Itachi was tired. His last mission had involved the slaughter of an entire militia. He tried to give a peaceful and painful death to as many of them as possible but there was still plenty of bloodshed. The journey back to Ame with a cheerful Juzo was difficult, mostly because Itachi felt sick. He had to hide it whenever he started coughing up blood, while also acting like he enjoyed the large amount killing they had just done.
While civilians carried their black and white moral codes, shinobi operated in the grey area. Sometimes Itachi wished he could look at things simply. Killing was bad, helping people was good. But what if you needed to kill people to help others? Which group deserved to live? It was a dilemma he constantly had to face, and he was growing tired of it.
There was one bright spot about returning to Ame, and that was his training session with Sakura. Helping her return home to Konoha was a pure good, nothing grey about it. He was fairly sure that it would be a while before he could get her out of the clutches of the Akatsuki, but even a simple spar would help him get to know her better.
Perhaps it was odd, that after travelling through beautiful mountainside towns and quaint seaside villages it was the sight of grey skies and dull buildings that made Itachi perk up, but to him it was an invigorating view. Of course, the change in his temperament was barely noticeable, so to an outsider like Juzo he had merely been stoic and calm for the entire mission.
He let Juzo take the lead as they moved through the village. Itachi took note of how people hurried out of their way as soon as they noticed the cloaks. While the Akatsuki were still a growing, non-major threat worldwide, here in Ame it appeared that they had status and power. The citizens feared them, and knowing his comrades they were right to do so.
It only took Juzo two minutes to give Pein their report. The mission had been free of complications. They came, they killed, they got paid for it and they left. Itachi stood quietly next to Juzo as he explained this to the leader and Konan.
"Well done." Pein said once the report was given. "I'll summon you when it's time for your next mission. Is there anything else?"
Itachi took a step forward, and all eyes turned to watch him. He could tell they hadn't expected that, but they hid their surprise well.
"I wish to borrow Sakura for the day. After our last fight I'd like a proper spar with her."
Pein stared at him for a few seconds too long, and Itachi wondered if he'd made a mistake. Perhaps Pein was possessive over his so-called weapon.
"She left Ame on an assignment." Pein replied.
Was it just Itachi overthinking or was his voice colder than normal? No, Pein's voice always sounded that way, like he was dead inside. Itachi had no logical reason to suspect Pein of wanting to keep Sakura away from him.
"When will she be back?" he asked, keeping his expression neutral and composed.
"Around a year from now."
Well. That threw a wrench in his plans.
"I see." was all he said.
He stepped back to Juzo's side and let silence fill the room.
"Was there anything else?" Pein asked. "No? Very well. You are dismissed."
Itachi's mind raced as they left the room. Where had they taken Sakura? Why had she been sent away for a year? Could it be possible that they were brainwashing her even more and needed to do so in secret? For all he knew that girl could be dead by now.
"You sure you're ok Itachi?" Juzo asked.
His voice seemed to carry real concern, but Itachi was hardly going to let his guard down this early into a partnership. He nodded shortly and turned to walk away.
"You know, if you want to spar against someone I'm free today. I've fought by your side quite a bit but I don't think we've fought against each other yet."
Itachi's instinct was to decline the invitation, but when he paused to consider it he realised that there wasn't much else for him to do. So far the Akatsuki had given him fairly mundane missions, and it didn't seem like they were going to move against Konoha anytime soon. Now that he was unable to talk to Sakura he might as well learn more about his partner.
"Very well. Which training ground do you suggest?"
Juzo grinned. His sharp pointed teeth should have made that seem threatening but for some reason it reminded Itachi of his ANBU comrades. Not exactly a friendly smile but the closest thing to it for people like them.
He didn't smile back, but Juzo seemed unbothered, gesturing for Itachi to follow him to the training ground.
He hoped that Sakura would be alright, but until he could find out more information, getting to know his fellow members was a good way to pass the time.
So according to Pein, Tsunade had once been a big deal in Konoha but she had left the village years ago and they never managed to get her back. Because she had no current loyalty Pein was convinced that she would train Sakura.
"It's your fighting styles." he had explained. "We've been researching this and from the descriptions we found it's almost as if this woman already trained you, your techniques are so similar."
