The Curse
Chapter Fourteen: Patrol Duty (Part I)
8:26 PM
"Welcome to the Patrolling Facility!"
Souta extended his arms in a gesture that encompassed the entirety of the large, iron structure, looming forebodingly at the edge of the Tri-Point Forest. The sun's setting rays cast dark shadows from the grey building onto the wooden posts that stood like resolute guards along the forest line. Sakura watched the red cotton tied to the posts flap gently against the evening currents and absently sensed the dormant chakra of the ofudas that would inevitably be activated with the night's arrival. A particularly strong gust of wind blew eastward causing her pastel tresses to fly across her face. Unconsciously, the kunoichi couldn't help but feel like it was trying to pull her into the darkened depths of foliage to fall prey to its living nightmare.
Sakura's attention returned to Souta and Shin as they opened the double-door entrance leading into the Facility, the former eager and excited as he ushered Team Kakashi indoors while the latter waited patiently before closing the entryway once they were all fully inside.
As opposed to the outside, where Sakura initially thought it was a two-storey building, she was surprised to instead find a single massive room, with high windows, large industrial lights, and cemented floors. Shin veered to the left and emerald eyes tracked his movements to the corner of the room – entrance-side – where a kitchenette was set-up, most likely used by those who were assigned long patrolling shifts. Panning her gaze to the next left corner – Tri-Point Forest side – Sakura only found a large metal door, standing lonely and a little ominously in the darkness that the overhanging loft above cast upon it. Shifting back to the kitchenette, the Medic noticed a similar loft also above it – about ten meters above ground. The two lofts were also connected by a narrow bridge, surrounded by red railings for safety purposes.
"Kitchen, Study Tables, Weapons' Station," Souta ticked off as he pointed at the specified places.
Sakura followed his pointed finger to the right side of the room – opposite of the kitchenette – and noticed the after mentioned tables covered with scrolls and books. The weapons bench and rack were most likely used for sharpening tools and having the necessary back-up defenses.
Souta pointed upwards with a grin, indicating the two lofts and their connecting bridge, "Up there is the Rest Area and Viewing Deck."
The younger male began to walk towards a set of spiral stairs just a few meters away from the front entrance, leading to the loft above the kitchenette, ascending it with a child-like excitement and bounce that Sakura couldn't help but wonder how such a carefree boy could be involved with a problem that was The Curse.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Team Kakashi was greeted by a few rows of cots, some stacked with pillows and blankets, clearly indicating that this portion of the room was the Rest Area. They followed Souta to the red railing, looking down at Ground Level thoughtfully before a masculine voice echoed in the air.
"Took you guys long enough to get here."
Sakura lifted her head to gaze across the room where the opposite loft was finding Akio leaning against the railing with a bored expression on his face, though he did raise his hand politely to greet the Konoha Shinobi. Souta stuck his tongue out at the red-head while Shin appeared from below, staring up at the Sasaki Twin with a raised brow.
"We have time to spare!" Souta countered as he crossed the bridge towards the loft Akio resided on, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto following.
"Right," Akio sniffed sarcastically as he turned around and took a seat on a bleacher-style set-up, which was accompanied by desks that had multiple scrolls rolled over it. The Medic noticed that the arrangement was for the benefit of viewing the large landscape window that overlooked the edge of the Tri-Point Forest, the scene now bathed in a darkening orange glow.
"This is the Viewing Deck," Souta continued, ignoring Akio as he pointed at the large window, "Pretty cool, huh?"
"So, this is where you perform your research?" Sakura inquired as she walked closer to the window pane, arms crossed over her chest as she scrutinized the dimly lit landscape.
"Used to," Souta answered with a smile, Sakura turning back to the younger boy with confusion, "Sometimes we use the Viewing Deck, but ever since we got The Pit installed, well, it provides a little more opportunity for better research," He snickered suddenly, "Akemi-nee-chan hates going in there."
Souta's smile seemed to widen when Akio's amused snort followed his final statement.
"…So, where's this Pit?" Sakura asked as her peripherals caught Sasuke and Naruto silently examining the panoramic window also.
"It's in the Tri-Point Forest," Souta responded easily, grinning, "And it's the place where you're going to want to be tonight," He waved his hand in a gesture to follow, which Team Kakashi curiously did, "I don't know if you noticed, but there's an extension from this building leading into the Forest; that is The Pit."
Sakura slowly nodded her head, recalling the time she, Dai, Sasuke, and Naruto had exited the Tri-Point Forest and first gazed upon the Patrolling Facility; she remembered wondering where the extension led to and what it was for.
"There are two levels," Souta explained as they walked the loft towards a metal door about ten yards to the left of the Viewing Deck Window; he pointed to the door and then pointed his index finger downward – Sakura assumed he was indicating the door she remembered seeing on Ground Level, under the loft, "Bird's Eye View and Ground View. Loft Level leads to Bird's Eye, First Level leads to Ground View; there's a staircase in The Pit for easy access also."
Souta briefly glanced away from Team Kakashi to wave his hand. Sakura followed his gaze to find Shin now sitting in the cot area, who nodded his head in acknowledgement. Satisfied, Souta turned towards the door and began to unlatch various bolts and locks; once done, he pulled the heavy barricade open which caused a groan of protest from the bulky metal.
"In you go!" Souta grinned; unfazed by the weight of the door, even when he had to pull it shut once the Konoha Shinobi had filed in.
The corridor was narrow and slightly circular, lit by dim lights and absent of windows. Upon closer inspection while she walked, Sakura noticed various ofudas plastered on the walls.
"They're precautionary," Souta explained when he noticed Sakura eyeing the seals, "The metal doors too, just in case something goes wrong and those things try to get through. It's never happened before but it's better to be safe than sorry."
The narrow hallway hadn't been a long walk – probably about twenty-five yards – but it was still unnerving, being surrounded entirely by claustrophobic iron. The end of the passage was another large, metal door, which Souta pulled open with some difficulty, but he only smiled reassuringly as he gestured Team Kakashi into the room.
"Wow…" Naruto commented as Souta shut the heavy door with a resounding boom.
Souta walked forward and rested his fisted hands on his hips, a proud grin on his lips, "Welcome to The Pit!"
