CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: I'm sorry about the previous chapter's author notes. I forgot that I cut off the part wherein Sakura's parents were mentioned. Haha.
Apathetic Silence: You do live up to your penname.
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Why are you here again..?
Apathetic Silence: It's my account.
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: And I always re-type most of your stories after letting me read them while you just tell me what happens.
Apathetic Silence: *no longer listening*
The bloody carcass almost made him puke if he wasn't used to such gore, but still, the foul stench was enough to make him lift up his mask to cover his nose and mouth.
"An Assassin did this, no doubt about it." His teammate said upon closer inspection. "The cuts are long and deep enough for us to identify an Assassin class weapon." He glanced at Sasuke. "A weapon likes yours."
"Hn. Jur." He walked closer.
"One thing's certain, if ever someone suspects you, we can easily defend you." Another Sin said. "Your work isn't as messy as this," his nose scrunched up. "You have clean cuts on your victims, not to mention, their expressions upon death are that of surprise, meaning you kill instantly, while this guy was left to bleed to death."
"Yeah, the expression of pain clearly states it." Said the other one. "What are we going to do about this Sasuke?"
"Who else knows?" he asked while keeping his eyes on the victim – a Priest.
"The whole Assassin guild knows, plus a couple of Ninjas and of course, Sarutobi-sama."
"Get someone to give this guy a funeral." He turned around, the black cloak around his waist following his movements as he walked off. "I'll need a few Sins to roam around the area, in case more than one killing was done."
"Understood."
No one else knew the message behind that murder, but he knew, and hell, he had a pretty good idea who did this, but he can't just point fingers, because he needs more clues.
Not everyone knew how that guy kills, but he knew very well that it was his doing, and he'd make sure he'd find evidences that would lead to him.
"Still," his eyes narrowed. "I know what he's trying to tell me."
The suspect didn't do a random murder, he knew Sasuke was in-charge of this mission in protecting the King and at the same time, he wanted to provoke the young Uchiha.
Out of all the people out there, Novices and First Jobs were easier to kill, even vendors who weren't alert of almost anything except for buyers. It would have been easier to kill a Blacksmith, or perhaps an Alchemist, but a Priest was hard to take down due to their high defense and divine protection, so why would the Assassin want to target a Priest?
There was only one answer, and Sasuke was the only one who knew it.
That victim's death was a message to him:
A Priest is dead.
A Priest was the targeted victim.
A Priest would be next.
A Priest would die again.
A Priest like…
"Sakura..!"
With that, he ran as if his life was clinging to it, because Sakura's life depended on it.
Close Proximity
"Protect and Abide"
When given the power, one must be able to protect
When given the authority, one must learn to abide.
A sneeze left her nose, and she blinked a few times before shrugging it off.
Her lips curved upwards to form a smile as she eyed herself on the full-length mirror.
She twirled around a bit, loving how the dress's lower part flowed freely.
It was a perfect fit, and she made a mental note to ask Sasuke about that tomorrow.
But for now, she would just enjoy how the silk material felt on her body, and how she just seemed to love it – as if she'd want to wear nothing else but this.
"Or maybe because…" she flushed at the thought. "No, I mean, I don't like him in that sense, right?" she giggled lightly. "Well, he is hot." She looked at herself one more time, and then decided to try on a different hairstyle that would go well with the dress.
She took her brush and pulled out some of her headgears.
The hats were out of the option, so she was left with the Bell Ribbon, like earlier, but thought it was too plain. She went for the only hat that could possible suit it, the Sunday Hat, but again, it looked too… normal. She picked up a few more various types of pins and ribbons, but nothing fitted perfectly.
"Darn, if I had a Mystic Rose, it would go well with this."
The Mystic Rose was a headgear hard to make and find, and if ever you'd find someone who sold one, it would be too expensive.
"Witherless roses aren't easy to find, even the 3 karat diamonds are hard to locate…" she sighed. Those were the two items that would be difficult to scavenge around Midgard, but the white dyestuffs would be easy to buy or make, provided you knew the right people.
She just kept everything back and settled to having her hair down while wearing the dress.
She smiled at her reflection, and then blinked when something shiny caught her eye.
"What's this..?" she peered closer, seeing a metallic blade of some sort, and as soon as she realized what it was, she took a step back and gasped, but her mouth was immediately covered by someone's hand, preventing her from yelling or calling the attention of her parents who were downstairs talking.
"Don't make a sound," she heard the man whisper, and she was horrified upon seeing his reflection. He was an Assassin, like Sasuke, yet she can't identify him. For one thing, she didn't know him, for another, his lower face was covered with a mask that every Assassin owns, and his head had a Pirate Bandana over it. "I'll make this painfully slow."
Her body trembled when she saw the sharp-looking jur slowly make its way over her stomach, the wielder teasing her as he made her tense.
"Sins normally just kill or play with their victims, but for you," she shut her eyes when he pressed his nose against her hair, inhaling the scent of Strawberries and Cream. "I'll fool around with your body after shredding your clothing bit by bit…"
She cried against his hand while trying to think of a way to get out of this situation, but she couldn't move – was it due to fear? Or was it because this guy held her firmly?
Whichever, she knew she had to get out if she wants to stay alive.
