Throughout the camp, word had gotten around about the tragedy of Takigakure. Very few people saw Hanzo around the camp, and those who did usually stayed clear of him if at all possible.
Unfortunately, along with the story of the complete destruction of Takigakure and a whole battalion of Alliance soldiers, several rumors and myths arose about the 'truth' of what happened. Anything ranging from the Nanabi went berserk, to the Alliance won but drank the Hero Water which killed them, and even a rumor that Akatsuki showed up in force and unleashed both the Kyuubi and Shukaku upon the Alliance and Takigakure. Most soldiers who heard or came up with such tall tales avoided speaking of such around any high ranking individuals, like their Commanders or Clan Heads.
The usual trio of Sakura, Dosu, and Zaku were making their rounds of the camp, instructed by Sakura's uncle to check supplies and rations in the camp. Unfortunately for Sakura, she was the only one actually checking, while Dosu and Zaku tagged along for no more reason than they were bored.
Sakura looked over and saw Hanzo walking by. The pink haired girl quickly turned her head and shushed her two teammates. Zaku and Dosu both looked over and saw the Regimental Commander nearby, and were immediately silenced, pretending as if they had been hard at work the whole time.
Sakura shook her head at her comrades' attempt to feign innocence before turning back around, and seeing that Hanzo was staring directly at her. Sakura felt a cold chill of fear and confusion before the Regimental Commander stepped towards her. Sakura let out a gentle yelp before straightening up and hissing to her teammates. Dosu and Zaku turned to see what Sakura wanted, and then spun around and stood up straight as Hanzo stood before the three of them.
"You're Higure's niece, Sakura correct," Hanzo asked.
"Y-Yes sir," Sakura replied with a nod. Hanzo stared at the girl for a moment and motioned for her to follow him where he walked. Sakura grew increasingly nervous as Hanzo walked further and further away from any other witnesses. Her mind raced with fear as she recapped anything that she could have done or said to get in trouble for.
'Is this about Uncle Higure...? No, crap, it's gotta be about Naruto! Shit! That bitch Hinata finally squealed on me!'
Hanzo suddenly stopped, and Sakura barely stopped herself as well before running in him. She stepped back nervously and waited a split second before Hanzo turned around to face her. The Poison Salamander's eyes were drifted to the side, not even staring at Sakura, who analyzed the Commander closely. Hanzo's eyes shifted back to Sakura, who jumped a bit in fright and stepped back again.
"I have a request for you," Hanzo finally stated.
"Yes sir, anything sir."
Hanzo looked around briefly for a moment before setting eyes back on Sakura. "I heard that you're good with...people's...feelings, and things like that."
"Eh," Sakura questioned as her face twisted in confusion. "I-I mean um...yes sir, I guess so..."
Hanzo nodded and then folded his arms over his chest. Sakura grew increasingly nervous, wondering why the Regimental Commander of the army wondered if she was good with people's feelings.
"Fu, the Jinchuriki from my village, and one of the only survivors from the campaign against Kusagakure and Takigakure is coming to join our group of the shorelines. She's likely...depressed at the moment due to her failure, and paranoid that Danzo may do something to her because of her failure." Hanzo's eyes grew serious, but they also softened somehow at the same time. Sakura wasn't sure how that worked for the man. "I'm personally requesting your help when she comes here. I'll be far too busy to watch her properly, and she's going to be in need of...consoling..."
Sakura only stared in awe as she tried to wrap her mind around the request. She was being asked by Hanzo the Salamander to babysit a Jinchuriki, and in all terms, Sakura's senior in rank and skill. And she was no stranger to Fu's rather ruthless reputation of leaving none of her enemies in one piece when she loses control. There were rumors that she nearly killed Hanzo once when her tailed beast went out of control.
"Girl?" The pink haired girl shook her head, snapping back to reality before looking up at Hanzo. "Can you watch over her? Be her...friend, when she gets here?"
"O-oh, y-yes sir! Sorry for um...s-spacing, sir." Hanzo stared at the girl in confusion before nodding.
"One more thing. Don't let anyone in on this. Only you and Fu can know about your little...mission. Once Orochimaru takes back control of the Fifth Division, Fu will be under my care, and I'll ensure that you and your uncle are rewarded." Sakura gasped, her eyes widening a bit. She wondered if she neglected to hear that part of the conversation before. "Even within the Alliance, there are those who would wish to see me...fall from power. And you never know who may be a spy. I trust you, because your loyalty to the Alliance has never been in question. Your uncle however...while he is a good man, and won't openly hinder the Alliance, has spoken out against our decisions."
"I-it's okay, I'll make sure Miss Fu is...comfortable while before you have to head out sir." Hanzo nodded and patted Sakura's head in an awkward gesture of appreciation. The Regimental Commander then walked off to continue his duties, while Sakura stood still until he was out of sight.
Sakura then headed back to the camp to rejoin Zaku and Dosu. On her way, she couldn't help but continually go over what Hanzo had just asked her to do. It was so unexpected that Sakura still wasn't sure how to respond to the request. The pink haired girl shook her head out of any doubts, and reminded herself that she needed to do her duty as a kunoichi of the Alliance.
When rejoining Zaku and Dosu, the two immediately beamed their eyes to their teammate. Knowing that they were dying of curiosity, Sakura sighed before answering them, "Look, I can't share the mission with you guys. I want to, but Lord Hanzo gave this directive to me personally, and I can't-,"
"Alright," Zaku replied, cutting his teammate off. Sakura blinked in confusion as she did a double take of her teammate. She then looked over at Dosu, who was now looking away. Sakura looked between the two before realization hit her and she groaned while smacking her palm to her face.
