I'm so happy you guys liked the first chapter :D
Chapter Two
The early morning air felt refreshing on her skin.
Sakura stood at the peak of the Hokage Mountain whilst dull emerald orbs watched a soft magenta bleed into the grey-blue sky across the horizon. A startling soft orange glow made itself known, spreading its warmth and illuminating the village in a pale glow as it slowly ascended into the sky, signalling that morning had arrived.
Sunrises had always put her in the right mood before a mission and she'd need all the focus she could gather if she wanted to come out of this one alive…again.
The crimson Root captain had grabbed her bag and slipped on her black hooded cloak before slipping on her porcelain mask, darting down the mountain and towards the front gates once she was finished adjusting her hood. Despite losing the ability to express her emotions, the kunoichi had visited the village cemetery to bid her deceased parents goodbye with the hopes of returning to them alive. The fact that she couldn't feel anything as she stood over her parents' graves had disturbed her a little; the feeling could not develop into frustration as her training wouldn't allow it, as if there was a wall cutting off her emotions.
Sakura silently sped along the rooftops, not wanting to waste any more time than she already had. The morning air had been colder than usual but the cloth mask and porcelain mask she wore had done its job in keeping her face somewhat warm. After spotting the gate and the two guards on duty, Sakura pushed off of the last rooftop and gracefully landed behind the second guard, noting how they hadn't sensed her presence.
"At this rate the enemy will have no trouble infiltrating our village through our front gates," Her melodious voice had been calm and soft, yet it sounded as a reprimand to the two shinobi who had jumped and faced their captain with a kunai in each hand. Their eyes widened in recognition and immediately put away their weapons. Sakura took in the tired faces of Kotetsu and Izumo, her own blank face hidden beneath ferocious porcelain. Despite the history she had with the two jounin during her time as Tsunade's apprenticeship she couldn't drag out any emotion she held for the two men…she found nothing but emptiness.
"Sakura-chan, you almost gave us a heart attack!" Izumo chuckled before moving back behind his desk near the village gates, the smile never leaving his face. Sakura tensed for half a second at being addressed so familiarly before nodding and moving to sign her name on the register.
"I will be gone for an undetermined length of time and that is all the information you need to know," Kotetsu and Izumo watched the terrifying mask the kunoichi wore with saddened eyes. It felt as if it were just yesterday that she had been cracking jokes with the both of them and chasing Naruto out the front gates with Kakashi and Sai trailing after them.
"Ano…is it another medical related mission Sakura-chan?" Izumo took the register from her and looked up to find the ferocious features of her mask staring down at him, its owner silent and calculating.
"Suicide mission," Those two words were spoken monotonously but it had caused the two jounin to stop what they were doing and stare at her with horror-filled orbs. Sakura brushed off their worry and began walking away.
"Isn't this too much! Danzou should be grateful you returned from all those other ones but…why keep risking your life?" This time it was Kotetsu who had spoken up and had even moved to block Sakura from her path.
"I live for the sole purpose of carrying out orders given by Danzou-sama. I am merely his tool and will do everything in my power to complete his requests. Failure only equates to death," Her eerily calm tone had sent shivers down their spines and they couldn't help but think about how different she was now…she was no longer the fiery little kunoichi they used to tease.
"Sakura-chan don't so this…no matter what others say, we don't see you as a traitor to the Godaime-" Izumo had stopped speaking as he was forced to dodge the poison-dipped senbon that had embedded itself next to head. Both men were now on the defensive and regarded the still kunoichi with saddened gazes. She was so still that it almost seemed as if she had not been the one to throw the senbon, their only confirmation that it was hers was the pale lavender liquid dripping off of the weapon. Poison had always been one of her specialties…one that she took advantage of.
"Do not delay me any more than you already have. Root faction or not, you are to address me appropriately," Her voice had hardened and had both men straightening their backs and lowering their heads in stiff apologetic bows.
"Hai…Haruno-taichou," Before Kotetsu and Izumo could lift their heads, she had already disappeared from their view. Both men had shared frustrated looks before moving back to their post.
"None of your fellow shinobi considers you a traitor to the previous Hokage, Sakura-chan…" Izumo sighed as he slumped against his chair in defeat. Kotetsu looked over to his long-time friend and nodded his head in agreement, sharp orbs watching the area where the petal-haired kunoichi had been standing a few moments before.
"Not after Shikamaru's explanation of the reason you became this way…" The two guards went silent and began recalling bits and pieces of the horrific tale the shadow master had relayed to them.
"How could Sakura do this! A whole two years of hiding and she returns as one of Danzou's shinobi? That traitorous bitch…I bet she had a hand in the assassination of the Godaime," Kiba growled as he watched the petal-haired kunoichi walk past their group, face void of any emotion.
"Maybe Sakura had her reasons! She's not…she can't be-"
"Ino stop denying what she's done! Konoha's whole regime has changed because of that bastard and she helped! It's the only plausible explanation," Tenten shook the blonde kunoichi and snarled as she glared daggers at the pinkette.
"I say we beat some sense into her…after all this village has done for her-" Kiba was pushed back down into his chair by Neji as he appeared in front of the group with a livid Shikamaru following him.