He had stared into her eyes as he told her this, as if trying to see if she was lying when she said she didn't recognize the woman in the picture.
The truth was that Sakura had felt an overwhelming rush of familiarity when she'd first seen the photo, but when she tried to dig into that feeling she'd come up empty. The woman looked familiar yet Sakura couldn't remember a single thing about her. It was unsurprising yet every time this happened it left her feeling frustrated.
She'd told Pein that she couldn't remember anything and she hadn't lied. She just left out the bit where it felt like she should remember something.
Technically, the fact that she kept something from Pein was terrible and shouldn't have happened because her entire purpose was to serve the Akatsuki and withholding information went against that. But at the same time, Sakura was sick of having no answers for her messed up memory, and being ordered to track down someone who might have answers was just the break she needed from the universe.
It didn't mean that she wasn't loyal to the Akatsuki and wouldn't go straight back once her year of training was done. It was just that she couldn't really be a fully functional weapon if there was a chance her memories would trigger her at random times. Sorting this out once and for all was the best option, and on this she trusted her opinion more than Pein's.
There was nothing wrong with what she was doing, Sakura decided firmly. Besides, she was already outside Ame. Turning back now just to admit she'd withheld information would probably get her killed.
So instead she walked further away from Ame, taking her time to truly absorb the scenery of the small country she lived in. Pein had told her to train for a year, but he had never specified how quickly she needed to find Tsunade. Obviously, she knew better than to delay it for a few months, but a year was a long enough time that she didn't need to rush straight away.
She made her way south, wandering with no particular destination in mind. This was the closest she was going to get to being a real, free, human being so she was determined to make the most of it. She stopped by a river to rest and watch fish swim by. When she got hungry enough she speared one with a kunai and made a small fire to cook it. She took her time as she ate, savouring the food like she'd never been able to before.
Once she was finished she doused the fire with water from the river and continued walking south. Soon she reached the border between lands. Kaze no Kuni may have contained one of the five great shinobi villages but their border security was surprisingly lax. Sakura couldn't see a single guard post for miles. She imagined that there wasn't much need for a lot of guards when the land was mainly made up of flat stretches of sand.
The sun was starting to set. She debated continuing on but she couldn't see a water source nearby, and the desert didn't look very promising. Instead she retraced her steps to the nearest river and made camp there for the night.
Sakura was no stranger to loneliness. Most of her time on missions was spent alone and most of her time at the base was spent alone training or sleeping. But lying under the stars without a set destination or goal other than 'find Tsunade', a different kind of loneliness hit her. There was no one pulling her strings, no one pressuring her to work faster, and no one who knew where she was right now.
It was just her alone in the middle of nowhere with the stars stretching across the sky above her as if to remind her of just how big the world really was.
Sakura wasn't sure she liked it. The constellations were different from the ones Kisame had taught her in Ame. Granted he had only had time to show her one or two, and both of the stories behind those constellations had been gory and unpleasant, but they were still familiar. The sky above her belonged to an alien planet. There was no cluster of stars that resembled a headless shinobi or a shark eating its brother, nothing that made the world seem a little bit more normal to Sakura.
This was uncharted territory. She'd visited these countries before, but not like this. This was a new chapter, a completely new adventure in her life, and even though she should be trying to sleep Sakura felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension bubbling in her stomach.
"Get a grip." she muttered.
Turning over so she was facing the river instead of the sky, she watched the glowing embers of the fire slowly dim until her eyes fell shut. Her worries could wait until morning.
Morning came quicker than she wanted it too. Sakura used a Doton jutsu to bury her campsite and then continued on her way. As fun as it was exploring the world at a leisurely pace she was starting to get antsy. She needed to make some progress or she wouldn't be able to enjoy the relaxed journey she was on. If she could get a lead on Tsunade today, that would be good enough to quell her anxiety.
Instead of crossing into Kaze no Kuni, she turned and began to walk east. There was no point trekking across a desert when Hi no Kuni was only a few miles away. Since Tsunade was from Konoha, Sakura would probably get better information on her from villages that resided in the same land.