"You were listening in..."
"Yep," Dosu admitted bluntly. Sakura groaned again, squatting down as she grew increasingly nervous. She knew there was no way a seasoned shinobi like Hanzo wouldn't have missed those two eavesdropping. "Hey, come on, it's not like we're gonna mess with your mission at all."
"Yeah, there's no way Dosu or I would try to mess with that Jinchuriki. She's scary man."
"I know that," Sakura murmured with dread, "Thanks for reminding me..."
"What else are friends for?" Dosu punched Zaku's arm, causing the boy to flinch, "Ow."
"Look, just because we can't help you be some emotional support for Fu, doesn't mean we can't be your emotional support. If the crazy Jinchuriki lady messes with you, well Zaku and I won't beat her up or anything, but we can at least support you, right?"
Sakura let out a small sigh and nodded before standing up, a blush on her face as she looked at her two friends. "Thank you guys..." Zaku and Dosu both smiled and nodded to their teammate.
"Support your closest comrades," Zaku said, reciting the first lesson Anko taught the trio.
"And as a unit you'll be strong and your bonds will keep you strong," Dosu finished. Sakura giggled at the two boys, who became confused for a moment. Sakura's giggling then became stifled laughter, causing the two to become more confused.
"I can't believe you two actually remembered a lesson from Anko sensei!" Sakura started laughing harder now. The statement offended and embarrassed the two boys as they quickly tried to defend themselves.
"Hey, I remember plenty," Zaku snapped.
"The hell you do, you can't remember breakfast," Dosu shouted as his fellow shinobi before turning to Sakura. "In our graduating class my grades were only below yours and Shikamaru's I'll have you know!"
Sakura couldn't help but to continue laughing as she stared at the two boys she considered brothers. Their expressions softened as they knew Sakura was mostly teasing them, and Sakura's laughter began to die down. The kunoichi let out a sigh as she finished laughing before looking up at the sky. Zaku and Dosu both then also looked up at the sky.
"Anko sensei is an odd one," Zaku stated finally.
Dosu nodded in agreement, "That's why she was the perfect sensei for a group of weirdos like us."
"No, not just that..." Zaku lowered his head, looking at Dosu, and then Sakura who both brought their heads down too. "She tells us to value friendship and our bonds with each other...but the Wrath of Fire states that on the battlefield friendship has no place, nor meaning. That friendship is actually a weakness..."
"On the battlefield, yeah," Dosu said with a nod. "Off the battlefield though we've grown together, attached. We've improved due to our relationships off the battlefield, but in the middle of a firefight, we can't focus on friendship."
"Does that sound like a lesson Anko sensei would have wanted us to learn?" Dosu sighed and shook his head to Zaku after a moment.
Sakura looked at her teammates before smiling and looking back up at the sky, "Anko sensei is a weird one...teaching us lessons that contradict the Wrath of Fire, yet being one of the most loyal and dedicated shinobi to the village."
"Yeah, just don't tell her she's weird," Dosu replied. "She'd kick all our butts."
"Please, maybe at one time she could have," Zaku snapped with a cocky grin. "But now we've all became super strong. Anko sensei would have a run for her money if she tried to take us on. Not like that first exam where we got our butts handed to us."
Dosu chuckled while Sakura giggled once again as they remembered their embarrassing performance against Anko in their first training exercise together. The trio then fell silent as they recollected on how strong they've all grown since that time a little more than a year ago. In their minds, they had improved far beyond what any of them expected to be.
Sakura looked down at her brothers again and smiled softly. 'I bet this was what Anko sensei was trying to teach us...don't take your friendship with others for granted...' Sakura turned her head and looked out into the distant ocean, feeling an odd sense of peace and calm for the first time since the prelude to war began. The young kunoichi could only hope that she'd get more moments like this in the coming future.
Off the shore of the Land of Fire, miles away from the Alliance, Kisame Hoshigaki and Shinno both stood side by side, staring towards the mainland which seemed to be less than a line on the horizon.
"This is quite the bold plan," Shinno spoke. "And it brings quite a bit of risk to my people I might add..."
"Don't worry," Kisame replied. "Lord Mizukage's spies are working on several hidden refueling stations and outposts once your men cross over enemy lines. Then while the three divisions from the Alliance all scamper back further inland, our forces run a better chance of killing off Alliance leaders."
"While I do like the idea, I can't help but feel that...Yagura is trying to get me and mine killed."
Kisame chuckled and shook his head, "Nonsense Shinno. If you were going to just be cannon fodder for our forces, Lord Mizukage would have never bothered welcoming you into our fold."
"And tell me, is the Raikage in your 'fold' as well?" Kisame shifting his eyes off the horizon onto Shinno. The older man smirked and looked up at the taller shark-like man. "I saw the masked man you were talking to, Mister Hoshigaki..." Kisame's eyes flared in alarm, his expression giving everything away. Shinno sneered and turned to the swordsmen in a formal manner with his hands behind his back. "If I'm not mistaken, that's the man going around claiming to be Madara Uchiha, is he not?"
"Very perceptive..." Shinno's eyes widened before looking down at the source of the third voice while Kisame gave his own toothy sneer. Coming out of the ground was an orange, swirled patterned mask that soon engulfed and swallowed Shinno quickly.
Kisame chuckled before grabbing his sword and spinning around with it, pointing the tip at a young person's face. There was red hair falling of the mask the young shinobi wore, and his blue eyes were focused nervously on the sword.
"Don't worry too much," Kisame told the shinobi. "Your master will be fine. As I said before: the Land of Sky is a useful ally to us. Your master won't be harmed so long as he listens..." The young person glared at Kisame who chuckled. The young shinobi knew that they could do nothing against the swordsmen.
