Chapter 2: Chance.
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--Things aren't the way they were before, you wouldn't even recognize me anymore; not that you knew me back then but it all comes back to me, in the end.--
--In The End, Linkin Park--
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"We've reached the outskirts of Konohagakure." Jugo informed his team mates as they paused for a moment.
"Why should we even waste our time there? I mean, it's not as though we're welcome anyways..." Karin grudgingly gave her input.
"We wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't, and we're not going to stop searching until we've covered all five major villages." Jugo sternly instructed her. He'd been growing impatient with the fiery red head, which could lead to being very detrimental to the team without the presence of Sasuke.
"And what about all the women I've pointed out so far?" Karin whined, shielding her eyes from the brilliant noonday sun. They had crossed the border between the Land of Sound and the Land of Fire at around midnight and hadn't slowed or stopped to rest since that point in time. Added to her already miserable attitude, the exertion from their fast-paced journey was beginning to exhaust her.
"Oh give me a break Karin! Every chick you've pointed out so far has been butt-ass ugly! Who're you tryna fool?" Suigetsu answered.
"And all of your choices were either feeble, unseasoned, or already the wife of some unfortunate soul." Jugo added.
"Who'd have thought average, single men such as yourselves would have been so damn picky..." Karin sniffed, despite the fact that she knew full-well the pair of them had neither the time nor the patience to put up with a relationship.
"I've had my share of the ladies but even I wouldn't go for the likes of them." Suigetsu remarked.
"We already know you're going to be less than helpful, Karin." Jugo stated. It was common knowledge that their female team member flaunted her obsession for their leader at every possible moment.
"Yeah, so just quit your bitchin' and let's get on with this sideshow!" Suigetsu dashed ahead before Karin had time to react.
"Get back here!" She shouted, pursuing him with Jugo close on her tail.
As they sped through the forest, jumping agilely from branch to branch, Karin soon forgot the chase as high walls began to appear through the gaps in the trees. They halted their mad race only a few elms away from Konohagakure's outer boundary.
"You know what to do." Jugo spoke, before the three of them leapt from their branches to the hidden village's western entrance.
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Any civilian, who may have been observing Konoha's western gates at around noon that day, would have seen an unlikely trio stroll carelessly into their town. But it being lunchtime, there were few who cared to stand witness as an old granny, a young child and a middle-aged man walked into the heart of the market district of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. There was an even less amount of people who paid any attention to what the three were discussing; and those who might've overheard any snippets of their conversation would never have been able to piece together the gist of what they were saying.
"Papa, what about that one over there?" The young boy pointed excitedly into one particular crowd while tugging on the man's hand.
"No, son, that won't do." The man replied, giving the young boy a pat on the head, "But what do you think of the one by the fruit stand?" The man directed his question to the granny. If anyone had been paying close enough attention, they would have observed the granny cast a death glare in the direction of the fruit cart.
"Mediocre." The granny croaked out. The young boy sneakily stuck his tongue out at the old woman before moving behind the man for protection.
The trio of strangers continued on in this fashion for the better part of the afternoon, muttering nonsense all along the way.
As they came across a small florists shop, the middle-aged man stopped in his tracks.
"That one!" He insisted.
"Perfect!" Squeaked his son, who nodded excitedly in agreement.
In the florists shop stood a gorgeous blue-eyed blonde who was selling a bouquet of roses to a customer. She was tall, slim, and muscular and donned a revealing purple outfit and fishnet leggings.
"No." The granny almost snarled before she stormed away.
As the middle-aged man and his son caught up to her, they began harassing her with their questions.
"Why not?!" The young boy yelled.
"What was wrong with her?" The man questioned.
"She was wearing a wedding ring." The granny replied simply.
The man and his son sighed in defeat before the trio continued on once again.
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Earlier that morning, as the sun had just begun to rise, the Otokage was roused from his sleep by an unusual disturbance. From out in his front courtyard came the boisterous sounds of a rather large and rather feminine crowd.
"What the hell's going on?" He muttered to himself as he climbed out of bed to investigate. As he opened his shuttered windows, he was wrought by a mixture of confusion and outrage by the sight before him. He quickly turned and dressed in his traditional black uniform, emblazoned with the Uchiha fan and Otogakure symbol, before heading towards the hallway entrance of the Otokage residence.