"You won't be needing this." he said, bringing the blade up at her necklace and pulling it off with one strong thug.
The silver cross fell onto the carpeted floor near her feet, and she tried to keep her faith strong by praying, not only for herself but also for this Assassin to stop, and that his darkened thoughts may be reachable.
"You won't need this either." He dragged the blade towards her chest, slowly bringing it down to make a cut on the clothing. "It'll be more fun to rip it, but where's the thrill in that if I make it fast?"
He managed to drag the blade down up until the middle of her chest, letting his eyes see her well developed breasts, but that wasn't what really caught his attention but rather the hand that grabbed his wrist.
"What the-" he got cut off when he felt his forehead get a head butt when his hostage ducked all of a sudden, and he staggered backwards and tried to regain his composure, only for his face to feel the wall next to him. He cried out in pain when his right hand was forcefully pulled behind him, while his left pounded on the wall, begging for mercy.
"Who sent you?" his captor seethed, the grip on his wrist tightening. "Tell me who the fuck sent you?!"
"U…Uchiha…" he glanced over his shoulder, seeing crimson red eyes glaring at him. "S…Sasuke…"
"Who fucking sent you?!"
He could feel how the younger Assassin was threatening to snap his wrist if he didn't talk, and from what he's heard and seen, Sasuke would do it.
"I… I don't know him!"
"Don't fucking lie to me you fucking bastard!"
Sakura's eyes widened when she heard a bone break, and she knew Sasuke just broke the man's wrist.
"I-I swear I don't know! He only told me to get rid of you! I swear!"
"Then why the hell did you target that Priest?! Why are you targeting Sakura?!"
"H-He told me to kill anyone connected to you! He… He said to kill anyone if it would lead to your death! I swear that's all! That's all!"
Though his broken wrist was painful, Sasuke increasing pressure on it made the pain much more unbearable.
"Why?"
"To get to King Sarutobi..!"
Sasuke let go of him, making him fall onto the floor and nurse his injury.
"What do we do with him?"
Sakura was surprised to see two more Sins standing in her room, on either side of Sasuke, eyeing the man who would have killed her.
"Should we dispose of him?" the other asked while raising a katar.
Sakura, though a victim of the suspect, attempted to stop them, but she was shocked to see Sasuke pull the guy on the back of his head and smash him onto the wall, making him unconscious.
"Uchiha?"
He let go of the man's head, uncaring as the unconscious Sin fell onto the floor.
Sakura's bedroom door burst open, and in came her parents.
Her father – a Champion. Her mother – A High Priestess.
"What is going on here?!"
Sakura looked at her father who demanded an answer.
"Sir, we-"
She saw how Sasuke stopped his companion from speaking.
"Get him to Phoenix Fire Guild's Morino Ibiki, he'll surely get some vital information."
"And what about them?"
"I'll handle it."
The two Sins nodded and took the fallen one, afterwards, nodded at the three Acolyte class people and took their leave.
Sasuke looked back at Sakura's parents and bowed down. "Sorry sir, but Sakura's life was in danger, we just captured the one responsible."
Sakura's mother immediately pushed her husband away and grabbed his shoulders, making him look up at her.
He didn't expect the High Priest to give such a wide smile.
"It is you!" she exclaimed. "You've grown so much already!" she looked back at Sakura. "Why didn't you tell me Sasuke was back?!"
Sakura just gave a small grin as her mother went back to rambling.
"Um… Kasumi-san," he said in a soft voice. "Sorry, I've been busy…"
"Oh but you've been gone for three years!" she sighed. "It wasn't the same without you whenever Naruto and Kakashi would visit."
She glanced at her husband. "Dear, don't you remember Sasuke?"
The Champion gave him a scrutinizing look, and then eyed his hair, his eyes, his build, and his left ear which had two earrings on the helix, while his right one had one earring of the same kind.
"Are you sure that's him?" he blinked. "I don't recall Sasuke wearing earrings…" he lowered his gaze. "Or having that build…"
Sasuke inwardly felt disturbed that Ikichi, Sakura's father, had took note of his form.
"Ikichi, it's Sasuke alright! I recognize those dark eyes!" she grinned.
"Sharp eyes as always Kasumi-san," he managed a small smile, and again, Sakura's cheeks flushed.
"You can't escape these eyes Sasuke." She said smugly. "Well dear?"
Ikichi suddenly patted the boy's shoulder. "What do you know?! You are back!" he looked at the wall and floor of his daughter's bedroom, where blood was found. "So… what exactly happened?"
"Someone is after Sarutobi-sama's life, and the suspect found out I'm leading the mission in keeping him and Midgard safe, so they want to take me out of the picture." He glanced at Sakura who just stood up from the floor. "They found out about the people I'm close with or connected to, so they intend to get to me by getting to them first."
"Then that means Naruto and Kakashi could be in danger as well!" Kasumi exclaimed.
"I wouldn't worry about Naruto that much, since he's living with Jiraiya-san, one of the legendary adventurers of Midgard. As for Kakashi, well, he's a skilled Sin-X, there's no need to worry." He looked back at Sakura. "As for Sakura, they managed to take her by surprise while the two of you are preoccupied with… whatever it is you were doing."