Shinno cried out before landing on an odd platform safely. He stood up and looked around in a dark environment full of rectangles and cube shaped platforms. Shinno turned his head to a strange sound, seeing his captor swirling into existence before his eyes. The leader of the Land of Sky scowled at the man and tensed up.
"Calm yourself, I only wish to talk." Shinno narrowed his eyes, not changing his tension at all. "How did you know who I was?"
"In the underworld of the shinobi world you hear many things," Shinno explained. "Most of my ninjas? They're scraps from other villages. Rogue shinobi from one village or another who wished to be something more, or who wished to attack the Alliance. Being in the underground so long, you catch onto a few rumors...one concerning a masked man claiming to be Madara Uchiha..."
"Very interesting...I didn't realize I was so sloppy," Madara said. "However, don't think knowing of who I may be will benefit you. I know all about the Land of Sky, and about you Shinno." The old man huffed before crossing his arms over his chest. Madara walked forward, his single red eye beaming at Shinno. "Your experimentation with the Bijuu chakra, as well as the terrifying and rare energy known as Dark Chakra." Shinno's eyes nearly popped out of his head at this revelation. Madara held his hands up to give the old man pause as he continued. "Do not be afraid at all. In fact I think we could mutually benefit one another with your study of Dark Chakra, and my rather...ambitious goals."
"How so," Shinno questioned skeptically. The Land of Sky's leader lowered his arms, eyes narrowed dangerously on the masked man.
"I know how Dark Chakra works, as it's intensified by negative emotions, much like various Bijuu such as the Kyuubi." Madara raised his arm up and conjured a image of the Kyuubi in the palm of his hand. Shinno stared in awe before looking up at the man's mask.
"How did you...?"
"This is my dimension," Madara explained. "I can create and do whatever I want. Now, to continue," Madara brought the image of the Kyuubi up to face level with him and Shinno. "The Kyuubi is a being made of of chakra and pure malice as you know. And also, the Jinchuriki, the container for the Kyuubi is neither on the Alliance or Union's side, making him that much harder to capture..."
"You're after the Bijuu," Shinno murmured. Madara remained silent, staring intently at Shinno with his single Sharingan. Shinno chuckled before looking at the man with a new air of confidence. "Well, that's all well and good, but I don't see how my talents in Dark Charka could help you Madara."
"I was wondering..." Madara's projection of the Kyuubi switched to one of Naruto Uzumaki, "How difficult would it be...for you to create an exact copy of the Uzumaki child...?" Shinno's face switched to one of surprise before looking at the blonde in Shinno's hand.
"An exact...copy...?" Madara's eye stayed intently on Shinno, whose mind began to work through many factors of replication being possible, before one important question loomed in his mind. "Why...?"
"Naruto Uzumaki is rather...essential to my plans. He's very determined and good natured. His spirit will be next to impossible to break, and his mind, while a bit slow, will be difficult to control when factoring in repressed memories, the nature of his heart, his subconscious, and his inner psyche." Shinno couldn't help but grin at how much thought Madara had given to controlling the Jinchuriki. Shinno's mind began to turn as he began to wonder about how much power he could hold over the legendary figure if he succeeded with the masked man's request.
"So you want to make an exact copy? Well unfortunately, Madara, I can't recreate an entire Bijuu from scratch, and the amount of chakra I'd need to properly try I'd need twice the number of shinobi we have in our little Union."
"I don't need the Kyuubi, I need the boy." Shinno's eyes narrowed curiously as a smile curled onto his face.
'Oh now this is getting interesting...' Shinno's mind once again began to turn with theories and questions as to why Madara wanted Naruto, but not the Kyuubi. 'Could it be the boy's Uzumaki lineage...?' Shinno shrugged and placed his finger to the side of his head as he began to theorize and develop formulas in his head. "An actual...person wouldn't be so hard to create as much as the Bijuu...so we've cut most of the problems off. But creating a living person from scratch would be...very difficult to do, especially if you want an exact copy of the boy."
"But is it impossible?" Shinno looked up at Madara and met his Sharingan eye. The two stared at each other intently, wanting to know the others answer.
"No, it's not...but it's next to impossible," Shinno finally answered.
"No price is too high," Madara stated firmly as he vaporized the image of Naruto in a haze of mist. "And no resource is out of my grasp. What will you need?"
"The boy's chakra, his DNA, and oh so many other things," Shinno stated.
"Give me a list and I'll get you results, so long as you do the same, Shinno." Before the man could say another word, he was forcefully pulled up off the ground, and before he knew it he was face-first in the sandy ground.
"Master," the masked young figure spoke as she moved past Kisame's sword.
"Well, well," Kisame said as he placed his blade on his shoulder. "Have an interesting little chat did we?"
Shinno growled as he shook his hair and beard clean of any sand before glaring up at the swordsmen, "Yes in fact. We've worked out a...partnership of sorts. Now, if you'll excuse me Kisame, I have many things to work on now." Kisame nodded with a smile as he and the mysterious kunoichi walked away. The swordsmen waited until they were both out of sight before turning his head and putting his sword on his back.
"So, a partnership eh," Kisame asked. "How interesting."
"The fool was so interested in my plans that he didn't even realize he was gaining nothing out of it in the long run," Madara stated, his body nowhere to be seen by his voice heard nonetheless.
"You didn't tell him too much did you?"
"He doesn't know my goals," Madara stated as his red eye burned brightly, "But he knows that Naruto Uzumaki has a very important part to play..."
"Is that all he needs to know," Kisame asked.