It was a circular room, about twenty meters in diameter. The walls were made of metal and iron with large panes of unbreakable glass that gave a landscape view of the Tri-Point Forest; and because they were in the Tri-Point Forest, it was a view surrounded by trees and more trees. Chairs were situated a few feet from the glass and fold-out desktops were accessible for note-taking and books. In the center of the room was a spiral staircase that led to the Ground View Room. The lower level's set-up was identical to that of Bird's Eye View.
On the exterior of the circular room ofudas also covered the metal portions, ensuring the occupants' protection. Various lights, also situated outside, were beginning to flicker on with the arrival of nightfall, lighting the clearing in a soft luminosity – bright enough to see through the darkness yet dim enough to not attract too much attention or avert their test subjects from coming.
Souta comfortably took a seat on one of the chairs as he gestured to the large windows and the view of the darkening forests beyond it, "Bird's Eye View is mostly used for overall observation, you know, like counting out how many Corpses there are, determining a pattern of mass movement, etcetera. Ground View is pretty much an up-close observation of the creatures themselves since they all like to crowd around the glass."
Sakura looked out the large windows, intrigued and impressed as she stared at the empty clearing below, "How do you run tests?"
Souta shrugged, "We hardly do. We have nothing to go off of. And if tests are ever run, it's always Dai-nii-san or Raiden-nii-san doing them. They'll go out into the night and do it themselves if they have to…Dai-nii-san says that they don't like risking our safety if it doesn't have to be risked."
"Sounds like Dai-san really cares about all of you," Sakura observed as she watched the boy, "Raiden-san too."
Souta nodded his head as he absently played with the hem of his shirt, his brown eyes a little duller and saddened than minutes prior, "Yeah…They do."
The Medic noticed Sasuke descend into the Ground View portion of The Pit, followed closely by Naruto. However, seeing Souta's downcast expression – and not liking that her statement had been the cause of it – Sakura quickly decided to change the subject, "Souta…Do you know if the ofudas prevent chakra use or Jutsu use?"
His lips twisted thoughtfully, "…Well, you can use some Jutsu, as long as it's the kind that doesn't need to come into direct, physical contact with the opponent, like, I don't know, Kai or Release…" Souta shrugged, attention now focusing back on the present, "We've tried Genjutsu too but sometimes you need to lock eyes with your opponent and, if you haven't noticed, some don't have eyes and even if they do get caught in the Genjutsu, we have no way of knowing how much it affects them…All they ever do is sway and stumble anyway."
The boy leaned forward and opened an ofuda-covered panel, roughly ten-inches in width and length, "Ninjutsu can be used though this, but don't keep it open for long, it's a vulnerable spot, and if the Creature or Little Girl are around, there's no telling if they'll be able to slip through…"
"…Have they ever tried…? Sakura asked as she stared at the opening.
"…Maybe…" Souta answered as he flipped it closed, pushing it down hard to make sure it was sealed completely, "It's never happened to me, but I'm not willing to take that chance," He then gestured his thumb downwards, "In Ground View there's another door that leads into a small transition space which has another door that leads to the outside – another precaution – but we don't use it often. It's dangerous to step foot out there; it's like begging to be tortured and killed if someone ever decides to do it."
"But you've done it, haven't you?" Sakura asked, her expression filled with calculation – complete seriousness and thought as the Mission began to completely take the forefront of her mind, "You've gone out there at night; you've fought those things, right?"
Souta remained silent as he stared out the glass, a small frown curving his lips, "…It's not the part of the job that I look forward to, but someone's gotta do it. We gotta do it if we wanna barely scratch the surface of finding out what's going on…Going out there," He sighed, closed his eyes, and shook his head, "It's scary…Your heart never stops pounding and you wonder every single second whether or not it'll be your last mission…Your last living moment."
Sakura remained silent, staring solemnly at the young boy, unnerved to see his ever-present grin absent, once again, from his young countenance. In the short time since meeting Yoshida Souta, not seeing his large grin and bright eyes made it feel like things were terribly wrong, even when she knew that he probably exhibited the same somber expressions – and more – since before she met him.
"Hey!" Naruto called from below, "I see something!"
Darkness had finally shrouded the entire Tri-Point Forest, and with it the creatures were beginning to emerge. Souta leaned forward in his seat and Sakura watched with abject fascination as various silhouettes began to walk uncoordinatedly and disjointedly towards The Pit. From her high perch Sakura observed that they came from all sides, but the majority of the group appeared from the Northeast. Upon closer inspection, the Medic also noticed that they were all Corpses. The Creature and Little Girl had yet to be seen and the kunoichi was still unaware of what a Deformed really looked like.
The closer they approached the louder their moans, hisses and babbled whispers became. Briefly, Sakura flicked her gaze back to Souta, a little surprised to see his expression completely serious and withdrawn, brows sharply furrowed as he glared at the approaching shadows, looking down at them with contempt as he rested his chin upon his upturned left palm.
"…Will you be staying, Souta?" Sakura asked a bit hesitantly, unsure if she wanted to break his heated trance.
He blinked once before turning his head towards her, offering her the small grin she was used to seeing, before he saluted his free, index finger, "I'm at your service, Sakura-nee-chan. So, yeah, I'll be sticking around until you need me to do anything. Akio-nii-san and Shin-nii-san will be taking shifts in here too."
Sakura nodded, "I see. Well, I think I'm going to start downstairs and run a few tests at Ground View."
Souta responded with another grin, "Alrighty. I'll be here if you need me."
The Medic smiled, "Thank you, Souta."
"Anytime!"
And with a final salute, the young Chuunin returned to his personal observations, smile melting away into a contemplative frown, brows once more pulled together in concentration.
As Sakura descended the spiral staircase to Ground Level, she couldn't help but wonder what other personality changes she was going to witness among the Shinobi of the Bird Border Village.
"It's freaky enough when you're sitting in a house surrounded by these things," Naruto stated as he sat in a far seat of the circular room, "But to have to sit in a room with only windows and watch how freaky they are…It's just disturbing."
"It's an objective Naruto," Sakura responded with a wry smirk, removing her notebook and pen before taking a seat closest to the windows, "We need to learn about our enemy before we decide a plan of action."
"…Still…" Naruto bemoaned dramatically.
Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto before taking a seat beside Sakura, glancing down at the notebook in her hands before switching his gaze to her emerald eyes which were trained solely on the grey-fleshed bodies bumping and crowding around the panes of glass that protected them.
"They know we're here…" Sakura muttered as she looked away from the mass of decaying corpses to jot into her notebook, "They're drawn to this spot…" She briefly glanced at Sasuke and Naruto searchingly before removing a kunai from her thigh holster, "We're not injured, but what if I do this…?"
Before Sasuke could react, Sakura had cut into her palm, blood pouring freely and thickly down her wrist, dripping onto her lap. The results were immediate, the moaning and hissing increasing in volume as the bodies pushed even more roughly into each other and the pane of glass, only to be stopped by the blue barrier the ofudas created.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelped, sitting up as he stared wide-eyed at the profusely bleeding wound.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke hissed darkly, watching as Sakura calmly moved her hand back and forth along the window in wide, sweeping motions, the Corpses somewhat following despite their lack of coordination.
"Relax," Sakura responded as she began to jot down in her notebook again, her injured hand briefly encased in healing-green chakra leaving only smooth skin and a drying trail of crimson; she rolled her eyes before regarding her teammates, "I'm a Medic Nin, remember?"
"…Still…" Naruto repeated as he eyed the blood splotch that had dripped and smeared onto her lap.
"Next test…" Sakura mumbled, moving on; she eyed the mass of walking cadavers thoughtfully, noticing their torn clothes barely hanging onto their thin, spindly bodies, ribs easily seen, cheeks thinned from malnourishment, hair unkempt and almost balding, and eyes – completely gone or wide with insanity and absent of consciousness.
Slowly, Sakura placed her hands in a single seal, eyes never straying from her test subjects, "…Kai!"
Nothing happened and after three more tries with no results Sakura sighed and recorded it in her notepad.
This was going to be a long night.
9:37 PM
The exhalation of breath that left Sakura's lips was quick and short, an action that expressed her frustration and annoyance as she switched from glaring at her notebook to glaring at the Corpses standing mindlessly just meters in front of her. Patience was dwindling the more her pen tapped rhythmically against her thigh, brows furrowing as her mind began to process multiple scenarios, outcomes, theories, and predictions.
So far, all the thinking was giving her nothing but a massive headache.
Naruto remained in his chair three rows back, the spiral staircase behind him, royal blue eyes flickering to every sudden movement, body clearly tensed, ready for the first thing to go wrong and for him to respond accordingly to it.
Sasuke remained in the seat beside Sakura's, typically quiet as he watched the scene before him, eyes sharp with calculation even if his body was completely relaxed leaning into his chair; his elbows were propped on the armrests and his hands were laced together just below his narrowed eyes.
"Attracted to blood," Sakura muttered as she tapped the particular bullet point in her notes with the end of her pen, "Repelled by massive quantities of chakra; which explains the ofudas and the attacks on Civilian Villages as opposed to Shinobi Villages," She bit her lip, "They come out only at night; can be repelled briefly by light, heat – fire…They can be Reanimated and don't seem to experience pain, especially when Sasuke basically cut off Yoshiro-san's head and remaining leg yesterday night…"
Sasuke's eyes briefly flickered her way at the mention of his name, yet Sakura was too lost in thought to notice.
"There is only one Creature and one Little Girl," The Medic continued, "They have to be the key; they have to have some kind of story, right? Why is there only one of each when there are so many Corpses? And what would make the Deformed so different?" Sakura's free hand clenched, "And why do they know my name?"
"How are things going down here?"
Naruto startled, blonde heading whipping around in a flash to stare at the staircase where Dai was casually descending, the Bird Shinobi's navy eyes regarding the Corpses before shifting to the members of Team Kakashi. Akio followed with a nonchalant gait, hands stuffed in his pockets.
"Warn a guy next time, will ya?" Naruto mumbled as he slouched back in his chair.
"It's…" Sakura paused, glanced at the Corpses still crowding aimlessly in front of the window, and frowned, "…going. Just trying to get my thoughts in order so we can go about this the right way."
Dai nodded his head in understanding, remaining at the foot of the spiral stairs, leaning against the railing, while Akio settled in the same row as Naruto, perched on the back of the chair with his feet resting on the seat.
"You have this Pit," Sasuke spoke up, eyes never leaving the scene beyond the window, "And it's obvious these creatures flock here, and I assume that they do so every night," Dark eyes finally slid to connect with deep navy, "Have you ever thought to set any traps to capture them for study?"
Sakura's brow rose thoughtfully, before nodding her head and setting her sights on Dai, eager for an answer.
'Sasuke's right,' She thought, 'They're just feet away; a well-placed trap could easily prove useful in obtaining a test subject.'
Unfortunately, Dai sighed, "We've tried. Believe me. It's the first thing we tried when we put in The Pit," His gaze flickered to Sakura, "But remember, they have intelligence too. Your lantern and Satsuma Yoshiro are obvious examples. When we set out those traps, no matter how deceiving and subtle they were…"
"…They always managed to avoid them, or spring it without getting caught," Akio finished with a frown, "I know it seems hopeless in solving the mystery because of the little knowledge we have but it's not because we're incompetent," He glared at the window, "It's because those ugly bastards are smart…too smart."
"Any ideas on why that may be?" Sakura questioned.
Dai shook his head, "Just theories," He sighed, "For all we know, those things can be observing us just as carefully as we are right now; they might be swaying like mindless idiots but no one knows what's really going on in those fucked up heads of theirs."
Sakura frowned, turning back to the window. She hadn't thought of that. To think that as she stared at the thin Corpse of a young woman with blood-stained brown hair, her left arm bent in a grotesque way, one leg limping in her jerky movements and mouth opened to allow her moans to spill out – could this one-eyed Corpse be observing her just as intensely as Sakura was observing them?
Could they hear her and her spoken theories? Could they think and deliberate to somehow thwart her efforts?
Maybe it wasn't so far-fetched since the Creature and Little Girl clearly showed the ability to communicate; maybe it was those two that ultimately controlled the Corpses to their bidding.
"…You say this is a Curse…" Sakura started as she scanned the grey faces lined before her – young, old, male, female – her eyes narrowed, "Curses are supposed to derive from something, right? A story? Death in hatred made tangible to enact revenge…So what's this Curse's story?"