Ikichi looked at Sakura and asked if she was alright.
Sakura just nodded to her father and let him embrace her, Kasumi joining in, both obviously showing concern and worry for their daughter.
While the two adults were thinking about what could have happened, Sakura noted how Sasuke's eyes softened at the sight of the three of them, before turning away to perhaps hide something, but she saw it – she saw the longing he had in his eyes.
"..Sasuke."
"Well then," Ikichi turned back to Sasuke. "We owe our daughter's life to you, and I insist that we repay you for that." He wrapped an arm around Sakura and gave a soft sigh. "Our only child and daughter means everything to us."
"Oh geez dad…" Sakura pulled away and felt embarrassed.
"It's fine Ikichi-san," Sasuke said with a small smile. "There's no need to-"
"Nonsense!" Kasumi cut him off. "Hmm… you could at least perhaps want something?"
Sakura just watched her parents and Sasuke converse with a smile. "Geez, as if Sasuke would have any requests. I mean, he can practically buy anything he wants."
"I have a friend who sells those! No problem! I'll put in a good word for you!"
"Huh?"
Ikichi looked at his daughter. "Oh, Sasuke here was just in search for a three karat diamond."
A Dead Branch landed on the ground, and out came an Angeling.
It was an MVP type of monster, one that looks like a Poring, except it had a halo and a pair of angel wings.
"Holy shit! You're in the same level as an Angeling?!"
He frowned. "Wait a sec, Naruto; we can't summon MVPs with a Dead Branch, right?"
"How should I know?! I've never used a Dead Branch!"
"Ah well, get rid of it Shino."
"Why me?"
"You summoned it!"
"Kiba, you forced me to, remember?"
"Oh just kill it!"
Before the young Wizard could blast the monster to bits, someone had already gotten to it first.
It took only a few slashes to send the MVP monster to bits of jelly drops.
"Nice…" Naruto whistled, before looking at the Assassin responsible for it. "So why are you still a Sin again?"
"Hn." He retracted the blades of his Jur back and approached his guildmates. "I need a few more experience to get to the Sin-X level."
"Few…" Naruto repeated. "Ugh, I'm far from becoming a Paladin." He glanced behind Sasuke. "Oh, hey Sakura! Getting close to becoming a High Priest yet?"
She shook her head and sighed. "I've been so busy running errands for Tsunade-sensei that I barely get any training or farming done."
Farming or farm is a term used by adventurers to hunt specific monsters to acquire an item and keep them in stock or possibly sell them to earn money. Gemstones are one, and most adventurers travel far just to acquire the Yggdrasil Berry – a fruit that can bring a dead one back to life, provided he or she is not killed by a fellow adventurer.
Most adventurers do farming just to sell the items they get for those who are on a quest, or if the adventurer himself is on a quest.
"What're you farming for?" Kiba asked with crossed arms while leaning against his large pet wolf he named Akamaru.
"Blue gems." She murmured. "People lately sell them at such a high price, and I'm kind of broke right now."
"That's what you get for providing warp services or buffs for free." Naruto snorted. "I told you to charge them; it's a fast-earning business!"
Sakura glared at Naruto. "I did not become a Priestess for money."
"Well, most Acolyte classes charge adventurers for their services, you're probably one of the five percent who don't." Kiba pointed out while letting his falcon perch on his left shoulder. "So I guess we're lucky to have you as a friend."
"Five percent?" she raised a brow. "Come on now, that's not true."
"Okay," Shino entered the conversation. "Let's say ten percent."
"That still can't be right," she murmured. "Everyday, Father Bramph would remind us of our mission…"
"Not everyone obeys." Naruto grinned. "Welcome to the real world, Sakura."
She sighed and knelt to the floor. "I wonder what Tsunade-sensei thinks about this?"
"Pfft. Granny Tsunade is one of the ninety percent who charge people – unless you're someone she doesn't hate."
"And Shizune-san? What about Rin-san?"
"They're like you." Shino said.
"Well, at least there are some people I know who are like me." She glanced at Sasuke who was staring off somewhere. "You're awfully quiet."
"Hn."
She twitched.
"Bah. Teme is always silent." Naruto muttered.
"Well, he's an Assassin; they're not supposed to be noisy." Kiba said in an "as-a-matter-of-fact" tone.
"While we're waiting," Shino looked at Naruto. "What's this meeting for?"
"Eh? I don't know." He scratched the back of his head. "I only got a message to be here by seven, and old man Sarutobi isn't even here yet!"
He earned a hit on the head from both Sakura and Kiba.
"You're the guild leader! How can you not know the details?!"
"What Kiba said!"
Naruto hid behind Shino. "Ask teme!! He didn't want the position, so he gave it to me!"
The two turned to Sasuke, and so did Shino who had confused brows.
"I'm busy." He said simply, not making eye contact. "I'm juggling more than two missions."
"Wait, wait." Sakura walked over to him. "I thought your mission was to protect the King?"
"It still is." He said, eyeing her. "Including locating my brother, keeping Siege Breakers in order even if it's under the dead last's leadership, and a few other more requests from the Guild Master himself," he paused. "Something I can't refuse."