Conveniently, his nine advisors stood before the double doors that led to the courtyard.
"What's the meaning of this?" Sasuke demanded as he approached them, motioning with his hand towards the commotion outside.
"I overheard your decision to send your team on a mission to find yourself a matriarch." One spoke.
"We were delighted to hear you had changed your mind." Another continued.
"But it seemed highly inefficient to send only three ninja out to search the nation when you could have just brought the women to you." A third piped up.
"And so we sent out the word that Otokage Uchiha Sasuke was searching for a bride." The first chipped in again.
"Women have been arriving since the early hours of the morning!" Yet another advisor exclaimed.
"Stop." Sasuke breathed. It was unnecessary for him to raise his voice. His deathly tone had them all hushed, "You are to send them back immediately." He instructed them.
"But Otokage-sama-" One advisor had the courage to try and argue.
"Silence." Sasuke hissed, interrupting him, "You are my advisors; you do not make my decisions for me."
"We can't send them back! They've been arriving from as far as the Earth Country!" The advisor persisted.
"And they continue to file into the city!" Another pitched in.
Sasuke paused for a moment. It seemed ridiculous that so many women would have come this far for a chance to be betrothed to him. Then again, being the wife to the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan must have been their key motivation. In which case, the women beyond the doors in front of him would be interested solely for the sake of notoriety.
"Alright, open the doors." He directed them.
Some of the advisors began to smile at the instruction, while others held worried expressions.
"Are you sure, Otokage-sama?" One of the nervous-looking ones questioned.
"It might improve our relations with the other countries if it is heard that the leader of Otogakure spent his time considering their women as possible matriarchs." Sasuke smirked, "And as it seems you all enjoy taking matters into your own hands, you'll be the ones to judge the hundreds of candidates beyond this door."
"As you wish, Otokage-sama." They bowed in unison.
"And if you ever neglect to inform me of your actions again, the consequences will be far more severe." He informed them menacingly as two of the guard pushed open the doors.
The level of noise emanating from the crowd increased drastically as the women outside struggled to catch sight of the infamous Uchiha. Closer to the mass than he had been when he had first observed them, Sasuke perceived various fan girl signs and other such emblems denoting a desire that proved his first guess for why the women were present to be erroneous. Suddenly his logical decision seemed to have been his fatal mistake. Before he could raise his doubts however, his advisors were already setting the stage.
"We should let them in ten at a time." An advisor contributed his recommendation.
"Very well; let's begin." Another agreed.
As the first group of women were courteously directed inside, the Otokage's advisors ensured that the council chamber would be stripped of its furnishings, leaving only enough chairs for Sasuke and themselves.
The women were instructed to briefly introduce themselves one at a time to allow for complete recognition. After they all had a chance to speak, the council members would decide which, if any, were to be reconsidered in their final, more select group. The advisors would also consult Sasuke for his opinion, but he was being less than co-operative. As they would compliment the women for their positive qualities, Sasuke continued to find some sort of fault in every one of them.
It was the type of ridiculous situation the Otokage would have never believed he'd find himself in. Women whom he had never met before would either profess their undying affections towards him or enlighten him to the fact that the stars had foretold their destiny together. There were a few who admitted that their possible union would hold only significance in regards to family honour; but these rare candidates unfortunately did not display the other attributes associated with becoming a suitable matriarch.
Sasuke sighed as he predicted his day was to be a long one.
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"We've searched nearly every corner of this boring town! It's pointless to keep looking here." An old grey-haired granny complained to her two companions.
"This is the last neighbourhood we have to check." The middle-aged man informed her, a hint of threat in his voice. One more complaint from the old wench and he would have had enough of her.
"Fine, but I still don't see why…" The granny mumbled as she hobbled along.
"I think I see a reason!" The young boy exclaimed, pointing in the direction of a quaint little house.
On the front steps stood a unique bright pink-haired beauty that appeared to be scrambling to open her front door while juggling bags of grocery.
"Let me help you with that madam." The middle aged man rushed to the aid of the woman before the granny could have time to protest.
"Oh, thank you!" The woman was grateful. Up close, the man could tell she was far more stunning than any of the others he'd been scouting all day. Once he'd taken the shopping bags from her, he was amazed by their weight and re-evaluated the slender woman's strength. Her jade eyes reflected her sincerity as her soft voice resonated sweetly. She was the one.