"Yes. Don't share anything else, understand Kisame?"
"Of course Tobi," Kisame replied before giving a dark chuckle.
Fu and Roshi had been walking for a few hours in silence. While Fu found it relieving that Roshi really didn't give a damn about her being in the Alliance, nor had he asked her a million questions, the pure silence was about to drive her crazy. Fu commended the man for his patience, as well as his ability to keep quiet. After a few moments, Roshi turned his head to the side, and then turned to look at Fu for a moment. The Jinchuriki was confused as the man look shocked for a moment as he stared at her.
Roshi snapped his fingers and smiled, "Right! You were that Alliance girl I was taking to the shore!" Fu's face then fell with disbelief as she gaped at the man.
"ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME?!"
"Gah! Jeez you're loud," Roshi snapped, using his pinkie to rub the inside of his ear.
"Am I even going the right way," Fu shouted in a very demanding tone.
"Yeah, yeah, we're heading for the shore," Roshi replied. "I just forgot why I was headed that way is all, see."
"You're not even that old, and you're already going senile?!"
"Hey, I am NOT senile! You just didn't make a sound is the only reason I forgot about ya!"
"Are you just dense or something?! Jeez!" Roshi sighed before turning on his heels and continued walking east. Fu's eyes widened as all she could do was gape at him once more. "Are you KIDDING ME?!"
"Either follow me or shaddup and go on ahead by yourself."
Fu growled furiously before following the older man, "Stupid freakin, rude, old fart..."
"You call me old and senile, and I'm supposed to be the rude one? Bleh, kids these days!" Fu became angrier by the second, but simply turned her head the other direction and let out a disgruntled huff of annoyance.
"You're so dumb..."
Fu scowled again, this time inwardly though, as the obnoxious voice she didn't want to hear rang in her head.
In her subconscious, in a floating prison with a clear, glass-like wall, a colossal beetle with six wings at its bottom and one tail looked down at Fu. "You really haven't been able to tell by now?"
"Noticed what you oversized bug?"
"That Roshi guy," the Nanabi said as it floated in the air. "You really haven't noticed anything...special about him?"
"Besides the fact he's a forgetful, stupid, rude old man, no. Was I supposed to care about some wanderer helping me get to the shoreline?" The Bijuu shook its head and let out a loud, echoed sigh, while Fu continued to just stare in annoyance at what she considered to be her pet. After a few moments of silence, which was growing rapidly on Fu's list of annoyances, the Jinchuriki turned her back on the Nanabi, "Just shut up unless you have anything important to say."
"I always do," the Bijuu replied before Fu left her subconscious.
Roshi stopped and sat down on the ground. Fu's eye twitched visibly with annoyance before the old man turned to look back over his shoulder, "Night is coming up soon. We'll rest here and then you can get to the shores by tomorrow."
"It's still daylight though," Fu pointed out. "And it won't be dark for several more hours, we can still cover more ground." Roshi shrugged carelessly before leaning back, lying down on the ground and closing his eyes.
"That's your choice. I'm not here to hold your hand girlie."
Fu sighed and then looked out into the distant forest. She hated to admit any of her faults, but she didn't have much of a keen sense of direction. She relied on others to navigate her during missions, and had spent so much time in the Lands of Grass and Waterfalls that she eventually just knew where all the Alliance outposts were. The green haired Jinchuriki sighed before sitting down on the ground, her back to Roshi as she inwardly kicked herself.
'I've gotta have Hanzo give me a compass when I get there...'
Fu turned her head to glance at Roshi, who already appeared to be asleep. Fu huffed before turning her head back around, staring off into the distance again in solemn silence.
Shinno sat at his desk, reading calmly through files and papers about the capabilities he's studied with Dark Chakra. The man truly believed that with enough Dark Chakra at his disposal, he could easily conquer the Shinobi Countries with little effort. Something Shinno wasn't sure about though, was the ability to recreate a living person.
As a man of science, and a man who had seen the darkest corners of the world, Shinno had developed many contacts and allies throughout the years. Some even in the Alliance, while others didn't care much at all for the warring of shinobi.
Shinno tapped a pencil to the side of his head, as if to help his thoughts along, when one came to mind. The man hummed quietly to himself as a smile crept onto his face as a shrewd, risky plan came to mind. If it succeeded, Shinno would be very greatly rewarded, and if it failed, he ran the risk of losing almost everything, and perhaps creating a very potent, dangerous enemy.
"Amaru," Shinno spoke. The young redhead appeared out of the shadows, bowing her head to her master who didn't even glance back at her. "I may need your help with something..."
"What is it my master?" Shinno turned in his chair and crossed one of his legs over the other when he faced Amaru.
"I need you to head out an old friend of mine..." Shinno held up a clipboard and began scribbling on a blank piece of paper. "Tell my friend, the White Devil, that there is a man in the Land of Swamps, conducting very interesting experiments, if he's at all curious." Shinno took the piece of paper off the clipboard and handed to to Amaru, who took the paper and nodded.
Moments later, Amaru took off in a glider towards the mainland, causing a few heads to turn as she flew off into the distance. Shinno watched her fly off into the distance, twirling a pen in his hand nervously. He knew just how dangerous of a game he started, but he could come out of it with more than what he would need for Madara's plan.
News had reached most of Alliance command when the first major battle along the border of the Land of Lightning had been fought. The fighting was described as aggressive and relentless by the survivors and wounded. While casualties weren't high on either side, the number of wounded was nearly astronomical. The medical teams along the borders were overwhelmed with patients, and many of the rest were sent off towards the shorelines to receive medical treatment.