She frowned. "And yet you have enough time to buy me a dress and be here."
"Hn." He glanced elsewhere. "I don't really need to explain everything to you."
Though it wasn't supposed to mean anything other than that, Sakura felt as if he meant that he didn't need to tell her every detail of his life because she wasn't someone special. And that stung.
"Yeah," she mumbled, taking a few steps away from him. "You're right."
He kept his mouth shut, telling himself to not even think about correcting what he just said.
"The lesser she knows, the safer she'll be." He thought. "Ch. Annoying girl." He shook his head.
All the training he underwent can be instantly forgotten just because of Sakura, so if he wasn't careful, he would only be leading her to her death.
Kiba cleared his throat to rid the awkward atmosphere between the two.
"So… Sasuke, do you know what this meeting is for?"
"I suggest you wait for the King to explain it." He said. "I can't tell you what I know."
He frowned. "So why is it that Naruto has no idea, and yet you do?"
"He's supposed to know, since he's the guild leader, so I'm not sure why." He answered. "As for me knowing, it's because I'm leading a team of Assassins in a mission to protect Sarutobi-sama."
"Ah, right." Kiba glanced at Naruto who was muttering to himself. "Any luck in locating the guy who wants him dead?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed all of a sudden, and the Hunter could feel how the temperature had dropped. "No."
"I'm sorry for calling you all here on such short notice," he coughed. "Not to mention making you wait for my arrival as well."
"You owe us for that you old gee-ow! Temeeee!"
"Shut. Up." He seethed.
Sarutobi's left lip twitched up to a half smirk. "Yes, well then, Sasuke, I know it's… protocol for you to keep things a secret, but I would like to know the details of last night."
He lowered his head slightly as his guildmates had looked at him with questioning eyes, excluding Sakura.
"And yes, Sasuke, I want everyone present in here to know."
"Which one?" he looked up at Sarutobi. "There were two incidents last night sir."
Sarutobi frowned. "I did not receive any reports about the second one."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Not even this morning?"
"None."
His fists clenched, and already, he was beginning to trust that gut feeling he was having.
"Sasuke..?"
"Did Morino Ibiki show up?"
Sarutobi showed a confused expression that made Sasuke's blood boil. "No one from the Phoenix Fire Guild has showed up last night or this morning Sasuke."
"Fuck." He turned around and ran off, not answering the multiple questions that his guildmates and the King had asked.
He dashed pass the people who were opening their shops, and when he spotted a growing crowd in the marketplace, he jumped to the roof of a nearby house. As he jumped to another one, he contacted his fellow Sins, receiving no reply until a minute later, and from what he could pick up, the female Sin was a bit far from where he was.
Static interrupted the communication, but he could hear a few words like where she was and who she was dealing with.
Izlude wasn't far, and he was thankful that he specializes in speed, since he was able to throw a dagger to stop the incoming knife that would have killed his comrade.
"Nika!" he called his fellow Sin who was kneeling on the floor, cuts all over her body, scarf lowered and Assassin mask torn to shreds. "What happened?" he asked, standing a few feet in front of her to prevent the opponent from getting to her.
"J-Jiro and… D-Dartan…" she said in a shaky voice, obviously worn out from fighting. "This guy… he killed them."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I knocked him out last night, how did that happen?!"
"Jiro and Dartan were ambushed by Rogues, and while they were successful in killing them, he…" she looked at the man who attacked Sakura the other night. "He woke up and took them by surprise."
"Ch." With one swift motion of his arms, the blades of his Jur extracted, and he got into a fighting position. "We'll discuss this later." And he ran towards the opposing Sin who was more than happy to fight another Sin.
Both their blades clashed, and they jumped away and ran back towards each other again.
Nika held onto her wounds and tried to stay awake, refusing to let her exhaustion knock her out.
She heard Sasuke's blade collide with the enemy's, the process repeating over and over, until she heard one of them cry out in pain.
Instantly, she raised her head to see Sasuke's left Jur pierced against the other Sin's right chest, impaling the man on the ground.
"Yield." Sasuke said with a glare. "Or I'll kill you this time."
A chuckle was what he received in response. "Kill me and you gain nothing." He snickered. "You're in dire need of information, aren't you?"
He pushed the blade deeper, making the man wince. "Then let me rephrase what I just said," he leaned lower. "Yield or I'll make sure you suffer."
"Y-You don't…" he coughed out blood. "Scare me… Uchiha…"
"Let's change that then." His eyes shifted to red, and he twisted his Jur a bit to make the man writhe and cry out, feeling the pain of his critical injury.
"F-Fuck you… Uchiha…"
He stabbed the guy's left thigh with his other Jur harshly, afterwards, dragged the blade down in a slow manner, stopping just above the knee.
"You fucking bastard!!"
He pulled the Jur out and stabbed the man's arm, doing the same thing until the elbow.
"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!" he yelled. "I give up! Fuck! I give up!!"
Sasuke's eyes returned to onyx, and he pulled his weapons out and got rid of the blood that coated them with one swipe of his arms. He retracted the blades and pressed a button on his communicator. "Get me Kosui and Yuriko."
He received a reply from one of the Sins he contacted, and soon, the two Sins he requested for had arrived.
