura. It was his first day in a real confrontation. He hadn't expected it to get this dangerous.
"We do what we must in order to clear your name," Sakura answered. Slowly, she set her sword on the ground. Sasuke began to follow suit.
Suddenly, a crack sounded from the shadows. A white ball traveled in a straight line, colliding with the man's neck, snapping it. The dead man fell backward, the toddler falling safely over his chest. Seizing the opportunity, Sasuke, Neji, and Kiba aptly surrounded the little girl, shielding her from further harm.
But it was unnecessary as a red flare was shot up somewhere in the distance and the rest of the bandits retreated, flitting away as quickly as they had come. As the last bandit disappeared, they turned to face each other. Where had that white ball come from? And where had it gone?
Neji was reminded of how it vaguely looked like a cue ball. His answer was confirmed when Tenten stepped out of the shadows. She looked at Neji and smirked, "Still think I can't fight?" Activating his Byakuugan, he studied the cue ball. It was a sphere of chakra compressed and hardened. It didn't have much inside, but it seemed that, if enough force is used, it could break stone.
Or in this case, bone.
"How were you able to make this?" Neji asked. "It's difficult to mold chakra into a perfect sphere with a hard shell."
"Lots of practice," Tenten simply repied. Neji gave up on his pursuit, his attention on the little girl. He had no experience with children. He looked at Kiba. Kiba looked at Sasuke.
"Fine, I'll do it," Sasuke grumbled, walking to the little girl.
"Are you ok-"
"You have cweepy eyes," the girl cut in. Sasuke pretended that he did not hear her comment.
"How are you fee-"
"You'we cweepy eyes scawe me. I don't wanna talk to you…"
Sakura walked up, brushing Sasuke aside. "Let me take care of this, Uchiha-sama." She knelt down so that she was eye level with the toddler.
"Where's you're mom-" Sakura asked.
"You'we eyes awe pwetty."
"Thank you!" Sakura said in a cheery voice. "Do you know where your mommy is?" she asked. Almost on cue, a middle-aged woman came from the corner.
The little girl saw her and cried out "Mommy!" Running, she was scooped up by her mother.
"Thank god you're safe!"
"I'm safe because these people came!" the little girl pointed down the street, but no one was there.
"There's nobody there, though…" the mother said.
"But they wewe! There was this man with cweepy eyes and a woman with pink haiw and pwetty eyes. She called him U… U…"
"U who?" the mother said, looking back at her child.
"I think it was Uchiha-sama."
"U…chiha?" the mother looked down the street once more. Obviously puzzled, she walked away from the street and exited from where she came in.
On a rooftop, the six stood there, watching as the mother left the vicinity. After she left, they jumped down to the street, and walked over to the bodies of the bandits. Gathering the crests, Sakura walked over to Sasuke.
"Uchiha-sama," she asked.
"Yes, Haruno-dono?"
"Tenten and Kiba. They seem to be skilled shinobis. As you know, we simply cannot take back the throne with four people. How about we add these two to our numbers?"
"Sure. I'll talk to them in a moment then," Sasuke turned to walk away.
"Umm… Uchiha-sama?"
"Yes?" He turned back to her.
"I just want to commend you for fighting as well as you did today."
"It… It was nothing," Sasuke said, blushing a tiny bit.
"You did much better than me when I was in my first life-or-death battle. I almost fainted in my first real combat situation." She held out a crest to Sasuke. "Here, take this as proof of your first kill." Sasuke took it and eyed it carefully, noting skull and crossbones.
"You never forget your first kill," Sakura said.
He looked at Sakura who turned and walked away. She looked over her shoulder, "I took the ones Hinata and Neji had and I'll give the rest to Hiashi-sama to turn in for some money. No doubt we'll need it for our… trip." She began to walk away from him.
Sasuke looked down at the crest in his hand. "You never forget your first, huh?" he said to himself. Putting the crest along with his into his pocket, he walked to Tenten and Kiba. Kiba was looking a bit on edge with Sasuke there, knowing how he was a criminal, but Tenten was apathetic, seemingly interested in nothing.
"So… I assume that there is an explanation behind the… ah…" Kiba trailed off, "murders?"
"My brother did it," was Sasuke's answer. "He simply framed me for it."
"But the wounds," Tenten said. "They looked like they were made by the Chidori."