In one of the medical tents, Sakura was healing a boy's wounded arm after she had bandaged and healed his head, which took an unfortunate hit from a piece of flying debris. "There," Sakura said as she finally managed to stop the bleeding. She reached over to grab some bandages to wrap up the boy's wound. As she did, Sakura looked up at the boy. He was fairly handsome, but he couldn't have been more than a couple of years older than Sakura herself. "You're lucky you know. That hit to the head could have done some real damage."
"Yeah, that's what my sensei keeps telling me," the boy replied with an embarrassed grin. He rolled his arm around, groaning a bit at the stiffness. He offered Sakura a slight smile before rolling his arm back down, "Any chance I could convince you for a massage as well doc?"
Sakura laughed and shook her head, "As flattering as that is, I've got some other patients to tend to."
The boy stood up and winked at Sakura, "I'll do a rain-check then."
The young kunoichi huffed with an amused smile, "You do that then." As the boy left, Sakura took a moment to actually register what happened. A fairly attractive boy flirted with her, and she didn't react in her usual awkward manner at all.
Her mind went to a certain blonde haired boy, and the promise they made to one another in the Land of Snow. Sakura sighed, thinking back to the promise she made Naruto, that she would wait for him if he could make it to where neither Konoha nor Akatsuki were enemies.
'Seeing all of this...do I still believe that Naruto can bring peace between us...?'
"You know, your sensei is outside with your teammates." Sakura nodded, recognizing the voice of her uncle before looking up at him. He gave his niece a small smile, to which she warily returned. "Come on, you should go see her."
"I have my duties here to finish up," Sakura told her uncle.
The older shinobi shrugged and looked at the other medics healing their troops, "Most of the critically wounded seem to be taken care of. Besides, you're no good to anyone without any chakra."
Sakura sighed and shook her head as she stood up and walked towards the main desk. "For a Commander, you're quite the bad influence." Higure followed Sakura through the tent, observing the injured having their wounds tended to.
"I just don't want you to miss your sensei while she's here is all. Did you also know your Iwa friend is here too?"
"I have duties to commit myself to Uncle," Sakura said as she scribbled down her signature on a piece of paper the nurse gave her. "I need to finish healing my patients and then I'll go visit Anko sensei."
"You've been working all day, plus you've healed more than your fair share of patients today."
"Compared to some of the other medics here, I haven't done much," Sakura retorted, sitting down with another patient and observing his file. "Besides, Miss Rin is in charge of the medical division here, and I haven't even so much as caught a glance of her passing by. That's just how busy everyone is Uncle." Sakura quickly reviewed her patient's chart. As it turned out, the man had nothing more than a wounded leg, something yet again simple for Sakura to deal with. The pink haired girl smiled at the older man, who wasted no time in propping his leg up. "Hello sir, are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine girlie," the gruff Iwa shinobi answered, despite having a broken, serrated katana in his leg. Sakura looked at the leg oddly before examining his chart again.
"Shouldn't someone have removed that before sending you here," Sakura asked.
"Eh, the others seemed busy, I didn't wanna bother em," the man explained.
"Sir, this wing of the medical division is meant to heal wounds. Removal of any objects or surgical procedures go to intensive care."
"Just yank the damn thing out and close up the wound, it's not brain surgery."
Sakura sighed, trying to keep her patience with the stubborn man, "Sir, it's not that simple. You could have nerve damage, and need treatment."
"It's just a sword through ma leg! I've dealt with hundreds of projectiles in all my limbs before!" Sakura's face turned to one of anger and impatience. Her uncle was already waning on her level of patience by trying to make her skip out, and now the Iwa shinobi was testing her last nerve.
"Excuse me, nurse!" Sakura and her patient in question both turned to Higure who signaled one of the medics over. Without saying anything, Higure snatched the chart from Sakura and held it for the nurse and a nearby doctor to see. "This man is said to have a minor injury in his chart." Higure then lowered the clipboard and pointed to the man's leg. "What exactly about that is 'minor?' He needs more intensive care, not a band-aid."
"I'm telling ya it's just fine," the older shinobi shouted.
"Very sorry about that Commander Haruno," the doctor replied as he took the man's chart, nodding to his superior. "We'll have this fixed up right away."
"Thank you," Higure replied as the nurse rolled the Iwa shinobi's bed over towards intensive care, despite his groans of protest. Higure turned and smiled to Sakura, who gave him a small, grateful smile back.
"Yeah, yeah, thank you..."
"You're welcome." Higure sighed and patted Sakura's shoulder, "You're definitely determined, I'll give you that. I'll let Anko and your teammates know you're busy." Sakura nodded, her smile widening a bit.
"Thank you Uncle." Higure smiled before heading out of the tent, leaving Sakura back to her duties.
However, as soon as he stepped out, Higure backtracked right in as Hanzo himself entered the medical tent, eyes scouring the people. Sakura gasped quietly before standing up, catching Hanzo's attention. She pointed to herself with a questioning look, to which Hanzo nodded and motioned for her to follow. Higure shot a confused look between the two until Sakura got closer and he walked along next to her.
"What exactly is going on...?"
"I can't explain right now," Sakura whispered.
Hanzo turned his head over his shoulder, looking at Higure, "I asked your niece to help me with something...rather sensitive. I'd appreciate if you'd stay quiet about it." Higure gave Hanzo a confused look before they rounded a corner and saw a tanned girl with short, chopped green hair standing there.
Higure's eyes widened a bit as he realized who she was, and guessed at what the request was, "Oh..."
"Fu, this is Sakura Haruno, the niece of Commander Higure," Hanzo explained. Fu gave a disgruntled huff, staring at Sakura.