"Get this guy to Sarutobi-sama's throne room, and make sure he gets there this time."
"Roger." Kosui picked the badly injured man up after Yoriko had wrapped the wounds up to keep the suspect from losing more blood. "What about Nika?"
Sasuke glanced at Nika before approaching her and letting his back face her. "Get on."
"I'm fine." She said, attempting to get up, only to stumble back down.
"Just get on."
She flinched from his tone and did what she was told; afterwards, all three Sins that can move took off and headed towards Sarutobi's throne room.
To say that the King was stunned would be an understatement.
No, the King wasn't just surprised, he was also speechless.
"We apologize, sir," one guard said. "But they just… dashed in."
Sarutobi blinked a few times before shaking his head, afterwards, told the guards to leave. He looked at Sasuke who was covered in blood, but seeing that he was fine, it meant that it was his victim's blood. His eyes went over to the two Sins who carried the wounded suspect, and then studied the female Sin that Sasuke carried on his back earlier.
"When you suddenly bolted out of this room, you gave us quite a shock, but when you came back… well," he cleared his throat. "First things first," he glanced at Sakura. "Would you please heal the young lady?"
Sakura nodded and walked over to Nika who bowed her head in gratitude.
The pink-haired Priestess only smiled lightly and did her job, all the while observing the young Sin who had shoulder-length brown hair and a stellar clip as a headgear. Her eyes were a shade of violet, a rare color and also quite beautiful.
"Me too!! PLEASE! HEAL ME TOO!!"
Sakura nearly jumped from the sudden outburst of the wounded Sin who tried to kill her last night.
"F-Forgive me for trying to kill you last time! But I was only doing my job! Honest! Please… Please heal me! I can't bear the pain anymore! Plea-Auuugh!!!"
Sakura's eyes widened when she saw how Kosui had just stomped onto the man's back, making him lie on the floor, face first.
The other members of Siege Breakers were speechless with this display, though Neji and Shino seemed to be unaffected, the former having been on a few missions with Sasuke before and knows how Sins act, and the latter knowing that this is a part of a Sin's job.
"F-Fuck! U-Uchiha! You said if I give in-"
"I said give in or suffer, I never said I'd let you be healed if you yield." He reminded.
"T-That's not f-fair!"
In the blink of an eye, a hard kick was given to the man's head.
"Sasuke! Stop!" Sakura yelled. "At this rate, he'll die!"
He turned to her sharply. "Don't tell me what to do."
She was stumped from the harsh tone he had, and Nika placed a hand on her shoulder to awaken her from her stupor.
"Sakura-san," she said. "Sasuke is an expert Assassin, the wounds he inflicted on this man are painful, but they won't kill him."
"But… but this is torture!"
She nodded. "It is needed to get the information about Sarutobi-sama's killer," her eyes softened. "Please understand that it is not easy for him as well."
Sakura glanced at Sasuke, seeing his eyes.
They may have been glaring, but she can see how he didn't want to do this.
"And right now," Nika continued. "He is angered by the fact that this man tried to kill you, and even managed to kill two of our comrades last night, and is told that he isn't being fair."
"W…what..?"
Nika glanced at Sasuke, who gave her a nod, so she stood up and bowed to the King.
"Sir, if it's alright, I would like to speak on behalf of Sasuke."
"What's wrong with Sasuke?" Naruto asked with a confused look.
"Idiot," Neji commented. "He's busy."
Naruto raised a brow. "Busy torturing?"
"Trying to get information." Shino answered.
"No, it's not that." Kosui said in a low voice while stepping away from the suspect when Sasuke told him to. "Nika is the one who knows the details of what happened to our comrades, she has been pursuing the suspect since dawn."
"Your highness," Nika began. "You've been informed about a Priest found dead at Prontera castle, correct?"
"Yes."
"Sasuke knew who was behind it, and he figured out the message behind it," she took a quick glance at Sakura. "The next target was supposedly Haruno Sakura, and I presume this is the information that did not get to you?"
Sarutobi's eyes widened at this, and he nodded.
"Sasuke managed to stop her death from happening and assigned two Sins to take the suspect before Morino Ibiki for further question, however, the two Sins, Jiro and Dartan, were ambushed by a group of Rogues, and the suspect took advantage of the situation by killing them." She lowered her head. "This is based from a witness I cannot reveal, and after engaging the suspect, he himself confessed that he was the one who killed our two comrades. Had Sasuke not been able to contact me, he wouldn't have found out what happened and was happening."
Sarutobi felt a sweat trickle down his face. "Is that why…" he looked at Sasuke. "You suddenly ran off?"
"Aa."
Nika looked at the King. "Sasuke knew that Jiro and Dartan wouldn't defy the Assassin guild, or even attempt to disobey an order given to them, especially by Sasuke." She looked towards the suspect. "When Sasuke found out that you weren't aware of what had happened, he already knew of Jiro and Dartan's fate."
"Sarutobi-sama," Sasuke called, looking at the King. "I'm sorry but… I'll have to be absent for this meeting," he glared down at the suspect. "I'm not taking any more chances."
"In that case…" Sarutobi coughed. "You may go."