She could tell she crossed the border when woodlands started sprouting up around her. The roads were also nicer, with more people travelling along them. She got a few odd stares, but they mostly seemed concerned that a child her age was alone. One woman looked like she was going to approach Sakura and ask her if she was lost, so Sakura quickly turned off the path and into the trees.
She hopped from tree to tree for a little bit, but once she got deeper into the land she switched back to walking like a civilian. There was no point wasting chakra and drawing attention if there was no destination to rush towards.
She stopped for the night in a town fairly near Konoha. The next step was gathering information, but she wasn't quite sure where to start.
She went into a local shop and tried asking the man at the counter, but he merely laughed.
"If I knew anything about the Sannin I'd be charging people for it right now." he said with a chuckle. "Run along kid, unless you want to buy something."
She left the shop, thinking about his words. It appeared that information on Tsunade wasn't told as local gossip. If Sakura wanted to find the woman, she would need to go somewhere seedier.
She wandered around the town for a bit, keeping an eye out for any place where you could buy information. Every town had a different way of advertising it, but Sakura had enough experience with information brokering to know what to look for.
As she walked, she went over what she already knew about Tsunade. She was around fifty years old, but she used a special jutsu to change her appearance. She changed her appearance from a ten year old to a thirty or forty year old and back to a twenty year old to escape her gambling debts, which meant Sakura could be looking for a child or a grandma.
She eventually found herself in front of a shabby old bar. The windows looked like they hadn't been washed in years and there were suspicious stains on the outside walls. One man was slumped against the wall in a pool of his own vomit, but no one coming in or out even spared him a glance. All in all, this was definitely the kind of place Sakura was looking for. She considered using a henge to change her appearance but she decided against it, wanting to attract attention from the customers.
As soon as she walked in she could feel eyes on her, and the noise level of the room dimmed slightly. She ignored everyone and moved straight to the bar, sliding the picture of Tsunade in front of the barman.
"I'm looking for this woman." she said loudly. "Do you know anything about her?"
The bartender looked down his nose at her. She stared back at him, trying to look like she meant business despite the fact that she was barely as tall as the counter.
"I'm afraid I don't." he drawled. "But feel free to ask around. Maybe one of those men over there knows something."
The men he gestured toward had been leering at Sakura since she entered. Clearly, the bartender was letting her stay so that she would get scared off by his customers. He didn't realise that she could probably take all of them on if it came to a fight.
She ignored the creepy men and made her way to the friendliest face in the bar, a young man with glasses and a thin body. He gave her a confused smile as she sidled up next to him.
"I'm looking for this woman." she said, pushing the picture of Tsunade in front of him. "Do you know anything about her?"
"Ah I see." he said, his smile changing from puzzled to apologetic. "I'm sorry, but I haven't heard anything about her in a long time."
"I have." A deeper, rougher voice cut across him. "I gambled with her just last week, in fact."
Sakura turned around to look at the man at the far end of the bar. He was unshaven, with greasy hair and a sleazy smile. One of his eyes had a tic, and he looked at Sakura in a way that made her skin crawl. She grinned.
"Let me by you a drink." she said, hopping up onto the stool next to him.
Twenty minutes later, she left the bar, dragging the unconscious form of the greasy haired man behind her.
"Thanks for the information." she said, dropping him next to the man asleep in his own vomit. "Sorry about the broken wrist and nose, but you should really keep your hands to yourself."
The man made no reply, but seeing as he was dead to the world she hadn't really expected him to. She gave his cheek a little pat then left him.
"Right." she muttered, scanning the signposts on the street. "Which way to Shukuba-machi?"
Along the main street of Shukuba-machi, people stopped and stared at the two young women arguing in front of a gambling den.
"It's a miracle you actually won, why go back and waste it all? We still owe so many people money-"
"Don't be so pessimistic Shizune." the blonde haired young woman slurred. "This town is good luck for us! If I won yesterday then today is the start of my winning streak! Let's go!"
Shizune sighed, sharing a look of mutual suffering with the pig in her arms. The pig gave a sympathetic squeal, and then wiggled out of her grip to trot into the den. Shizune gave one last longing stare at the case of money in her arms, then reluctantly moved towards the den entrance.