"I've seen her before...that's the girl who killed old man Onoki right?" Sakura stayed silent, surprisingly keeping her own stare firm against the Jinchuriki, and her senior as a shinobi.
"Yes, but I had more than enough help," Sakura explained. "Kakashi Hatake and Rin Nohara were there, as were a fair number of capable Genin, who're now Chunin and serving in this war."
"Yeah, yeah, I heard all about how the old midget died," Fu stated as her posture straightened. "Just don't think that you're anything special because you killed the Tsuchikage, and because your uncle is a Commander, got it?"
"I'm simply a medical shinobi for support, Fu-san," Sakura replied, nodding her head with her eyes closed. Fu gave a confused, thoughtful pout before looking back at Hanzo. The man huffed with a sound of amusement before Fu smiled at him and turned to Sakura.
"I like you girlie!"
'Why is everyone calling me that today...?'
"Just remember, you're keeping a watchful eye on me, not babysitting me," Fu explained, pointing a thumb to Hanzo. "The Big Man here told me why he asked you to watch me, and I appreciate it. You watch my back," Fu began as she pointed to Sakura, who stared oddly at her finger. The Jinchuriki then pointed to herself, a smile of confidence on her face, "And I watch yours. Sound like a deal?"
Higure gave Hanzo a look of disbelief. The Salamander stared back at the Commander, eyes showing a thoughtful expression behind his gas mask.
Sakura nodded with a smile on her face, "Sounds like a fair enough deal to me."
"Good. Now, I'm tired, so point me to somewhere I can sleep. I had a really long trip..."
"Well...I can show you to the barracks if you'd like?" Fu nodded as Sakura took the lead towards the barracks on the other side of the shoreline.
Higure watched the two girls leave before he looked over at Hanzo, "What exactly happened...? I heard Fu was coming here after a trial with the Alliance Kage, but..."
"While Danzo is a powerful ally, a capable leader, he's also very shrewd. I don't trust him to not take action against Fu or myself for the failure in battling Takigakure and Kusagakure." Hanzo turned to Higure and crossed his arms. "I told Sakura that Fu might be emotionally distressed and would need a supportive figure, and I told Fu that Sakura was also a target of Danzo's for blackmailing you out of retirement." Higure's eyes narrowed a bit at the last sentence. Hanzo huffed and waved his hand about dismissively, "I know about that, yes. I think Danzo made the right choice bringing you out of retirement to help us. You're his shinobi, and what methods he decides to use against you are Konohagakure's issues. For now though, Fu and Sakura have something in common, and as such their partnership would benefit them both...as would it you and I, Commander."
Higure sighed, turning his head to look out to where Sakura walked away from. He nodded before turning back to Hanzo, "Alright...I guess you're right. Thank you though...for helping her."
"It's mutually beneficial," Hanzo reminded firmly. "There's a meeting between the rest of the Alliance leaders, as well as the Commanders. Come on."
As Sakura led the way to the barracks, she looked back at Fu who had both hands behind her head, looking off to the side with a look of indifference. Sakura found it odd that someone with such a ruthless reputation could seem so calm and casual in the middle of a war zone. Sakura guessed that it was due to Fu's more extensive history of battles, and the fact she just came back from the disaster of Takigakure.
"Oh, I forgot to mention," Sakura piped up, as realization just hit her. Fu turned her eyes to Sakura, looking a bit curious. "After I take you to the barracks, I've got to return to my duties at the medical tent."
Fu then stopped, causing Sakura to do the same. The pink haired girl became a bit nervous as all Fu did was stare at her. "Which way is the medical tent then? I'll just wait outside for ya."
"O-oh that's not necessary if you're tired!"
Fu scoffed and grabbed Sakura's arm, pushing her in the opposite direction, "You watch my back, I watch yours. I can't do that from across the camp, can I?" Sakura sighed before just walking herself over back to the medical division. She had already had her fill of stubborn attitudes for the day.
When they arrived to the medical tent, Sakura turned to Fu as she opened the tent up just a bit, "So you'll be around here, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be waiting here for ya. Don't mother me." Sakura nodded and then went into the tent, rolling her eyes quickly after she was sure Fu couldn't see her.
The Jinchuriki then sat down on the sandy ground, leaning back against a crate of medical supplies. She narrowed her eyes as she thought back to the old man who escorted her to the shores, Roshi, and the final moments they spent with each other.
Roshi and Fu had been walking for the first half of the day, when suddenly the old man stopped in the middle of the woods. Fu threw her arms up into the air, already exasperated with the man. "What now?!"
Roshi turned to Fu and pointed dead ahead, "The shoreline is just up there a few more miles. It's literally a straight shot. Whether or not your Alliance friends will be in that exact spot or not I dunno." Roshi then turned around and walked in the opposite direction, passing Fu. The green haired Jinchuriki turned around with a look of shock.
"That's it? You're not looking for a reward or anything for escorting me?"
"I want nothing to do with the Alliance," Roshi stated firmly, still walking off. "Besides, your group doesn't exactly like me, being a rogue and all." Fu's eyes snapped wide open at the last few words. She lowered herself down and tensed immediately, ready to attack.
"What did you say?! Are you a member of that fucking Akatsuki group?" Roshi turned his head, his face a confused twist.
"The Aka-who," Roshi asked. Fu narrowed her eyes, dismissing that theory.
"What village are you from? And why haven't I heard of you?"
Roshi shrugged, a smile forming on his face, "Even though you're young, I wouldn't have thought of you as so much of an idiot as to have not heard of me."
"What'd you say?!" Fu snarled furiously at the man, a vein forming at the side of her head.