"Kosui." Sasuke walked off after Kosui had nodded and knelt down next to the suspect. He then brought out a dagger and used the handle to knock the suspect out; afterwards, he and Yoriko carried him again while Nika followed Sasuke out of the door.
"Well then," Sarutobi looked at the rest of Siege Breakers. "I guess… that part of the meeting is over."
"Wait, Sakura was almost killed?!" the young blonde dancer rushed to her friend's side. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"I'm sorry Ino, I…" she looked away. "I… Sasuke said to keep it a secret until the King was informed."
"Why would that be kept a secret even from us?!"
"I don't know Naruto," Sakura said. "I honestly don't know."
Neji sighed. "Simple," he uncrossed his arms. "His famous motto: The lesser you know, the safer you'll be."
Sakura looked back at the door where Sasuke had exited.
"Is that why…" she brought her hands up to her chest. "You told me that you don't need to explain everything to me..?"
He sighed and let himself sit on the bench located at the center of Prontera.
Interrogating a suspect was usually hard, but when it came to him, it was easy.
Torturing suspects was one of the things Sins must do to gain vital information, but making them suffer without accidentally killing them is a skill not too many possess.
The Guild Master had chosen him to lead the team because of that rare skill he has.
He remembered having sparred with the Master once, and how the older man had commented his skills.
He recalled how the Master had told him that he wants him to someday take over his position, an offer Sasuke couldn't accept.
Still, the Master said that he still had a lot of time to think about it, and up until now, Sasuke can't see why he was offered that position.
"You remind him of his son."
He opened his eyes and glanced at the female Sin who had her arms crossed.
She smiled. "I heard from older Sins that the Master hasn't been like this since his son died after Satan Morroc's resurrection." She looked to the side. "His son had volunteered to lead a team of Assassins to defend Morroc from the monster, yet at the cost of his own life."
He looked straight ahead at the empty street.
"The Master blames himself for his son's death, and has become a harsh leader ever since then; until, that is…" she looked at him. "You came and took the test."
"Where's the resemblance?" he asked with slightly narrowed eyes. "I don't look like him, and I don't have the same skills he possessed."
"What the Master saw in you, he also saw in his son." She sat down next to him. "You possess a drive no other Sin has; you have the same eyes that his son had."
"And…" he glanced at her with a smirk. "Why is it that you know all this?"
She managed a small grin. "The Master likes talking about you a lot."
"Hn." He kept his gaze forward again. "If he adopted you, why can't you take his place instead?"
"I'm not fit to be a Master, Sasuke." She said. "In fact, I wouldn't even become an Assassin if it wasn't for him."
"What did you plan on becoming then?"
"A Crusader," she admitted. "I not only fight, but also heal."
"That depends on your build and training."
"Yeah well, who says I can't be flexible?" she quirked a brow at him. "You're a Crit Sin, and yet you handled that dagger pretty well."
"I was saving your life; a mistake was out of the option."
"Yeah, sure, whatever." She shrugged. "Anyway," she patted his shoulder. "Being the Master's adopted daughter and sort-of messenger, he says too many things about you, and really hopes you'd take his place someday."
"I really don't want to." He said. "I don't like the idea of leading an Assassin guild and waiting for new recruits everyday."
"You'd rather go on missions and such, I know."
"Hn." He stood up. "I need to get back to SB."
"The guild you refused to lead." She let herself laugh for a short while. "And… anyway, I know you want to go back to her, not to SB."
He instantly turned his head to her as she stood up and smiled at him over her shoulder.
"Nika, how did…"
"She's really pretty, Sasuke." And she nodded once to him before taking her leave.
"I told you, he's not here!"
He still gave him a skeptical look.
"What do I have to do to make you believe me, damn it!"
The child just crossed his arms and searched the whole guild for his favorite Assassin.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?!"
"Do I look like Inari?" he muttered without meeting the Crusader's gaze. "And I still don't get why he picked you to lead Siege Breakers."
"You're testing my patience, kid."
"What patience?"
"Argh!! That's it!!" he was about to grab the little Thief-to-be when someone had grabbed his cape and pulled him back. "Wha-?!"
"What are you doing here?"
"There you are!" the child grabbed the Sin's arm. "Come on! The others are waiting!" he tugged and tugged but the Sin didn't move. "Sasuke-nii!"
"Not until you answer me."
He sighed and looked at the Sin. "Everyone in the guild is busy, so no one can tank us novices, so… I sort of said I'd get a Tanker."
He narrowed his eyes at the child.
"Whaaaat?!"
"Naruto, what did Sarutobi-sama say?"
"Hey, hey! I'm supposed to be asking you questions!"
"What. Did. He. Say."
He gulped. "Um… something about protecting and abiding."
"What?"
"Protecting the citizens of Midgard while abiding by the rules!"
"Hn."
"Now, what the hell was the whole thing earlier about?!"
"I think you can get the answer from witnessing what just happened."
"I meant about Sakura!"
"…What about Sakura?"
"Why didn't you tell me she was targeted?!"
"Protocol."
"Protocol?! Screw protocol! I'm your teammate!"
"You're my guildmate and guild leader," he said. "Nothing else." He walked pass Naruto. "Come on Kishiro. Let's get this over with."
