A New Beginning
P.1
Hidden away from the outskirts of Konoha, Danzo and his young apprentice traveled the dense woods in silence. Sai glanced over at his mentor.
"Danzo-san," The older man grunted softly, acknowledging the young man.
"Where exactly are we going?" Danzo stared ahead at the path they were traveling, he looked down at Sai now.
"Hn. We're already here." They both stopped in front of a veil of vines. His apprentice cocked his head lightly to the side and watched as his mentor gathered a handle of the vines and gently pulled them to the side. Once the ominous mist lifted dispersed, the young man tilted his head slightly more as he examined a lifeless and dry field before a set of broken gates. However, within those gates the young man was shocked to see a lush garden beyond them. Sai's eyes widened as he now recognized the architecture from numerous historical documents.
"H-how can this be? This mansion is over 10 centuries old." The duo walked towards the damaged main gates where Sai gently touched the carved wood. "Even though they are broken. They feels as if they were untouched by time..."
"Come," Danzo simply said, walking through the garden.
Sai nodded gently, slowly trailing behind the man. He slowly slid open the lightweight doors of the manor only to release a nauseating aroma. Sai gasped and covered his face with his forearm. "W-what is that stench?" He questioned.
"We must hurry."
The young apprentice stared at the mansion one last time."I honestly have a bad feeling about this," he thought before following his mentor into the manor.
Upon seeing the inside, Sai was visibly shocked at the sight of countless amounts of rotten remains scattered about the main room. He pressed his nose harder into his forearm, trying to bear with the overwhelming scent.
"D-Danzo-san, what-" He quickly shut his mouth as the smell overran his senses. He began to cough a bit to try and rid himself of the taste of copper and bile.
"Now, do you see why we are here Sai?" Danzo asked, stepping over a set of remains. Sai stared at the back of his master.
"W-who would do such a thing?" He asked, quickly regretting the decision to open his mouth once again.
"Not who, Sai. What." Danzo corrected as he pressed on, searching aimlessly within the dim lit room.
Sai now looked around the room, not wanting to dwell on that statement; however, seeing some of the corpses' entrails pouring out of their abdomens, he quickly averted his eyes. Finally finding the doors, Danzo stopped and turned to look at his apprentice.
"Come Sai…"
The shinobi looked at the doors Danzo entered through. He then looked at the corpses once again. A slight shiver ran through him and he hastily ran across the room, trying his best to ignore the piercing red eyes staring at him…
Sai panted softly, grasping his knees after he arrived outside. He panted somewhat heavily, enjoying the fresh, clean air he entered into.
"Danzo-san, what are we here for?" He managed to ask as he panted for a minute more. He glanced up after his master said nothing and gasped softly at the surprising view.
A large and beautiful garden was before him and his jaw nearly dropped from surprise as he gazed up at a massive cherry blossom tree that stood perfectly in the center. As a light breeze passed by, a few blossoms swayed gently before detaching itself from its host. "H-how did I not notice this outside the mansion?"
"S-so beautiful. Danzo-san how is this even possible?" The young apprentice asked, hoping Danzo knew exactly was he was asking about.
Danzo looked down at him from the corner of his eye. "You will see soon enough my young apprentice," he answered walking ahead of him. Sai followed silently now, slightly hurt and offended that his master could not appreciate the beauty of this magnificent garden.
Descending down the small steps, Sai almost questioned why they were heading towards the large tree until Danzo gently pushed the middle of the trunk, causing it to chip and sink within itself.
Danzo pushed the opening once more, causing the door to swing inside. "What?" He glanced at his shocked pupil then traveled down the long staircase, allowing himself to be engulfed in darkness. Sai's eyes widened a bit, noticing that the man was gone. He then looked around the corridor before stepping inside.
After descending down the spiral staircase for a few minutes, Sai and Danzo arrived into a humid and barely lit basement. An involuntary shiver shook Sai's body as another putrid odor claimed his senses. He coughed gently into his hand, trying to rid himself of this smell.
"Sai, calm yourself. We are nearly done with this mission," Danzo said, staring off into the distance.
"Forgive me Danzo-san," Danzo carefully progressed further, sensing a few more bodies scattered about the floor. "Over here, Sai." Sai carefully walked over to his master, stopping a few feet behind him. He narrowed his eyes, studying the glass tube in front of them. As he gazed into the crimson colored container, he felt another involuntary shock course through his body. "Danzo-san, what is this?"
"You will see soon enough, Sai. Now, search for a light switch."
"Yes, sir." Sai gently moved his hands about until they came into the hard surface. He slowly felt his way around, searching for a switch. Once his hands came into with it, he quickly flipped it upwards and his eyes widened from the sight. Danzo heard a soft gasp behind him, but he did not turn to see the reason why. Behind him laid a ghastly pale maiden, whose hands were stretched before her as though she was trying to reach out to whatever was inside that container. Sai carefully moved around the body,trying not to trudge on her oversized black kimono. Standing in front of her now, he was shocked to find that she was smiling. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a thick bruise wrapped around her slender neck. "W-was she was strangled to death?" As he gazed into her hazel eyes, he was even more shocked to find peacefulness and love within them.
"W-why would you smile during something as tragic as this?" He thought, moving away. He realized that he was now behind his master, who, has not moved ever since he turned the light on. Just as he was opening his mouth to speak, he was interrupted by a small tap against the chamber's glass. Sai glanced back and it took most of willpower to tremble uncontrollably as he caught a slight view of the creature within the suddenly clear tank. Sai looked up at his master after the man lightly gestured his hands from behind his back. Danzo's lips began to move slowly, but Sai could comprehend what he was intending to send out.
'Do not make a sound.'
His body shook involuntarily as he watched the monster's head slowly turned towards his master. Unlike the other creatures within the manor, this monstrosity's eyes were pure black which contrasted significantly with the rest of his pale body.
The creature placed his hands upon the glass then tilted his head as though he was confused as to how he got inside. He lightly dragged his black claws against it, causing the glass the scream slightly. Sai cringed at the nose, unintentionally gritting his teeth. Danzo's eyes widened as the creature's head suddenly snapped in their direction once again.
A snarl began to form on the creature's face as his claws grinded harshly against the glass. Sai groaned and clasped his hands over his ears. Keeping his gaze upon the creature his eye's widened considerably now as it suddenly groaned while holding his abdomen. A clear black liquid began to pour from the it's mouth. It stared at them weakly now just before the liquid rose and covered it's body completely. Neither Danzo nor Sai had enough time to react as the glass shattered around them. Sai quickly shielded his eyes from the flying particles. He quickly uncovered them seconds later; however, he was not prepared to see the monster before him now. Time seemed to slow down as he watched a pale grey hand extend towards Danzo's neck, who, gasped in surprise at the monster's speed. Sai desperately wished to help the man; however, it's piercing crimson eyes halted him from moving. The monster looked up at Danzo as it slowly lifted him off the ground.
"What have you done?!"
"Master Danzo!"
Moments later, a horrendous roar traveled throughout the forest, causing nearby animals to flee from their homes. However, within the office of the Hokage, the Third looked out the window towards the forest. "What has happened out there?"
Okay. Some readers may recognize this under a different author's name. That version was mine; however, I could no longer log into that account after I deleted my email, so...blegh. Anyway, I hope this version is way better for you guys after my...years long hiatus...Baaai xD