"The sooner we leave this town the better." she grumbled.
Sakura didn't bother stopping to rest, choosing instead to spend the night travelling. Years of difficult, time-sensitive missions had taught her body how to stay sharp on little sleep. Right now she could run for around 48 hours before needing a nap.
Thankfully, she didn't need to push herself that far this time. Moving through the trees let her travel fast enough that she would reach the town just as the sun was rising.
She passed one shinobi on her way, but she used her Shunshin to sneak by him by before he even noticed her. A chunin, she guessed, or maybe even a genin. Anyone more skilled would have noticed her.
When she reached the town of Shukuba-machi, she considered stopping for the night. But from what that sleaze ball told her before she knocked him unconscious, he'd only seen Tsunade one night at a bar around a week ago. There was a good chance the Sannin was already gone, so Sakura decided to see if that was true before she allowed herself to rest.
She found a street that looked promising, filled with gambling inns, whorehouses and other fun things that Sakura had no interest in. It looked like the kind of place Tsunade would frequent, so she reluctantly began walking down the street.
The first two places she tried refused to let her in because of her age, but she managed to steal some wallets from passing customers so it wasn't a total loss. She got lucky at the third casino and was able to slip in amongst a large crowd. She immediately made her way over to the dice table and showed the picture of Tsunade to the man playing.
"Yeah I've seen her." he drawled, shaking his dice as he spoke "She lost all her money here last night, so she took off somewhere else."
"Where?" Sakura asked.
"I'll play you for it." he grinned. "If you win I'll tell you and if you lose you pay me a thousand ryo."
"Deal." she replied. "What's the game?"
He grinned wider at that. She tried to look as innocent as possible.
"Odds or evens. I roll the dice and if the number that comes up is even then you win but if it's odd then I win." he said, speaking slowly as if to a young child.
With her age and appearance, there was no reason for the man to think Sakura was anything but a naïve kid. She kept her eyes wide and a smile on her face.
"It's that easy? No tricks or anything?"
"No tricks girlie. Just put your money on the table and we'll begin."
She dumped a little of the money she'd pickpocketed earlier on the table. She saw the man's eyes widen as he took in the amount.
"That's a thousand, right?" she asked, knowing full well that it was more.
"…Yeah, you're fine kid. Let's play."
As he shook the dice around in a cup Sakura began channelling chakra into her foot. The next part of her plan required precision so her control needed to be perfect.
She watched closely as he threw the dice. As expected, it seemed the dice were rigged, because after a few seconds she could tell for sure that the dice were going to land on an odd number. She let the first die settle on the number three and just as the second die was going to land on six, she subtly stamped her foot on the ground.
The pulse she sent was small enough that it didn't noticeably shake the table, but it did jolt the die just enough so that it landed on five instead of six.
"Eight! That's an even number right? I win!" Sakura even threw in a little giggle of joy to make it more convincing.
"I…yeah you won kid." the man was staring at his dice in stunned silence. "You won."
"So the information?" she prompted.
"Right, right." he shook himself out of his daze, still staring at his dice in bewilderment. "Her assistant said something about visiting a nearby castle. If I were you I'd try Kiri-jō. It's a nice enough place, and it's the closest castle to this town. Just take the road west and it's around a five hour walk."
"Thanks mister." she chirped, grabbing her money off the table and turning to walk away.
As soon as she left the table her face dropped back to its usual neutral expression. Conmen were so easily fooled when they underestimated a child's intelligence.
She debated whether to rest or head straight for the castle. At this point she was so close that she didn't want to sleep. If she stopped for the night Tsunade could be long gone by the morning. She still felt fully awake and alert, and if she started to get fatigued she had a few chakra pills she could take. Really, she might as well track down the woman as soon as possible.
She set off west. Not many people were on the path this late, and the town's gatekeeper shot her a concerned look, but as she had done plenty of times these past few days, she just ignored him and walked faster.
She walked for a good half an hour, only stopping once to use the rest room. She had to make sure she was alone on the road before she could use her chakra. Once she was sure no one was watching her, she snuck into the foliage and made her way to the nearest tree. Jumping from branch to branch, she followed the road as quickly as she could.