The blonde Crusader was stunned from Sasuke's answer. He didn't think the Sin considered him as just that and not a best friend, not even a friend.
"Sasuke…" his brows furrowed. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Sasuke-nii, are you sure this is really okay?"
"Of all the times you've pestered me to help you, why hesitate when I finally agree?"
He bit his lower lip. "You just seem… tired, is all."
Sasuke looked at Kishiro. "That wasn't what you intended to say."
Kishiro sat down and eyed the now dead Spore, the creepy red Fungus no longer bouncing up and down. "Well, yeah." He looked at the rest of his fellow Novices who all had their own Spores to deal with, the monsters trying to land a hit on Sasuke who didn't even flinch from the small attacks the low level monsters gave. "I was going to say distant… or cold…"
"What made you change your mind?"
"I thought it was impossible," he looked up at his favorite Sin of all time. "Since despite being an Assassin, you're never harsh to me or to anyone, but today, you have this look in your eyes that… I don't know, makes me nervous and uneasy to be around you." He paused. "You even… snapped at Naruto-nii."
Sasuke pondered over the novice's words before answering. "When you become a Sin," his eyes narrowed slightly. "You're taught a few things to follow, and when you forget to follow those rules, you will realize it the hard way or perhaps be able to prevent something bad from happening, yet fail to stop the worst."
"I… don't get it."
"Hn." He glanced at Kishiro's curios eyes and ruffled the boy's head. "You will someday."
"How about today?"
Sasuke did not waste any time to kill the Spores that the other novices had trouble finishing off, afterwards, kept them behind him with his Jur ready for a fight.
"Or maybe… never?"
He glared at the three Ninjas before him, one having a blue band around his head while the other had his face covered in bandages, save for one lone eye. The only female of the group had a ribbon that held her hair in a loose and low ponytail.
"Looks like even Ninjas turn to the dark side." He commented. "Let me guess, you want me dead to get to the King faster."
"Yes, our other… friend… failed to do so." The bandaged one spoke. "You are a famous Assassin, so it's not very hard locating you."
"Hn. The price I have to pay for my fame." He smirked. "So, who are you guys again?"
The one with the blue band twitched. "I'll wipe that smirk off your face, Uchiha." He started running at top speed to him, and Sasuke had to use Grimtooth to keep the Ninja away.
"Get out of here while you still can." He glanced at the novices. "All of you."
"But-"
"Now." He dropped a few Butterfly Wings to them and ran towards the three Ninjas.
Kishiro held onto the item and eyed his friends. "Let's go."
"But what about Sasuke-nii?"
"We'll only burden him, let's go, now." He waited for them to activate the Butterfly Wings, and soon, he too, tossed it to the floor.
"No you don't!"
He felt a string wrap his body and tug him away from the area where the item would have safely taken him home. He flinched as the thin wires had hurt him, and he struggled to try to get out of the female Ninja's hold.
Caught you," she took out a kunai and pressed the tip of it near his neck. "Dosu! Zaku!"
The two male Ninjas backed away and turned to their female companion, smirking when they spotted her holding a boy hostage.
Sasuke cursed and lowered his arms.
"This is why Sins aren't supposed to tank novices," Zaku, the one with a blue band around his head, said. "Especially famous Sins like you."
"Now then," Dosu glanced at his comrade. "Either you drop your weapons or Kin here kills the child."
"Don't even dare."
"You're in no position to argue, Uchiha." Kin said, pressing the blade against Kishiro. "So don't tempt me to slit this child's throat." She smirked. "Or would you prefer to wallow in guilt for having an innocent child's blood spilled?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes before lowering his head slightly in defeat.
"Alright, drop your weapons." Dosu demanded.
He let his Jur go, the weapon hitting the ground with a thud.
"Step a few feet forward and away from your Jurs."
He did.
"Keep your hands above your head and kneel to the ground."
He glanced at Kin and Kishiro. "Let him go first."
"Not until you drop to your knees and keep your hands on your head." Zaku snarled.
"I dropped my weapons and stepped away from it," he said. "I think it's only fair that you follow one request from me."
"Alright," Dosu nodded to Kin. "Let him go."
Kin looked hesitant, but she did, and Kishiro immediately ran away from Kin's reach yet remained to see what would happen to Sasuke.
Sasuke soon knelt to the ground and placed both hands on his head.
"Now, hold still while we get rid of you."
The Sin glanced at Kishiro, and the novice saw him mouth the words: Leave now.
Instead, Kishiro ran towards Sasuke's weapons and tossed them to the Sin.
"Sasuke-nii!"
The three Ninjas cursed and sprang into action, Kin diving towards the child who tossed something on the ground, causing smoke to erupt while Zaku and Dosu tossed their large Shuriken towards Sasuke.
They smirked once they heard a body fall to the floor, including the scent of blood invading their nostrils.
"Mission Accomplished." Dosu said as he and Zaku both landed back on the ground.
"Not quite."
"What the-" Zaku got cut off when he felt something stab him from behind, afterwards, he fell to the ground, coughing out blood.