"I don't know how my brother did it, but he managed to get his sword to imitate the Chidori." Sasuke cleared his throat. "But I'm not here to talk about more important things. As you know, my current goal is to take back the throne." Damn. How to do this without sounding stupid? "However, we ar-"
"Just get to the point," Tenten said.
"We don't have enough people and since you two have are skilled, would you like to join us?" Sasuke honestly did not expect them to give a damn about him and his goal. But still, safety in numbers, right?
"Well… I'm kind of on the run myself… so why not?" Kiba said.
"Whom are you running from?" Sasuke asked.
"Ah…" Kiba gave an embarrassed blush. "I can't really tell you…"
"Anyway," Sasuke said, turning his attention to Tenten. "What about you?"
"I don't really care about your mission but…" for quick moment, her thought steered towards Neji and how he played pool. 'He's pretty good…' "I need a good pool partner. Everyone in this town is horrible at the game."
"So is that a yes?" Sasuke asked.
"Yeah."
"Okay then. We're heading back to the Hyuuga Manor. I think you should come with us so you two can get some supplies before we leave."
With that, the group headed back to the Hyuuga manor.
Hyuuga ManorIt was busier than when they first got there in the afternoon. The people were rushing around. After the bandit attack, the Hyuuga shinobis were taken into account. They had to be debriefed, checked for injuries, etc.
Sasuke was just glad that Sakura was no longer in her 'sensei' mode and knew her way through the corridors to the main room where Hiashi was. Long showers weren't completely useless. As the group entered, Hiashi immediately stood up and walked over to them.
"Where is my daughter?" he said, fear lacing his words.
"I-I'm here," Hinata meagerly called out. "N-Neji-nii-san is here too…" She cautiously stepped out to face her father. Immediately, Hiashi sensed something different about her. He noticed that she was clenching something in her right hand. Tightly.
"Let me see your right hand," Hiashi said. Slowly, she raised and opened her hand, revealing the crests she had taken from the bandits. He looked up to see her looking straight into his eyes, lost and in need of guidance. Hiashi took them out of her hand before he turned to the rest of the group.
"Please excuse us. I want to talk to my daughter," Hiashi said. The group complied and waited outside the door that they entered from. As soon as the door closed, he immediately hugged Hinata. She began to cry.
"Just let it out, Hinata."
"I-It's so scary when… when they die…"
Hiashi said nothing while he patted her back.
"They just… T-They just…"
"They what?"
"T-They just d-drop!" Hinata finally sobbed. "T-They still look alive when they die!" Hinata's knees slowly gave out, and she would have crumpled to the floor had Hiashi not been holding her.
"The first one is always hard, Hinata."
"I-I… I feel like a m-monster… Tou-san…" She looked into his eyes. "I don't want to be like this…"
"Be like what?" Hiashi asked.
"I don't want to enjoy killing!" Hinata broke down again into sobs.
Hiashi firmly held her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Hinata, you do not have to enjoy killing. These crests," Hiashi took her hand and placed the crests into her palm. Her face looked pained as if they seared and would leave a mark. "These crests represent your ability and discernment. You now have the power to take a life or spare it. Use your own judgment to determine who must live and who must die. This does not mean in any way that you must take pleasure in killing. I myself do not like it either, but our positions force us to kill."
Hinata's sobbing slowly began to subside.
"By taking a life, you have proven yourself as worthy of the Hyuuga name. I'm proud of you, and always will be, remember that." For the first time in a long time, Hinata saw her father give a genuine smile.
She had not seen it ever since her mother died.
"I will have a servant escort you to your room. There, I want you to rest. It will do you wonders, both mentally and physically." Hinata simply nodded weakly. She turned around to see a servant already waiting to take her to her room. She exited, her place in the main room filled in with Sasuke and his group.
"I must thank you all for protecting my daughter in such a time," Hiashi calmly said. "However, I see that you have brought in two…" Hiashi was at a loss for words.
"Recruits," Sakura finished for him.
"I see." Hiashi turned to the 'recruits.' "Who are you, if I may be so bold?"
Sasuke personally felt that Hiashi was overly polite, but kept his mouth shut.
"My name is Inuzuka Kiba and this," Kiba pointed to his dog, "is Akamaru."
"Inuzuka Kiba… aren't you on the run from… ah… I can't remember their names… them?" Hiashi asked.