After a few hours, the castle finally came into view. It was difficult to see much with the sun almost fully set, but from what she could see it didn't look like the castle was guarded with anything other than a wall and gate.
She walked up the wall, ready to run if anyone saw her, but no one seemed to realise that a child had just snuck onto their property. She strolled up to the main entrance, and walked in with a purpose.
The receptionist barely spared her a glance, but Sakura still moved quickly past her. From what little she knew about Tsunade, the bar and restaurant was the best place to look.
She entered the bar and looked around. There was a crowd of men at the counter burping and jostling each other, a couple sharing a drink over a small table and tucked away in the corner…
Seated in a small booth were two women that looked around the same age. One had short black hair and a slim build. The other had blonde hair, a diamond tattoo on her forehead, and was very clearly drunk.
It was her.
Sakura felt her heart beat a little faster in her chest. She didn't quite understand why she was so nervous. All she had to do was convince this woman to train her. She'd never done something like this before, but really, how hard could it be?
She took a deep breath, then strode over to the booth the two women were in. The dark haired woman seemed surprised when Sakura sat in next to her, while Tsunade just glared.
"What do you want brat?" she snapped, her voice slurred.
At first Sakura felt slightly disappointed that the woman hadn't recognized her. But that had been a fleeting hope at best, and she still had a mission.
"You're the legendary Tsunade." Sakura stated. "I want you to train me. A year is all I ask."
Tsunade barked out a laugh, slamming her bottle down on the table. The other woman winced.
"Get lost." Tsunade growled. "I'm not interested in indulging kids, so run along home."
"I can't do that." Sakura replied, remaining calm despite the Sannin's dramatics. "I have no home. I came all the way from Ame to train with you, so I'm not going to leave just because you say no."
"Well aren't you pushy." Tsunade muttered, taking another swig of her drink.
Sakura reached into her pocket and dumped all her money on the table
"Please." she said, a hint of desperation in her voice. "What will it take for you to train me?"
The table went silent. Sakura watched as a gleam entered Tsunade's eyes, her hand reaching towards the money. Sakura tried to look as young and innocent as possible.
"Alright girl, how about we make a little bet?"
"Tsunade-sama!" the black haired woman hissed.
"Hush Shizune, if the girl wants to be trained she has to be worthy." Tsunade grinned at Sakura. "What do you say we have a short spar? Whoever hits first wins, and here's the best part…" she pointed her index finger in Sakura's direction. "I'll only use one finger."
This was better than what Sakura could have hoped for. Her innocent look worked wonders on everyone from simple con artists to experienced shinobi. She wanted to laugh but instead she tried to look childishly determined.
"So if I win you'll train me for a year?"
"Absolutely. And if I win you give me your money and leave."
Shizune sighed, but she seemed resigned to let Tsunade fight a child. Sakura suspected she had put up with much worse.
"Let's go!" Sakura yelled, not even having to fake her excitement.
Was she nervous? Definitely. This woman was no joke, Sakura knew that. But she'd also been underestimating Sakura since she walked in here, and if she was only using one finger then Sakura figured she had a good chance of landing the first punch.
Besides, even if she failed, she could always steal more money and try again. She had a feeling that with all the debts she had amassed Tsunade wouldn't turn down the opportunity for easy cash.
They walked outside, Shizune muttering something about leaving Tonton alone in their hotel room for too long. Sakura ignored her, focusing on the Sannin. There was a slight stumble to her walk, something that probably had to do with the amount of alcohol she had consumed. If Sakura was careful enough and played her advantages just right, she had a good chance of winning this spar.
They came to a halt just outside the entrance to the castle. Sakura walked a few meters away then stopped and faced Tsunade. The older woman had a smirk on her face as she crooked her finger, beckoning Sakura towards her.
For Sakura to win, she had to rely on her acting and her reflexes. When it came to both, timing was the key. She inhaled once to steady herself, and then she screwed up her face to resemble a fresh yet determined genin.
With an unnecessarily loud cry Sakura charged straight at Tsunade. She watched as Tsunade's smirk grew, how she drew her hand back, ready to strike. The way she clearly choreographed her attack was telling. She thought Sakura couldn't read her moves, and boy was she about to be surprised.