"Zaku!" Dosu turned his head from right to left, taking out a few kunai at that, afterwards, performed a few hand seals and pressed his hand onto the ground. "Crimson Fire Formation!" flames erupted from the ground, with Dosu and Zaku being in the center. Dosu looked around, his lone eye widening when he saw Kin's carcass on the ground, both his and Zaku's weapon being the cause of her death. "Shit."
"Grimtooth!"
Dosu turned to his left where earth spikes charged yet was stopped by the flame that surrounded him.
The fire, however, died down upon impact, and another set of earth spikes were heading towards them.
Dosu carried Zaku and jumped to the air, avoiding a direct hit.
"I was hoping for that."
He was shocked upon sensing the Sin's presence behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder to see blood red eyes.
"Uchiha…"
"Sonic Blow!"
He cleaned out the desk full of bottles and potions with one swipe of his wand, causing the female Professor to sigh softly and mumble something about a month's worth of research down the drain.
"Must I send the whole army to get that Assassin off my back?!"
"Calm down," the Professor said, afterwards, turned to her comrades. "Say something you guys."
"Hmph." A Sin-X straightened himself up. "I told you to send me instead."
"You failed to kill the King, Zabuza, how can I be rest assured you'll be successful in killing Uchiha?"
"Well, those weaklings you sent didn't even last for ten minutes." He said. "And besides, I only failed because I didn't think Uchiha would be there to protect the King."
"Or…" the Professor spoke. "We could just lay low for now and catch him off-guard."
"Like that'll happen," Zabuza snorted. "Sins don't just relax, and au contraire, you'll only make him more suspicious if you lay low."
"Then what do you propose? Just take him out?"
"Unlikely." Zabuza admitted. "That kid is being offered the position of Guild Master in the Assassin Guild and at such a young age too, so he isn't one to be underestimated."
"Then come up with a plan or strategy to wipe him off the face of the planet!"
"Boss, calm down, seriously." The Sin-X said.
"I'll leave all of you, the main members, to deal with him." He turned his back to them. "And I don't want to see any of you unless you're informing me of that brat's death – kill anyone who gets in the way."
"Kishiro!!"
He put the Novice down when his mother engulfed the child into a hug.
"I was so worried when Seiko came and told me what had happened."
"Geez mom…" he murmured, a bit embarrassed. "Sasuke-nii won't let anything happen to me."
Kishiro's mother looked up at Sasuke and smiled. "Thank you, Sasuke."
"It's nothing." He said, watching as Kishiro ran towards Seiko who was with his guild leader, Kaiza, also known as Inari's stepfather. "He actually saved my life today."
She looked from her son to the Assassin. "He looks up to you a lot, Sasuke." She confessed. "There hasn't been a day that he doesn't talk about you."
"Hn. That explains the random sneezes."
"Oh you." She laughed lightly before her smile disappeared. "Sasuke, really, what is happening? I'm starting to worry about you."
"You don't have to be worried," he said. "It's nothing."
"Is that what you say to everyone?"
He didn't have an answer to that one.
"I know you're an Assassin," she placed a hand on his shoulder. "My father, brother, and even husband were Assassins too."
Sasuke nodded, indicating that he knew who they were, and how they died.
"And I'm scared that someday, Kishiro will meet the same fate, yet how can I stop him? He has his father's attitude." She shook her head. "What's more, he wants to be like you."
"Kishiro can't be like me." He said. "He's already better."
"What made you say so?"
He eyed the child who waved at him. "I told him to run, but he didn't." his gaze softened. "He managed to think of a way to win, whereas I just gave up."
"You never give up Sasuke."
"I did earlier." He said.
"To save his life, I presume." She smiled. "It's not called giving up, it's called being a savior." She pulled her hand away from his shoulder and bowed down slightly to bid him goodbye. "And for that, you're a true adventurer of Midgard."
A sigh escaped her lips when she spotted him approaching. "It's about time you got here."
She was taken aback when he tossed her something, but she managed to catch the item.
"Sasuke, what…"
"It would go well with your dress." He muttered without making eye contact.
She blinked and looked at the Mystic Rose headgear in her hands.
"I… kind of saw you go through the hassle of choosing a headgear."
"Don't you mean spied?"
"Whatever."
She smiled. "Why did you get me one?"
"I don't know." He said. "But I do know one thing." He looked at her. "I can keep you safer if I keep you closer."
She was surprised at what he said, and she had to raise a brow and smirk. "What happened to the whole: the lesser you know, the safer you'll be?"
"Outdated." He looked at the statue of Sarutobi, and then at the plaque on the stand.
There was only one simple rule that the King required Adventurers to follow, yet not too many obey it.
Protect the innocent with your lives; abide for what is right and not what's wrong.
"And when did you realize that?" she asked while keeping the new headgear she got from him.
"Just a while ago." He turned back to her. "Why are we here again?"
She smiled. "Nothing, you won't be needing the lecture I planned." She ignored his confused look and grabbed his arm. "Now, come on! I'm hungry!"
"Hn, you're paying for your own meal."
"Don't be so cheap!"
"Your dress and headgear cost me a lot."
"I'm not the one dumb enough who spent for them!"
"Shut up."
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Another chapter done!
Apathetic Silence: If you've read CrAzY-SiLLy-Me's story, Resistance, then the guild name "Phoenix Fire" isn't new to you.