Akio shrugged, "There isn't one. At least not that we know of. There are variations made by the Villagers and some people at the Capitol – stories were bound to be made – but this one kind of just…grew into a fear with all the continuous murders. They basically called it a Curse because of its mystery. There's no constant, no particular trend in victims…"
"But there is a constant," Sakura interjected, "Several: The Creature, the Little Girl, the victims becoming Corpses, the fact that nothing is left behind for evidentiary value and the presence of the dark trail substance too."
"Recent additions to our limited knowledge," Dai informed, arms crossed over his chest as he bowed his head thoughtfully, "It's a new start to our investigation. The only theory I can come up with is the Creature and Little Girl having a connection – they frequently work together. Hopefully we'll know even more in a few days."
"The Plan, right?" Sakura inquired, Dai's head lifting so his eyes could connect with hers, "Souta mentioned it earlier, when we were at Base."
Dai nodded his head – neither surprised nor angry with her knowledge of the event, "We've been planning it for weeks. Basically we'll be dispatching into groups to try and find where they hide during the daylight hours…It's going to be a rough and time-consuming process."
"Why's that?" Naruto asked.
"Because we'll be trying to cut through the Tri-Point's heart – The Twisted Valley," Akio answered, green eyes darkened with anticipation as a smirk crossed his lips, "I have a feeling we'll find them in there."
Immediately, Sakura remembered when she followed the dark trail left behind by the Creature to the edge of a darker and denser part of the Tri-Point Forest just the day before. Maybe Akio's feeling was right. It seemed like a place that the creatures would hide, but why only now were they investigating it?
"It's difficult to cut through," Dai responded to her unasked inquiry, "Thick trees and the darkness beyond make it an area that we're wary of treading. However, recently we all took a vote on it and who would be willing to go in; and with all that's been going on we're pretty much ready to go through anything if it means finally ending this nightmare," He sighed, "The process also takes a lot of planning; tools we need, shifts to take, best techniques to use for effective results. We'll be starting at dawn…and we aren't going to stop…even when night falls."
"But that's when those things come out," Naruto reminded, brows furrowed, "I thought you said they could easily pick you off one by one in the dark."
"They can still be fought," Akio reasoned, "So we're going to fight. However, we're hoping we'll have cut through to the other side before we resort to that outcome."
"I'll debrief you on the entirety of the details tomorrow," Dai concluded, pushing away from the railing and beginning to ascend back to Bird's Eye View, "I'm going to check on Shin; Akio, you stay here with Team Kakashi and Souta."
Sakura watched Dai go, thoughtful, as Akio stood, dusted his pants and bid farewell to join Souta above.
"Talk about brain overload," Naruto groaned as he rubbed his forehead.
Sakura couldn't agree more. Staring down at her additional notes, Sakura bit her bottom lip; her sights settled on four particular words that she circled: Creature, Little Girl, and Story.
"If we're going to find a way to defeat this Curse…" Sakura thought aloud, "We're going to have to discover its true origins also…"
10:23 PM
She had now resorted to pacing. Her notebook lay forgotten on the attached desk of her seat, the once-blank pages now filled with numerous notes; some were crossed out in agitation, others were connected by lines and arrows, while most had large question marks decorating the margin.
Naruto was leaning over the back of the chair in front of him, blue eyes trailing Sakura as she stepped four long strides to the left, five short steps to the right, stopped, murmured indistinctly to herself, and then repeated the process all over again.
Sasuke hadn't moved from his spot, though his arms had shifted to cross against his chest and his eyes had closed, probably irritated with Sakura's fidgeting; though the action only enhanced his sense of hearing as the whispers and moans became more prominent to him.
"What if…" Sakura stopped, Naruto pulled from his trance when Sakura's third step to the right failed to land, he eyed her with confusion when she slowly turned towards the window and took three steps towards it.
The break of Sakura's rhythmic and routine footsteps caused Sasuke to open his eyes and he too stared at Sakura's back with mounting curiosity.
"Sakura-chan?"
The Medic raised her hand in a signal for silence before that same hand lowered to her chest to join its twin, creating a hand sign equivalent to honing concentration.
"Chakra plays a part…" Sakura whispered, emerald eyes closed, "I didn't sense any the first time, but if I search harder…"
In the darkness of her obstructed vision, Sakura easily spread her chakra senses behind her, testing her range in warm-up as her aura gently passed over Sasuke's evocative blue before touching upon Naruto's fierce red. Both signatures seemed like contradictions to her – untamed in their raw energy yet so controlled by their strong and resolute presences. While Sakura's green signature was also strong in its own right she prided in the passionate yet gentle and soothing presence it offered to those who had come into contact with it from her healing.
Moving away from the security of Sasuke's and Naruto's respective blue and red energies, Sakura carefully edged her signature forward, slowly past the windows, through the light blue barrier of Dai's ofudas and coming into contact with a grey…haze. The kunoichi's brows furrowed with confusion and further concentration.
Clearly, a chakra signature was present if she could identify something covering the mass of Corpses but identifying it was a difficulty she was having trouble overcoming. Carefully, she tested her limits, pushing forward to somehow break through the haze, moving alongside it to find some kind of opening, but to no avail, Sakura's examination had once again ended in a frustrating dead-end.
A childish pout involuntarily appeared on her features, teeth grinding together in irritation.
Her chakra senses were adequate at best and with the combined efforts of her perfect chakra control, she did make an exceptional tracker. However, there was a difference between those that could sense chakra through effort and those born with the gifts to easily ascertain different chakra patterns and signatures. Hyuuga Hinata was one such tracker, especially with the Byakuugan which had the ability to track and determine chakra through colored auras – or so she had read. Inuzuka Kiba was also a skilled shinobi in the art of tracking – one sniff and he could easily detect and identify his target from miles away.
However, there was one shinobi whose abilities would prove perfect for this case and hopefully her Shishou would be able to recruit that person by her request.
It was all a matter of that person agreeing, however.
Sakura sighed, her senses retracting, leaving the fading and muffled source she had been trying to examine and scrutinize for the past fifteen minutes, "Damn it…I'm only gleaning the surface. But it's definitely ominous…And not from a human source."