"Do not speak so disrespectfully of Haruno-san," Neji's voice was stern and harsh as he defended the pinkette, returning Kiba's glares with one of his own reprimanding ones.
"Neji's right. Leave her be…she's gone through enough as it is," Shikamaru managed to glare at the raging man as well before whipping out a smoke and lighting it.
"Why're you both defending her? Don't you see that she's in Root now! Hyuuga is a captain but isn't working under the Root faction-"
"Tenten, unless you know the full story it's best if you shut your mouth," Shikamaru's voice had dropped low and he spoke with a deadliness that was rare for the genius, this side of the shadow master rarely showed itself and it had gotten the group of young shinobi to quiet down.
"Sakura's been gone for two years with none of us seeing her even once during that time. The reason is…during the first year she was kept underground in the deepest parts of the village prison, an area that only the Hokage and his private personnel could enter. What she was doing there? Definitely not hiding from her so called traitorous acts" Shikamaru had paused during the explanation and sent both Tenten and Kiba a look of disdain.
"During her stay there…Sakura was poisoned on a daily basis to keep her body weak and vulnerable to keep her chakra reserves from replenishing themselves. Three times a week she would be taken out to be tortured until she passed out from the pain and the rest of the week she either wasted away in her cell or was lectured by Danzou and his beliefs. The torture was inhumane…they chained her to the bottom of water tanks, whipped her, electrocuted her, hung her by her wrists, beat her…and it was all to break her spirit. To destroy her will of fire…" Shikamaru stopped to look at the faces of his comrades and scoffed when they all looked dumbstruck, too stunned to believe his words. He smirked when guilt began to set it…
"This went on for almost a whole year…why? Because she refused to give in to Danzou…she loved her village too much to do so but her body couldn't handle the pain. After breaking her, Danzou threw her into Root where he eliminated the rest of her emotion…the result of all this is what you see now. Haruno-taichou, a kunoichi jaded to the point where she can't feel anything even if she tried…your perfect shinobi," Shikamaru finished with a sigh and looked away when Ino broke down in tears.
"I knew she didn't do anything wrong…" Ino sobbed against Chouji and the big man couldn't help but be saddened by the new information as well.
"H-How do you know all this?" Kiba couldn't even look the other man in the eye; his shame overflowed and overwhelmed him.
"Neji had been ordered to check on her once and was given the necessary details…even the Hyuuga was left speechless at the sight," Neji bowed his head and tried to stop the horrible images of a kunoichi beaten to the point where she could not even move her jaw…he could only watch as her tears flowed out of fading emerald orbs. He had never felt so useless in his life and not being able to do anything for the kunoichi made him feel as if he'd betrayed Naruto.
"Spread the word of Haruno's innocence…I will not tolerate any slander of her name," With that Neji left the group with Shikamaru in tow.
…
…
Sakura sped through the trees with ease, intent on reaching her destination as fast as she could. Failure was not an option for her because her failure meant her death and as emotionless as she was, there was something deep in her mind that begged her not to die. At first she thought of it as a human being's natural instinct of self-preservation but she was a kunoichi and was ready to lose her life at any moment so it had to be something else. It kind of felt like she still had some unfinished business to take care of yet she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
Sakura sighed and looked at the sky, only seeing a soft midnight blue with the moon's light as its only illumination. The kunoichi jumped down into a small clearing that happened to be covered by the overhang of larger tree branches and leaves and decided that it was a good place to rest for the night. Sakura scanned her surroundings silently before whipping out a kunai to slice the tip of her thumb, using the blood to perform a summoning jutsu.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Sakura watched blankly as a net of ancient characters swarmed out underneath her palm and within the same moment her summon had appeared with a puff of smoke, ready for her instructions.
"Sakura-sama, how may I be of assistance?" A large beast of a tiger bowed before the petal-haired kunoichi, his brilliant white fur gleaming in the moonlight as his sharp icy blue orbs closed in a sign of respect.
"Byakko, I need you to check the perimeter and report back to me once you are done. I will be resting here for the night and will arrive at Iwa by tomorrow evening," Sakura pulled down her hood and slipped off her porcelain mask.
"Alright child, I will make sure the area is safe for you to rest in," The large white tiger with unique markings walked over to Sakura and nudged her cheek with his nose as a sign of affection. The beast was twice the size of Akamaru and could tear a fully grown man into pieces. Sakura reached up to pat the tiger on the nose before watching him dart into the forest with movements so elegant she almost envied him. Almost.
Sakura moved to put her pack down before taking out her storage scroll and biting her thumb, watching as her needed items popped into existence with just a small smear of her blood. The kunoichi laid out her bedroll before sitting down to go over her mission scroll.
"The only way to get to the informant and those scrolls is to infiltrate their headquarters…doable," Sakura nodded as she considered the first bit to be easy enough but those emerald orbs narrowed when she went over the last part.
"Hm, the leader is S-ranked. Danzou-sama requires me to eliminate the head and destroy the headquarters…that man may be a problem," Sakura stared at her scroll, sharp orbs calculating her options before they were interrupted by the presence of her summon. The large tiger padded slowly over to the kunoichi before settling his body around the pinkette.