A split second before Tsunade thrust her finger forward, Sakura dodged.
She felt the air hit her face as Tsunade's arm jabbed right next to her head. The attack had been quicker than Sakura expected, but she didn't let it phase her, leaping up and flinging her fist towards the Sannin's face.
Her hand came to a halt with her knuckles barely touching Tsunade's nose. The look of shock on the woman's face was priceless.
"I win." Sakura said calmly, all trace of the loud, innocent child gone from her voice.
Tsunade barked out a laugh as Sakura stepped back. Judging by her stunned expression the loss still hadn't registered. Off to the side, Shizune was openly gaping. Tsunade shook her head once, then looked bemusedly down at Sakura.
"Tell me kid, if you have moves like that why the hell do you want me to train you?"
"Why does anyone want to be trained?" Sakura shot back. "I need to get stronger."
"I can tell from that short fight that you're already far better than a lot of chunin, so why on earth does a girl your age need to get stronger? Are you even from a shinobi village?"
"If I don't get stronger I'll die."
There was a long stretch of silence while both women stared at Sakura, waiting for her to elaborate. Sakura stared back, clearly not going to say anything more.
Tsunade sighed and let out a regretful laugh.
"All right girl, you're creepy but a deal's a deal. Starting tomorrow I'll train you for a year." She shook her head and laughed again. "Ah, I should have seen this coming. Shizune why does stuff like this always happen to me?"
"Because you're reckless and you make yearlong deals while drunk, Tsunade-sama."
"That was a rhetorical question, thank you. As for you, brat, scram now. Come back tomorrow morning and you can come with us."
Sakura nodded, walked a little way away, and then sat down on the grass.
"…Kid what the hell are you doing?"
"Going to sleep." Sakura replied, not bothering to look over at the women. "I wasn't kidding about not having a home."
There was a brief silence. Sakura stared up at the stars.
"Tsunade-sama…"
"I know, I know." Tsunade grumbled. "Oi, brat! Get up and come with us, you can sleep with Tonton tonight."
"I'm fine here." Sakura called back.
"That wasn't an offer kid." Tsunade stormed over and yanked her off the ground. "If you're going to train under me you'll do what I say. So when I say you're going to sleep in a warm bed with a roof over your head so I don't have to spend the first few weeks of your training curing your pneumonia, you obey me. Understood?"
Sakura nodded, squirming to avoid Tsunade's beer breath.
"Good." Tsunade loosened her grip and Sakura stepped back. "Now get inside."
"Yes Tsunade-sama." Sakura muttered.
"That's more like it."
Together the three of them moved towards the castle entrance. Sakura was still buzzing from her victory, Shizune still looked baffled at everything that had occurred within the past twenty minutes, and Tsunade was staring at Sakura contemplatively.
"One last thing brat, you scammed me good tonight, but I never got your name. You better tell me; otherwise I'll just call you Pinky."
"It's Sakura."
"Ha! That's almost as bad as Pinky. What kinds of parents name their child because of her hair colour?"
"Maybe they just liked Sakura trees." Sakura replied. "Either way I wouldn't really know. Never had parents."
"Lesson number one kid: We all have parents. We all come out of somebodies womb. Someone gave birth to you, and to create little foetus-you someone else stuck their-"
"Tsunade-sama!"
"Alright, alright." the older woman grumbled. "I'm too drunk to be interacting with children right now. Sakura, you can tell me your sob story tomorrow ok? For now let's get some sleep."
As they made their way up the stairs, the realisation finally hit Sakura. She had done it. She had convinced the legendary Tsunade to train her for a year. Sure, the woman was slightly deranged and a lot messier than her bingo book profile made her seem, but Sakura didn't mind. Growing up with the Akatsuki made rough personalities easier to handle. Tsunade didn't give off a menacing vibe, she just reminded Sakura of a cranky old grandma. Compared to Sasori or Orochimaru her bite was relatively tame.
Sakura fell asleep that night in a crowded hotel room next to a snoring pig. If that was any indication as to what her year of training would be like, she could honestly say that she was looking forward to it.