"So it's a ghost…?" Naruto asked uncertainly.
Sakura shook her head, "…I don't know."
Naruto laughed uneasily, "Not very reassuring, Sakura-chan."
The Medic smiled weakly, "Sorry, Naruto." She exhaled heavily and fell into her seat, "It would be so much easier if we had a Byakuugan User with us, or even…" She paused and slid her gaze to Sasuke.
The Uchiha was staring at the horde of Corpses apathetically, though the tiniest furrow of his brow betrayed his annoyance with them – what exactly he was annoyed about Sakura had no clue.
"Sasuke-kun," She acknowledged, earning a flicker of acknowledgement from his dark irises, "Would you mind using your Sharingan? See if there's an illusion or anything strange about them?"
The kunoichi watched as Sasuke's dark eyes bled crimson, tomoes whirling with use before he turned away from her and carefully scanned the line-up of groaning cadavers before them. The Uchiha's jaw locked slightly which made Sakura frown in concern.
"…Sasuke-kun?"
"Nothing," He answered, "No illusion. Nothing strange. The Sharingan wouldn't be as useful as the Byakuugan in this situation." His tone was a little resentful but Sakura summed it up to the fact that Sasuke probably wished his Sharingan could have helped a little more in the investigation.
"I could–"
"No," Sakura interrupted knowingly, earning a short glare from the ex-Avenger, "Don't use that form, I know you don't like using that form. Don't even try it."
"Using Amaterasu could help destroy them," Sasuke countered smoothly, the three tomoes of his irises beginning to spin lazily.
"It can also cause side-effects to your sight and sap a lot of your chakra. You may have…his…eyes to prevent blindness but I still think it's dangerous," Sakura growled, holding her bloodied hand up, "Don't make me knock you out."
"You're a Medic Nin," Sasuke smirked, quoting her earlier reasoning for slicing her hand open, "You can heal them if something goes wrong, remember?"
"Are you mocking me?" Sakura frowned, eyes narrowing dangerously with challenge.
Sasuke's Sharingan began to spin faster, arms crossed comfortably over his chest, smirk still in place, "Hn."
"Uchiha Sasuke, don't you dare," Her warning tone clearly conveying her seriousness of the matter; her frown deepened, "Let me be selfish and say that I'd rather find another way than to risk your sight. So turn your damn bloodline off."
Sasuke's smirk melted into a frown, at a loss since his earlier words had been used against him. If he didn't abide by her selfish request than she would take it as a go-ahead to not abide by his selfish request also. Receding his Sharingan, Sasuke turned away from her with a noncommittal grunt.
"Hn."
Silence. Sakura glared at her notebook as she scribbled away and Sasuke glared at the Corpses as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
"Uh…" Naruto spoke up from behind them, "What the hell was that all about?"
"Nothing," Sakura snapped, unsure as to why she was now in such a foul mood – Sasuke simply had a way of doing that to her; she sighed, trying to relax her muscles, "…It's nothing."
Deciding to not let anything else make her mood go further downward, Sakura pushed on, eager to get as many tests as she could done.
She glanced over her shoulder to pin Naruto with a stern stare, "Alright, Naruto, it's your turn…I need your help for this particular test and it would help if you sat up here, with us, to run it."
Naruto looked at the free seat beside her – which was awfully close to the window pane, "…Are you sure back here isn't an okay distance?"
Sakura shook her head, offering the blonde a reassuring smile, "Don't worry Naruto, you'll be okay with me; they're not going to be getting through anytime soon."
Sasuke smirked, "What? Scared, dobe?"
The blonde was immediately out of his seat and glaring at the Uchiha, "I'm not scared! I'm being…I'm being cautious!"
Before Sasuke could continue, Sakura roughly elbowed him in the ribs, earning a sharp glare in her direction.
"Knock it off," The Medic threatened, before kindly patting the free seat beside her for Naruto to take.
Naruto stiffly made his way to the front of the circular room and took the empty chair beside Sakura, his blue eyes never straying from the window and the creatures beyond it. Reassuringly, Sakura took the blonde's larger hand into hers and squeezed it, earning his attention, though his body was still tensed.
"Relax Naruto," Sakura comforted, a small smile gracing her lips, "Where'd all that energy go for wanting to fight these things?"
Naruto offered her a wry, half-smile, "Being thrown outside to fight them is one thing, Sakura-chan…" He side-glanced the Corpses and frowned, "But sitting here for hours listening to them make those…sounds is just something else all together. I mean, those things used to be real, living people…"
"I know, Naruto…" The Medic affirmed solemnly as she regarded the grey-fleshed figures, she looked back up at him, determination lighting her emerald irises, "So, I'm going to need your help so we can finally lay them to rest…"
Naruto slowly grinned and squeezed her petite hand, "Alright, what do you need me to do?"
Sakura smiled, releasing his hands and picking up her notebook, "What I need you to do, Naruto, is enter your Sage Mode; you told me that it's a technique that relies on the gathering of natural energy for chakra-use, so I'm assuming that when in that state you can detect energy also."
"So you want me to see what kind of energy I find when observing them through Sennin Mode?" Naruto inquired, his hands already moving in readiness to perform the needed seals.
"Yes, please," Sakura answered.
Naruto nodded once before he closed his eyes and moved his hands in a careful but swift series of seals. Sakura watched with a mixture of awe and pride as Naruto inhaled deeply, his eyes changing shape and gaining an orange color and the aura around him seeming to intensify with the added power that was natural energy.
The blonde exhaled quietly before he opened his eyes. His irises had changed from a deep, royal blue into a yellow just a few shades lighter than his blonde hair, and his pupils were shaped like rectangles that reminded Sakura of the many Toad Summons she had met through Naruto. With a look of resolve – that Sakura was accustomed to seeing when her best friend was faced with a problem he would fight to his last breath to solve – he scanned the groaning crowd of creatures, eyes narrowed calculatingly as they darted from one corpse to the next.