As she opened her door and turned to take her groceries from the considerate man, she gasped in shock to find his appearance had completely changed. The countenances of his two companions whom she had observed from the road had also been altered. Where an old granny, a young boy, and a middle-aged man had once stood, there were now three completely new individuals. The currently youthful male before her had spiky hair and peculiar attributes, while his comrades were a spunky red haired woman and a shoulder-length, silver haired man.
As she tossed her groceries to one side and took on an aggressive stance, the male closest to her held up his hands as if to mean no harm.
"Please, let us explain." He tried to coax her.
"And why should I listen to a trio of strangers who have been wandering around my village in disguise?" She questioned menacingly as she focused chakra into her fists.
"We've been sent on behalf of our Otokage." He informed her.
"Otokage?" She questioned. She'd heard rumours of a new self-proclaimed Kage though she had never taken it into much consideration.
"Yes, the leader of Otogakure…Uchiha Sasuke."
Her concentration broke and her stance eased as her heart skipped a beat from hearing the distantly familiar name.
Sasuke…
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It was nearing sunset as the Otokage pinched the bridge of his nose to try and ease the massive headache he had gained many hours ago. While the crowd outside was dwindling, the long and tedious process of evaluating various women seemed as though it would never end.
"That one has quite a lot to offer, Otokage-sama." His left-hand advisor whispered to him as a cute woman with short black hair and petite stature finished her short speech meant to win him over.
"No." He muttered back, for what felt like the millionth time that day. He had given up trying to explain his reasoning for his constant rejections and instead, settled for his short, sweet and new favourite word.
There were only a handful of women who had been chosen to be reconsidered after the initial crowd dissipated; but these were chosen solely by the council members who had begun to disregard their stubborn Kage's wishes. They, after all, didn't want to appear entirely crude.
As the ten they had just finished interviewing turned to leave, Sasuke rose from his seat.
"I'm going to tell the rest of them not to bother." He spoke to his advisors before they could question his actions.
"But Otokage-sama!" A few began to protest.
"No. I won't listen to any more of this nonsense. This is not the way I want to find my matriarch." He informed them. He quickly strode from the council chamber and into the hallway as his muttering advisors followed suit. Approaching the open front doors, he announced to his guard to halt the proceedings. He then made his way to stand on the landing at the top of the short stairs to the courtyard, addressing the remaining women crowded at the base of the steps. After the initial clamour, the small crowd stilled and listened intently to the Otokage's next words.
"While it is appreciated that all of you have come so far-" He began to lie before he was interrupted by the sudden reappearance of Team Hawk by his side.
"Hey who threw a party and didn't invite me?" Suigetsu joked as he observed the crowd before him.
"And who invited this sexist group?" Karin muttered as she noticed the abundance of females.
"I hope we haven't arrived too late." Jugo spoke.
"It's been a while, Sasuke-kun." Came a vaguely familiar voice though the honorific had a mocking edge.
"Excuse me!" An advisor reprimanded the strange woman, "But do you have any idea who you're speaking to?"
"Of course," She stepped forward from behind the protection of Team Hawk to be seen more clearly before continuing, "He's the great Uchiha Sasuke: former Team Seven member, ex-pupil of the late Orochimaru, founder of Team Hawk, past affiliate of Akatsuki, and current village leader of Otokagure. And a man particularly talented at betraying all those who've ever considered him a loyal comrade…" She finished, her voice turning bitter.
Sasuke stood in stunned silence as his advisors muttered disapprovingly of the strange woman. He could vaguely make out their disappointment that such an obviously independent and gorgeous woman could have been so brash.
And although it had been more than eight years since the last time he had seen her, there was no doubt in his mind that the woman his team had inadvertently chosen for him was none other than...
"Haruno Sakura…" He spoke, as jade met onyx.
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Author's Note: Oh my, seven pages! I hope you guys weren't too disappointed that I ended it there :P There's always next chapter afterall XD I'd been working on this one for a while and kept running into writer's block and disappointment that it wasn't turning out the way I had hoped. I figured it might've just been because it feels like a filler-chapter just to get Sakura to where she needs to be lol. I don't really enjoy writing the in-between things too much. Anyways, thanks so much for all the positive feedback! Do continue to give me your input! Oh, and thanks for reading! :D
Special Thanks To:
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