"Eh… yeah…" Kiba sheepishly replied.
"Isn't it possible that you're putting my daughter in danger?"
"Oh don't worry about it," Kiba said nonchalantly, "they'll only aim at me."
'Who is this group that wants Kiba dead?' Sasuke thought.
"I hope you're right. Now then," Hiashi turned to Tenten. "What of you? What's your name?"
"My name is Tenten." Hiashi raised an eyebrow. "I don't have a surname, having been an orphan."
"Any reason why you wish to travel with this group?"
"Your son is the only person in this town who plays a decent pool game. I'm traveling with this group because I need the challenge."
"I do not have a son. Neji is my nephew. But why pool?"
Tenten motioned towards her pool stick. "This pool stick serves as a Jo staff for me. I hand built it from the finest wood I could find here. But allow me to show you something." She drew out her hand and formed the white cue ball from her chakra. "It's my own personal way of fighting. I simply take aim and send the cue ball on its course. It'll bounce around a few times as well."
"Very well then. You two will be given a room here as 'bodyguards' for Uchiha-sama. Two servants are already waiting to bring you to your rooms, as well as food and drink. Now, please allow me to speak with Uchiha-sama and Haruno-dono." The two nodded before turning around. Again, servants had already appeared, ready to take them away. Kiba and Tenten exited the room, leaving only Sasuke and Sakura now.
"By the beginning of tomorrow, the news will get out, saying how you two were spotted in this city. For your safety, it may be wise to leave the country and ask for help from other kingdoms. You will need to set out in the early morning. North of here lies a forest that will take you to the Rock Kingdom. You should be able to get help there," Hiashi said.
"Thank you, Hiashi-sama," Sakura said. "I know that you have already given much to us but-," Hiashi cut her off.
"If you are wondering if we could give you some supplies, that is not a problem. Uchiha-sama's safety is highest priority right now, so we will do what we must. We will give you some food pills, rations, tents and sleeping bags,and kunais along with some exploding tags."
"Thank you again, Hiashi-sama, but I have one more favor. I want you to spread the fact that Uchiha Itachi killed the Uchihas. Hopefully, this will persuade some to think twice about attacking us," Sakura said.
"It will be done. Now, you should return to your rooms for food and rest. There is no doubt that you will need it tomorrow. Servants are ready to take you to your rooms. Sleep early, as you will be leaving early."
Low and behold, as the pair turned around, a pair of servants was already there to take them to their rooms. They followed the servants and when their paths branched ways, they bid each other goodnight before heading towards their rooms.
The first thing Sasuke did when he got to his room was taking another shower. He loved those showers. It felt good to just wash away the dirt and sweat from his body. But as he was taking pleasure in the hot water, he remembered Sakura's words about long showers. With a sigh, he turned off the nozzle as he stepped out to dry himself. Of all the people that had served him at some point in time, she was the only one who told him that his habit of taking long showers was detrimental.
Putting on a set of fresh clothes, he stepped out of the bathroom and put his dirty clothes outside his door. He saw a tray with hot steaming food. He took it inside and began to eat on at the table provided. He did not realized how hungry he was. When he finished, he placed the tray outside his door. Glancing at the clock, he then looked at the bed. It was only seven at night. He could sleep a bit later.
He began to pack. He made sure that he had his crest at his nightstand. As he began to pack his clothes, there was a knock at his door. Opening it, he found his pile of dirty clothes, already washed and dried.
They still felt warm. Packing it away, he stole a look at his clock once more. It was only seven thirty. 'Sleep early, as you will leave early.' Having done all he could, he prepared himself for sleep. As he climbed into his bed, he suddenly felt tired. His sword arm ached and his legs felt almost wobbly. Sinking into the bed, he could not forget the words that came from Sakura after the battle.
'You never forget your first.'
Next Morning
A knock on the door jolted Sasuke from his sleep. It was the first time that he was glad to be awakened.
He had the dream again
His pillow was damp, meaning that he cried once more in his sleep and that he cried until he woke up. Doing his best to wipe the crusted tears away, he walked and answered the door, opening it a crack and peering through.
"Uchiha-sama," it was Sakura, "please prepare to leave."
Sasuke rubbed his eyes a bit, "What time is it?" he said sleepily.
"Four in the morning," she replied apathetically.