"It's…strange…" Naruto finally said, brows furrowed, "Different from what you and Sasuke are giving off. But I can definitely say that it's a natural energy, I just can't pinpoint what kind; I'm not familiar with it…"
Sakura immediately wrote down Naruto's explanation word for word, her own brows creased with deep thought, "So it's definitely a sort of chakra and more associated with the natural kind rather than the human kind…" She sighed, "Maybe they are ghosts or lost souls in reanimated bodies, emanating residue chakra from their past living selves…I was hoping that wasn't the case. I was hoping it was a Jutsu or someone controlling them…But it looks like this really is some kind of Curse; one that needs to be put to rest."
"Still…" Sasuke spoke up, "Don't completely rule out the possibility of a Jutsu or someone controlling them…"
"I know…" Sakura nodded; she turned to Naruto, "Thanks Naruto. Is there anything else worth mentioning?"
Naruto pursed his lips, "…The aura that's surrounding them…It leads farther, deeper into the Tri-Point Forest…Northeast."
Scribbling down the observation, Sakura tapped her pen thoughtfully against her lower lip, "Sounds like Akio-san and Dai-san might be right about where they're hiding…The Twisted Valley."
"It's concentrated in a large space too," Naruto continued, "There's even some pockets of the same energy moving throughout the Forest…It might be other Corpses or creatures. But that's pretty much all I'm getting…"
"It was all very helpful," Sakura assured, "Thanks, Naruto. It clears up a few things for us. They're giving off a particular chakra from a natural energy source and they seem to reside deep in the Tri-Point Forest. However, we'll have to check again during the daylight hours to see if we get the same results."
"No problem, Sakura-chan," Naruto grinned lightly as the physical characteristics of his Sage Mode began to fade away, "Glad I could help."
"How about the Kyuubi?" Sasuke suggested, "Makoto said that they're repelled by large quantities of chakra and the Nine-Tails is a powerful source."
"Sasuke-kun's right," The Medic agreed as she turned back to Naruto, "Think you could pulse the Kyuubi's chakra a few times so we can see the reaction? If we're lucky, it'll repel them."
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I'll give it a go."
Just as before, Naruto closed his eyes, sitting completely still as he inhaled and exhaled steadily. However, instead of markings surrounding his eyes, the scarred whiskers on his cheeks became darker before the entirety of his body became encased by an ephemeral yellow glow. As opposed to the untamed red chakra of his youth, the yellow-gold chakra reminded Sakura of Naruto's retelling of the struggle he had overcome when it came to completely controlling the Nine-Tailed Demon.
'DEMON!'
Sakura's head snapped forward, away from Naruto to watch with wide eyes as the Corpses converged on the windows, their cries and groans turning into agonizing screams of desire as they moved towards the spot Naruto sat. Both Sakura and Sasuke sat up in their seats, alarmed that the creatures' cries were even louder than when Sakura had cut into her hand to produce blood.
'DEMON! DEMON!'
"Naruto!" Sakura called, her hand reaching out to grasp his sleeve, eyes never straying from the Corpses pounding their fists and bodies into the light-blue barrier, the chakra shield cackling against the heavy force.
"H-H-Hey, what's going on?" Souta's voice yelped from above.
"Naruto!" Sakura tried again, finally turning her emerald eyes on him, shaking the sleeve she grasped to get him out of his trance, "Naruto, stop now! You need to stop now!"
"…kura-chan…Can't…" Naruto answered with a strained voice, his eyes having failed to open, brows scrunched together as if he were caught in an internal battle, "…It's…" His sentence cut off into an agonized moan of pain, Sakura's heart stopping at the sound only to be replaced by an unrelenting fear for her friend's safety.
"Naruto!"
The hand gripping her arm was suddenly swatted away and reversed in hold. Sakura winced as lengthened nails dug painfully into the skin of her wrist. Looking up, her heart stopped once again as she stared into Naruto's red eyes, his mouth barred revealing long fangs as the yellow chakra around him began to flicker into a deep crimson.
"What's going on?" Akio shouted as he appeared at the staircase, his olive eyes widening upon seeing Naruto's transformation, "Naruto-san?"
Briefly, from her peripherals, Sakura could see a column of fire shoot from above, causing the Corpses to scream in rage and move away from the chakra-shield – her mind immediately assuming that Souta, from Bird's Eye View, was the cause for the attack.
"…Make it stop!" Naruto pleaded, his eyes clenching shut as he shook his head from side to side, "Make it stop! Make it stop! Make me stop!"
Sakura flinched when his strong grip tightened; her free hand hesitantly beginning to flicker from blue to green; unsure which technique would be better to knock her best friend out and free him from his pain.
'DEMON!'
Another column of fire erupted, less effective than the last. The Corpses surged upon the window, ragingly pounding against the chakra-barrier, trying to get through.
"Naruto!"
The voice that called her best friend's name had not been her own. Sakura watched as a dark form swept from behind her to stand before Naruto. Recognizing Sasuke, his Sharingan quickly spinning, Sakura watched as his hand latched onto the hand that grasped her wrist, gaze boring heatedly upon Naruto's miserable expression.
"Release Sakura, Naruto," Sasuke ordered darkly, "Look at me."
"I-It…hurts!" Naruto groaned, refusing to open his clenched eyes.
The flickering chakra of Sakura's free hand immediately snuffed out and she reached forward and palmed Naruto's cheek, wincing at the heat of the Kyuubi's chakra but keeping her gentle hold, "Naruto, you need to listen to Sasuke-kun, you need to look at him so the pain can go away…please."
Several seconds passed as the screams and moans outside rose in volume. Naruto's hand around Sakura's wrist began to lessen in grip and his eyes slowly began to open, little by little, until his red eyes snapped open, wide, head falling back as an agonized shout left his mouth, chakra spreading unpredictably, and hands coming up to grab onto his spiky, blonde locks.
"Sakura!" Sasuke shouted.
"Right!" The kunoichi was already out of her seat; her hands were bordered in blue chakra as she hopped into the row of chairs behind Naruto and took hold of his hands and head, forcing him to gaze into Sasuke's Sharingan irises.
A few more seconds of effort and Naruto's red eyes locked onto Sasuke's, the black tomoes of the Sharingan spinning rapidly as Sakura watched her two boys with rising fear.
'DEMON!'
Emerald eyes shut, not wanting to look upon the Corpses or the pain Naruto was experiencing. Her hands, however, held Naruto firmly yet gently; she took comfort that she had a hold on him and immediately allowed healing chakra to encase her hands and lend reprieve to Naruto's pain.