"I'm Roshi of Iwagakure," the old man stated. "Rogue ninja, and Jinchuriki of the Yonbi."
Fu wasted no time after hearing this and rushed Roshi with a loud cry. Roshi's eyes narrowed as he stood calmly while the green haired woman flew towards him at incredible speeds. Roshi effortlessly blocked Fu's powerful punch with a limp wrist and an open palm. Fu stared and gasped in shock while Roshi casually pushed her to the side. The green haired kunoichi stumbled around before turning to face the old man who was again, walking away.
"You fucker! Who do you think you are?!"
"Oh for the love of..." Roshi spun around, "Roshi of Iwagakure, rogue ninja, and Jinchuriki of the-,"
"I heard you the first fucking time! You think you can just walk away from me?!"
"I'm trying to, but you're a stubborn bitch..." Fu snarled furiously, summoning up some of her Bijuu's chakra. Roshi paid no attention to her until they heard voices coming towards them. Fu turned her head, her initial boiling anger fading in a flash before she turned back to Roshi, who was already gone.
A scouting group of Alliance shinobi appeared out of the woodwork and surrounded Fu. They stopped when they saw who the 'intruder' was and lowered their guard. "Fu-sama, you finally made it!" The green haired Jinchuriki ignored the Konoha shinobi and stared at the empty space where Roshi stood.
Fu looked around as various medics and wounded shinobi came in and out of the tent at different times, thinking solely to herself. The only reason she didn't mention Roshi was because, despite the man's rude attitude, and the fact he was a rogue Jinchuriki of the Alliance, he didn't seem to be a threat, and wasting manpower to find him wouldn't be worth it. Plus, Fu would only dig herself a deeper grave if Danzo found out she let Roshi of Iwagakure go without so much as an actual fight.
'That'll just be my little secret,' Fu thought solemnly to herself.
The meeting with the Alliance leaders was bigger than Higure expected. It concerned the five Division Commanders, as well as all the Clan Heads on and off the battlefield, and of course the Alliance heads themselves. The briefing had already been given, and there were many debates on what should happen. Most of them from Higure himself.
"I just don't understand why I have to lead this mission," Higure said with a soured look on his face. "I was recruited to be a Division Commander, not some specialist leading a small band of shinobi into enemy territory to a land nobody knows anything about."
"We know enough to be very concerned about this, Haruno," Sasori stated. "If our intelligence is correct, and if this Ghost Army is resurrected, then Iwagakure will be the first to be attacked. As it's key to winning the war against the Land of Water, due to their manufacturing of naval warships, we can't risk them being attacked."
"And I know even less about the Land of Demons than whatever top secret information you all have been keeping. I don't know why you all think I'm qualified for this job."
"According to our information, the Ghost Army will be awakened when one releases a terrible demon," Orochimaru said, his hologram lifting up a clipboard to read off of. "And according to the information we've received from our spies in the Land of Demons, the ones that returned all those years ago, the great demon was sealed away by a powerful priestess, who sealed the demon's body away in one area, and its soul in another. Needless to say, the country is...very fond of sealing techniques."
"So what? You could send a sealing team with the same amount of experience as I do with sealing techniques," Higure replied snappishly.
"I have to agree with Haruno on this," Hanzo said. "Sending a specialized team into the Land of Demons. The target is a medical ninja anyway, is he not?"
"That's correct, he is a medical ninja. He also utilizes what is known as Dark Chakra..." The room fell silent at the last words of Danzo's statement.
The Hokage, sitting in the council room with Konoha's two elders, looked at all the projections before him. "We're not sure how he utilizes it, but it's clear that the Land of Demons is ripe with Dark Chakra...and as such, this mission requires extreme care."
"And I still know nothing of Dark Chakra," Higure eagerly pointed out.
"Let me finish Haruno," Danzo ordered with a calm, demanding tone. After a few seconds of silence, Danzo continued. "The target is a man who uses Dark Chakra and medical ninjutsu together in an odd combination to add enhancements to his minions."
"How exactly did we get so much intel on these enemies of ours," Hiashi Hyuga asked. "I understand we have spies in many countries beyond the Five Great Nations, but how did we only just learn about this possibility of this 'Ghost Army' just so recently?"
All eyes turned to Danzo, expecting a convincing answer. The Hokage simply held out his hand towards Orochimaru and spoke, "Orochimaru was the one who presented this information...and he does have a substantial amount of proof based on what limited information has been gathered from our spies."
"Even if the Ghost Army is a myth, as well as this legendary demon, the usage of Dark Chakra, the forbidden, evil power that seems to be the manifestation of pure negative energy, cannot be ignored. If this man managed to get enough followers and utilize Dark Chakra to its fullest potential, then we would have to fight a war on two fronts regardless."
"We simply wish to avoid another disaster like the campaign against Takigakure and Kusagakure," Danzo said, summing up what Orochimaru had just spoke. The Hokage held his hand out and then pointed towards Higure casually, "As such, we want a capable, experienced commander to lead this mission. It's important that you deal with this group immediately, and end their attempts to raise this Ghost Army of theirs."
Higure shook his head with disbelief. He saw no real reason for him to be sent on this mission, nor did Danzo have anything to gain from sending him out into no-man's-land. Higure then just shook his head and stared at Danzo's projection. "What's this really about? I know nothing of Dark Chakra, nor medical ninjutsu. As far as I can tell, my only real qualification is my knowledge of sealing ninjutsu. Honestly, it sounds like Orochimaru-san would be much more capable for this job."
"While it's true, that this is a mission I would greatly enjoy to go on this mission personally, I'm afraid that building settlements, in Danzo's eyes, takes priority. Besides, the seals used in this country are a bit...above my area of expertise."