"This early?" he sighed. "Alright, just let me get dressed." Sasuke began to close the door, but she called out his name again.
"Uchiha-sama."
"Yes?" Sasuke warily replied.
"You were crying in your sleep again, weren't you?"
There was only silence.
"You were, weren't you?"
"How do you know these things?" Sasuke said, exasperated by her knowledge.
"Your puffy eyes give it away. Wash your face with warm water. It'll help make them go away faster."
"Yeah," Sasuke turned away to do that.
"Uchiha-sama," Sakura interrupted again.
"What?" he said almost rudely.
"If you ever need someone to talk to, you can talk to me."
Sasuke simply nodded before closing the door. Sighing, he entered the bathroom to wash his face. Afterward he dressed and walked out the door, wearing his pack and his sword by his side. He met Sakura there again. She was ready for travel before she must have reached his room. They nodded silently to each other before Sasuke began to follow Sakura.
However, she led him not to the Main Room, but to the mess hall.
The only people there were a few Hyuuga guards and servants and his 'bodyguards.' Hinata and Neji were already awake, as if they woke up this early everyday. Tenten and Kiba (including Akamaru), however, did not seem to be morning people. They sat down and servants brought them some food. They ate in silence, as if they were all strangers to each other.
It was not long before another servant told brought them to the main gates of the Hyuuga Manor. As they stepped out of the doors, they saw how dark the city was. The sun's rays hadn't even peeked over the horizon. There they met with Hiashi.
"I know that some of you are not fully… functional at this hour, but you cannot dawdle any longer here without risking your lives. Now is the safest time for escape. I have told the Hyuugas patrolling the area to turn a blind eye towards you. Remember to head north and stay off main roads. After you reach the Rock Kingdom, plan your next course of action," Hiashi said.
"Thank you, Hiashi-sama," Sakura said before turning to leave.
"Wait," Hiashi held out a leather bag. "You'll need this money. It should help you when the time comes."
This time, Sakura bowed low before thanking him. Then, the group of six set out from the manor.
That was four hours ago.
They managed to exit the city without being seen an hour after leaving the city. It took them another hour to reach the forest. As Hiashi said, they stayed off main roads and paths, taking risks and simply heading north. They were now two hours into the forest.
Sasuke turned to Kiba, who was riding on Akamaru (who grew to the size of a horse when they reached the forest). If someone was going to be actively hunting the man, he could be putting Sasuke in danger. He walked over to him.
"Kiba, who are these people that are hunting you?" Sasuke asked.
"I can't tell you," Kiba answered, embarassed.
"Can you at least tell me why they're looking for you?"
Kiba opened his mouth to speak when an arrow fiercely struck him in his right shoulder, knocking him off his dog. The arrow pierced through him and got stuck to a tree, leaving Kiba's feet to barely touch the ground. Immediately, everyone snapped into defensive positions. Sakura was in front of Sasuke within a second.
"Care to tell me now, Kiba?" Sasuke said to the hanging man.
"No," Kiba said, his voice laced with some pain. Kiba gritted his teeth.
"Why not?"
"Because she'll answer for you," Kiba said, pointing at the figure emerging from the shadows.
"Look, Inuzuka, you can't run forever. So either comply or die, asshole," the figure said. She sounded young and feminine. Sakura looked surprised as if she recognized the voice. The strange young stepped into view. She had short pink hair that was identical in color to Sakura's hair and purple eyes. She had a bow in left right hand that had an arm guard and her right hand was in an iron gauntlet. Other than that, she wore clothes that were very similar to Sakura's clothing. Strapped at her waist was a quiver of arrows
"How about no, bitch?" was Kiba's answer.
"I'll just have to kill you then," she said, notching an arrow. Sasuke did not like how she simply ignored the rest of the group. He stepped in front of Kiba when he heard Sakura's voice.
"Maeka? Is that you?" the archer looked at Sakura.
"Sakura?"
"Oh my god, it's you!" she said in a suddenly cheery voice.
Sasuke deemed that she had changed again. He internally swore as the two girls ran over and hugged each other, squealing.
Just what he needed.
Two pink-haired idiots.
Scratch that.
Two pink-haired idiots that suffer from Multiple Personality disorder (or at least one of them).
"A little help here?" Kiba asked.
Sasuke broke the shaft of the arrow in his hand when he pulled it out.