Soon, Naruto's own fingers against his temples began to slacken, the Kyuubi's chakra began to fade, and the moaning and hissing began to lessen into the steady groans and whispers of before. Sakura's eyes finally opened to see Sasuke tumble back into the railing that stood along the window, one hand to his temple while he searchingly appraised Naruto. The Medic looked down at the blonde, noticing the sweat coating his forehead and smoothed back the blonde locks from his face.
"Naruto…?" Sakura whispered unsurely.
For a moment, the fear returned full-force when Naruto didn't respond, but then, a shaky hand rose and tiredly found hers at the side of his head, squeezing her fingers weakly.
"…I'm okay now…" He whispered, voice raspier than usual, "…I'm okay…"
"Oh thank Kami," Sakura choked as she wound her arms around Naruto's neck and hugged him from behind, careful of his weakened form, "I'm so sorry Naruto, that test went too far–"
Naruto chuckled weakly, patting her arm, "Isn't that what tests are for, Sakura-chan? Figuring out what's good and what's not?" He grinned a little stronger, though his blue eyes still looked fatigued, "Now we know that we can't do that again; Lesson learned."
"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked, dark eyes assessing him.
Naruto laughed softly, "Didn't know you cared so much, Teme."
"Tch," Sasuke scoffed, "Answer the question, dobe."
Naruto laughed again as Sakura pulled away, but he answered nonetheless, "I'm okay, really. Just…tired. It was really weird though…When I was in Kyuubi Mode it was like my chakra and the creatures' chakras were being drawn to each other…Like they were sucking it away from me and I was taking it away from them…And it hurt so much because I could hear so many voices, all at once – talking and screaming and shouting…It was hurting my head…and my heart too…"
Sakura bit her lower lip, laying her hands over Naruto's shoulders and performing a chakra-scan of his body, "…You seem to be okay; there's no physical damage to your body and your chakra system hasn't changed. I'm guessing it was proximity to them that made the connection so effective. Why that is, is a mystery itself, however…"
"Kyuubi doesn't know what happened either…" Naruto informed, his eyes closed, "He's just as surprised as all of us."
"Is everything okay?" Akio asked hesitantly from the top of the staircase, "I mean, what just happened?"
"Yeah!" Souta shouted in agreement from Bird's Eye View, "What the heck made those things go all crazy?"
"It was the Kyuubi," Naruto answered wearily as he stood up despite Sakura's protests, "I don't know why it affected them like that but I don't think I'm not going to be using that particular power again anytime soon."
"You should rest, Naruto," Sakura urged, pointing to the seats.
Naruto smiled, "I will, Sakura-chan. Just not…here," He looked at the Corpses behind her with an unreadable expression before grinning at both of his teammates, "I'm going to bunker down in one of the cots in the Facility."
"Do you want us to go with you?" The Medic asked, clearly still worried for her teammate's welfare.
Naruto merely waved his hand, "Don't worry about me, I'm okay. Do what you have to do Sakura-chan; I'm only a few yards away."
"…Alright…"
"I'm okay, really," Naruto assured with a smile.
He turned and began to ascend the spiral staircase, Akio's voice already offering to escort him back to the Main Building. It wasn't until Naruto's recognizable orange was out of sight that Sakura turned back to the window with narrowed eyes, a deep frown marring her features.
"What are you?" Sakura whispered fiercely, unaware of Sasuke's eyes on her, "And why are you attracted to the chakra of a demon?"
11:11 PM
Sakura flexed her wrist – remembering the tight grip that had held it – and gazed thoughtfully at the purple marks Naruto's strong fingers left behind. With a delicate flourish, green chakra swirled around the wound, brightened over the bruises and faded until unmarred skin remained.
Beside her, Sasuke sat quietly, a little more slouched than before and occasionally rubbing at his eyes – the action didn't go unnoticed by Sakura.
"Naruto's right," Sakura spoke up, eyes narrowed dangerously on the forms through the clear glass, "…We need a little more hands-on experience…"
Sasuke's eyes slid towards her, brows furrowed, "And how exactly are you planning to achieve that? Better yet, what knowledge do you think you'll gain out of it?"
"We go out there," Sakura answered with a smirk, before assessing Sasuke and his tired eyes, "I go out there. And whatever happens is knowledge gained."
Sasuke stared at her, unmoving, "…Are you insane?"
Sakura rolled her eyes, "Now is the time to get answers, Sasuke-kun."
"And you're going to risk yourself getting killed to get them," Sasuke countered disapprovingly.
"No," The kunoichi sighed as she created a hand sign, a subsequent puff of smoke appearing before them; Sakura grinned, "My clone will."
Sasuke glanced between the original Sakura and clone-Sakura with a deep frown, clearly doubtful of the plan but not vocalizing his opinion. His only answer was a short shake of his head before he sat up straighter and awaited the outcome.
Grinning triumphantly, Sakura nodded her head to the clone, which obediently made her way to the door that led to the containment room. After locking the first door shut, clone-Sakura took a deep readying breath while Sakura stood from her seat and leaned against the rail, desiring for a better examining view.
The door opened, clone-Sakura stepped out, swiftly closed the door and clenched her fists, ready for battle. Sakura made sure that she put enough chakra into the doppelganger that the lightest of touches didn't expel the Jutsu and that the clone's attacks would prove effective.
"Alright," Sakura whispered as she leaned forward, already watching the Corpses begin to notice the clone's presence, "Let's hope this test proves useful also."
11:44 PM
The Corpses were vicious when they fought. Though, Sasuke wouldn't even term it as fighting but more like preying upon with the intention to solely feed. The Uchiha watched the display from his seat, Sharingan activated to retain the memory and movement of the Corpses and how they reacted to Sakura's clone's attacks. Admittedly, her clone lasted longer than most others did when outnumbered, using fists and feet to drive off the grey-fleshed creatures as well as picking up surrounding trunks, boulders, and branches to use as weapons.
It was over twenty minutes of fighting, both Sakura and Sasuke silently observing, that the clone faltered, caught off guard. A part of Sasuke's chest clenched uncomfortably, reminding himself that the real Sakura was only feet away from him – but seeing Sakura, even if only a clone, taken by the arms and hair, shouting out in surprise as the Corpses pulled with the intention to rip her apart, and a male cadaver lunging towards her, mouth opened and ready to feed off her exposed neck – Sasuke wanted nothing more than to take his Kusanagi and run it through all the graying-flesh surrounding her.