"How so," Higure asked.
"Reports state that the seals used to keep this mythical demon and its Ghost Army in check, are Uzumaki Clan seals," Danzo answered finally. Higure's eyes widened before turning to the Hokage in shock. The older man simply continued on, "You're more of an expert with the Uzumaki brand of sealing than even Orochimaru. Not surprising, considering your relationship with the last Uzumaki in the Alliance. If that's true, you can strengthen the seals, or perhaps even reseal them if it's too late."
Higure stood still, staring down at the ground as his mind began to connect the dots. For once, Danzo genuinely needed him to do something to aid the Alliance, instead of proving a point that the Hokage could just manipulate Higure whenever he wanted. The Commander closed his eyes, arms folded over his chest, as he began to mull the request over. He couldn't do much to deny it, he knew that much.
He opened his eyes and looked over at Danzo, "I want to make my own team."
"You're a Division Commander, you have such a right," Danzo told him. Higure's eyes narrowed a bit. Danzo being generous was either a bad sign that he had something greater in mind regardless, or he was genuinely that desperate.
And when he was so desperate, it meant there was more at stake than he would admit.
"I want my niece Sakura to go with me, as well as her two teammates, Dosu Kinuta, and Zaku Abumi." Nobody disagreed with the Commander, as those three were under his Division anyway. "I would also like to request Anko Mitarashi, and Rin Nohara." Higure turned to Kakashi's projection. The masked man's eyes simply focused on Higure, not full of any spite or anger.
"For what purpose, might I ask Commander?"
"Fair enough," Higure murmured to Kakashi's question. "Anko would be a good team captain for if something happened to me, as she's use to leading small, covert operations. Being Orochimaru's student, she excels at that sort of work. Rin Nohara is also an expert in medical ninjutsu, and as we're dealing with a medical ninja, her insight would be very beneficial."
All eyes went to Kakashi, including the Hokage's, "Well Kakashi? Those two fall under your jurisdiction..."
"I'll allow it for the sake of this mission..."
Higure nodded to the masked Commander, "I appreciate it Kakashi." Higure turned back to his audience. "I would also like to request Fu of Amegakure to accompany us. I'm sure her added power will be invaluable, and I'm sure she's willing to prove herself as a capable member of the Alliance."
"Ah, always trying to play the nice guy, aren't you," Mao asked teasingly. Higure's eyes shifted slightly towards the Tsuchikage before moving to Hanzo. The Salamander nodded wordlessly to Higure before turning to Danzo. The Hokage himself seemed to have no objections. "Well, I'm sure a team of six would be more than enough manpower for your mission, wouldn't you agree?"
"I would also like to request the former Tsuchikage's granddaughter, Kurotsuchi as well." All eyes narrowed quizzically at the seemingly random request for Kurotsuchi. After a few moments, Higure started to explain. "The terrain of the Land of Earth will be difficult to navigate for a group that has limited experience with traveling that country. Having a native guide us, as well as being an expert of traversing all sorts of difficult terrain as well, will be invaluable to help us adapt to whatever landscape we may encounter in the Land of Swamps, or Demons, should our journey take us that far."
All heads turned to Kitsuchi, who unlike Kakashi, glared intensely at the man. There was no secret that Kitsuchi, along with a vast majority of Iwagakure, disliked Higure's old team, the Six Path of the Shinobi, for the part they played in the war against Iwagakure. Despite this, Higure simply stared at Kitsuchi, waiting for his answer. The Commander huffed and then looked away from Higure.
"Fine. She hardly spends her time traversing anything though, and you're likely to get lost before ya know it with her leading you."
'Sounds just like Fu...' Hanzo thought to himself, regarding the young Jinchuriki's knack for getting lost in unfamiliar territory.
"That's all then," Higure said, turning to Danzo. "That team is all I need to make this mission successful."
Danzo nodded to the Commander, "Then we shall arrange a meeting place for your new team to assemble."
"Actually, Danzo, my team is already completely here," Higure stated. "With the recent arrival of Division Two and Three's wounded, Rin Nohara is currently in charge of the medical division here. Anko and Kurotsuchi both are here as well, as part of the escort team, and Fu arrived just today, which means I can leave without having to rendezvous anywhere." Danzo nodded solemnly as he and the rest of the members of the meeting realized his picks a little better now. With no objections, the Commander of the First Division then bowed his head a bit. "Well then, I'll go assemble my team." Higure then turned around and walked out of the meeting.
As he left the room, his mind still couldn't help but wonder exactly what deeper plot there was behind this mission. Regardless though, he had his bases covered. Danzo nor Madara could reach Sakura while he was away now, nor could they target Zaku or Dosu to force Sakura into a corner. The favor Hanzo had done him was being returned by allowing Fu to accompany him on this mission, and beyond that, Rin, Anko, and Kurotsuchi were more or less an added bonus to keep Sakura safe, should something else happen on this mission.
And Higure knew with his luck, the worst would undoubtedly happen.
Yaaaaay new chapter and inspiration struck all at once! Guess who may take a giant chunk outta the next chapter and hopefully have it posted soon? Well, hopefully me.
I can't help but feel I missed something...or overlooked something. That's my problem with not doing a full chapter all at once anymore. I forget exactly what I wrote before, and am likely to skip things. Maybe I'm paranoid. If I did miss something, or conflict with something else I said, feel free to let me know, and I'll straighten it out in a reply or the next chapter.
Well, I'm off to start the next chapter guys. Feel free to leave a review after reading this, as positive feedback does help with my motivating myself. Have a good day everyone.