"The perimeter has been secured, child. There are no enemies within the area," Sakura nodded silently before gently scratching the beast behind his ears.
"The man we have to take down is considered S-rank, Byakko. Not to mention we'll be going up against his underlings as well which makes it comparable to fighting a small army. This will be dangerous my friend," Sakura spoke quietly as she laid her back against her summon and pulled her bedroll up to cover her body. The white tiger's chest rumbled in a quiet growl.
"You're still working under that man, blossom? You've almost died a number of times on these missions. You should thank the gods that you've managed to not carry out the 'suicide' bit of these missions, girl," Sakura smirked at the tone of reprimand in the tiger's deep voice. Her summoned beasts were the only ones she could rely on, especially Byakko. They proved their loyalty time and time again…not to mention they have never betrayed her.
"My life belongs to the village. I will die for my village and right now…Danzou-sama is the village. He is the Hokage therefore I will serve him as a loyal shinobi," Byakko had always despised that hollow tone in his human's voice. He wished that she'd let a little emotion seep into her voice…but knew all too well why she was like this.
"And if he wasn't the village? What would you do then, child?" Sakura was silent for an entire minute before she turned to face the peaceful tiger and offered him a hollow smile.
"I only know how to serve Danzou-sama, Byakko…"
…
…
"Yo, Naruto…any luck with the meeting?" Kakashi watched the towering young man walk into their room, slightly noticing how decent their inn had been. Well, decent enough for the team to stay in for a couple of weeks.
"Hm, Bee-san said he'll try to convince the Raikage-sama…I mean I don't blame him. What we're doing is extremely risky and if we're not careful…" Shocking cobalt orbs closed in frustration before the tall blonde plopped himself onto the nearest bed. There were only two double beds in their room and Kakashi was already, lazily, taking up the other one.
Tousled blonde hair had grown a little over the years and had begun to resemble his father's but was definitely a messier version. Semi-long bangs falling into his eyes due to the missing forehead protector that they couldn't wear as 'missing-nins'. Naruto's skin still held its sun-kissed complexion and his body had matured to that of a fine young shinobi in his prime with a lean yet finely muscled frame. He had developed into a ruggedly handsome young man and one that Kakashi was proud to call his student.
"Best not to get angry over this Naruto, these things require patience," Kakashi leaned back on his own bed, reading his infamous Icha Icha tactics whilst he tried to calm down his blonde student.
"Che. Kakashi-sensei you never change ah? I mean you'd think you'd get bored after reading that thing for years…" Kakashi threw a look at the blonde over his book and grunted.
"You never get bored of that offensive shade of orange…" Naruto scowled and looked down at his clothing, taking note of the black standard shinobi pants and the bright orange opened vest that he wore over his black wife beater. He had lessened his orange actually…
"I think I dress pretty appropriately sensei-" Naruto was cut off by the slamming of their room door. Both Shinobi looked over and sighed when their dark haired team mate walked in looking absolutely ticked off. They weren't really keen on dealing with the consequences of their team mate's mood right now...so they opted for ignoring him.
Naruto closed his eyes tiredly and opened his mouth to speak, one hand resting behind his head as the other played with the necklace he had recieved from Tsunade.
"Ne, Kaka-sensei…where's-" Kakashi shifted his lone eye over to the blonde and sighed, knowing he wanted the whereabouts of their fourth team member.
"He left for Iwa just before you got here. He's going there to scope out the area and to see how things are going within Iwagakure…if things are fine he'll give us the signal and we can start negotiating with one of my contacts about some of the things we need for…our plan," Naruto nodded before sighing.
"So I guess we're going to follow after him when he gives the word?" When Kakashi nodded to his question, Naruto looked over to the figure leaning tiredly against the door frame.
"Hey Sai, we've been stuck living together as a team for four years now so come and lie down if you're that tired, I won't bite for Kami's sake," Kakashi chuckled under his breath as Naruto shuffled over to make room for the pale-skinned artist. Kakashi observed the scene quietly and once again he felt that ever familiar deep stab of guilt that pained his heart when he noticed a certain cheerful pink-haired kunoichi wasn't around to break the argument between the two. He shook it off and decided to speak to the dark-haired boy, knowing that it was safer to have left their beloved kunoichi than making her go along with their slightly insane plans.
"I'm guessing the secret meeting with Mizukage was exhausting?" Kakashi chuckled even more when all he got in response from the talented artist was a annoyed groan. Naruto snickered under his breath but bolted upright when he realised something.
"Ne, sensei...it's Iwa we're talking about and I mean he could get into so much trouble-" Naruto was cut off by the snapping noise of Kakashi closing his beloved book before the silver-haired jounin sent him a masked smile.
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"Naruto, he'll be fine...I mean it is Sasuke we're talking about,"
Got this up sooner than I thought! Anyway, please leave me a review! They motivate me to write teehee.
Bet you guys didn't see me throwing Sasuke in your faces eh! Hahhahaha explanations will be revealed in the next chapter!
I know it's going a little slow right now but I promise you guys some action next chappy!