Fortunately, Sakura's clone 'poofed' from existence earning a unified cry of rage from the Corpses before they migrated back to the ofuda-protected Pit.
However, when the doppelganger disappeared, its memories came rushing back to Sakura and Sasuke turned to her just as a gasp escaped her lips and she jerkily stumbled away from the railing.
The Uchiha was out of his seat instantly, catching her before she fell to the ground, "Sakura!"
The kunoichi breathed, her eyes wide, before they focused on Sasuke.
"Ow…" She muttered as she rubbed her shoulders before feeling along her uninjured collarbone, "That was…strange. I should have been more prepared for that."
"Sakura-nee-chan, that was so cool!" Souta yelled from above, "You totally kick ass, even as a clone! That's the longest I've seen any clone last against those things!"
Sakura couldn't help but laugh, thanking Sasuke after being helped up.
"Well, that shared a lot about their fighting style," Sakura informed as she straightened her clothes, "Now, let's see how they chase."
"You're going back out there?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
Sakura nodded, already forming the required hand seals, "Yeah, why not? It's proving pretty effective, don't you think?"
"You were literally knocked off your feet just now," He pointed out, "I'll send a clone out."
"You're too tired," The Medic reasoned as she shook her head, "I've seen you rubbing at your eyes; taming the Kyuubi took a lot out of you. It's okay, I can handle this."
Before Sasuke could protest, three Sakura-clones stood before him, each grinning reassuringly before they left for the containment room. Sakura re-took her place at the railing and Sasuke returned to his seat, but his eyes never strayed from her, even after the three clones took off deeper into the forest, even when she noted aloud that the majority of the Corpses went after her clones while the rest stayed behind.
He wouldn't take his eyes off her, because a part of Sasuke feared what would happen if he looked away when her clones were inevitably snuffed out…
12:22 AM
Naruto sighed as he tossed his blanket away from him, his body feeling too hot and the cot beneath him feeling too uncomfortable for proper rest. Whenever he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but see himself in his untamed Kyuubi form, ready and willing to attack and kill anything and everything in his path – including his friends. When sleep was just seconds from taking him Naruto would awaken to pained and terrified screams, groans of agony, and whispers that fed him poison to his mind – lies about his friends, doubts about his strength, and promises of a Mission that would fail.
Blue eyes opened to stare up at the large lights covering the ceilings, slightly dimmed by Shin for his benefit to gain some rest. However, sleep was evading him and Naruto felt the need to be away from the trap that was four walls and go out into the freedom of open air.
"Uzumaki-san, are you alright?"
Naruto sat up and looked towards the spiral staircase; Shin stood there with a slightly concerned look on his face. Across the room, at the Viewing Deck, Akio and Dai sat together, pointing out things through the landscape window and jotting down notes on a large piece of parchment.
"I'm okay," Naruto answered, running a hand through his unkempt locks, "I just need some fresh air."
Naruto stood up and Shin frowned a little more, "Are you sure you should be standing and moving, Uzumaki-san? Akio made it sound like you went through a rough ordeal."
"I've been through worse," The blonde laughed good-naturedly, "Just a short walk; and I'll be sure to stay within the borders."
"Should I have one of the boys accompany you?" Shin offered, gesturing to Dai and Akio.
Naruto shook his head, "I'll only be ten minutes, no need to bother them."
Shin looked slightly reluctant, but nodded his head, digging into his pocket before producing a small whistle, tossing it to Naruto who fumbled to catch it, "Just in case you run into trouble out there. Don't hesitate to use it."
Naruto looked down at the silver object before he watched Shin turn and descend the steps, "Uh, sure, thanks!"
When Naruto finally stepped out into the cool evening air he breathed in deeply and felt a small weight lift from his shoulders. It felt nice to be away from the confines of a building, even away from the proximity of the Pit, where only large windows and hordes of dark creatures stood.
Blue eyes looked up at the full, bright moon, and he smiled at the serenity it presented. The night seemed quiet; the dull drone of the Corpses being carefully tuned out from his keen hearing, and Naruto began to walk, along the edge of the safety of the red-cotton-decorated posts, hands shoved in his pockets, enjoying his small moment of peace.
A/N: So…Hey? Haha, yeah, long time no see? Again, sorry for the long wait, but, you guys are getting TWO CHAPTERS! Consider it a Christmas Present? And a Please-Don't-Get-Mad-At-Me Present? Haha. Hope you guys enjoyed Part I of the Patrol Duty Arc – originally it was one big chapter – about 32 Pages Long and I didn't want you to suffer reading it all at once so I'm giving you an easy break, totally read the next chapter tomorrow or something, but it would be super nice and a super awesome Christmas gift if you reviewed both chapters – since they're two different chapters and while this chapter is mild the next one is a little more intense…But not as intense as FUTURE CHAPTERS, muahahaha, but we'll wait until I get around to typing that on my Laptop and have it uploaded.
So I leave you with even more mystery – especially Naruto's little Kyuubi breakdown – and another chapter to read. I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think, thank you!
You guys are the BEST!
Before you read the Next Chapter, Let Me Know What You Think Is Going To Happen Next!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Company. Just the plot and Original Characters.
You guys are the best, thank you so much for reading and reviewing and I hope to continue to scare and suspense you on the ride that is The Curse! This fourteenth chapter is dedicated to YOU!
UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:
It All Started With – Chapter 17
False Façade – Chapter 2
Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5
Missing In Action - Chapter 2
His Eyes - Chapter 2
The Road of Touch, The Road to Feel - Chapter 2
I'm sorry I haven't been updating the above stories like I've wanted to, it's just my Muse has been focusing so much on The Curse and I can't let that inspiration slip by, so please be patient with the other chapters of my stories, I will get to them, as soon as I possibly can.
And! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my Naruto Information! :)
Oh! One last thing! Anyone got a Twitter? I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just PM me or drop a review! Happy reading everyone!
Oh! And I plan on sending out some Pokémon (AAML), Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin), and Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa) Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)
You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!
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